Wild Turkey Archives: Turkey Hunting Culture, History, and All Things Old-School

From Primos' Truth About Hunting Vol. 1 to the original Knight and Hale videos, and all the other "Kings of Spring" era turkey hunting videos in between, we're diving into the real old stuff today with a group of guys who know how to revive the old-school turkey hunter in us all. 

Listen along for a very interesting project you'll want to check out immediately, The Wild Turkey Archives.

 A lot of turkey hunting “history” isn’t sitting safely on a bookshelf. It’s on VHS tapes, three-quarter inch broadcast tapes, old magazines, fading photos, and raw footage that never made the final cut. And some of it is so fragile it has to be baked just to play one last time. That’s why I wanted to get Paul Campbell, Nathaniel Maddox, and Brent Rogers on the phone to lay out what Wild Turkey Archives really is and why it’s more than a highlight page.

We get into the mission: preserve and celebrate the history and heritage of the wild turkey and the wild turkey hunter, not just for nostalgia but to inspire multiple generations. We talk conservation history, callmaking history, and the cultural “fabric” built by books, interviews, and classic hunting media. You’ll hear about major donations like thousands of NWTF tapes, the push to digitize raw interviews and restoration footage, and the jaw-dropping finds that show up when collectors and organizations start opening their vaults.

We also break down how you can actually use it: the free Wild Turkey Archives database versus the insider packages that fund the work and include access to the Wild Turkey Archives streaming app on Apple devices, Android, and Roku. If you care about wild turkey hunting history, turkey hunting videos, and protecting the stories that made the sport what it is, this is for you. Subscribe, share this with a turkey hunter who grew up on those old tapes, and leave a review if you want us to keep bringing conversations like this every week.

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Transcript

A Father’s Best Turkey Hunt

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Alright, what's going on, everybody? Welcome back to the Spring Legends Podcast. My name is Hunter Ferrier, and I apologize for the delay in the release of this episode. By a matter of a few hours, I have been in the Turkey Woods with um my firstborn daughter, Eva, for the first time. So we've had us a morning. Uh not getting this episode released until about noon, but I hope y'all understand. You only get um you only get one chance at the first time in the turkey woods and wanted to make the most of it with her. And uh we did exactly that. We heard zero gobbles and we saw uh plenty of flowers, uh, a mole, and uh a few holes, and we had the best hunt I've probably ever had in my entire life. So if you're a dad, you understand. And um if you're a turkey hunter, I think I think without being a dad, you would understand the uh the value in things like that and and the uh the intangibles that come with turkey hunting as well. And um, so been a good day, but I wanted to get this uh episode out to y'all as quickly as possible because it is really cool and it's one that I've been looking forward to um myself, you know, learning up on a little project called the Wild Turkey Archives. If you're a old school fella like we are, I I think you're really gonna find this very interesting and and uh it's something that I've known about for a little bit before it became too public of knowledge, but I I was pretty green in the in the knowing of of the actual the the the broad spectrum side of things that it's it's actually a lot more um stuff than than just an Instagram page or just a uh kind of a video library of of old primos and nightinghale and and and all the old hunting videos you've seen and stuff. That's kind of what I was thinking. Turn to f come to find out it it's uh it's a lot more. So we're gonna hop on the phone with Nathaniel Maddox, Brent Rogers, Paul Campbell, um who are kind of heading this project up and get the real uh a thorough rundown on um what we can expect with the wild turkey archives. It's it's like I said, it's very interesting. And these are folks who I'm telling you, if you if if you don't know who they are, they are gurus in this subject. And they this is who I would turn to in any given situation when it comes to the history um of the wild turkey, the restoration of the wild turkey, conservation sides of stuff, the hunting of the wild turkey, uh literature, videos, uh I mean you name it, um, collections, collector calls, and stuff like that. These folks know about it, and and you throw in anything the thing that does is gonna be produced at the highest of quality, obviously. So I'm gonna hop on the line with them. I do want to thank Paul for recording the episode. Uh I have not recorded that many people at once on our little roadcaster here. So he uh he also has a podcast and was able to um make it easy on us and just said, you know, I'll I'll uh I'll do it on mine and just shoot you the file. So he did that. So big appreciation to Paul for that. So it might sound like I'm I don't know who's who's gonna sound like the host here, but um but that would be because Paul is a generous fella and uh and let us use his little his little deal there. So I'm gonna hop right into it, and really the only thing I want to remind y'all about it is just to keep an eye on some religion.com. So we're we're 90 to nothing over here. We're down in Mississippi, but it's it's the heart of turkey season. We're kind of all over the place, and so are our brains. And um there's there's multiple deals, discounts, bundles, special, stuff like that going on. New releases by the week at this time of year. So we've got a ton of new tees, casual hats, mouth call pouches, turkey plaques. You name it, you know, we got it, and then we're also starting to run out of some of the gear. So we got a we got a lot of it this year, as much as our uh little warehouse can handle, and it is getting thin. Every time I come in here, it looks thinner and thinner. So we're starting to run out of a few sizes, so make sure you check it out before it's too late. Uh all the green leaf gear, original bottom land from gators, pants, shirts, hats, vests, you name it. So other than that, follow us on the on the socials. We're about to hit the road. Gonna do some traveling, turkey hunt with as many folks as possible here in the coming weeks and really soak in the best time of year. And and we hope to see a few of y'all along the way. Uh, yeah, just keep in touch. Y'all know, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, all that good stuff. We'll keep you updated on there, and as the plan goes, we're gonna have a new episode every week until um through May at least, until June. So we we appreciate y'all listening. We appreciate all the reviews and shares and stuff. We're gonna be doing some giveaways in the uh in the coming week, so make sure you um leave us a review, share it on your page, stuff like that. We're gonna do our best to reward as many as possible. So thanks again for listening, and I hope y'all enjoy the conversation we're about to have with the folks over at Wild Turkey Archives. I don't want to go back in and out. But yeah, appreciate y'all taking the time out to uh to hop on here. Uh I know y'all are busy dudes, and um, but this is something I've I've been wanting to do for, you know, since I heard about it. Glad we could glad we can make it happen. Of course, I knew a little bit about it and um wanted to um get everybody else the opportunity to learn about it now that it's common knowledge. Um it's one of those few secrets that uh I I've been actually like really wanting to talk about and tell folks, and I kind of have a little bit, but not like uh very publicly. But it's really cool because this is something that that I would regardless of when, where, how, you know, if there was ever some kind of project that has our appreciation for turkey hunting culture, this one has it written all over it. So um it's always cool just to even associate with the like-minded folks like that. And and a big chunk of our listeners are also kind of members of that category, and they're gonna find this very interesting. But uh, but to dive in, I mean, just introduce yourselves, uh, Paul, Nathaniel, Mr. Brent. I've known y'all for a while. A lot of folks are gonna recognize your face and voices and stuff and and know y'all across the uh turkey hunting world, but um, but specifically just you know, kind of enroll in in this project and all that good stuff. If y'all want to just do a mini roll call.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

