Chat with Mark Strand

[Gopherlongbeards]

i more have a prob with the guys that dont respect the wild turkey they just harvested by throwing it around & basicly spur & beard hunting they are the same folks crack n on others for shooting a jake & passing on the trophy only mentality... im off topic so i stop now lol..

Totally agree here TJ, show some respect for that bird you've killed. Don't just chuck him into the back of your truck like a garbage bag. Growing up we were always taught to respect the fish and game we harvested. Our most important responsibility as outdoorsmen was to minimize the suffering of any animal we decided to take. Additionally, it was considered wasteful and inappropriate to take an animal without intending to use as much of it as possible. It kind of bothers me when people just breast out a turkey and then throw the rest away. That is a lot of wasted meat. If you took that animal's life you have a responsibility to use as much of it as you can in as respectful a way as possible. I really enjoy preparing wild fish and game at special meals for groups of family and friends. Being able to share food that I have hunted at a special occasion is very enjoyable for me, and I feel it demonstrates a proper level of respect for the bird.

Its easy for people to get caught up in the numbers game with hunting. When an animal you harvest loses that individual significance and becomes "just another notch on the rifle butt", I think a hunter is crossing into territory where I don't really want to go. Sorry, I'll jump down off my soapbox now.

[ticklishtompro]

Gopher, we go so far as using just about everything on the carcass. I take the breasts, tail, spurs, and beard. Then I take it to a friend and she takes the rest of the meat(to grind into burger) and pluck all the remaining feathers. She uses them to make decorations. The best part is she donates the finished projects to different organizations to raffle, auction, sell or whatever they do to raise money.

My point has to do with those "tough guy" looks that are adopted for the photo, oftentimes along with sunglasses or perhaps war paint on the face, regardless of what the person's natural demeanor might be. I am speaking from some experience here, having been in on campaigns where people having their pictures taken were being given art direction, being told what kind of look to adopt. What I'm saying is that, in the name of helping newcomers feel welcome in our traditions, it's better to adopt a friendlier look. If we really want our sports to continue in future generations – something that is vital to the future of conservation, given that hunters and anglers pay almost all the freight – I believe it's crucial to adopt a friendly look in photos and video, and that we should want to share what we know with others, so that they might be more successful than they otherwise would be.

I agree Mark, if you don't look like you are enjoying it why would a newbie want to give it a try or ask anything. The photo I used for my Avatar is a very memorable turkey as most I have photos of are. I could go on about the story, but you all don't want to hear about that. The short of it was it should have been a double, but my buddy missed his! So on our way out he yelled at me and took my pic, and it is one of my favorite pics I have of me and turkeys. But here is the pic that sums it all up as to why we hunt, all first timers with there birds, some of you may have seen it posted before, but I just can't get enough of it!

[turkey junky]

both pics are beautiful pics ticklishtompro & no disrespect was intended towards you... & the smiling faces on them kids faces is priceless & that pic will always spark the memorys of that great day for all that were involved for years to come... i guess i was more refering to the modeling for pics to the extreme aspect of pic take n as was mark...

yes i always at least keep the tail fan feet+spurs beard wings & will most the time skin the bird & my sister in-law will pick threw some feathers to make ear-rings a few other nick nacks sometimes we skin the bird & make a decoy out of the harvested birds... lol if im on a long out of state in the boonies type hunt i may opt to breast out the bird and then remove the thighs ETC. to save room in a cooler if that is legal & a option in the state in hunting in... sometimes we just eat the bird in turkey camp if we can not get to a freezer & or if the meat may spoil due to extreme heat...

i also love to cook the turkeys & game i harvest in the field we just smoked a WI turkey my father harvested at a party 4 a friend & it was the talk of the BBQ grill as most had no idea wild turkey tasted like that??? also we love to do a sweet & sour grilled wild turkey my grandmother loved it & wants me to cook another ASAP

using as much of the bird as possible & eating the game harvested is our responsibility & the least we could do for the game we just harvested...

i meet 2 groups of hunters this yr from kansas & 1 single hunter from oklahoma & 1 single hunter from nebraska that all looked at me like i was speaking another language when i asked do u have the fan or what color was the fan of the bird you harvested expecting the hunters to pull out the cut off fan & show me there trophy they just killed & they said well i didnt even keep the fan & we mainly hunt for the meat & spurs/beard but they had only breasted out the birds & left tons of meat on the carcass with the tail fan still attached... the main reason they say why they dont care for or to keep the tail fans & or feathers is because they already have a tail fan or a mounted bird & what are you going to do with all them tail fans & or feathers??? but many many deer hunters dont give a hoot what happens to there deers skin & many guided hunters dont want to deal with the hassle & or the $$$ to ship the meat back home with them so they just let the guides/host keep the meat of the game they just harvested...??? not cool... i see the same thing happen with goose hunters lots of want & waste going on i mean people call em sky carp...

