I joined the National NWTF for several reasons. I guess at first it was to learn more about turkeys and turkey hunting. But then, after I got my children involved, I could see what the future of turkey hunting could be, if we continued to grow our turkey flock and teach more people to hunt turkeys. I also like the conservation programs that the NWTF offers. The NWTF is not only about turkeys and turkey hunting, it’s about getting people outdoors and participating in outdoor sports, whether they're shooting 3D archery, shooting at targets with their rifles and shotguns, or going hunting.
The NWTF has also given me the opportunity to meet some great outdoorsmen, including Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland and Toxey Haas of Mossy Oak. I've met many great people that are on the Mossy Oak Pro Staff and work with Mossy Oak. I've met many, many call manufacturers from all over the country. Those Mossy Oak folks are what I call hometown people. They’ll sit down and talk with you about their mom’s cooking, turkey hunting, elk hunting and deer hunting. They're friends with other camo companies and other call manufacturers. I’ve met Steve Cobb who works for the U.S .Forest Service. We met at a Jakes program several years ago, and we became fast friends, and he wants to come out here and hunt elk with me. Mossy Oak people aren’t just about hunting turkeys.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I enjoy hunting mountain lions and bears. After putting in for an elk tag for 18 years, I took my first elk with my bow. He was a 357 bull, and I took him at 27 yards. The following year I went with my son, and he took an elk with his bow at 13 yards. That Mossy Oak camouflage works just as well on elk as it does on turkeys.
Years and years ago I was out hunting deer with my brother. We sat down in some brush waiting on the deer to come out late in the evening. My brother took a stand about 100 yards from me. After waiting a little while, I took my binoculars out to look for deer. Just for fun, I looked over to the place where I knew my brother had set-up his stand, but I couldn’t see him. When I met him after dark, I told him what had happened, and I said, “That Mossy Oak is some dang good camo.”
