The name of the Organization comes from
the waxed neck feather of the Indian Jungle Fowl which was worn as a symbol of
the group. This chicken-like bird is on the endangered species
list.
A brief history goes like this…. In the late 30’s a group of men
had formed a tradition of a Spring outing to fish Maryland’s Hunting
Creek. They would stay in a small cabin on the upper portion of the
stream. In 1939 the meeting was set for mid-April, but on Friday the 21st a
snowstorm hit keeping the men indoors. Now, these men were fly
fishermen. They shared common feelings about their sport. They
wanted to protect it and ensure that future generations of anglers would be
able to enjoy fishing as they had. They were determined to pass on the
knowledge, skill and ideals of conservation to the youth of their
generation. How best to do so was the topic of conversation on that
Friday night. Finally, they composed a CREED to define the
goals and guide their organization into the future. Clarke Venable wrote
the CREED on Saturday morning, it was accepted and remains unchanged today.
Now--75 years later-- the tradition
continues. The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock still meets near Hunting
Creek in the Catoctin Mountains of Central Maryland the weekend after Mothers
Day to hold their annual Campfire...a three day weekend designed to pass
on to the youth of today the knowledge, skills and love of our sport.
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