Yeah, I guess I guess I'll I'll go first since you said my name first hunter. Uh my name's Paul Campbell. I am uh turkey hunter from Ohio. I I've gone pushing 20 years turkey hunting, so I'm excited about that. But uh I man, what do I what do I do, Brent? I I panic and call Brent, I panic and call Nathaniel. Those guys are the the the talented ones. I just uh send out the packages and um try to keep everybody happy and and uh man I'm I'm just lucky to be a part of of this group. And Brent's been my sage, uh my turkey history sage for five or six years now. Uh so that's that's kind of how I how I got into this. But very grateful to be a part of it. Uh love seeing this thing come to life and and just you know grateful to you know to be here with you and and uh and and talk about what we're working on, Wild Turkey Archives.

SPEAKER_04 8:10

Yeah, I'll uh I'll hop in there. I've been uh I'm Nathaniel Maddox, you know, uh hunter. We've hunted together before and shared the woods together, and uh so it's cool to be on a podcast today. I think I was on the podcast in Florida that year, actually.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

I think so.

SPEAKER_04 8:27

Um yeah, yeah. So I've been turkey hunting since uh 1996, and uh when I was in seventh grade, uh been consumed by it for so many years, and uh live here in the middle of the Ozarks in Missouri, which um was just an incredible place to turkey hunt in the 90s and the 2000s, and still is an amazing place to turkey hunt. Um and so you know, work in the outdoor industry, running a business called Slate and Glass. We we do um media, marketing, video, film, things like that. And uh we got to meet Brent on a project, and Brent and I became fast friends, and uh last year we were in the Turkey Woods together and uh started kind of hashing this idea out, and so we can go into that a little bit later, but that's uh that's who I am and how I got started on this project with these guys, and and so I'm kind of handling the the uh media side of it, social media, uh and the digitizing of the the tapes, uh photos, magazines, all of that digitization work is happening here at the Slate and Glass studio in Missouri.

