Talking turkey

Brookings man to be inducted into South Dakota NWTF Hall of Fame

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BROOKINGS – Mike Kervin has a lot to say about hunting in general and turkey hunting in particular, with a host of stories from his many trips into the woods.

A seasoned hunter born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, he’s done what he can to ensure that hunting continues to be a safe part of American culture. For years through the local Brookings Longbeard Chapter of the nonprofit conservation and hunting organization National Wild Turkey Federation, he’s led guided hunts for about 65 youth, has led hunter safety classes and has done educational presentations in schools and other forums for years.

For his work, Kervin will be inducted into the South Dakota NWTF Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Sioux Falls on Jan. 11, 2019.

Kervin’s been a member of the NWTF for 19 years now and has been a HuntSAFE (Safety and Firearms Education) instructor for about 15 years.

As the SDNWTF newsletter article announcing his induction puts it, Kervin “was the driving force in sustaining the chapter, took over as banquet chair in 2002 and remained in that position through 2013. He grew the chapter in members, sponsors and activities.”

He was also previously recognized as Conservation Educator of the Year in 2013 and as Volunteer of the Year in 2005.

Kervin has been a member of the NWTF since 1999. Before that, he was living in Missouri, and he and a friend spotted an ad in the newspaper for the NWTF’s banquet to be held in Quincy, Illinois. He and his friend attended that, and it was his introduction to the NWTF. Then he moved to Brookings in 2000 to accept the position of assistant director of residence life at South Dakota State University. When he came to Brookings, he attended the banquet put on by the local NWTF group, the Longbeards, though it was a small group of around 25 at the time.

“So, I joined and signed up to be on the committee,” he said.

The Longbeards have grown to have over 100 members now.

He’s stuck with the organization because he appreciates the programs it offers that encourage youth and women to participate in the sport and programs that help give people with handicaps a chance to hunt.

It also helps that turkeys are his favorite thing to hunt. Hunting turkeys is especially challenging compared to other game, he said, because so much has to be kept in mind. Not only do you have to be in the right place, but you also have to call them in and take care to camouflage yourself because of turkeys’ excellent eyesight.

“I enjoy the aspect of going into the bird’s living room and calling them in to the kill. I don’t care for rifle hunting where you shoot turkeys from the other hillside and brag about how long of a shot it was. I like talking to the turkey in the turkey language and getting them to come in close,” Kervin said.

He added, “Because you’re fully camouflaged and sitting still, I’ve had some of the most wonderful experiences. I’ve had bobwhite quail walk across my legs. As far as they knew, I was just a log. I’ve had songbirds land on the end of my gun barrel thinking it’s just another twig. I’ve had deer come up extremely close to me while I’m sitting there, turkey hunting. Owls sitting in the tree above me, squirrels coming halfway down the tree and looking down at you, it’s just the whole experience that I enjoy with turkey hunting that I wish everybody could have.”

He’s hunted since he was 10 or 12, getting his start with pheasant hunting with his father. It was a great chance to be with the adults and bond. He didn’t start turkey hunting until his college years, however, when his brother saw it on TV and wanted to try it himself. His brother didn’t want to go alone, though, so he asked Kervin if he could join. He did, and the rest is history.

He’s dedicated himself to educating others about hunting and wild turkeys.

For years, he’s helped educate Camelot Intermediate School students about wild turkeys. He started to do that thanks to his son. One year around Thanksgiving time, when his son was in elementary school, the young boy told his teacher that his father knew all about turkeys. The teacher then invited Kervin to come to class and teach the kids about them.

“I said if I come, I’ll come and … teach them about wild turkeys, not Thanksgiving turkeys. She was fine with that,” he said.

When that teacher began to teach at Camelot Intermediate School, he continued to do his presentations there instead. Through his presentations, he’s taught the kids such things as the differences between domesticated turkeys and wild turkeys, how to call in turkeys, what a turkey beard is and some trivia.

He also would go to Oakwood Lakes State Park and present to campers there.

“That was another case where a teacher from Volga knew that I did this here in Brookings, and she was in charge of the programming for the campgrounds at Oakwood, and she asked if I’d come out there and do something for the campers. I guess if you give me a forum, I’ll talk,” Kervin said.

One of the critical things for the continuation of hunting of all varieties is the involvement of hunters and parents, lending their knowledge and experience to youths, and it’s something Kervin encourages.

He’s done that through his youth hunting trips, which are mostly sold at the Longbeards’ annual banquet, and his work as a HuntSAFE instructor.

“I’ve had up to five kids in the spring season out turkey hunting, which is normally six weeks long. It’s cut into my own hunting a little bit, but I’m at the age now where I don’t have to pull a trigger to enjoy it,” Kervin said. “I enjoy it with the kids learning and quite often the parents coming along and learning. That to me is the whole reason I do it; get the kids out.”

It also doesn’t take much commitment to become a HuntSAFE instructor, he noted, working for only three nights twice a year after going through a background check and going through a simple certification process.

But what really ensures that a first-time hunter continues to go back to the woods is having someone they care for by their side hunting, too. That’s why whenever he takes youths out hunting, he insists on a family member being there, too, if possible.

“For me as a stranger to take a kid out hunting if their parents aren’t there, it’s not a good deal because the kid needs someone important in their lives” out there, too, Kervin said.

Hunters of all ages should also recognize how lucky they are to be in a place like South Dakota, where hunting is still ingrained in the local culture. That’s not true for an increasing number of places.

“You can see people in camouflage with a deer in the back of their truck and not be offended. In Illinois, you can get criticized,” Kervin said. “We’re lucky to live in a state that allows and promotes hunting and give the opportunities for kids to have that bonding with adults. It’s not that way in a lot of states, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that.”

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.