Habitat

Across the country, NWTF members are faced with invasive plants negatively impacting wildlife habitat. From West to East, the organization’s biologists have identified some of the most significant offenders – and how to control them as much as possible.

Growing season vs. dormant season burns. When applied correctly, all prescribed fire can benefit wildlife.

The NWTF is continuing its longstanding partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on the Matador Wildlife Management Area in Cottle County, Texas.

As we embark on a new year, let’s leave the land better than we found it. Here are some ways to level up your conservation contributions this year.

Despite some red tape here and there caused by the pandemic, the NWTF is proud to have conserved or enhanced 436,759 acres of wildlife habitat in 2021, bringing NWTF’s nine-year total to 4,444,680 and over 20 million acres since the organization’s inception in 1973.

In the early summer of 2019, the NWTF and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service forged the National Forestry Initiative.

The NWTF has taken bold and innovative measures to work with private landowners across the country to enhance their property for wild turkeys and other wildlife.

The interface between the woods and water provide crucial ecological significance for many species, wild turkeys in particular.

While the NWTF and many organizations are working to increase access to the country’s public lands, there is an increasingly more incendiary problem keeping Americans from gaining entry to their natural treasures.

Thanks to the National Forestry Initiative and the NWTF-NRCS partnership, foresters like Idaho’s Sarah Johnson are working together with landowners to help create a more suitable forested landscape for wild turkeys and many other wildlife species.

The Northwest Sands Project in Wisconsin is an ongoing, three-year conservation project to increase wildlife habitat on lands where the NWTF and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are also working to engage new hunters and conservationists.

A partnership between the NWTF Idaho State Chapter and Idaho Fish and Game is enhancing wild turkey habitat and engaging volunteers from all spectrums of the community.

From the first research project funded in the 1970s, to the multimillion-acre restoration initiatives going on today, conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage has always been — and always will be — the backbone of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Associate professor of wildlife ecology at Louisiana State University, Dr. Bret Collier, dives into understanding wild turkey nest success.

Fire inspired the Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative. Water may bring it to fruition. This work to create more fire-resilient forests and improve water quality is improving wild turkey habitat.

The past, the present and the future – all in one vision – is at the core of the NWTF’s rebranding strategy.

For the newly initiated or those interested in experiencing more of this outdoors lifestyle, it’s our job to welcome them in with a message that conveys the NWTF’s conservation mission and explains how hunting plays a role in the big picture.

Critical to our mission is ensuring all value the link between habitat and harvests. The NWTF will play a key role in telling this story.

NWTF has had a long history of partnering with the Forest Service and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency on the national forest to enhance wildlife habitat and improve access and opportunities for hunters on Cherokee National Forest.

NWTF Wisconsin volunteer Earl Duckett has found ways to share the outdoors with photography and mentored hunting events.

Dr. Bret Collier, an associate professor of wildlife ecology at Louisiana State University, weighs in on how to create better habitat for hens and their young.

Whether you’ve scoured the internet for the best way to get turkeys on your property or if you’re an ardent follower of the NWTF’s conservation mission, you have more than likely come across the phrase “early successional habitat.”

Sweat equity, partnering with equally determined organizations, raising crucial funds, engaging volunteers, revitalizing wild turkey and overall wildlife habitat on a landscape level — these are the pillars of success evident in the ongoing floodplain restoration project in Vermont’s Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area.

Overlooked from being so small and sort of peripheral, pollinators are often the unsung heroes of thriving wildlife habitats.

Currently, the NWTF is working in conjunction with Platte River Basin Environments, Inc. and numerous organizations and donors to conserve the 2,600-acre Kiowa Creek Ranch.

The NWTF and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have partnered during the last six years to conduct wild turkey population research and open 4,900 acres to turkey hunting.

Can we turn the tide of wild turkey declines in Missouri? The research is under way.

To inhabit one of the northern-most habitats in the lower 48 and to still be thriving, wild turkeys in Maine must be cold-hardy birds, and indeed they are, but there are other factors at play that allow these rugged wild turkeys to thrive.

NWTF local South Hill Strutters Chapter recently gathered on the Big Cottonwood Wildlife Management Area to host a volunteer workday.

