Thunderbird Longbeards NWTF Chapter

03/23/2026

Have you ever wanted to work for the National Wild Turkey Federation and live in Indiana? Now is your opportunity.

We are currently seeking a Regional Director to join our team. If you’re passionate about conservation and making a difference, we encourage you to learn more about the position and apply at the link below.

Learn more and apply here:
https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/3984969

03/01/2026

Tickets NOW AVAILABLE for our 2nd annual NWTF Banquet right here in Tuttle! Buy now and spread the word for a great night of fun, food, games and giveaways!

Click to link to purchase tickets or tables!

TABLE INFO IN COMMENTS! ⬇️

https://events.nwtf.org/EVT-21018/tickets?type=ticket

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

The 2026 NWTF Convention and Sport Show is just 9 days away, taking place February 12–14 in Nashville, Tennessee. This annual event brings together conservation supporters, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts for seminars, exhibits, competitions, auctions, and more, all centered around the wild turkey and the outdoors.

NWTF members receive free admission wristbands to the sport show floor, making it a great opportunity to connect with fellow conservationists and get ready for spring turkey season.

From calling competitions and taxidermy displays to auctions and educational programming, this event celebrates our shared commitment to wildlife, habitat, and conservation.

Are you planning to attend? Let us know where you will be traveling from here in Indiana.

https://www.nwtf.org/get-involved/nwtf-convention

01/25/2026

When founder Toxey Haas launched Mossy Oak in 1986, he did so because he wanted to have a better way to hide from wildlife. Now 40 years and dozens of camo patterns later, Mossy Oak has helped countless hunters make memories through their adventures afield.

Learn More: https://www.nwtf.org/content-hub/turkey-call-all-access-ep-128-mossy-oaks-40th-anniversary

01/25/2026

Each January, National Wild Turkey Federation staff join industry partners in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show — one of the largest gatherings in the shooting sports world. While the show floor is packed with the latest fi****ms, ammunition and outdoor innovations, it also provides a unique opportunity for the NWTF to bring its mission beyond the traditional turkey hunter and into the broader shooting sports community.

Learn More: https://www.nwtf.org/content-hub/why-the-nwtf-shows-up-for-shot-show

01/02/2026

2025 was a monumental year for the National Wild Turkey Federation.

We hosted a record-breaking convention with more than 82,000 hunters and conservationists celebrating the life-changing power of the outdoors; launched our Roots to Roost initiative in the Midwest, expanding our landscape-level conservation efforts; continued critical investments in wild turkey research and co-hosted the 13th National Wild Turkey Symposium; positively impacted nearly 1 million acres of habitat for wild turkeys and numerous other species; and touched the lives of many through our Education and Outreach programs. And 2026 is poised to be even bigger.

With our 50th Convention and Sport Show and another highly anticipated spring turkey season on the horizon, we also have some exciting news to kick off the New Year. In the coming weeks, we will share exciting updates on the expansion of NWTF endowed professorships and the hiring of the all new, mission-focused national director of wild turkey research position, among so much more geared toward conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

None of these past or future successes would be possible without the passionate men and women who make up our members, volunteers, partners and staff. As we step into 2026, we wish you prosperity and many meaningful days in the woods and look forward to your involvement in uniting a nation through the life-changing power of the outdoors.

Jason Burckhalter and Kurt Dyroff

Photo Credit: Josh VanOmmeren

12/18/2025

Going hunting for Holiday Antlerless season? Consider donating venison to Hunters Against Hunger through a participating processor.

This is a great way to help your community while enjoying a good hunt! HAH helps distribute donated meat to hungry Oklahomans. Get more info on our website: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/processors/hah

Photo from Ron Jackson

12/17/2025

Turkeys may seem unpredictable, but their annual cycle is a masterpiece of survival.

From winter flocks hundreds strong to the precise timing of nesting and the incredible imprinting of newborn poults, each season brings a new chapter in the wild turkey’s year.

A few highlights from the cycle:
• Winter: Gobblers band together, hens stay with their young, and jakes just try to figure it out.
• Spring: Increasing daylight triggers the great shuffle—breakups, dispersal, gobbling peaks and breeding.
• Nesting: Hens lay 8–11 eggs, incubate for 28 days and defend nests that face enormous survival challenges.
• Hatching: Poults imprint within hours — a life-defining process that shapes their identity.
• Summer: Growth explodes, bugs fuel development and flocks reform as the cycle starts anew.

It might look chaotic from the outside, but every phase is finely tuned for survival — and for the incredible hunting tradition that depends on it.

Full story by Dr. Jim Dickson: https://www.nwtf.org/content-hub/how-the-turkey-world-turns

Photo courtesy of Jim Dickson