Wildlife Management

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

At the NWTF’s 46th annual Convention and Sport Show, NWTF CEO Becky Humphries curated a group of leaders from across the conservation industry — which included company CEOs, federal agency chiefs, state wildlife directors and conservation groups, among other committed conservationists — to discuss everything from amplifying partnerships to communicating the importance of forest management; however, the predominate theme throughout the discussion was the need and significance of connecting people with the outdoors.

The NWTF advocates for an ally in office and continues to push for increased conservation efforts.

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.

The NWTF has been a proud partner of the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative since the creation of the multi-partner initiative in 2006.

Deforestation eliminates a forest off the landscape, and forest management, conversely, conserves the forest into perpetuity and benefits wildlife that inhabit it and the people who use it.

NWTF director of Conservation Operations highlights the symbiotic nature of forest management and healthy wildlife habitats.

Wild turkey research in Maine assists with the balancing act of wildlife management.

West Virginia Division of Wildlife, NWTF and partners combine forces to create or expand public land for outdoorsmen and women.

The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Arkansas State Chapter, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Quail Forever are working in synch to conserve and enhance nearly 6,000 acres of publicly accessible wildlife habitat.

This two-part series explains how landowners or property managers can work with professionals to prepare for an eventual timber sale, while doing considerable data recording and analysis themselves.

Though synonymous by definition, conservation and preservation connote two distinct meanings to land managers, biologists and even lawmakers.

The Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Michigan DNR and Michigan Army National Guard at Camp Grayling all collaborated with the NWTF to increase soft-mast producing trees on the Camp Grayling training facility.

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.

Delivering the NWTF’s mission takes on many forms and touches a wide range of topics and levels in our society.

The Symposium brings together wild turkey experts from all arenas, including state, federal and private wild turkey researchers, land managers, wild turkey enthusiasts and, of course, experts from the NWTF to exchange ideas relative to ensuring the sustainability of the wild turkey resource for future generations.

The NWTF Technical Committee is comprised of wild turkey biologists from nearly every state natural resource agency who act as liaisons between the NWTF and state natural resources agencies to effectively manage wild turkey populations and deliver conservation that benefits turkeys in a particular state.

The 117th Congress is in full swing and after spring recess, legislators hit the ground running by introducing or reintroducing several key bills that share NWTF priorities.

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.

Operating as a federation, the NWTF employs biologists, foresters and fundraising staff, and invests in research and habitat enhancement projects at a regional level, tackling the most pressing issues a particular state or region may face.

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.

After another year of devastating wildfire in the West, the NWTF, partners and volunteers seek an increased focus on active forest management.

The San Diego Chapter raised funds and organized a work party on various sites of Lake Sutherland to install signage and clear roads to make hunting access easier for the 2021 hunt.

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.

Thousands of public and private land managers employ fire annually to improve habitat. Fire can help promote new growth of herbaceous plants. It can also be used to kill undesirable saplings or other unwanted vegetation.

Through most of the NWTF’s history, chapter-raised funds, Super Fund dollars and even grants have been used to purchase and provide upkeep for land-management equipment.

A great example of what the National Wild Turkey Federation is doing to actively increase populations is the ongoing Eastern Wild Turkey Super Stocking Project in east Texas.

Hurricanes that batter landscapes cause short- and long-term problems for wild turkey populations.

To improve wildlife populations and overall wildlife habitat in the Ashland Ranger District, the NWTF partnered with the USDA Forest Service and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to reinvigorate a parcel of upland wildlife habitat through a Forest Service-led multiyear project.

The NWTF excels at partnering with agencies, industry and others who have similar goals as ours, and through our own mission delivery, satisfy the objectives of all of the partners involved.

NWTF's Starr Aspen Project is set to improve 130 acres of aspen stands and 11 miles of streamside restoration in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest.

Five trees that can benefit wildlife in as quickly as two years.

Over the last two years, the NWTF, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the United States Army Corps of Engineers have collaborated to improve the Ray Roberts Public Hunting Land.

The organic waste from conservation projects may be trash to most, but the NWTF and partners are finding ways to turn biomass into treasure for wild turkeys and other wildlife.

The comeback story of America’s wild turkey contains many ups and downs, trials and error, fits and starts, innovation, and above all, collaboration.

Across the nation, military bases boast excellent public hunting opportunities and provide vital habitat for a variety of species.

When thinking about ways to further conservation efforts, people likely attribute habitat enhancement projects or land acquisitions as key elements, and rightly so. However, significant funding for habitat enhancement projects comes directly from the hunting licenses purchased by outdoorsmen and women each year.

Catastrophic wildfires may be near-apocalyptic in their destruction, but with the right attitudes, partnerships, planning and treatments, they are mostly avoidable.

Consider these four ways to help conservation without getting blisters.

