NWTF Efforts Featured in April Issue of Outdoor Life

EDGEFIELD, S.C.— The hard work of volunteers with the National Wild Turkey Federation is highlighted in a new article about growing wild turkey populations and the increasing popularity of turkey hunting in the West.

In the April issue of Outdoor Life, Hunting Editor Andrew McKean recalls a recent trip to hunt “elk-country turkeys” in the mountains of Idaho. The hunt took place in a state that sold around 5,000 permits to hunt turkeys as recently as 1994. In 2009, the number of turkey permits sold had exploded to nearly 60,000.

In the article, McKean notes that turkey hunting is gaining popularity in a region known more for big game such as elk and mule deer.

“Much of the credit goes to the NWTF…,” wrote McKean. “What is clear is that through its fundraising dinners, the NWTF has been instrumental in growing both its membership and its investment in wildlife habitat over the last two decades.”

The number of NWTF members in the West has risen from only 2,212 in 1990, to more than 25,000 in 2009. Almost $53 million has been raised and spent by the NWTF and its state agency partners in 17 Western states. The money has been used to improve habitat for wildlife, fund wildlife research and pay for wild turkey population restoration efforts.

“This is great recognition of all the hard work that NWTF volunteers and staff have put into building turkey populations in the West,” said Brent Lawrence, NWTF public relations and Web director. “We're excited that an outstanding national publication like Outdoor Life noticed our efforts.”

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

via Press Releases.