Contributing to one’s local wildlife habitat has never been easier — for a small fee, you get an exclusive, state-specific NWTF license plate for your vehicle, and those additional funds help proliferate and manage wild turkey populations and enhance habitat for many other game and nongame species.

Timber management to create varying forest age classes is a vital link for healthy habitat in the Cumberland Plateau and Southern Appalachian region.

From a JAKES member to chapter volunteer to professional conservationist, the wild turkey and its habitat are in Mark Maggard’s genes.

While the NWTF is known for its habitat enhancement projects throughout the country for various game and nongame species, the organization also takes pride in providing excellent wildlife habitat on its nearly 1,000-acre Outdoor Education Center.

Check out these useful tips on prepping a kid for shooting his or her first animal.

Funding for wild turkey habitat conservation isn’t as forthcoming as it once was.

Rowan Mason, TC Energy, and Roy Van Houten, Davey Tree and Wetlands Services, demonstrated the impact of shared stewardship across energy rights of way during one of Energy for Wildlife sessions at the NWTF National Convention and Sport Show, hosted by NWTF Director of Energy Partnerships Steve Barlow.

Habitat work benefiting the white-tipped monarchs of the storied Black Hills region is a unified effort.

The NWTF and partners collaborated to improve nearly 150 acres on the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

The NWTF’s significant contributions to forest and habitat health are far-reaching and diverse, but being listed as one of the top federal timber buyers isn’t one most would think of.

The Gator Gobblers, a local NWTF chapter in Gainesville, Florida, received a $13,000 grant from the Wildlife Foundation of Florida for outreach events and habitat enhancement.

The NWTF has joined the USFS in eliminating tree of heaven, as it has the ability to change an entire ecosystem.

NWTF staff and volunteers are doing an excellent job enhancing and protecting wildlife and habitat across Iowa’s many wildlife management areas

By collaborating with organizations such as the NWTF and Quail Forever, Enable Midstream is dispelling such associations with their increasing presence in habitat and wildlife management.

Oak Savannah habitat has dwindled drastically since European settlement and is now one of the rarest plant communities on Earth.

Plant small corners and odd spots for bee and butterfly habitat that benefits bigger critters, too.

The NWTF, Eldorado National Forest, Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Cal Fire collaborated to improve forest health, wildlife habitat and resiliency to wildfire in east-central California.

Springs and seeps provide open, snow-free areas during the winter months that wildlife use as feeding sites. Seeps occur where ground water flows to the soil surface.

Enhancement of the Central Appalachian Mountains focal landscape habitat is at the core of work NWTF wildlife biologists and partners are incorporating in the Virginias.

Landowners considering property improvements designed to benefit local wildlife often focus on planting fast-growing food plots that can deliver a near-instant draw.

The NWTF continued its support of The Nature Conservancy’s Central Florida Ecosystem Support Team efforts across Polk, Osceola and Highland counties.

Having a drought plan in place can help minimize effects of deficient rainfall for crops on your wildlife property.

12,500 acres of land are open for public access in the Loess Canyon area of Nebraska, thanks in part to the contributions from the National Wild Turkey Federation and a variety of other partners to Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s via the Canyon Access Initiative.

NWTF Alabama chapter, the Choccolocco Valley Longbeards, planted 10 acres of wildlife openings in the Ivory Mountain Walk-in Turkey Hunting Area (IMWTH) in Cleburne County, Alabama. 

The National Wild Turkey Federation and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks are collaborating to improve habitat and hunting quality in the Charles Ray Nix Wildlife Management Area. 

The National Wild Turkey Federation and the Missouri Department of Conservation teamed up  to improve and increase open lands and wild turkey brood habitat at the Truman Reservoir, an area experiencing low hatch rates.

Every hunter knows that the availability of natural mast such as acorns and other nuts is vital to the overall health of the wildlife in any given area.

The National Wild Turkey Federation teamed up with the USDA Forest Service for a controlled burn in the glades of Missouri. 

The restoration efforts at Ramsey Lake State Park also contributed to an increase in forbs, wildflowers and native grasses that will thrive with the added sunlight to the forest floor.

