The Secret Sauce: Strickland Presents at NWTF Convention
Over one hundred convention attendees gathered to listen to Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland tell his hunting stories and share the ingredients that make “the secret sauce” of a good wild turkey hunter.
Strickland, turkey hunting legend, has a gift for storytelling. He helped found Mossy Oak's media production department, building a large series of retail video titles, launching the company's first broadcast television offerings with Mossy Oak's Hunting the Country, and most recently starting the Fist Full of Dirt Podcast.
So, what is the secret sauce that makes an exemplary turkey hunter? Strickland chose stories from his endless guided hunt adventures to answer this question.
He began with his memory of meeting with Mossy Oak CEO Toxey Haas and a journalist when the company was just starting out. The journalist asked Haas what Mossy Oak’s mission statement was, and Strickland remembers Haas pulled a piece of paper out of his desk that said, “Keep the team together.”
“That’s the secret sauce,” Strickland said. “And if you got what it takes, someone’s gonna be talking about you, you’re not going to be talking about yourself.”
Over the years, he kept finding that folks were in it for the wrong reason. They didn’t have the secret sauce. But he remembers hunting with some folks in wheelchairs.
“They were just glad to be out, and they didn’t complain the whole time, like some other hunters do. That’s the secret sauce,” he said.
All of his stories showcased a deep appreciation and respect for community and the outdoors.