American Roots Outdoors w/ Alex Rutledge
Join Alex Rutledge along with Co-Host Wayne Lach & Mike "Redbone" Crase as we cover a variety of topics from Deer Hunting, Turkey Hunting, Fishing and today's top headlines...... all while Sharing our Faith! We will also have Special Guest appearances from some of the Hunting Industry's biggest names and Country Music Stars you all love!
American Roots Outdoors w/ Alex Rutledge
Ron Jolly - Author of "Memories of Spring" and the path to saving the future of Turkey Hunting
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This week Wayne and Mike enjoy the conversation with NWTF Hall of Fame member Ron Jolly! Ron discusses how the future of Turkey Hunting with the help of "Turkey's for Tomorrow" and his book "Memories of Spring"....... with stories you won't want to miss!
To learn more about Ron Jolly:
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https://www.amazon.com/Memories-Spring-Ron-Jolly/dp/B084DGNGVN
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He didn't he wasn't angry with me. He just didn't want he didn't want to tell people what what he knew because he was smart enough to know that and there always been turkeys here like they were in those days when I took that job. So um when he was when he was passing away when his time was up, he called me and he was in Texas with my sister and and for the first time in twenty-some years he says in a weak voice, he said, Bring you turkey hunting stuff. So I did. And when I got there, he he was gone two days later. And in the corner of that room was his macho bottom land stuff, and then the last turkey gun I bought him in the pocket of that coat. Camel boots on my feet. Well uh Winchester Phil.
SPEAKER_06Hey Redbone, do you hear about that new deer feed? What new deer feet?
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SPEAKER_06But tell us about it. What makes it better than any other deer feet?
SPEAKER_01Well, Bug Grits has got the protein it deer needs, it's got the fat it deer needs, it's got the amino acids, it's got the energy, it's got it all, brother. It's gonna bring them back after the rest, it's gonna put a rack on their head.
SPEAKER_06It's gonna help the black tight and go lots of two after they have the phones.
SPEAKER_01That's right, keep the phones going and get them for the next crop.
SPEAKER_06Well, where can I get bug grits?
SPEAKER_01Buggrits.com. You can get a sample, you can order it directly from the website, and we're coming to a retailer near you.
SPEAKER_06If you want to help a dear heart, use bug grits.
SPEAKER_07Take it to a fair command.
SPEAKER_08Buckritz presents on American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and Friends. This is Wayne Locke. I got Mike Krace working the magic board here in the studio with me. Uh Alex is not able to be here. Uh he is out turkey hunting right now. And he's working a gobbler, and uh you are not gonna be able to, you're not gonna tear him away from a gobbler uh to uh to chime in on a phone call.
SPEAKER_04Or do anything else.
SPEAKER_08Pretty much, yeah, yeah. And he's been he's been working these uh I mean it's been tough here in in Missouri. Uh and I know Ron, we're gonna call and speaking of here, I'm talking to Ron. I haven't introduced him yet, but we have uh Ron Jolly as our guest today, and Ron's on the phone with us. And uh Ron, you calling from home by chance?
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir, I am.
SPEAKER_08And where is home?
SPEAKER_02Uh Tuskegee, Alabama, halfway between Montgomery and Auburn.
SPEAKER_08Awesome, awesome. And I don't know what your situation uh is with birds there, but I know out here in the Ozarks, uh, we've been having a tough time with uh birds uh responding this uh last you know week or so. Uh we're thinking they're probably end up, plus the weather's not cooperating. It's it's pouring rain right now, and that's never a helpful thing, plus it's cold mornings. Uh but uh yeah, he's out there working birds. And I the other day I was trying to roost birds and I heard uh one gobbling off uh across the road from me, and I'm thinking, oh, there's one kind of nearby. It's the first gobble I've heard all season. No, it was just Alex messing with me. So he knew I was out there because I made the mistake of shooting him a text saying, I'll call you when I get back. I'm gonna try and see if I can locate a bird on my property. Because I have not, I I got wise eye cameras all over my property, and I do not have one picture of a bird this year, uh, which is not good. And um, so he I made the mistake of letting him know I was going over there, so he snuck around and decided he was gonna mess with me a little bit. And then he sent me a text after I heard it and he just, you know, lol. I'm like, all right, that's nice.
SPEAKER_04Well before we get into the meat of the meat of the program here, Wayne, I've got one question for Ron. Uh being in Alabama, and you know everybody we have on the show that I is from Alabama. Uh is it Alabama or is it Auburn? What do you got, Ron?
SPEAKER_02I live in a mixed household. My wife is Auburn and I'm Alabama.
SPEAKER_04Okay, well. So uh so the the big Auburn, Alabama game is is quite a day at your house, uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir. It's uh it's a celebration for somebody, but not both of us.
