Joining Up article

[Treerooster]

Only one thing to say...Nice work Mr Strand.

REALLY good stuff!!

[MarkStrand]

Hey, thank you!
Wild turkeys are so cool, and the deeper you get in, the deeper you want to go, right?

[Treerooster]

I think the fact that we can communicate with the wild turkey is why so many put their heart and soul in hunting them. Hunters can "talk" with other game, such as waterfowl and elk for example, but not nearly to the depth as we can with turkeys.

Its always a great day for me when I have a good conversation with a turkey. Hen, jake, or tom, it doesn't matter. I have had some birds in so close I wondered why they couldn't see my grin flashing under my face mask.

I don't claim to be anywhere near the level you or Ray Eye are at, but I am on the road to learning the langauge, and looking forward to the journey.

I enjoyed Ray's article in last months issue and yours this month. Hope to see more of articles of a similar nature. Keep up the excellent work T&TH...please!

[Fan Club]

Agreed, great work Mark!

I have admired your writing for a while now but you seemed to have upped the ante with your recent "outside the box" topics. Metaphors such as "called the cops on the turkey party" and "You'll kill the bird and the moment at the same time" are the class of the genre and I'm fairly certain Colonel Tom Kelly himself would approve.

"Let's Find Each Other" is another excellent recent article. I have shot many turkeys while standing behind trees, not so much as a stylized tactic but because the situation mandated it and "Whatever It Takes" would be printed on my turkey hunter's business card if I had such a thing.

You and I are on the same page when it comes to brother Ray Eye. I've met him several times and own his "Calling Is Everything" DVD. Thanks for joining the forum and keep up the great work.

Jeff

[MarkStrand]

Hi guys...
Jeff, thank you so much for the very kind words. Tom Kelly's work, as you might imagine, is some of my favorite writing about turkey hunting (and about other things that don't have anything to do with turkey hunting). I hear you about standing up while hunting turkeys; it's often so much easier to see the birds approach when you're not looking through fifty layers of brush. Really glad to see that you have Ray's DVD. He has produced some others, too, of the same type. He has come to a point in his life where he decided to just "tell everybody everything" about how he hunts turkeys, which is great for all of us!
Hey, I would like to offer something to both of you... I have a new book, Turkey Camp, published as an e-book. If you email me at strandoutdoors@mac.com, I'll send you each a copy. Would love to get your feedback on it.
-- Mark

[Treerooster]

Thanks so much for the opportunity to take a look at "Turkey Camp" Mark. I sent you an email and will let you know what I think.

I too have enjoyed and learned from Ray Eye's DVDs and his books. I just recently finished reading his new book "Turkey Hunter's Bible."

Your story in the "About The Author" chapter in Ray's book was good too. I took your opening line to heart and even went a little further.

Here I am getting tucked in for the night.

[charlie elk]

Ditto what the other guys have said about Mark's writing his Joining Up article has set the bar higher. I just finished Mark's book Turkey Camp last week it is a very enjoyable read. Purchased a Nook version from Barnes and Noble.
Keep up the good writing Mark. Thanks.

@treerooster are you any relation to Joe Hutto? You are taking things to a whole new level....
So that I can stay away from it--What have you been drinking?

[Treerooster]

@treerooster are you any relation to Joe Hutto? You are taking things to a whole new level....
So that I can stay away from it--What have you been drinking?

Charlie, I drink Wild Turkey...but it ain't the whiskey...it ain't even a liquid. I do get drunk on it now and then though.
Strange stuff...you can even bathe in it.

And Charlie...I bet you can't stay away from it.

[MarkStrand]

Hey Charlie,
Thank you for buying my book, and I appreciate the feedback as well... I'm getting excited about all the seasons coming up, even more now that we had a big winter storm last night here in Minnesota.
And Gary, I want to know more about your treeroosting... very impressive... assuming you didn't get up there via Photoshop... how long do you hang out up there?

[charlie elk]

Charlie, I drink Wild Turkey...but it ain't the whiskey...it ain't even a liquid. I do get drunk on it now and then though.
Strange stuff...you can even bathe in it.

And Charlie...I bet you can't stay away from it.

You are right about that.

At first I could not remember ever roosting in a tree; but then; upon further reflection; there have been some oaks with those long lateral branches that turkeys are partial to. During a few boring deer stands I have walked out on those limbs and hunkered down much like in your picture.

Mrs elk says there is no one more dedicated to the species and the hunt than me. (actually dedicated is my word, depending on the occasion she uses different words.) Mostly this is true there are those who are as dedicated; for a moment I thought you might have beaten me in that department. I laid awake last night wondering about it all.

Hopelessly addicted and not seeking any cure,