SPEAKER_03 10:27

And I'm Brent Rogers, and I kind of feel like we're all starting out with uh we have an addiction statement. And yes, I'm a turkey hunter since 1995 un until I uh closed my eyelids for the last time. Uh just uh blessed to have the opportunity that we do. And uh, you know, I it's got me very interested because how how I had to learn was to go to books and videos to learn living in Iowa didn't really have a uh while I came from a hunting heritage, not a turkey hunting heritage, we didn't have turkeys to hunt until where I was at into the eighties. And so that that's something that got me connected to a lot of those what I would call legends of the pasts, you know, the Ben Lees and Dwayne Blands and folks like that, Charlie Elliott, um, who I I never gotta meet any of those guys, but they were my mentors in a way. Um, as well as the videos I watched. And and I have been, you know, fortunate to meet the Ray Eyes and Tom Stuckies and and guys like that who I you know, Mark Drury, just people that were were ones that were foundational in terms of my turkey hunting experience. And my even though I make my living in the food R and D world for thirty-two years, um I feel like I've got a turkey hunting lifestyle. That's the core of my life. And and the people on this call are part of that network. Um, you know, Hunter, we're both authors and and uh I got to to meet Nathaniel um first online because we both had a real interest in VHS and celebrating and preserving that kind of history and then worked together on the Colonel and the Fox and and uh Paul met through the National Wild Turkey Federation and and you know, saw the interest there. And I think what's unique about the three of us together is we have complementary skill sets. So everybody's pretty humble on here. Uh, you know, Paul, you're you're doing a lot to help to put together the business side and to really um be that kind of rock to to go to when there's questions I've got about well, how do we do this uh in terms of setting something up or and Nathaniel's the master storyteller, uh creator. I mean, I just I'm awed by what he does. And and for me, I'm the historian, you know, I'm kind of the the nerdy guy that you know gets gets all excited about the facts and the details and has the collection to kind of bring to the table and and that network of fellow collectors who really compliments us. So that's that's kind of how I fit.

Preserving Stories Beyond Conservation

SPEAKER_01 13:11

And and just to say that I know they're not gonna say it about themselves, but to everybody listening, and these guys are the best in their craft, pretty much, when it comes to whatever they're they're handling. Um you know, from from the media side of it to the to the the wealth of knowledge that Mr. Brent has about just the the past and and the collection side of it and everything. These are the finite group of real gurus in um in turkey hunting culture. And and that's what um that's what the project aims to do, it it seems, is just kind of um rescuing that the golden age of turkey hunting culture and making sure that it um that it doesn't go anywhere. The meat and potatoes, I guess, of the mission is just to is is grabbing all this stuff and and making sure that it's on a digital platform, a for preservation's sake, but it but also I think you know for for folks to consume. Um there are there are probably several folks who didn't grow up watching it. You know, it's really cool for folks like me who did, but when I think of um heck, a guy came down from West Virginia, my buddy Easton, who who does some photography and stuff for us. He never hunted in Mississippi, but he was uh I had I was filling out his stuff for his license, and his birthday was like a year or two before I graduated high school. I'm like, no way. You know, there's no way he he grew up watching all this stuff that we're geeking out about preserving. So he now has the opportunity to to see see it and and learn through the lenses that we had um growing up, which is awesome. But um just to um I mean I've got a million questions, I'm not gonna ask all of them. Um I'm gonna leave them a little broad and they'll sift out who who gets to answer them. But in Nashville, that there's several folks who got to come in there and and hang with y'all and and and talk a little bit about the importance of it, the importance of preserving this culture is with the wild turkey archives. And um I was wondering, because I mean there was folks from Harold Knight to Mr. Coase to I was behind Dr. Chamberlain, of course. So I hope that's not in the order of how y'all y'all um put them out there because I uh there's not many more I would rather not be behind than than Dr. Chamberlain when it comes to acting like I'm smart. But um, but what was some of the the commonality between the folks is something I'd be curious about, some things that they held of importance concerning you know that preservation and and that digitization of the old the old stuff.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

Nathaniel, why don't you take that one? You you were in there the entire time. I was just running people back and back and forth.