Landowners who manage their property for hunting and wildlife are always looking for ways to improve habitat and increase hunting opportunities. Planting food plots to create cover and high-protein sources of forage has created a booming industry to provide seed, fertilizer and herbicides to hunters and landowners.

The U.S. Senate recently passed the Great American Outdoors Act, with broad bipartisan support. The act will provide permanent full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which conserves critical lands and helps to create access to public lands.

One of the most overlooked items involving land management is old snags. On our rural land, I always try to leave standing dead trees, or snags, in a number of places.

For the first 25 years of the NWTF’s existence, assisting state agencies with wild turkey restoration efforts was a priority for the organization and its volunteers.

create, and forest health and water provided by public lands in this region are vital to the survival of their communities.

The NWTF has actively been working with members of Congress to advance key federal conservation funding bills for land protection and access, wetland restoration, and conservation and management of wildlife.

Biomass, the waste organic material from logging and thinning, can be used for other goods such as fertilizer, energy, and fuel.

In 2019, the Arkansas State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation approved the use of license plate funds to aid in the acquisition of two land parcels.

Partnerships need people to thrive, and the NWTF and the South Carolina Forestry Commission have just the person.

Montana's NWTF staff and volunteers joined USDA Forest Service to construct fencing around a three-acre aspen stand in the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

The NWTF, Bureau of Land Management and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation collaborated to improve the forest health on, and around Gardner Mountain in Wyoming.

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

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, the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and various other wildlife organizations demonstrated shared stewardship in what was a multiyear wildlife habitat restoration in the Missouri River Breaks region of central Montana.

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. 

Hardwood mulching in the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area of central Florida provides ideal habitat for Osceola turkeys and other wildlife.

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

Funding from this act will enhance many of the NWTF’s conservation efforts.

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. 

Wild turkey work group recommends Southeastern states consider delaying spring turkey season opener.

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

My question is, if either rain or predators destroy a hen’s nest, will she try again or not?  

This is an excerpt from the revised report “Introduction to Prescribed Fire in Southern Ecosystems” authored by the USDA Forest Service, Research and Development Southern Research Station in August 2012, revised 2015 and 2018.

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.

In partnership with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, the NWTF created two water wells for wildlife in the Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area.

Friday at the 43rd annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show’s Conservation Conference, various state wildlife agencies and universities presented details of conservation projects with the NWTF. The presentations were part of the conference’s Wild Turkey Research seminar.

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.

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 has contributed $22,000 and helped open access to more than 437 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.

The North Dakota Game and Fish’s open access program receives an annual donation of $10,000 from the NWTF North Dakota State Chapter to help secure additional privately controlled acreage for public use, and 2018 was no different.

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.

There are some gobblers with multiple beards, and occasionally we encounter a gobbler that is beardless.

Each year wildlife officials and veterinarians are inundated with phone calls from individuals who have encountered what they perceive as an abandoned, helpless young animal.

With budget constraints, sustaining the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands has become a challenge. Using partnerships, such as the one with the NWTF, the work is being completed.

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.

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.

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

Compared to any other method of habitat management and manipulation for wild turkeys in the Southern Piney Woods, prescribed fire is by far the best, cheapest and most efficient.

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

A new exhibit at the Allegany State Park Administration Building Museum commemorates the park’s role in trapping and transferring wild turkeys to other areas within New York and other Northeastern states.

The recent rash of wildfires has become the new normal for many parts of the country, but how did we get here?

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

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

Want to see more wildlife? Create a wildlife refuge on your property.

Prescribed fire helps snuff out unwanted vegetation.

Using GPS to study turkey movements before, during and after prescribed fires provides many clues into how prescribed fire can affect turkey nesting.

One key to successful habitat projects is forging solid partnerships between multiple agencies.

The Endangered Species Act has been instrumental in the restoration of certain endangered species. Some, however, benefited more from the threat of ESA involvement than its actual implementation.

Turkeys and other wildlife need water in close proximity of where they live, as they need water almost daily.

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.

A unique upland habitat enhancement project will help curb the decline in cerulean warbler populations.

Fall seasons make just as much, if not more sense than spring seasons. Learn why you should be in the woods when the leaves turn red.

The work isn’t always easy. But it is rewarding.

Biologists need your help to keep game populations healthy and huntable.

Times are changing, and so are the methods of turkey population improvements.

We need healthy habitat to support healthy wild turkey populations, which provides hunting opportunities and funding for more conservation.

The NWTF stands behind the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

Predators take a back seat when it comes to the conservation of wild turkeys. Find out what impacts their populations.

Learn why wild turkey populations are fluctuating.

Build or buy a wood duck box and watch nature happen.

Separate myth from fact and learn how to coexist with predators.

Trapping may not directly influence turkey populations or predator presence, but it sure is a lot of fun!

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

What has a bigger impact? Habitat management or predator control? Find out here.