SPEAKER_04All right, so uh Wayne, go ahead. That's that's my only question so far.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, and uh, you know, for our listeners, uh, if you don't know the name Ron Jolly, you're probably not into turkey hunting very much. Uh because if you are into turkey hunting, then you are um you know, Ron is synonymous with turkey hunting. I mean, he's been around, not to say Ron's old, but he's been around a long time. And uh if you've watched any of the uh the old Primos videos and that, uh, you know, him and Cuz and Will and all them guys are I mean they they were the um the turkey hunting generation of the 90s, kind of like Alex was with um HS. Uh, you know, they were all coming around the same time. And I imagine that's probably why all these guys get along so good and and they all think alike. Um and that's that's an awesome you know uh thing to have, uh a group of guys that you can grow up with, watch, and then know that later on they're all still sticking together and they all still love each other and love the sport of hunting. And and Ron, what Ron is now doing for the the Turkeys, it's something we're definitely gonna be hitting in on this show, and um he's taking a whole new uh route with this. And we had uh another guest on uh Jim uh from a few episodes ago from Turkeys from Tomorrow. And uh Ron is also involved with that, and we're gonna touch more base on that and and how that all developed in that. But uh Ron, let's start with a little history of you, and that is who is Ron Jolly? Where are you from? Where'd you go to school? And uh, you know, did you do college, sports, anything like that?
SPEAKER_02Well, I was born in northeast Louisiana, um, right on the Mississippi River. Um I graduated high school in a little town called Murleton and went to a little small university called Louisiana Tech. Um my I was introduced to turkey hunting at a very young age by my dad. And when I graduate when I got out of college, I only knew three people who turkey hunted besides me. And that was my dad and his two best friends. And during turkey season, they never talked to each other, they never swapped tales or told stories. After the season they would get together and over an adult beverage and a barbecue pit, they would tell their tales and relive it. And the reason for that is there were very, very few turkeys there in those days. And um when you found one, you stayed with him because you might not find enough. And um, so that's that's kind of my history. And after um college and my career and I phone for with my dad and his two brothers for twenty years, and then I met Will Primo's and one of my hobbies was videoing turkeys. Just um for the fun of it. Not actually hunting them, just planting them and calling them up and videoing them and learning about 'em. I just there's something about a wild turkey that once it gets under your skin, you just never get rid of it, you don't ever get over it. I don't know anybody who just said I'm too turkey hunting, unless it's your health or you go mentally crazy or something. But uh so when I met Will, turned out I had the exact same equipment that they were shooting back in the day, which was a Panasonic SDHS camera. And um But would have it, he was starting to work on the truth too. And uh he let me volunteer for free for a year every chance I got and I learned a little bit. And in those days it wasn't really by anybody able to tell you you were doing it wrong because we knew we didn't know what we were doing, but it was all it was all new.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was all brand new.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so that's how I got started.
SPEAKER_04Well about what Yeah, if you don't mind me asking, about what year was that? Or or what what year did you go to Louisiana Tech? That's I'm more interested in that, and I'll tell you why in a second.
SPEAKER_02I went to tech from 71 through 73.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so you're a little bit early. One of my most hated rivals when I was in high school was a guy by the name of Austin Cottenbrocker. He went to Belleville West High School in Bellevue, Illinois, and he beat us in football all by himself practically when I was playing football in high school, and uh did the same thing on a baseball field. The guy was faster than any human being I've ever seen in my life. And he ended up going to Louisiana Tech to play college football. So I thought if you would have been there around 79, 80, 81, that would have been, wow, what a small world. You know, but anyway, you were there prior to that, but anyway. I'm not far behind you. Uh let me tell you that right now.
SPEAKER_08And I'm not far behind you. That's right. And I was just thinking that that was awful nice of Will Primo to allow him to volunteer his time and work for the company instead of Will having to pay him. I mean, what a nice guy that is, you know. I mean, boy, at least Will was smart enough to say, hey, I need to keep this guy around.
SPEAKER_02But um truth be known, Will couldn't afford to pay me in those days.
SPEAKER_04Well, you can always send him a bill now, I guess. All right, folks, we need to go to a break. Again, we've got uh Ron Jolly with us here on American Roots Outdoors Radio with Alex Rutledge and his friends. We'll be back right after this.
SPEAKER_05Hey y'all, it's dollar floor, and you're hanging with me and my good buddy, Alex Rutledge on American Roots Outdoors.
unknownI've been on a big board for a while. I could load him in the back of my throat.
SPEAKER_06Red Bum, what would you say if I could tell you that you could kill a buck on a certain day?
