CEO Notes – September/October 2026
Outside of the spring season, the fall is our next favorite time of year, for obvious reasons — the sweet relief of cooler temperatures, leaf-crunching walks to the deer stand and the adrenaline rush of cherished fall pursuits.
Whether it be a buck daylighting unexpectedly or that gobbler that mistakenly fell into your setup trying to rejoin the flock, we relish the autumn opportunities. Many people, young and old, will experience these moments for the first time this fall, and as those boots are taken off and stories of the hunt are retold again and again, we are reminded of why the work of the National Wild Turkey Federation remains a constant.
Our Education and Outreach events are geared toward ensuring these moments endure. Through the efforts of our local chapters and our national programming, we continue to host more than 1,000 events each year, from creating those first-hunt experiences to conservation field days. For the fall 2026 season, local NWTF chapters across the country are continuing to set the bar high. We can’t wait to hear all of the stories of people’s first harvests and how communities rallied under the umbrella of the NWTF to make it happen.
And while our Education and Outreach programming continues to engage Americans in the lifechanging power of the outdoors, our conservation delivery efforts are the bedrock that make these experiences possible.
We are continuing to deliver conservation for the wild turkey, and countless other game and non-game species alike, while addressing additional regional conservation priorities. Our four operationalized initiatives — Waterways for Wildlife, Habitat for the Hatch, Forests and Flocks, and Roots to Roost — are making immense headway, delivering tailored prescriptions for wild turkey habitat and addressing overall ecosystem health, which leads to robust wildlife populations and better quality experiences in the field. We are excited to report on the 2026 accomplishments of these initiatives and announce a new western initiative later this year.
But as we keep our foot on the gas, working with partners on projects across the country, positive signs of encouragement of our efforts continue to pour in, from staff and volunteers reporting turkeys and turkey sign in our projects to numerous states setting spring harvest records this year. The work we are doing — together — is making a difference. But there are still many challenges ahead.
Our hunting heritage and public lands are constantly under threat. Recently, Oregon’s Initiative Petition (IP28) did not meet the signature requirement needed to appear on the November 2026 general election ballot. That measure sought to essentially make hunting, fishing, trapping and farming illegal in Oregon. We joined a broad coalition of partners in opposition to IP28. Across the country, from the local level to the federal level, NWTF staff and volunteers are vigilantly ensuring legislation allows us to both conserve our natural resources and enjoy them consumptively. We believe this is a right, embedded in the soul of America.