Legend has it that the brown on the “Little Brown Dog” was purposefully bred into the Boykin Spaniel to provide camouflage while lying in wait for turkeys. Boykins, already excellent hunters, were bred for hunting wild turkeys and ducks in the Wateree River, and some might say they are turkey specialists.

Turkeys are huge birds with big powerful wings, long spurs,and a sharp beak. We’re not hunters and don’t know this first hand, but we’ve read that turkeys don’t respond to “calling” the way ducks do, so a flock must be scattered in order to call in the singles. A Boykin will find and flush such a flock, and when directed, will return to the hunter’s side where he’ll remain until a bird is brought down.

James Spencer’s article in “Gundog” from 2010 describes this further: “While waiting, the Boykin will sit perfectly still, just as he does in waterfowling. However, in his excitement, he cannot stop wagging his tail. That, of course, disturbs the dry leaves on the ground, making noise that the turkeys can hear. To eliminate that noise, early Boykin breeders started cropping their dogs’ tails, a practice that has continued ever since.”

We learned not only how enthusiastic Boykin Spaniel owners are when we featured their terrific breed back in 2014, but that it’s for good reason. Boykins are one of dogdom’s best kept secrets.

“Top Dog” by Jim Killen
http://www.killenoriginals.com/