SPEAKER_04I would say you're crazy. There's no way to predict how the buck's gonna go.
SPEAKER_06Well, you're wrong. There's a new camera out called Wi-Fi technology. Really? Wi-Fi technology.
SPEAKER_04How do I find out more?
SPEAKER_08Come on, amped outdoors presents American Roots with Alex Rutledge and Friends. This is Wayne Locke, Mike Craig's and the working the magic on the board still. And Ron Jolly's uh on the phone with us still, and we are, you know, we left off. We're talking about uh some high school times, some college times. Uh Ron, let's let's move forward a little a few years here and let's start talking about family. Uh, you know, what when did you meet your wife? And uh for those that that don't know his wife, I'm sure as soon as you hear the name, you'll know it because she's uh pretty famous for her photography work, but uh, you know, take it from there, Ron.
SPEAKER_02Um I met Tess in 1996 and of all places in Atlanta, Georgia, at the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention. Oh and um not only was she uh a very beautiful lady, but uh she was a turkey hunter too. In fact, she was a a guide at at White Oak Plantation, which is no longer in existence, but it was it was a Mecca of turkey hunting in the South for years, and she was the only female that ever got there. And um one thing led to the other, and we got married and went on an elk hunt for our honeymoon. She killed her first elk, and as we progressed, I started dragging her into my world, like how I made my living, and that was with a video camera and a typewriter at the time. Um she was pretty attracted to it, but her she was always more interested in steel photography. And as time passed, she invested in her first professional equipment, a couple of lenses and a camera, and taught herself how to do it. And right now she's kind of sitting on top of the heap in that world as far as wild turkeys are concerned.
SPEAKER_08Yes, she is. Absolutely. Uh Ryan, you were you know, you mentioned uh typewriter. Uh let's let's touch on that. I mean, you uh have a book out uh that you know, we always talk a lot of times we talk about books, and they're like books from the 70s and that that were written or sixties. But this is a a new book. Um, and that's uh Memories of Spring. Tell us a little bit about that and what inspired you to write that.
SPEAKER_02Well, Memories of Spring was it's something I worked on for lots of years. It's a compilation of stories about my life as a turkey hunter, really, and the people I met and the places I got to go and the hard-headed turkeys that I ran into along the way. Um It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, but it'll make you appreciate what we've got. Um the photos in it are all taken by Tess and she did a great job of matching a photo to the mood of that chapter and ice and it's a it's a black and white soft back book. Um but we're gonna we're considering doing a limited edition run of hardcovers. And I'm actually working on another book, but I don't know if I'll live long enough to get it done, but they come slow for me.
SPEAKER_08Well and it's not like you're gonna run out of knowledge to share, that's for sure. I mean, these books are probably not uh, you know, I wouldn't call them a thin paperback, I imagine, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, sure it is. I've been very surprised at how well it's been received, but I published it in two thousand. The year two thousand was just God really showed me what he had in store for me for the rest of my life in in in twenty twenty. I mean not two thousand, it's twenty twenty. That was the year that um I published my book, and then right before that I learned that that I'd been inducted into the NWTF Grand National Hall of Fame. And just then Will Primo's called me and asked me to share their booth at the convention and and promote my book. So just so many things just lined up and we all knew in 2020 that there was something going on with turkeys and and that's that was the beginning of thinking about maybe trying to figure out a way we could help. And that's where turkeys for the moral came from.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and uh and of course I I for for people that turkey hunt and and or follow turkey hunt or interested in turkey hunting, uh yeah, by 2020 is when we decided we don't have as many turkeys as we used to. What are we gonna do to to get more turkey? I mean, is that that's what you're talking about, right?
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir. And and what we decided, the way it all came about, they were at the induction ceremony, there were a bunch of the old Primos guys showed up for that, and a lot of those guys I hadn't seen in twenty years or more. And we went off to dinner that night and we all decided, hey, we might not ought to wait this long again. So that following June, that following June, we all got together and it was a reunion of sorts at White Oak Plantation. And um we it was just for fun and to catch up, but there was a purpose to it as well. We had a a a round table discussion where everybody was asked to consider the phase of turkeys that and the areas they hunted and formulated questions about if you well, if you thought that question was answered, it might make a difference. So there were 14 people there, twelve guys and two ladies, and the questions were all asked and discussed, and I wrote a story and published it in Game Keepers magazine called If Not You Who? And those stories of questions were paired and um in that in that story, but the the gist of that was if if turkey hunters don't put this on our back, who's gonna do it? So that's that's our mission is to try to unite enough people to support research to answer those questions. Not specifically those, but just questions that might help turn this around.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, because if you don't know if you don't know the answers to the questions or even what questions what the questions are, I mean there's there's nowhere to go. So you I mean I think y'all started right in in formulating the questions and then trying to find the answers because I mean that really is where you've got to start.
