Take the Mentor Pledge
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Conservation is more than restoring habitat and protecting wildlife. It is also about ensuring the traditions that connect people to the outdoors have a future.
As the National Wild Turkey Federation celebrates its sixth annual Conservation Week, Sept. 20–26, the organization is encouraging experienced hunters to help preserve America’s hunting heritage by taking the Mentor Pledge — a commitment to take a new hunter afield and share the safe, ethical traditions of hunting.
The effort comes as hunters and anglers across the country prepare to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 26, an annual observance recognizing the contributions of sportsmen and women to conservation and encouraging more people to experience the outdoors. In 2026, National Hunting and Fishing Day is centered on the theme of becoming a “Legend of Conservation,” emphasizing the role individuals can play in carrying the conservation legacy forward.
For the NWTF, one of the most meaningful ways to carry that legacy forward is through mentorship.
“Some of the most important hunting traditions aren’t written down — they’re learned sitting beside someone in the field,” said Mandy Harling, NWTF national director of education and outreach programs. “Mentoring a new hunter is an opportunity to share more than how to safely handle a firearm or find game. It’s a chance to teach respect for wildlife, ethical decision-making, conservation and the responsibility that comes with being a hunter.”
Through the Mentor Pledge, experienced hunters commit to taking someone new to hunting afield and providing a safe, positive and educational experience. After completing the hunt, mentors can report their experience to the NWTF. Those who report their hunt are eligible to be entered for a chance to win a prize package, which includes a pair of Vortex binoculars and a YETI Hopper Flip cooler, among other gear.
The pledge complements the NWTF’s established Mentored Hunts and Learn to Hunt Clinics, through which NWTF chapters connect new and novice hunters with experienced mentors. These experiences are designed to provide newcomers with the knowledge, confidence and support they need to participate in hunting safely and responsibly.
Mentorship can be particularly important for adult-onset hunters and others who did not grow up in a hunting family. Without a parent, grandparent or friend to serve as a guide, even knowing where to begin can be a significant barrier. NWTF research and outreach efforts have consistently identified mentorship, knowledge and access as important pieces of helping people enter and remain in hunting, and the impact can extend well beyond a single hunt.
Hunters also play an important role in the North American conservation system through license fees, excise taxes and direct support of wildlife and habitat conservation. Recruiting new hunters, retaining current hunters and reactivating those who have stepped away, commonly referred to as R3, helps strengthen that system while ensuring hunting traditions continue into the future.
For the NWTF, that work is central to its mission of preserving hunting heritage. Its education and outreach programs, including JAKES, Women in the Outdoors and Wheelin’ Sportsmen events are designed to help ensure the outdoor lifestyle endures.
“Conservation is ultimately about what we leave behind,” Harling said. “When an experienced hunter takes someone new into the field, they’re not just teaching that person how to hunt. They’re giving them a connection to wildlife, wild places and a conservation tradition they can carry forward.”
As Conservation Week and National Hunting and Fishing Day encourage Americans to recognize their role in conservation, the NWTF is asking hunters to consider one simple question: Who could you take hunting?
A friend. A neighbor. A coworker. A family member. Someone who has always wanted to hunt but never had someone to show them how.
For an experienced hunter, the commitment may be as simple as making room in a blind, sharing a morning in the turkey woods or walking someone through their first field dressing. For a new hunter, it could be the beginning of a lifelong tradition.
Take the Mentor Pledge. Take someone new afield. Help pass on the conservation legacy.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.7 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $25 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to create healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF is committed to creating a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.