EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Solidifying its role as the national leader in wild turkey conservation, the National Wild Turkey Federation directed significant funding to cutting-edge wild turkey research for 2025, building on a powerful investment strategy helping guide the sustainability of the wild turkey. This year’s funding has brought the NWTF’s investment in wild turkey ecology research — in just over three years — to $2,101,439 through its National Wild Turkey Request for Proposals Program. Combined with this year’s $503,618 investment and previous partner engagement, the NWTF and its partners have provided more than $22 million to wild turkey research projects since 2022.
“The projects we fund through our National RFP Program produce vital information that state agencies and policy makers can apply to ensure the sustainability of the wild turkey far into the future,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “We are overly ecstatic to see our partners and volunteers continue to rally and help us support projects that are working to reverse declines and keep our nation’s flock strong, allowing future generations to experience the life-changing power of the turkey woods.”
The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund continued its investment in the NWTF’s 2025 research efforts by contributing significant funding to the NWTF’s RFP Program.
In addition, NWTF state chapters and multiple NWTF regional conservation initiatives provided funding for the organization’s 2025 investment in wild turkey research.
“Today’s challenges managing for the wild turkey are not the same as from previous years,” NWTF co-CEO Jason Burckhalter said. “New invasive species have made their way into our forests and grasslands and have altered the landscape. Wild turkey habitat is more fragmented than at any point in history. Disease prevalence continues to raise questions. Simply put, wild turkeys live their life cycle in an ever-changing environment. We must continue to sharpen the best leading science to guide the sustainable management of our beloved bird far into the future.”
For 2025, the NWTF received more research proposals in a given year than ever before. Proposals were rigorously scored by NWTF biologists and the NWTF Wild Turkey Technical Committee. This network of wild turkey experts scores and ranks projects on their scientific rigor, partner engagement, secured matching funds, and the applicability toward NWTF’s key areas of emphasis.
“The NWTF Technical Committee provides a mechanism for state turkey biologists to provide NWTF with a list of national research priorities and review and provide input on the ranking process to ensure proposed projects that are most important to management decisions are prioritized,” said Kent Fricke, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission assistant division administrator and NWTF National Wild Turkey Technical Committee co-chair. “Together, with NWTF and research partners at universities, we are increasing our collective understanding of turkey ecology in North America.”
Projects awarded funding this year will occur over a multiyear duration. The NWTF’s 2025 investment is providing vital funding for the nine projects each year when the necessary work takes place. Since 2022, the NWTF has provided significant funding to dozens of individual wild turkey research projects.
Projects for 2025 funding include:
- Florida: Habitat Quality and Poult Productivity
- Georgia, South Carolina: Management Strategies and Season Structure Influence on Gobbling
- Kentucky: Reproductive Ecology of Wild Turkeys in Kentucky
- Oklahoma: Hunting Pressure and Harvest Management
- Minnesota: Assessment of Wild Turkeys in Urban-Agro Interface
- New Hampshire: Survival, Harvest Rates and Disease
- Rhode Island: Disease Prevalence on Eastern Wild Turkey Reproductive Success
- Texas: Habitat and Phenology-Period Survival of Female Rio Grande Turkeys
- Texas: Wild Turkey Population Dynamics via Genetic Mark-Recapture and Modeling
Multiple research projects will dovetail into the NWTF’s regional conservation initiatives. For instance, this year’s projects in Kentucky and Florida will bolster the efforts of the NWTF’s Habitat for the Hatch Initiative, producing new insights into habitat management and hen reproductive success and poult production. Likewise, projects in New Hampshire and Rhode Island will contribute to the NWTF’s Forests and Flocks Initiative, providing updated survival and harvest metrics and disease prevalence based on habitat.
“The insights we garner from these projects have applications beyond state lines, contributing to the overall understanding of wild turkey ecology and guiding vital conservation efforts,” said Jared McJunkin, NWTF acting director of science and planning. “Wild turkeys depend on good habitat and science-based management. Today, through our one-two punch of conservation delivery and research, we are proud to lead the way in delivering both.”
“Request for Proposals” was a term used internally by NWTF conservation staff. But in 2022, NWTF conservation leadership envisioned a public-facing program that could be implemented year after year. This program would allow the organization’s members and the entire outdoors community to see the significant investments being made into addressing the most pressing concerns around wild turkey management and the overall sustainability of the bird.
Learn more about the Request for Proposals Program.
Learn more about how the NWTF is the foremost wild turkey research organization.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities, and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats. and Healthy Harvests. for future generations.
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