SPEAKER_04 15:48

Yeah, so that that was uh an opportunity for us to get some faces and voices that people recognize, respect, and uh honestly folks who honor the bird, right? I mean, there's a lot of people in that building in Nashville in February. There's a there's a handful of people whose voices we wanted to lend to this project, and you were one of those guys, Hunter. Um we were we were grabbing folks, uh Paul was grabbing them off the floor, and and the idea was that it's multi-generational, right? So we've got um Harold Knight, and we've got Isaac Pentecost, and we've got everybody in between, um, and and to talk about why this heritage is legacy is so important. Um, not just that um we take care of the bird because NWTF and Turkeys for Tomorrow have done a phenomenal job of taking care of the bird and are can going to continue to do that, but for us it's about taking care of the stories of the bird and the people who um were part of that and the events that happen and in that history, and so we want to see the Wild Turkey Archives become something like a university library, a place that houses all the history for research, for entertainment, and all of all of the above. And so all the people that were in that room that we got to ask a few questions to were folks that we decided, the three of us decided are people who we really respect um in the industry. And we got most of the folks we wanted. We didn't get Toxie in there, and we didn't get um either of the drurries in there, but uh and Will was sick, but we got a lot of people, almost all the people we wanted. So yeah, yeah.

What They Archive And Why

SPEAKER_01 17:24

And this one, and you hit on it just um the aspect of conservation that could also coincide with such project that um the NWTF, TFT and stuff, when it comes to you know, boots on the ground and and things of that nature, you know, they're handling it pretty well. Um, and I I've I've been a an advocate for the investing and appreciation for the resource as much as the conservation of the resource. There are some things that um, you know, depending on who you are, where you grow up or your situation, there's limitations to what all you can do in the name of conservation. Um I'm kind of one of those who doesn't have any own the ground beneath my feet, and the bank owns 90% of it. So um, there's not much I can do, you know, habitat-wise. I can trap the crap out of 16 acres, though. But when it comes to, you know, investing that appreciation for the wild turkey, a lot of that is connected to its history and and and that's where you know real consumption and appreciation, you know, kind of lies is is the memories that you're able to make. That's that's there is nourishment there from the from the resource, but a lot of it is that um is that feeling you get and the memories that is made. And so the the ability to to reconnect with that. And um, and I do remember, I think when we were talking Nathaniel, is you know, the the not so change side of everything, uh, you know, the the wild turkey has the feelings it's able to produce to folks is is the same as it was back then as it is today. And um, you know, the the the age gap, I don't know what it is between Harold Knight and Isaac Pentecost, but but whatever Isaac feels, the foot of a tree is the same that you know Mr. Knight felt years ago and still feels today and stuff, it is it's uh it's a means to to connect everybody, and I think that's so important. So um even in in and not even putting boots on the ground with this, it's going into a computer and doing some really technical things that are way over everybody but probably Nathanomatics' pay grade in the entire world, but um but it's making an impact because it it's invested in that appreciation for the wild turkey. Um but I did want to ask kind of the the nuts and bolts of the actual how y'all got into it, but where where did it come from? Where where are you getting the the old stuff and how much of the old stuff do you have and what the mediums that it's on VHS is magazines? Is there anything else? I mean I'm I'm thinking like the big click and roll film and also like the truth series, you know, a little bit of both.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

I think you know, Hunter, I think the you know the the wild turkey archives, it's it's it's so much more than just uh you know digitized VHS and and DVDs you know on a on a streaming platform. That's part of it, but it's uh it's a it's an ecosystem, right? It's a it's a museum. And Brent, I think you you know really have an understanding of that.

SPEAKER_03 20:22

Well, yeah, Paul, I think that's and and Hunter, it's great that you're you're doing this because this is a great way for a lot of people to learn the span of what we aspire to. And and we've got a pretty good start, I think, in terms of helping people see that vision. So what's you know, the reason that the video piece it looks front and center now is because that's at risk. Um we're at the risk of losing those old recordings. Um you know, the quality degrades, and after 20 years it's it's exponentially gets worse, and and we're there. This is the chronicle of modern day turkey hunting, the genesis of it are is a lot of that video. So for us to be able to capture that, get permission from the individuals and companies that recorded that so we can preserve that for posterity. Yes, it takes time, yes, it takes money. So, as a streaming service, you know, there there's a a subscriber fee. But if you like turkey hunting, you you'll more than more than get your entertainment and education back. And and that's that's a big piece of what we're doing because it's urgent. In addition to that, as Paul said, there's other elements. I mean, there's other audio and video that we're doing, and there's you know, capturing old paper items that are also at risk. And whether that's uh old photographs, whether it's old magazine covers and articles, um, brochures, textbooks, you name it, newspaper articles, there's so many things that are part of our turkey hunting um fabric, right? We have this this whole motif that is our turkey hunting culture. And those are pieces that we still have a chance to preserve. And so we're working hard on that. There's there's other elements too. There's the the conservation history, you know, that's about the and and some of that is even backed up through Nathaniel's already got some reels of of stuff that we're starting to digitize. Um, and and then there's the call making history, the calling competition history, the development of other things like guns and ammo and camo and you name it. So we're we're wanting to really chronicle and cover all of that in our digital wild turkey archives, um, with the aspiration that someday um there could even be a physical archive, you know, like a museum and experience center. But uh but we're all three of us are working hard right now. If people go to the wild turkeyarchives.com, you can explore the archives and see examples of all those things that were captured.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