SPEAKER_02Well it was it wasn't quite that simple. Um the money's hard to come by, guys. And um we started we put up each one of those 14 people put up a certain amount of money and we blew through that with the first lawyer. You know. Uh but establishing a 501c3 and a website and uh eventually a a a store on the website and PPAs and all the things that you got to be able to to do, i it it takes a lot of money and we made it we intentionally made it hard on ourselves by working on the eighty twenty split. By that I mean eighty percent of of the funds that we raise are designated to go straight toward turkey research or at some point maybe habitat improvement if we don't have the right project ready. That that eighty percent's not staying in a in a bank account is going to work. So within a year of getting our 501c3, we announced the first project that that we funded in Alabama, and then that project turned into a four-fold study. The first one was just a goblin chronology study on private and public land, and then that morphed into a nesting study where we intended to ban forty hens. Um not banned, but GPS caller forty hens. And then um there's a lot of decisions being made on season openers and stuff based on the suspicion that we may be killing these old gobbers before they've actually bred enough hens. And um, so we took that on, and as of today we have like 200 right at 250 harvested gobblers that we're gonna do a sperm count study on to see, you know, if what their sperm counts are, whether it be a a mature or an immature gobbler, and we're we're doing disease work on those carcasses as well. And then a big huge problem here is feral hogs.
SPEAKER_03Sure.
SPEAKER_02As luck would have it. Um another professor just concluded a feral hog study on white-tailed deer and noticed how much better the turkey population was doing where the hogs were being controlled. So now we've morphed into that. We're doing out another one with him on impact of hogs on turkeys.
SPEAKER_04All right, and then we need to uh take a break here, Ron, and interesting stuff, and we might get into a little bit more of the findings from some of those studies as we uh continue with American Roots Outdoors Radio with Alex Rutledge and Friends. We'll be right back.
SPEAKER_06Hi, I'm Princeton Pittman, and you're listening to American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and his friends. How many of you are tired of your batteries running out of energy, out of power? Let me tell you about amped outdoors. I've using the batteries I have at the past. F outdoors, I have a new 80 amp 24 volt, single battery weight 46 pounds. This thing has produced energy all day long. Tested for two days, overused 11 hours, cannot tell the batteries that be lost any energy. Go to F outdoors 200. Not run out of power.
SPEAKER_08So you have tox ammunition presents American Roots Outdoors with Alex Relic and friends. This is Wayne Land. In the studio with Mike Craze, and we have Ron Jolly on the phone. And uh, Ron, we were talking about programs that uh, you know, Turkeys for Tomorrow is putting out, and it kind of made me think of, and you had mentioned the word in the, you know, in one of your sentences in the last segment, and that was mission. And that's probably one of the things where I started researching, you know, the Turkeys for Tomorrow that really stuck out in my my head right off the bat was your mission statement. And uh it's unlike any other mission statement I've ever read before from any other organization. So if you can do us a favor, share that mission statement, and it really, I think, will help listeners understand what Turkeys for Tomorrow is all about. And it's not your normal um, you know, run-of-the-mill turkey club. Uh, go ahead.
SPEAKER_02I'll I'm gonna I'm gonna look it up so I can make sure I say it exactly right. We promote America's hunting traditions, conservation, and education through the timeless collaboration of hunters and wildlife professionals to ensure we all have turkeys for tomorrow. Simple.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, well, a very strong statement, but very simple as well.
SPEAKER_08Right. I mean, you're talking four sentences that you know to me just sums up everything and so much in just four senses. And uh it's and there it's four sentences that are written in stone. And I don't foresee a reason to ever have to change, you know, in the future. You know, some people say, well, we've got to re-rethink our our mission in that, but to me, that that mission right there is gonna be the same mission probably 20 years from now, 30 years from now.
SPEAKER_04Well, uh well, Ron, let's talk about and you mentioned some of the studies that have been done, and and as a uh you know, a longtime turkey hunter and one of the best out there, uh there have been some findings along the way so far that made you scratch your head and go, hmm, I didn't realize that.
