The National Wild Turkey Federation has been at the center of nearly every trend affecting wild turkey dynamics since its inception in 1973. Over its 48 years, it’s grown to about 250,000 members and has raised tens of millions of dollars to help state agencies increase the nation’s wild turkey flock to between 6 and 7 million birds.

Now, however, the national turkey population has been slipping away from its high-water mark, set in the early 2000s after decades of translocations that established flocks in new or historic habitats. In some parts of the country, hunters and wildlife managers now worry that turkey numbers could once again slide so far that hunting seasons might close and aggressive restoration efforts would be required to sustain flocks.

Ron Jolly is the co-founder of an upstart turkey conservation organization, Turkeys For Tomorrow that aims to help state agencies research and respond to turkey declines, specifically in the southeast. The group was formed just this year and already has several thousand “partners,” who contribute funds in exchange for a window decal and inclusion in the group’s communications and outreach.

In this episode, Hunting Editor Andrew McKean talks to both organizations about the future of turkey conservation. Read the full story (and see the new NWTF logo) here. Find McKean’s series on changing citizen conservation here.

Produced and edited by Senior Deputy Editor Natalie Krebs.

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson.

Reporting by Hunting Editor Andrew McKean.

The New World-Record Elk—That Almost Wasn’t

The Outdoor Life PodcastBy Outdoor LifeMay 07, 2021