Access to your favorite hunting spot can be as valuable as the gold in Fort Knox. The trails, whether they are large enough for your 4x4 or simple walking trails, have a great importance for the overall usability and value of your property. 

In the last decade, concerns have been raised, and a number of studies have been conducted to try to evaluate the impact of treated seed on birds when the seed is eaten.

The NWTF Double Eagle chapter secured a Bayer Feed a Bee Grant to develop five acres of pollinator habitat and stage an educational JAKES field day.

Donnie Buckland, NWTF’s grasslands and agricultural manager, explained what high grading is and why this practice is a problem for hunters and land managers. 

Conservation work in the Ozarks, including the creation of wildlife openings, continues to benefit wild turkeys and other wildlife

The Souris River Basin Longbeards chapter in North Dakota started its successful tree-planting program almost 15 years ago.

The NWTF partnered with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to improve habitat for Eastern wild turkeys in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina’s Low Country.

The phrase “cut-back borders” may not be familiar to many NWTF members, but it is a management tool that can provide major benefits for wild turkeys, as well as other game and nongame animals.

The NWTF partnered with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and the Cherokee National Forest to create habitat openings for wildlife across 1,249 acres in the Tellico and Ocoee districts of the Cherokee National Forest. The NWTF provided tractor implements to achieve these openings.

A $5,000 grant from the NWTF assisted state wildlife agencies in conducting controlled burns in the Unaka Ranger District of the forest.

Work benefiting quail and wild turkeys in the Southern Piney Woods is aiding red-cockaded woodpeckers.

A multi-year partnership between the NWTF and the Tennessee Division of Forestry is helping to replenish wildlife habitat.

The NWTF partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service to enhance oak forest health and savanna habitats on 255 total acres of land across southwestern Michigan.

The NWTF collaborated with the USDA Forest Service and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on the Frenchtown Face Project – a project just west of Missoula, Montana, focused on prescribed burning and thinning ground cover in the Lolo National Forest to help wildlife and improve habitat.

NWTF partnerships are improving riparian zones on public lands in Missouri, Illinois.

We worked closely with other conservation and forestry organizations to build strong recommendations to ensure that the 2018 Farm Bill contains strong conservation and forestry titles that benefit farmers, forest landowners and the outdoor community.

Why you need them, how to reach them.

The NWTF and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries annually identify needed habitat improvement projects on state Wildlife Management Areas.

Tools and techniques include hand-felling with chainsaws, lopping and scattering, girdling and mechanical piling to remove ponderosa pine and spruce from within and around aspen, birch and bur oak stands in the Sugarloaf project area.

What our volunteers — alongside our partners — are accomplishing is not only imperative for the wild turkey and countless other species but also for the continuation of our hunting heritage.

This projected impacted 700 acres, improving crucial habitat for wild turkey, mountain quail and the Pacific deer herd.

Pollination is the basis for important wildlife habitats and human food crops, but pollinator species populations (bees, butterflies, birds) are declining.

The NWTF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated on a prescribed burn project at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge to improve pine and pine-hardwoods habitats.

The work, performed in the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, involved treating 50 acres with herbicide to control advancement by unwanted hardwoods and woody plants in 2017 and the reintroduction of prescribed fire in 2018 on 190 acres.

The NWTF’s Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is now focused on maintaining those healthy, sustainable and huntable wild turkey populations for generations to come. An important part of doing that is active habitat management, which includes the use of prescribed burning or prescribed fire.

Be on the lookout for these invasive species, which are doing more harm than good to habitat.

The NWTF, along with the Texas A&M Forest Service, conducted two separate projects within the state forest to improve turkey habitats.

“Almost any property can probably be enhanced by providing a diversity of habitat types,” Buckland said.

Managing forests for diverse habitat has become a balancing act in America’s Western Wildlands.

Want to create an eye-catching sight and help wildlife at the same time? Convert that empty field or part of your sprawling lawn into a dazzling wildflower meadow.

Research highlighting the importance of pine-hardwoods management and the variations existing in management techniques

John D. Burk, NWTF district biologist for Missouri and Illinois, said the NWTF and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have worked to re-establish open woodland areas at Siloam Springs State Park in Adams and Brown counties and Hidden Springs State Park in Shelby County.

