A New NWTF Member Prepares for Her First Turkey Season
Madison Carr, based in Central New York, has been an outdoor enthusiast from a young age. She has recently begun paving her own path toward becoming a hunter, shooting her first doe this past fall, and she is hoping to get her first wild turkey this upcoming spring.
When Carr was growing up, she watched North Woods Law, which follows the Maine Warden Service as they navigate the state's rugged terrain during their hunting seasons. The show got her interested in both hunting and becoming an environmental conservation officer, which led her to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to earn a degree in conservation biology.
While she was at ESF, she took a wildlife management class that taught her how hunting is both beneficial and necessary for conservation when it is done the correct way. She also took a forensic firearms class at Syracuse University.
During her senior year, she joined the campus’ collegiate chapter of Ducks Unlimited where she was able to learn more about hunting and waterfowl and meet students who were interested in hunting and could offer her guidance.
At the chapter’s annual banquet that year, Carr won a gun from one of the raffles, which was the push she needed to finally get out into the field to hunt. She took the gun to the range with some of her dad’s friends, took her hunter’s safety training course, and went out on state land for her first deer season in the fall of 2023. This first hunt was unsuccessful.
In January of this year, Carr attended the New York NWTF State Chapter’s 50th Anniversary event where she was able to connect with volunteers and members at the New York NWTF State Chapter. During the event, volunteers were put into small breakout groups to discuss different ideas for recruiting and retaining new hunters in New York State.
Carr’s group, led by Jesse Warner, NWTF Northeast R3 coordinator, focused on outreach and R3 within the Empire State. Soon the conversation turned to engaging with younger audiences and women hunters. Being 23 and a woman, Carr shared her first hunting experience with the group.
On one of her first hunts, Carr went out with someone who was not prepared to mentor a new hunter; he did not inform her of necessary gear for the hunt, did not describe where they would be hunting, and did not provide any useful information that is vital for new hunters beginning their journey.
Finding safe, legal and ethical hunting opportunities can be a challenge for beginners, especially for women that are hesitant to venture into the field with male hunters they don’t know well.
Carr told the breakout group at the NWTF event that she had a much more successful season this past fall. She shot her first doe on her boss’ property. He was able to help her dress the deer in the field. Processing it herself was important to her, but she knew processing an entire deer on her own for the first time would’ve been too hard.
“When I took my deer to the processor, I mentioned that I had originally wanted to do it on my own, and he was kind enough to let me come in and help every step of the way. I even had the opportunity to help process other deer with him as well to make sure I was comfortable doing it on my own.”
Warner thought her story exemplified the importance of mentorship and the need for social support.
Carr is excited to be a part of NWTF because she has already begun establishing connections with mentors she can trust to take her out for her first season of turkey hunting.