I I'll bounce off of what Brent's saying too on on the urgency of video. Um, you know, prior to 1994, 95, most all of the footage that was captured was on uh a format called three quarter inch uh tape. And so those tapes um are already disintegrating. And the only way for us to play those back and digitize them is to bake them in an oven. And so Those tapes can be played back one time after it's been baked at 130 degrees for 24 hours. So we have this oven we built. We bake the tapes, we have five days to then digitize those tapes, and after that process is over, those tapes can't be played again, or most likely won't be able to be played again well. So those are the most at risk. And so uh we've got over 5,000 tapes donated to us from the National Wild Turkey Federation. We have uh Nightingale and Quaker Boy and the Drurries who have have said we've got many, many hundreds more of these that need to be. And this isn't like just like the Truth One video. This is the raw footage that is on tapes that was part of these uh V VHS tapes that we know of from you know our childhoods. We're trying to digitize the raw footage, the unedited interviews, all of that stuff that never made it to the final cut. Um, and so the the urgency is the three-quarter inch tape and then beta max tapes and and and all of those things are they're just not in good shape.

The Wild Finds Hiding On Tape

SPEAKER_01 25:23

So really cool. Um so so I remember, and I don't know if this was part of it, but I know Paul Paul and I have been having a text throwback voice for a couple years now. Um and he was he was showing me all the cool stuff he was finding. Um, and and I know he's just a history nut as well. But I was wondering if there was any have y'all come across anything unexpected, like it, like you said, like they're if they're giving them to you in bulk and stuff like that. Have you stumbled across something you're like, oh man, this is I can't I can't believe I'm holding this, or you know, uh nobody is gonna believe me.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

Turn around, Brent. This is one of my favorite stories that's come out um you know, since we've been doing this, the the the photograph behind Brent. And really, and Brent knows this, uh, the the story about the gentleman, you know, the in that's in the photograph, uh, you know, behind Brent and Tom Turpin and Charles Jordan and John Cameron, like those are just people, and Brent, you should for sure talk about that. But but what he has behind him is I think probably the the one piece that I've seen that just kind of just floored me when we heard about it.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Yeah, I mean there are multiples. I think the uh Nathaniel could talk about the old 1920s or 1919, I think, video. But the you know, this this uh photograph back here is a large photographic reproduction of who we believe is uh Edward A. McElaney, who you know was the first to actually publish a book on wild turkey hunting in 1914. And that's uh that photograph appears in Tom Turpin's book, and the the caption basically says it's his good friend. And we know the two were in close communication, and you know, w while we don't know all the details, um yeah, I've been saying it'd be fun to do some facial recognition technology on that to to help validate it. I am I have been talking to the McElaney estate, and uh but what's really cool, you know, that's that that it's a large old photograph that was framed in Memphis where Tom Turpin lived in the early 1900s. So some some neat turkey hunting history and and uh j just items like that that some somebody might look at and say that's a neat old photo, but not to know the history behind it and who you know when you start talking about Mac Laney and Jordan and and Turpin folks like that, it really puts it in context of some cool history. And Nathaniel, like the the uh the video that or the not the video, but the old real film that may is probably the oldest turkey hunting footage we have that's in existence, huh?

