Avery® Pro-Staffer Mark Hoke Addresses Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation By Rob Jepson, Avery ® Pro-Staff Relations Manager April 7, 2005

As turkey season approaches, turkey hunters are gearing up to retreat to the solitude of the forest.  Healthy, abundant and accessible forest habitat is essential for the sportsman but so is hunting gear. Avery® Pro-Staffer and veteran spring gobbler hunter Mark Hoke, was one of several invited speakers at the April Breakfast Meeting of the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation, in the Russell Senate Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate gear and tactics for pursuing gobblers. Several Congressmen and staffers, as well as other Foundation members and supporters attended the 8:00 a.m. meeting that had Mark sharing the podium with American Forest Foundation President Larry Wiseman and Dr. Walt McPhail, a family forestland owner and avid turkey hunter from Mauldin, South Carolina.

The Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation provides advice, support and information to members of Congress through its affiliation with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus – a bi-partisan group of more than 300 U.S. Representatives and Senators who are allies of sportsmen and who collectively make one of the largest caucuses in the Congress. This gives CSF a unique niche that is unparalleled by any other sportsmen’s organization. Through this relationship, CSF is on the front lines securing federal funding for fish and wildlife conservation, defeating attacks, and providing a voice for sportsmen in the U.S. Congress.

Avery® Pro-Staffer Mark Hoke and NWTF Board Member Suzie Brewster trade some Spring Turkey tips

After the meeting many attendees remained to garner Marks insights and advice on specific hunting situations.  Mark’s experiences turkey hunting across many different states in pursuit of the different turkey species was well received by the various members of the Caucus and Foundation who in turn represented a large cross-section of states where turkey populations and hunting flourish.