Cuz’s Corner

Building the Next Generation of Turkey Hunters

The sport of turkey hunting will continue if each of us dedicates ourselves to teaching the next generation (including our children and our grandchildren). Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland, vice president of Mossy Oak Television and Video Production, says, “Turkey hunting trips with my grandchildren are some of my best turkey hunts ever.” To understand why, we asked Cuz to tell us all how he’s training his grandchildren to turkey hunt.

Big Game, Turkey, Mossy Oak

Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland on the Different Types of Eastern Wild Turkeys

In my own mind, there are several different types of eastern wild turkeys. I know the turkeys in Missouri are eastern wild turkeys, but they gobble so loud and so much that believing they have turbo chargers on their chests is easy. So, I classify them as a different species of eastern wild turkey in my mind than some of the other eastern gobblers. Turkeys in New York also gobble pretty good, but they seem

Big Game, Turkey

Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland’s Favorite Turkey to Hunt – Merriam’s Gobblers

I like Merriam’s gobblers, because those birds like to talk. If they can hear you, the Merriam’s gobbler won’t hesitate to come to you from a mile away. If a Merriam’s gobbler answers my calling, over the years, I've learned to sit down and eat a candy bar. By the time I’m finished with that candy bar, the gobbler will be right in front of me. I think one of the reasons that the Merriam’s

Big Game, Turkey, Mossy Oak

New Zealand Gobblers - Rio Grandes Imported from the U.S.

We had heard that a lot of turkeys were in New Zealand, but not very many people hunted them. We also learned that these turkeys were originally Rio Grande gobblers that had been imported from the U.S. However, they were blondish-white color phase turkeys. I don’t know how that turkey phase got mixed-up with Rio Grande turkeys, but they did.

Big Game, Turkey, Mossy Oak

The Gould’s Turkey in Mexico and the Ocellated Turkey in Central America

For me, the Gould’s turkey is much like a Merriam’s turkey. My first trip to Mexico was many, many years ago. Back then, we couldn’t take a gun across the Mexican border. The guide service we were going to hunt with said, “Don’t worry about your gun. I've got you covered. I've got a gun you can use. I’ll meet you at the border and help you get across the border.” Back in those days,

Big Game, Turkey, Mossy Oak, Firearm

Enjoyment of Results Often Depends on the Process

“Because there’s more to enjoying life than being right,” he said. “There’s enjoying the fact you earned it. Earning it means it’s yours because you made it yourself, and you don’t have to wait for some other fellow to say, ‘Go ahead,’ when you’re ready to take it in.”

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