SPEAKER_04 28:06

Yeah, so the an individual uh brought forward forward a uh film reel that was surprisingly in like incredible condition from 1919 of turkey hunts in uh in New England. And uh anyway, we've got that digitized quickly. And uh to our knowledge, it's the oldest filmed turkey hunt. Um, and they're like yelping on um wing bone calls and stuff. It's very, very cool. We're still trying to work out with that individual kind of how we can share that, but uh, we're hoping that that'll be available to folks to see in the archives soon. And on top of that, I mean, just like NWTF's tapes, uh, I went to Edgefield in in uh August with a U-Haul trailer and filled it to the brim with as many tapes as I could fit in there because they were moving facilities and they donated them. And there's some of these tapes say like Tom Kelly interview, you know, or different people uh that are really important that you know they would have maybe not have made it for the world to see um other than a couple of clips in a TV show at some point. So um it's really cool looking at all that stuff and and seeing what's on. There's so many trap and transfer uh tapes too from virtually every state in the United States. So a lot of cool footage.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

And and just just a few days ago, we got a reach out from a guy in Pennsylvania who there's an individual there who has turkey hunting footage from the fall from the 1950s on real film and is offering that to us to digitize and share. Uh and Howard Harlan, who who's uh you know, uh as far as I'm concerned, a legend in the sport as an author collector is the one that donated to the American Wild Turkey Historical Foundation. That's our group, he donated that photograph. So what's really neat is that people we we are a culture of storytellers. Turkey hunters, I've I've said before, can you imagine if you could turkey hunt, but you could never tell anybody about it? Our heads would all explode. And so, as a culture of storytelling, everybody I think understands the importance of of what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Yeah, it's it's it's so cool to hear about that. And and you know, especially like uh you know, McElhaney and stuff who I've always thought was the first person to ever write about turkeys. I'm not sure if there was you know post for him and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 30:29

I know that book kind of got finished by was it Jordan maybe after well it was it was Jor Jordan that wrote it and then Maclean he finished it. But yeah, I mean in turn there were other writers, but that is the first book.

Streaming App And Insider Support

SPEAKER_01 30:45

That's crazy. Um that's that's really cool. And um golly, I I have a GoPro attached to my body, and I still can't get a freaking turkey in it, you know, and these guys were toting around wing bones and real can't and then managed to preserve it for over a hundred years. That's crazy. Um, I can't even remember to hit record, but um, but but um you know, I mean that that's that's a little decourage uh discouraging. But um, but yeah, so I mean I I want to leave the floor to uh to y'all to just tell, you know, to talk about it and and some of the the stuff that um you know I'm big on. You don't know what you don't know. Um I know kind of the the the bulk of the project and everything, but if there's anything that that might be on the way or that folks will be you know receiving by by kind of you know buying into this project and stuff and how they're able to consume the actual the the I hate to say content. I'm I'm I'm I'm modernized now. I keep saying want to say content, but it's uh you know, I guess it is content, but um, but it didn't start that way. But um but but join photographs, you know, audio and and everything. And um I think folks are gonna like it. I just want to make sure we're clear about how to how to get a hold of it.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Yeah, Hunter, I want to I want to back back up all the way to your very first question. And you you had asked, and you answered about the kind of the central theme that a lot of a lot of the people that we interviewed in Nashville had. And one of the things like when we watch it uh is everyone references how like the younger generations, we've all talked about how the younger generations you know gravitate towards you know these these older videos and these old magazine clips and or you know articles and you know the photographs. And I I find that really interesting. And you know, kind of our our our stated mission is you know the the preservation, celebration of the of the history and the heritage of the wild turkey to inspire the generations, right? And and the three of us we talk about all the time, you know, if we don't inspire multiple generations, right? You know, people that are 15 and people that are 85, right? If if we don't connect with them, uh you know, it it doesn't fall flat, but that like that's our job, right? Is to I I feel like is to preserve that stuff, but bring it to life, bring that history to life, bring that that culture to life. And and I think that that's something that is is really like the funnest part for for all of this is seeing these things. And you know, we we have all these all of these ideas that we want to do to bring that that history and heritage and culture to life and and modernize it and and bring it to people in 2026 and and beyond. And you know, the reality is like all of that like just takes money, right? It takes time, it takes money, and it takes effort from more than just the three of us, or the four of us on this call and everyone listening, right? Like you bring you talk about we're a community of storytellers, we're a passionate community. Um, you know, and and you know, one of the one of the things that that the people can do right now to help is is and Brent's already alluded to this, like go to the wild, you know, wild turkeyarchives.com. There's an awesome store where we've got t-shirts. Uh, you know, here's one in shirts that Nathaniel developed or designed. Bootleg t-shirts are cool, and and the streaming platform that you know it starts at a hundred bucks a year, right? And you get a cool sticker and a and a poster with it, and you get you know dozens of of you know wild turkey VHS tapes covering decades, right? Not just like the 80s, but we've got stuff on the platform all the way back to you know what the 50s, right? Uh and but that money that that people you know that we get from the streaming platform, like we use that, we're gonna use that to go out and capture these oral histories and capture these stories and bring that history to life and bring it to people across every medium that you know that that we can, you know, that we're fortunate to have in 2026. So, you know, it's it's it's a small impact. You know, it's a small thing, uh, but I I think in the long run, I think it's gonna have, you know, it's gonna it's gonna be very impactful. And it's exciting. I think I think the I hope uh the turkey hunting community can get can get behind this. And uh, you know, we we're trying trying to be keep the mission pure, right? Like, you know, we're we have we are all about the history and heritage of the wild turkey and turkey hunters. That's it. That's what that's what we're here for, and that's what we're gonna do. But we need we need help. We need people, we need we need the help, man. We need the community turkey hunters to rally around this organization. It's not ours, right? It's just our turn to run this thing. And uh we we need everybody, man. This is a it's gonna be a group effort, it's a huge, huge undertaking.