SPEAKER_02No, no, sir. These studies are are three to five year studies. So uh we're in in the first year. Um we've we've learned we've learned a few things. Um the main thing that I can take from what I've learned so far is the willingness of hunters to help. And um sound companies who read that mission statement and and see that we're really care we we care about all wildlife, obviously. But we our mission is focused solely on wild turkeys. Um we couldn't have gotten to this point without great sponsors, and you just mentioned one of them, and that's apex, apex ammunition. But there's real tree and there's sit guts and there's natural gear and there's uh pistol creek calls and I could just go on and on. I don't leave anybody out. I don't want to leave anybody out, but it takes these studies are are very expensive. You know, you draw them out over three to five years, it it takes a lot of money. And um, you know, we're getting there. We're I was just delivered another well I'm gonna I'm gonna say it this way. Within I fully expect that we will have launched two more, maybe three more projects in multiple states before the beginning of the summer.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_02And um so you know the results are not there yet, they will come. Um but the main thing uh we need is is is people to support these these projects and know that 80% of the money goes there. Um these projects are are um they're far reaching. They're they're very complicated. Um a lot of thought went into the design of them. So we've reached out to like Dr. Chamberlain and at the University of Georgia, Dr. Uh Lashley in Florida, Dr. McConnell in Mississippi State. We have working relationships with those guys with Dr. Will Goosby at Auburn. We we're working hand in hand with those guys and institutions right now. And I I just got another proposal for a project today that I sent out to my to my guys and we'll see, but it's probably gonna get funded. And that's our job. Our job is to let those guys figure out where there may be a problem. They're trained, they're biologists. And if they think it's something worth investigating and might help, then it's our job is to fund it. And that's that's our mission, is to try to gather up enough money to let those guys go answer that question. And the good thing about answering these questions, guys, you might not get the answer you want, and it might not be that magic bullet that we're all looking for, because it's gonna be more than one thing. But if it's you prove it's not it, then you don't worry about that anymore. You move, you eliminate that from the from the pile and focus in on what's left.
SPEAKER_08You know, Ronnie, you were, you know, some of the names you had mentioned, I know that that's all from the private sector. How how have you been able to present this to the public sector, to the to the uh conservation, you know, uh departments through the government, through the states, for them to say, hey, we like what you're doing, you know, we want to work with you, or or have they have they reached out to you, have you reached out to them? I mean, how's that working relationship going?
SPEAKER_02For instance, uh, state of Mississippi has reached out to us, the state of Alabama is is working with us on a limited basis. They had just concluded a five-year study of their own. And um so they weren't as in in a good position to help with these studies at at this time. I fully expect they will as time moves on. And they are helping us with making their public lands available and and some of their personnel and all that. So um the state of Mississippi is is a different uh animal, the state of Arkansas. Um I fully expect a lot more cooperation from them because they haven't invested real heavily in Turkey research as recently as Alabama has. So um and how we how we go about that is we've been able to build a fairly for for being just a little over a year old, a fairly effective social media network and and through my career and like I think you said you had Jim Rocklestone, uh Jim Spencer, those kind of guys been in this industry as communicators for years, myself, Tess. Um we know a lot of people like like Alex and Wayne, and you know, those people who who who've helped us with getting the word out, and it it really does help.
SPEAKER_04And I'm sure that there uh is more help needed, and and we'll continue and and we will talk about that uh as we uh get ready to wrap things up here. But we do need to take another break, folks. We're talking with Ron Jolly from Turkeys for tomorrow. We'll be back with more American Roots Outdoors Radio with Alex Rutledge and his friends in just a moment.
SPEAKER_00This is Brenda Valentine, and you're listening to American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and friends.
SPEAKER_07Around your heart, so you never gotta worry. What the wind might do.
SPEAKER_06American. Hey turkey owners, this is Alex Rutledge. Have you heard about Apex Ammunition? If you haven't, they are American-owned, American made, made one at a time, hand loaded. These turkey loads will give you the confidence that you need to close the deal on that old hook daddy longbeard job. For more information, go to www.apexammunition.com.
SPEAKER_08Eagle Seed presents American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rose and Friends. Wayne Locke is back here with you along with Mike Grace and Ron Jolly. Uh, you know, Ron, we were talking uh in the last segment towards the end there about your organization, about money that's you know, where it goes, you know, people you're hiring, and and and you know, maybe they're volunteering their time to help you do this research and that. But really, when it comes down to anything, money is the the one thing that either keeps an organization going or it is the reason they fold. And you know, for us turkey hunters who want to see not only us but our children and our grandchildren have that future of turkey hunting, you know, and then we want to get involved. How can people get involved with your organization and learn more about it?
SPEAKER_02Okay. Uh let me back up just a a step here. Uh when I was mentioning sponsors, I need to bring on, mention one more, and that's on X. Um have helped us in a big way. Um, but to get involved, go to turkeysfortomorrow.org. And there's four we recently decided to to take members. We went a year without just trying to find our way, and we realized there's a lot of people willing to support us, and they considered themselves members, but uh we really didn't have a way to to make that a a a revenue stream that we could depend on. So members is how we're gonna try to do that. Uh all of our sponsors really encouraged us to do that. So um there's four membership levels. There's a youth, there's an adult, then there's a teen gobbler, and then a lifetime member ship level. So join us, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, um, subscribe to our newsletter. We were we're doing a bi-monthly newsletter now, which we will it we'll we'll expand. And you you made one mistake when you said it's the people we're hiring. We're not we don't we don't have any employees at this point. Uh it's gonna come to that at some point. But for now, we're just trying to to put as much emphasis on helping turkeys, and when it gets to be too much for old folks like me, then we'll have to hire somebody.
