CEO Notes – March/April 2026
Winter has loosened its grip, and one of God’s greatest spectacles will unfold: the renewal of the spring season, when the gobble of the wild turkey gets louder and more pervasive as the leaves turn green. The spring season is one of the greatest gifts we get to experiences here on Earth, and, year after year, it puts the work of the National Wild Turkey Federation in crystal clear focus.
We kicked off the spring in usual ceremonious fashion by welcoming tens of thousands of passionate individuals to our 50th annual Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tennessee, where our dedicated volunteers and partners from across the country caught up, told stories, laughed, networked and got energized for another year of delivering our mission: the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Our convention truly is where turkey season begins.
Recently, we announced that Patrick Wightman, Ph.D., has joined the National Wild Turkey Federation as the organization’s new national director of wild turkey research and science. This all-new position for the organization is reminiscent of the role Dr. James Earl Kennamer held with the NWTF. For those that may be unaware, Dr. Kennamer was hired as the NWTF’s director of research in 1980, leaving his career as a tenured professor of wildlife biology at Auburn University. His efforts were a springboard for the NWTF’s Target 2000 program and the restoration of the wild turkey. As Patrick, similarly, joins us from previously serving as an assistant research professor from the University of Georgia, we are ecstatic for what is to come from his work as the NWTF’s director of wild turkey research and science. You can learn more about this historic announcement on pg. 10.
With the hiring of Patrick and the NWTF contributing more than $2.3 million to wild turkey research that resulted in more than $22 million since 2022 when leveraged with partner dollars, our research efforts are as energized as they have ever been. Another key marker of this is that the NWTF Endowed Chair at UGA surpassed $1 million in less than two years.
Kickstarted in August 2024, the NWTF and the University of Georgia created the first-ever endowed professorship solely focused on the management, research and conservation of the wild turkey. Now, in just under two years, the endowed professorship — chaired by esteemed researcher Mike Chamberlain, Ph.D. — has eclipsed $1 million dollars. The annual returns from this growing endowment will ensure funding of essential resources for wild turkey research in perpetuity. We cannot thank the NWTF flock enough for standing up to help us reach this milestone, from generous contributions from state chapters to philanthropic individuals who invested in this incredible opportunity. This is a monumental funding source that will exist for the conservation of the wild turkey forever, and we are humbled by your support.
While these highlights from early 2026 speak to the excitement we have as an organization heading into the year, we would be remiss to not mention the sorrow felt by the NWTF and the entire turkey hunting community with the passing of Mossy Oak Chief Gamekeeper Mr. Fox Haas.
Born in an era where seeing, let alone harvesting, a bird was a true test of woodsmanship, Mr. Fox became a turkey hunting and conservation icon through his unwavering commitment to the wild turkey and his passion to leave the land better than it was found — virtues that were present through his last days.
As we embark upon this year’s turkey season and the coming year of delivering on the mission, may we be reminded of and live in the spirit of the words of Mr. Fox — “The good that men do will live long after they are gone.”