SPEAKER_04 35:29

Yeah, Paul's Paul's right about that. That's it's it's gonna be a lot of moving pieces. There's so much history, and I like after I give a little info here on on some of this for Brent to talk more about the call collection and and those elements, but um, you know, I would like to also sort of separate what the Wild Turkey Archives is doing with the uh the streaming app. I know that there's been a lot of that, us talking about the streaming app, and Paul just mentioned it. So the Wild Turkey Archives is this free database that people can go and find history regarding uh photo, video, turkey calls, uh, custom call makers, all kinds of history. That's there, but to raise the money that we need to do all this work, we created these insider packages. And an insider is someone who wants to support the organization for$100,$200, or$300 per year based on the which package they choose. And with that package comes access to the Wild Turkey Archive streaming app that's on Apple uh devices and uh Android and Roku. And so that is uh a large collection of over 70 retail tapes right now. The first 10 Primos Truth videos, um, the first 10 Nightingale Ultimate Springs, uh, you know, Mossyoke, Drury, Preston Pittman, uh, all kinds of tapes are on there right now. Um, and we're trying to continue to add to that by getting literal, like we're getting licensing from these organizations. We're not just throwing them out there. So we're working on licensing more of these. Um, and that and that money that goes that you pay to get access as an insider to the streaming app on your TV, on your phone to watch all this, that goes to doing the the work that needs to be done to build the archive. And so um, I think I wanted to just sort of describe the differences between the streaming app and the archive because their streaming app is is a benefit of becoming an insider. You get that that access.

SPEAKER_03 37:33

Um yeah, yeah, that's I think the way to look at it is the wild turkey archives. You know, there's hundreds of things to go in there and view for free. That's yeah, you know, anybody can do that. The streaming app is a very specific service, you know, that Wild Turkey Archives can provide for folks that are looking for that specific content. And and Nathaniel, what you talked about the in with the insider packages, you know, I'm gonna go back to the last question you asked Hunter about kind of where is it going. We we do have, you know, some real designs in terms of pretty quickly starting a newsletter, but ultimately would think that there's there's room for that to become a magazine, you know, where it's got some really neat content we could bring people. Um so what's history? Maybe is the question. What is history just what happened a hundred years ago or twenty years ago? Well, bottom line is history's being made every day. And you know, what we capture now in 20 and 50 years will be every bit as precious as what we're trying to capture from 20 and 50 or more years ago now. We just have the benefit now to be able to try to do both. So what we cover in the archives, um it's it's everything from the Native Americans to the present day, right? I mean, it's it's the span. Now, a lot of that's heavily weighted towards stuff that happened some time ago, but for instance, when it comes to uh let's say callmaking, for instance, if you go to the wild turkey archives and look at that free content, there are multiple folders. There's a folder you can open for Native American turkey calls, there's one you can open for folk art turkey calls that are just calls we don't know who made them, but they're cool as heck. They're old and they're innovative, and then there's one for production turkey call history, and within that folder is you know, Quaker Boy, Night and Hale, Primos, Drury, Loman. I mean, it's just you know, knock them off. There's stuff we're loading in there, content where people can go in and learn that history. And then there's also custom callmakers. So when you look at the custom call makers, we're we're uh basically putting in even people that are making calls now. They they are our future history, and so we have an opportunity to capture a lot. Um, and that's you know, that's what we're trying to do is capture um all we can because this this is what it's a generational handoff, and I think Paul, that's where you were going earlier, right? We're at this place where we're ready to do to really do a generational handoff from the people that started modern day turkey hunting to this new generation, and and we want to capture that really well and celebrate one generation and inspire the next.