SPEAKER_04Uh yeah, and the membership fees are very reasonable. I'm actually looking for them, looking at them now, and uh, you know, anywhere from $25 up to you know $2,500 to be a life member. And uh and again, folks, if you've been listening to the show, that money goes to Turkeys for Tomorrow to uh to help pay for uh the research into why the turkey numbers are declining and and you know what are some of the factors that are contributing to turkey numbers declining or or whatever the case may be. And uh, you know uh uh Ron has has talked about several different things that they're doing. So um I I think you know anybody up there that is a turkey hunter, and I was reading an article the other day that that appeared on Facebook about the fact that uh hunters are conservationists. I mean there's not anybody that hunt, hardly that hunt, that doesn't understand the need to protect and promote and help the species that we like to hunt prosper. And and sometimes the anti-hunters don't understand that. They think we're just after killing all the deer. Well, no, that's not what we're doing. We're we're we're hunting deer, we're harvesting deer, but we're also helping for the future of the deer herds. And same way with turkey hunters. Uh turkey hunters, maybe even more than deer hunters, understand the need to protect some of those turkeys and and to figure out why there are some issues in the turkey population. So uh Ron, I think it's great work that y'all are doing, and and I think I would encourage anybody out there that is a turkey hunter or interested in the turkeys or just likes watching the turkeys down in the field in the evening or in the mornings while you're out sitting on your porch drinking coffee to become a member and help fund the the research projects.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and let me say this right quick. You you hit on it um when you said the hunters are conservationists. The North American hunting model is the most successful conservation movement on earth, and it's funded by the purchase of hunting licenses. Because those dollars are matched three to one by the federal government funds created by the Pittman Robertson Act, and those funds from license sales and those federal funds fuel your your agencies and all the stuff that they do to protect and promote the wildlife that we all cherish.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, I think that's something that a lot of people don't realize is that how much the government puts in to match or you know, like you said, three to one. I mean, they exceed what you're donating, they're gonna exceed what uh you know, just a one-to-one match uh to really help with these programs and that. And um, you know, speaking of money, one of the questions I'm sure somebody that's listening to the show right now is thinking to themselves, well, if I if I donate, uh or not donate, but if I join and I spend $250 on a membership, you know, is that $250? Is that gonna stay here in Missouri? Is that gonna stay here in Alabama or wherever they live, or am I gonna be funding, you know, uh a research program in New Mexico which does nothing for my turkeys that are local?
SPEAKER_02It does do something for your turkeys that are local, because if it's if it turns out that it's in New Mexico and we discover that it's a say a parasite that's interrupting productivity, then your agency can take that information and and do that test in your state and and and try to help that problem. If you look at those membership levels, the first two you see what you get for for joining and the second two you don't. And you for the for the team turkey members at $250 left level, we're designing Crystal Creek game calls, it's designing and building right now, a beautiful slate striker that you'll you'll receive for that $250. But for the life member, there's no description of what you get for that there either. Because that is being created as we speak also, and it's a it's a one of a kind oil print, all painting that Eddie Leroy is doing, and we will you will receive a print of that of that original for your $2,500. We just hadn't he he's not done with it yet. So um that news we'll start promoting that probably next month as he as he's getting close to it. And so all this takes time, guys. You know, we're sure we're just we're kind of pitballing as we go, but um it's all thought out, we just haven't been able to bring it all to life yet.
SPEAKER_04But I what what um I mean you're probably I mean the year into this, as you said, Ron, uh do you ever step back and go, Wow, we've got a lot done in a year, a lot more than I thought we would.
SPEAKER_02Well it's kinda like watching um a plant grow. You know, if you if you look at it every day, it it it doesn't it doesn't seem like it's growing at all. And that's what I have to do. Uh and most of the guys who are helping with this. So we're so engaged in it it seems terribly slow to us. But if you back up and look at it from from last April to this April, it's it's none of us would have ever thought we would be at this point in this amount of time. And that's just God's hand on it and knowing that we're doing the right thing and everybody's got their shoulder to it and a lot more people are putting their shoulder to it, which helps.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, no doubt. No doubt.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, no doubt. So Ryan, again, for the folks that are out there listening, uh uh maybe just tuned in, uh, we're talking about Turkeys for Tomorrow, a relatively new organization uh that is uh uh funding uh research to try and help with the turkey numbers and the turkey populations and find out what's going on out there with the with the birds and uh tell them again how or where they can go to uh become a a member and to help fund this research.
