NWTF Free State Chapter

05/28/2026

Who is looking for a bushel of crabs? Support one of our new local chapters on the eastern shore. Please comment on the original post if interested.

05/21/2026

About right

05/21/2026

Turkey poult success can jump by 75% in a major cicada year, but not for the reason most people think. Yes, turkeys eat cicadas, and a giant hatch gives hens and poults a massive food source at a critical time, but that is only part of the story. The bigger piece may be what cicadas do to everything else in the woods.

When cicadas are everywhere, raccoons, opossums, skunks, groundhogs, coyotes, foxes, and about every other nest predator in the woods suddenly has an easy meal crawling all over the ground. Their bellies are full, which means they are not spending as much time hunting turkey nests and newly hatched poults. Indiana’s 2021 brood survey during the big Brood X cicada year showed 4.0 poults per hen, 74% higher than the year before, and reported broods were up 415%. Cicadas do not fix every turkey problem, but they can absolutely give turkeys a short-term boost that hunters may notice for the next few seasons.

— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Owner, DeLong Lures

05/20/2026

This Turkey Tuesday is about shaking it out. If you get to watch turkeys for any extended period of time, you’ll see them shake their feathers out – which is termed rousing. During this exercise, the bird will raise the feathers away from the body, shake the entire body, and then settle the feathers back into place. If you also pay attention, when turkeys do this, they are clearly comfortable with their surroundings, which is a good sign if you’re a turkey hunter! But this behavior has several benefits to the bird, which is why you’ll see them do it multiple times daily. One, rousing sheds dust or water and allows the bird to shake off ectoparasites. Two, it essentially acts as a feather reset, wherein the barbules on the feathers zip back up and the feather are realigned, which ensures the feather structures and waterproofing are maintained. Three, raising and then shaking all of the feathers on the body allows the bird to release heat, which is obviously important as temperatures warm in spring and summer – likewise, shaking the feathers during cold periods allows the bird to trap air against the skin and stay warm. The take home is rousing is an important behavior for wild turkeys, as it helps maintain the function of their feathers and regulate body temperatures. Pic by Bill Leconey Wild Turkey Lab The National Wild Turkey Federation

05/20/2026

05/13/2026

One of original Freestate founders called the other day and said he's hanging up the boots, camouflage and guns. Well today he went out and smashed a big old gobbler. Congratulations Md Don Colburn fyi he's 90 years young. Congratulations

05/11/2026

Let’s give it up for Sam Bubb. She got this big boy yesterday during a thunderstorm.

Weighing in at 22.12lbs

05/11/2026

Hmmmmm

05/09/2026

Congrats to one of our members Luke for getting it done this AM.

22.6 pounds
Spurs 1.25
Beard 10.5

05/08/2026

Hold the Date, August 30, 2026 1-5 PM

Tickets go on sale June 1st