Turkey Season Talk And Farewell

SPEAKER_01 40:27

It's it's awesome for nerds like me, but uh, it's gonna be really cool for for everybody who who does go check it out and sees what we're talking about and um and just gets a taste of of how we got here. I mean, that's like you said, history's met every day. It um we're we're constantly moving out, constantly progressing. Um but it but but how you got it how you got there is is a big deal. A lot of folks leave the house with dad will tell them, you know, don't forget where you came from. This is where we came from as turkey hunters, something we all relate to, and uh something we all deserve and owe ourselves the opportunity to learn about. Um don't want to keep y'all too long. I know y'all y'all are busy. I know I guess uh have any of y'all even kicked off the season yet? Is yeah, y'all talk a little faster than I do.

SPEAKER_03 41:17

I already been to Texas and killed turkeys with my boy, Brent Smith. Yep, tech Texas is checked off, and uh next week Iowa, so excited about that. It's pretty much every week now for a while.

SPEAKER_02 41:33

No, I have not. I'm just angry. My turkey anxiety is like a 10 out of 10. You know, Brent, like storytellers, I called you and I called you Nathaniel after you killed Turkey. Tell me all about it. I just tell me what it's like to hear a turkey gob. I forget, I forget what it feels like. So uh no, I'm living vicariously through all of my my friends at this point uh in the season. But we're getting close. I got my daughter's first U season punt this weekend, so that'll be that'll be special. I'm I'm probably gonna end in like a pancake breakfast, not a dead turkey, but that's all right. We're gonna have fun.

SPEAKER_03 42:08

It'll be good.

SPEAKER_02 42:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:11

It's that time of year. My buddy Chris Ellis says we got to do the dance, uh, you know, stay employed and stay married and also get our fill. So it's that's the that's the balance. Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:24

That's um teach us your ways. He's been doing and Brent, teach us your ways. How do you do all three for so long?

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Yeah. Awesome, guys. Well, again, certainly appreciate y'all hopping on. And um, and I think folks are are really gonna like this. And I hope I hope some folks who who didn't know about it, and I know about it, and then the folks who have heard about it and seen it and stuff understand it's not just an Instagram page. It is a lot, lot, lot more than that. And um, and I hope everybody goes and tells their friends about it. I think, and I know I am, and um if I turn that on on on the street, the streaming app service, it's gonna be, I mean, imagine hearing the Primo's violin for the first time in 20 years and you know, seeing some of the the the pros that you forgot about the the feelings that's gonna bring back. I mean, you know, like you said, you have a big chunk of the the the states have about a week left to really get their mind right. And if this don't do it to you, I don't you might as well pick up a one of them crappie poles or something like that, because that's that's what I think you know as the as the leaves start popping out. That's the sounds that kind of play through my head as I'm just mowing grass and stuff is is that are those those old you know archives and and whatnot. But um but yeah, guys, appreciate it.

SPEAKER_04 43:40

And they're all in just high definition. So anyone who wants to go watch these in in better quality than VHS, this is this is this is good stuff. So if people want to support us, go to the wild turkeyarchives.com and become an insider. And if you know, if you want to donate something bigger, we have a lot of initiatives we're trying to do. We really need support. So reach out to any of the three of us, you know, and say, hey, you know, I want to help financially. Here's you know, we can talk about some of the ideas we have because we have some really big projects we'd like to do if we can find the right people that want to support it.

SPEAKER_03 44:15

So yeah, and thank and thanks to you, Hunter. I mean, you're you've been a great ambassador for the wild turkey and the wild turkey hunter. Um you you absolutely are somebody that has the right mindset with reverence. Uh and I I think we're fortunate to have folks like you that see what we do and want to learn more about it and share that with others. That's the only way that we'll be able to to fully do what we what we aspire to. And and no doubt uh Spring Legion and and the Wild Turkey Archives will have some neat things we can do together in the future.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

Absolutely. Well, I appreciate that. And this is one of those like um when someone calls you to ask for a favor and you have to tell them I don't I don't know how to do that, but I know a guy. Y'all are the guys that I know a guy about. So uh I'm just really asking everybody. Um anyway, and uh if there's nothing else y'all want to throw in there, we'll we'll wrap it up. Let let y'all get back to your day, and um again just encourage everybody to um check them out, wall turkeyarchives.com, and um and and y'all take it from there.

SPEAKER_02 45:22

Thank you, honor.

SPEAKER_01 45:23

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 45:24

Thanks, buddy.