SPEAKER_02Go to turkeysfortomorrow.org and click join us and you'll see the four available membership levels. Join us. Put your shoulder to the task, take care of your turkeys, and we're gonna try to figure out if there is a magic bullet. I doubt there's one. Um one there's one little misperception here that this is a southeast deal. It's it's more widespread than that, guys. It's just a lot of attention's been shined on it in the southeast. You can also go to our Instagram, our Twitter, and our Facebook page, follow us there and see the stuff that's happening every day. We'll be we'll start um learning some stuff this summer about this gobbler chronology, and we'll share that and the disease study and w we'll get first year's preliminaries later this summer and we'll try to get that out. That should encourage some people to help as well.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and maybe we can have you back on uh back on the American Roots Outdoors show and uh and you know give some people you know some updated information. I know that the the people that are listening now that are interested, they're gonna want to know what's going on.
SPEAKER_08Right. They're gonna they're gonna want to say, hey, what were those results? These are some really cool programs you've gotten.
SPEAKER_04Time to hear what's what's what you're finding out. Uh Rob, we we thank you for being on the uh on the show today, and we've got to wrap it up here. And uh uh Wayne and I will be doing a bonus, uh, talk about some other things and just all kinds of stuff. We're in the middle of turkey season, and uh good luck to all the turkey hunters out there in the world. And and Wayne, tell people where they can find the uh podcast.
SPEAKER_08Uh you can go to any of your local your podcast carrier on your phone, your computer, uh Alexa, uh just American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and uh look it up, join, subscribe, whatever your podcast carrier wants you to do. And uh again, there's no cost in that, but you'll get the updates as soon as our episode's release. And uh, you know, uh make sure you leave us a review. We just had the uh review winner uh that we announced uh on last week's episode, and we're gonna be doing another one here. And if I can talk Ron into it, I want to see if maybe we can get an autographed copy of uh uh one of his books.
SPEAKER_04Oh, that uh might be something I'll go listen to the podcast if we do, and and leave a review.
SPEAKER_08Leave a review. Uh but Ron, when we uh when we get back onto the bonus segment here, I want to touch base on some of these uh programs. I know you got one in Missouri that I think our Missouri listeners here uh are gonna be uh wanting to hear about. So uh everybody, thanks again for listening to American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge. Um, like we say here at American Roots, when your roots run deep and strong, there's no reason to fear the wind.
SPEAKER_07What the world do American.
SPEAKER_04Thank you for joining us for today's American Roots Outdoors Radio with Alex Rutledge. You can find us on Facebook, look us up on the world wide web at American Roots Outdoors.com. We'll be back again next week on this great radio stage.
SPEAKER_08Aft Outdoors presents American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and friends. This is Wayne Locke. I got Mike Chris in the studio here with me, working the board, working his magic of the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. And uh say that every week, but man, folks, we gotta give Mike the credit that is due. He is uh he's the one that puts us together and allows us to uh to get the stuff done and then sends it over to me, and I put the podcast together. He does the radio show. And if you're listening to this, that means you're listening to the podcast. We appreciate it. Uh, if you missed any of the radio show for our radio show listeners, you can hear the whole thing on the podcast, and that's the greatest thing about the podcast. If you're at work and you missed it, don't fret. Listen to it Sunday night, Tuesday, whenever uh you have access to uh the last three years. Uh just uh go to your, you know, whatever podcast you like listening to. Right radio down the bonus. Yep. Find your your favorite guest, which this week our favorite guest is Ron Jolly. And Ron is back with us, and we're gonna talk some more about uh turkeys for tomorrow and and that. But you know, one of the things we talked about at the end of the the radio show was uh you're doing a book giveaway uh with your your book, Ron. Now, uh, where can people find your book if they say just want to purchase it as a gift or for themselves to read?
SPEAKER_02Uh go to I have a Memories of Spring Facebook page and you can go find it there, or you can find it on Amazon and find it there.
unknownAwesome.
SPEAKER_02And fine copies go to Memories of Spring.
SPEAKER_08Okay, and I'm gonna make sure I leave a link uh for our podcast listeners. They can just scroll up on the podcast and the link will be right there. They touch it and takes you right to their to your page there so they can order that book. And uh again, we want to thank you for you know donating a book, uh, an autograph book for our listeners uh to uh have a chance to win in that. That's awesome, thank you.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and Ron, for those of the the folks that maybe didn't hear the first part of the radio show this weekend or are on the podcast, uh uh Tell us a little bit about what how how the book came about and and what is in there. I mean, what what are they going to get when they get that copy of the book?
