Turkey Call All Access

Hunter advocacy plays a crucial role in preserving our hunting heritage. As threats to public lands, hunting access and wildlife habitats grow, the need to advocate for America’s hunters is more important than ever to protect our outdoor traditions.

For the final podcast discussion of NWTF Conservation Week, NWTF’s Morgan Evans and Jesse Warner join NWTF Storyteller Hannah McKinney to dive into national R3 efforts, the Hunt for Good Campaign, the importance of policy and ways you can get involved to make a difference.

It's NWTF Conservation Week, and today's discussion is about fire. NWTF Storyteller Hannah McKinney is joined by a panel of NWTF staffers — NWTF biologists Dave Nikonow and Ricky Lackey, NWTF Director of Conservation Operations West Patt Dorsey and NWTF Wildfire Crisis Strategy Manager Molly Pitts — for a talk about fire across the landscape and the impacts on turkeys and other wildlife.

Check out the whole conversation to learn about the history of fire in this country, implementation of fire in the southeast vs the west and also learn what landowners may be able to do on their own properties in regard to fire.

NWTF Conservation Week continues with a deep five into a topic that will surely pique the interest of turkey hunters — wild turkey reproduction.

Ensuring hens are able to successfully reproduce and recruit poults into adulthood is critical for maintaining a stable wild turkey population across the country.

For today's discussion, NWTF regional biologists Chuck Carpenter and John Burk join NWTF Managing Editor of Web and Digital David Gladkowski to discuss the nuances of wild turkey reproduction between their two differing regions and all that goes into making sure hens are able to create more turkeys year after year. 

Wild turkeys and a host of other game and non-game species thrive in a patchwork of habitats, including forests, open grasslands, agricultural fields, water corridors and more.

For Conservation Week 2024, NWTF district biologists Derek Alkire, Ryan Boyer and Mitch Blake sit down with NWTF Managing Editor of Web and Media David Gladkowski to talk about the NWTF's efforts to ensure the wild turkey's annual cycle needs are met through habitat diversity and how members and landowners can help. 

Who was it that once said, “To talk about conservation and not talk about water is just dry conversation.”

As the NWTF celebrates its 4th Annual Conservation Week, we would be remiss to not talk about the incredible importance of water and its integral role to the NWTF’s mission to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage. 

NWTF regional biologists Annie Farrell and Clayton Lenk, Western Water Specialist Travis Smith and Director of Conservation Operations Central Jared McJunkin sit down with NWTF Storyteller Hannah McKinney to talk about the NWTF's Waterways for Wildlife Initiative and other projects geared toward improving the element that connects us all: water. 

Taking its support of wild turkey research into new territory, the NWTF recently established the first-ever National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor position with the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Coming on the heels of the NWTF officially naming Dr. Mike Chamberlain as the chair of this position, the NWTF's Paul Campbell sits down with the Wild Turkey Doc himself and Mark Hatfield, NWTF national director of science and planning, to talk about the landmark announcement and what it means for wild turkeys.

Learn more about the NWTF's investments in research.

Paul Campbell and Pete Muller of the NWTF are joined by Leslie Thompson, the "Niche to Meet You" podcast host, to talk about her new miniseries that was just launched this past week covering wild turkey conservation. 

While Thompson chronicles her journey to learn about the history and conservation of our cherished bird and the people who play an important role in continuing one of America's greatest conservation success stories, there are few spoilers about the story she tells in her four-part series. You'll have to check out the series on your own to learn all the details.

Her website teases the series as "a 4-part mini-series about the weird, wonderful Wild Turkey and the effort to conserve it. It’s an important story about mending seemingly irreparable gaps and changing the world."

Photo Credit: Leslie Thompson

Jesse Warner, the NWTF's Northeastern R3 coordinator, is on location in Mobile, Alabama for the 2024 R3 symposium where more than 220 R3 professionals gathered to engage in and discuss hunting and shooting sports participation. 

Warner is joined by Bre Bashford, Georgia R3 coordinator, and Michael Addison, Nebraska R3 coordinator, to recount their spring slates of education and outreach successes, talk about the need to grow the ranks of those who support the outdoors pursuits and more! 

Visit www.nwtf.org to learn more about the NWTF's dual mission to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage.

 📸 :Zach Brewer

That's a wrap! Turkey season is over and we're joined by Beau Brooks and Maggie Williams to talk their favorite moments from the season, traveling for turkeys and more. 

Cover Photo by Casey Lyon.

Become an NWTF member here.

Conservation is contagious! On this episode of the Turkey Call All Access Podcast we're talking with the NWTF North East R3 Coordinator, Jesse Warner, NWTF National R3 and Relevancy Coordinator Morgan Evans and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife R3 Coordinator Astrid Huseby about all things R3.

R3 stands for recruitment, retention and reactivation. Whether that's outreach through mentored hunts, JAKES days or other efforts, R3 is a core part of the NWTF mission.