[MarkStrand]

Hey Tom...
I had not seen this picture. That is quite the row of success stories. Wow. And I really like the talk in here about respect for the birds (dead or alive), and the ways you are all using the various parts, including creating things that are then sold to raise money for conservation. Makes me think hard about the times I do not save the feathers myself. I love tying flies with wild turkey feathers and fishing for trout with them, and I offer feathers to others that tie flies, and use feathers for making cool decorations for down in my office. I had started to run out of ideas for what to do with all those feathers, but this has given me new ones.
It's also fun for me to see what new direction this discussion will take. Thanks, everybody, for coming in here and offering thoughts, suggestions, opinions. One thing I know for sure: as soon as you shut your ears off, nothing good comes after that.

[ticklishtompro]

That is quite the row of success stories

Thanks Mark, and those were only the ones taken right away the first morning of the hunt! In all 11 of 16 first timers took birds, and all the rest had opportunities to harvest birds! This is from the Learn To Hunt program I run. It was the fifth year of it and our most successful also. I am very big into getting new hunters involved in the sport. In 5 years we have taken out almost 70 people, adults and kids. It is a great program with our success rate right around 30-50% most years. I wouldn't care if I shoot another bird as long as the new hunters I take out each year get a bird. The excitement from them is worth it all. I also take other kids out during the youth season and any other season I get a chance.

both pics are beautiful pics ticklishtompro & no disrespect was intended towards you

TJ no offense was taken. I should have said it more clearly, what I meant was there is always a story behind every pic, it is too bad some of them are just set up ones. I understood your point and agree with you.

Randy

[MarkStrand]

Here here, Tom... your willingness to take out new hunters is exactly what we need, and I really appreciate the fact that you take out adults who are novices as well. In my experience, there is almost nothing, in the way of organized assistance, for adults who did not grow up with hunting and fishing. Very much needed.
Speaking of fishing, I will be completely off the grid for the whole next week, on an island in Canada. Lots of writing, fishing, and eating fish. I'll check in here when I get back, and see what you guys have been up to!

[turkey junky]

good luck mark & hope you have great weather & get plenty of walleye to shore lunch up there in bug county!!! lol the fish are still bite n my old man & to uncles just went north & caught plenty of walleye to eat up while camping... good luck again

[ticklishtompro]

In my experience, there is almost nothing, in the way of organized assistance, for adults who did not grow up with hunting and fishing. Very much needed.

One thing I give the WI DNR credit for is the Learn To Hunt programs. They are run by local clubs around the state and the DNR supplies free tags and we choose when we do the hunt. It is open to anyone 10 years and up who has never turkey hunted before. It used to be a ton of paperwork to do it all, but it was worth the effort in the end. Now they have streamlined it and made it more computer friendly so the paperwork is a breeze. I think the program has been active for about 6 years or so, and it requires attending 4 hours of classroom instruction, which is mandatory, before the hunt. Brian Lovett usually comes over and speaks to the class and does an awesome job showing them turkey calls, how to use them, and what the calls mean. The kids(and mentors) are usually glued to his every word. The saddest part is I usually stuggle getting enough mentors, but most once they do it want to come back every year.

Good luck fishing and enjoyng the beautiful surroundings up there. I really need to get up there again, it has been too long!![

[dewey]

In my experience, there is almost nothing, in the way of organized assistance, for adults who did not grow up with hunting and fishing. Very much needed.

One thing I give the WI DNR credit for is the Learn To Hunt programs. They are run by local clubs around the state and the DNR supplies free tags and we choose when we do the hunt. It is open to anyone 10 years and up who has never turkey hunted before. It used to be a ton of paperwork to do it all, but it was worth the effort in the end. Now they have streamlined it and made it more computer friendly so the paperwork is a breeze. I think the program has been active for about 6 years or so, and it requires attending 4 hours of classroom instruction, which is mandatory, before the hunt. Brian Lovett usually comes over and speaks to the class and does an awesome job showing them turkey calls, how to use them, and what the calls mean. The kids(and mentors) are usually glued to his every word. The saddest part is I usually stuggle getting enough mentors, but most once they do it want to come back every year.

Good luck fishing and enjoyng the beautiful surroundings up there. I really need to get up there again, it has been too long!![

That sounds like a great program that the WI DNR has going. The MN DNR has a turkey clinic that is offered to all new hunters but it is not required. Before my first spring hunt in 2008 I went to the clinic and thought it was very good. However a program in MN like WI has to introduce new turkey hunters with the incentive of free tags sounds like a great idea.

Mark good luck on the fishing trip.

Dewey

[scott ellis1974]

I love showing my joy!!!!LOL