Having a professional land manager analyze the vegetation on a property will quickly reveal how prevalent invasive species have become across the landscape.

A number of factors play a role in turkey populations, but one is more important than all of them.    

Conservation is one of the top priorities for the NWTF, and we dedicate two days of our annual convention to conservation presentations and meetings.

Discover the benefits of developing a wildlife management strategy with your neighbor.

Which predators take the greatest toll on our birds? You might be surprised

Winter weather can take a toll on wildlife. Here’s how they survive harsh climates and conditions

“They can withstand some pretty cold temperatures, but if they can’t get to food, they can’t eat,” Runia says.

A region untouched by massive ice sheets that once covered the land has turned into a wild turkey area of focus for the NWTF and its partners

There are misperceptions about who owns the forests and woodlands. In fact, private owners control a majority of our nation’s forests and woodlands.

“But when those three don’t produce, a turkey will feed opportunistically on just about any soft-mast food it can find. Chances are, turkeys will eat anything that looks like a berry.” 

Sportsmen and women depend on access both to help manage the lands and waters that support fish and wildlife, and also to enjoy their pursuits.

“So be aware of your surroundings when walking the edges of a field or when mowing a field, you never know where a hen might be brooding,” Buckland said.

Learning to identify native and nonnative plants can be fun for the entire family.

Acorns and other tree mast attract turkeys and other wildlife year-round, especially in early fall as animals build their fat reserves leading up to winter.

Sunflowers provide nourishment and concealment for many different types of pollinators.

Ridding your property of unwanted trees just got a little easier with two tried-and-true methods.

Planting or encouraging specific plants can provide poults with a better chance of survival.

Prescribed fire helps snuff out unwanted vegetation.

Leaving snakes alone is the best advice for your safety and theirs.

The 2017 Conservation Conference at the 41st annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show focused on the future of conservation.

NWTF lending voice to national concerns.

Many factors influence wildlife populations, but hunters can help keep those populations healthy and huntable by paying attention.

Nearly 50 conservation groups worked to recommend vital conservation-related solutions to the new president and congress.

Partnerships are restoring habitats in the Zuni Mountains.

An unkept-looking field can keep wildlife close

Gould’s wild turkeys in the United States were completely wiped out in 1929 but are now restored to huntable populations

Learn how cutting some trees on your property increases wildlife productivity.

Learn what it means and why it's important for wildlife and your property.

Learn why fescue is not a friend of wildlife and how you can go about eradicating it.

Learn how to blend an open field into woodlot by creating soft edges. They're beneficial and fairly easy.

Bare hands and elbow grease are all you need to improve the habitat on your property!

Help pollinator populations by planting flowers and using less pesticides.

An oak is one of your best connections to huntable and watchable wildlife. Learn how to care for them to create the best oak stand around.

Not sure where to start? If your basic prescribed burn plan includes these five points, you are headed in the right direction.

Well-managed forests create better habitat for all wildlife. Learn how to improve wild turkey habitat on your property and help make a difference for habitat conservation.

Native warm season grasses are not only beneficial to wildlife, but they are part of a healthy prairie grassland ecosystem.

A new land ethic is emerging throughout turkey country. Are you on board?

When it comes to trees, sometimes quality over quantity is the way to go.

Alien plants are invading our fields and forests! Find out what you can do to stop them.

Habitat diversity leads to wildlife diversity and a healthy ecosystem, learn more!

With a little elbow grease, your conifer trees can flourish.

Turkeys love these habitats, find out why they matter and how we can ensure they last.

Learn new facts about fire.

Do more for your property and take advantage of the benefits.

Create a wildlife sanctuary by managing your land the right way.

Eight best practices for improving your oak trees.

Try mulching to improve habitat in more ways than one.

Give your nut-bearing trees the attention they deserve.

Fertilizer the right oak trees to maximize you land for wildlife habitat.

Use hinge cut trees on your land to create sweet spots for multiple species.

What puts the hunting lifestyle in danger, find out the top 10 factors now.

Create the perfect winter habitat to help turkeys endure cold temperatures and harsh snowfalls.