EDGEFIELD, S.C — The National Wild Turkey Federation honored Mossy Oak's Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland with the Federation's 2010 Communicator of the Year Award at the 34th annual NWTF National Convention and Sport Show, sponsored by MidwayUSA, on Feb. 20.

Mossy Oak's Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland received the NWTF's Communicator of the Year Award at the NWTF convention, which took place Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 in Nashville.
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"It's a little overwhelming to be honored for something like this when I'm surrounded by so many dedicated NWTF volunteers and veterans of our armed forces. It's very humbling," said Strickland. "When promoting hunting heritage, it's easy for us to preach to the choir- men and women who hunt. At Mossy Oak and the NWTF, we do a great job promoting hunting heritage, but we have to think outside the box to get new people involved in the outdoors. It starts with the conservation message that the NWTF promotes and that's also my mission right now."

Before going to work for Mossy Oak as the company's public relations director in 1990, Strickland had already piled up a decade of outdoor business experience, including time as a wildlife videographer.

Today as senior vice president of media services, Strickland's expanded department produces North America's highest-rated, traditional outdoors television show, "Mossy Oak's Hunting the Country." Mossy Oak Productions is also responsible for "American Hunter," "Second Season," "Mossy Oak Classics" and "Step Outside."

Mossy Oak produces two all new shows on Pursuit Channel. "Turkey Thugs" airs on Sunday nights and "A Fist Full of Dirt" is a companion show to the NWTF's "Get in the Game" on Wednesday nights.

Additionally, Strickland and his team produce an annual collection of DVD releases including the "MegaBucks," "Whistling Wings" and "Extreme Spring" lines.

Strickland maintains a hands-on, through-the-viewfinder approach to outdoor television production, spending more than 100 days in the field each year.

"No one knows outdoor television or how to make a wild turkey into a gangsta gobbler like Cuz Strickland," said Burt Carey, NWTF's editorial director. "There's no doubt that if you've watched outdoor television, you've watched some of his work up to and including Mossy Oak's new show, "Turkey Thugs." Cuz has demonstrated talent behind the camera, in front of the camera, in the editing room and as a television industry executive, and he continues to raise the bar for all of us. I'm excited that he's been named NWTF Communicator of the Year."

Even with his busy schedule, Strickland has written two books, "The Truth About Spring Turkey Hunting According to Cuz" and "The Whole Truth About Spring Turkey Hunting According to Cuz," with the final leg of the trilogy, "Nothing But the Truth . . ." coming soon.

Originally from Natchez, Miss., Strickland and his wife Pam live in West Point, Miss. They have two daughters, Amy and Lauran.

Past NWTF Communicator of the Year Award recipients include: Tom Fegely (2002), Ron Schara (2003), J. Wayne Fears (2004), Grits Gresham (2005), Jim Zumbo (2006), Jim Casada (2007) and Glenn Sapir (2008) and Col. Tom Kelly (2009).

For more information about the NWTF visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.