SPEAKER_02The book came about as over a a lifetime of of turkey hunting, my experiences with with and the people that you meet along the way and some of the old hard-headed turkeys that you love you love to hate or hate to love and whatever that turns out. But um they're just they're heart-touching stories. There's how to there's really no how-to in it, but there's a lot of um that you can read between the lines and figure out what worked and what didn't. The book will make you cry in places, it'll make you laugh in places, but it'll make you appreciate everything that that God let us have as turkey hunters.
SPEAKER_04Is there one story in there in particular that stands out as maybe your favorite?
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir. Um I took the job at Primos, um my dad looked me in the eye and says, You're gonna have to tell everybody all this stuff I've been teaching you about turkey hunting, right? I said, Yes, sir. He says, I hope you've learned everything you need to know from me because I'll not hunt with you again. And he didn't. He didn't he wasn't angry with me. He just didn't want he didn't want to tell people what what he knew because he was smart enough to know that there always been turkeys here like they were in those days when I took that job. So um when he was when he was passing away, when his time was up, he called me and he was in Texas with my sister and and for the first time in twenty-some years he says in a weak voice, he said, Bring you turkey hunting stuff. I did. And when I got there, he he was gone two days later, and in the corner of that room was his Mossy Oak bottom land stuff and and the uh the last turkey gun I bought him, and in the pocket of that coat, this coat was two uh Winchester shells when they first came out with those little black shells that with a copper shot and all that. And um we buried him and then a week later I killed a bird with one of those shells and his gun. So that that's one that uh very, very proud of.
SPEAKER_08Well, I see what you mean now, saying that you read this book, you'll you'll laugh and you'll cry because Wayne and I are both crying right now. That that that's a tearjerker. I mean, we w Mike and I both have kids that are older, and I I'm thinking, you know, holy cow, you know, I mean, that's just yeah.
SPEAKER_04There's an example of uh now what what about to the other the other end of the spectrum, uh Ron? Something maybe that uh uh you know is gonna make somebody laugh. I mean, and and I I would think maybe this is where an Alex Rutler story might come in.
SPEAKER_02Well uh what comes to mind there is a is a turkey that uh the story's called the turkey ghost. And uh I was I'd been hunting this one bird, he lived in on on a ridge between two big flat sloughs, and he never walked in there, he always flew in there from the other side of one slough or the other and land and roosted on that ridge. So after three days of seeing him every day, trying to figure out which way he's gonna fly down that ridge and walk out of there, because it's only 70 yards wide, and I hadn't been able to guess that he guessed right yet, but I did realize that if I called to him, he was gonna go the other way. So the the last afternoon when he flew in and landed, I could have shot him off the limb, but I wouldn't. I waited until it got black dark, and I got up and I'm backing down the road, getting out of there, and I forgot about a little top that fallen across the road, and I tripped, I was about 80, 90 yards from him by then. I tripped and fell over backwards, and everything in my vest filled out that road, and a roll of toilet paper was just glowing in the dark. So I said, mm-hmm. I took that, y'all heard of the the tumor oaks at Tumor's Corner at Auburn, how they roll it with paper with paper out there with victory. Yeah. Well, I did that to that little treetop and threw it all in the road, and that was toilet paper blowing in the wind, and I went around to the other side of him the next morning and stopped 100 yards short of him. And when he flew down, I yeped at him and he walked up in the road and studied and walked around, walked away from me. And when he went around that curve and saw all that stuff, he came running right back to me.
SPEAKER_08He's like, oh heck no.
SPEAKER_03But I yep, sir, I did.
SPEAKER_04Uh well, what a great story, and and more stories uh in the book, folks. Get you a copy. And and Wayne, it's it's been a joy having Ron Jolly on with us today on the radio show and and then here on the bonus. So I know we need to uh kind of wrap this thing up.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, and Ron, again, you know, thank you very much for for joining us and and you know getting the information out there about Turkeys for tomorrow because if people don't know about it, they don't they can't, you know, join. And if they don't join, they can't get the money to you for you to do these programs with because these programs are huge. Are we ever going to get our numbers back that we had, you know, 20 years ago? Probably not, but we need to reverse the direction that some of our states are heading right now.
SPEAKER_02Who's to say we can if we do the right things? When you go to Memories of Spring Facebook, there's also a limited edition call line at Preston Pittman. I do appreciate you checking it out.
SPEAKER_08Awesome. Again, everybody, you've been listening to American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and friends. And uh, Ron, thanks again. Mike, thank you. And uh, like we say here at American Roots, when your roots run deep and strong, there's no reason to fear the wind.