New Hampshire NWTF Chapter Hosts Introduction to Turkey Hunting Event
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — New Hampshire’s NWTF Seacoast Strutters Chapter recently partnered with the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game to host a “Turkey Hunting A to Z” education class for new hunters in Raymond, New Hampshire.
Attendees were hunters who have never been turkey hunting before or have had very little success in past years. Norman Hamel, NWTF Seacoast Strutters Chapter president, has been helping with the annual event since 2017. Instructors for this class included Hamel and other NWTF volunteers, including Mark Schur, Les Houston, Kevin DeShaw, Brad Beckmeyer and New Hampshire Fish and Game Turkey Project Leader Dan Ellingwood.
This year’s class had 14 attendees, including Hamel’s granddaughter who will be going out for her first turkey hunt during the state’s youth season.
The class covered all things turkey hunting, including safety, scouting, equipment and gear, biology and history, field dressing and calling.
Hamel worked with the New Hampshire Fish and Game to create printed-out packets for participants to take home that included all of the information a new hunter would need.
Each attendee was also given their choice of a box or slate call that were donated by New Hampshire Fish and Game. They were given time to learn how to use their new calls with the help of the instructors. Attendees were also enrolled as one-year NWTF members.
“Our next goal is to help one attendee who wanted to try a fall hunt,” Hamel said. "I told him we’ll try our best to get him out in fall. Another participant wanted help with scouting, so we’ll work to help him as well.”
Hamel has been hunting since he was nine.
“It was a bug that never went away,” he said. “It’s more than a passion.”
Hamel started turkey hunting in the late 80s, but being self-taught, he was trying to hunt turkeys like deer. In 2005, he and his stepson Brad Beckmeyer started to learn turkey hunting with some members of the NWTF. Hamel became a member in 2016 and took on the role of chapter president shortly after.
Now he works to create more recruitment events and takes young and new hunters out for their first hunts.
“I knew what it meant to me to get my first, and I love taking the kids out just to see the smiles on their face.”
For any New Hampshire residents interested in turkey hunting, there are still upcoming classes. For more information, visit the NH Fish and Game's events page.