EDGEFIELD, S.C. — In Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest, important work is being completed through the Old Hickory Supplemental Project Agreement, a partnership between the Missouri State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the USDA Forest Service.
“We are excited about the work that is being jointly planned and implemented by the NWTF and Mark Twain National Forest and look forward to watching turkeys and public land hunters benefit from this work in the coming years,” said Nathan Patterson, fish and wildlife biologist with the Mark Twain National Forest.
So far, this project has completed 186 acres of brush mastication, enhancing the Spring Walk-In Turkey Hunting Areas (SWITHAs) and creating additional walk-in opportunities beyond what is currently available. These tracts of public land are closed to motorized traffic during the spring season, offering hunters quiet, foot-travel-only access to thousands of acres where gobblers can behave naturally and hunting pressure is softened. For wildlife, these walk-in areas are proving to be ideal places to invest in habitat.
The mastication work is part of a larger effort to restore fields and stimulate early successional habitat in parts of the NWTF’s Habitat for the Hatch landscape, a priority area identified for boosting turkey recruitment. Early successional habitat, characterized by open, sunlit spaces with grasses, forbs and scattered shrubs, is essential for nesting hens and broods. Poults depend on these restored areas for protection from predators and for access to abundant insects, which are critical during their first weeks of life.
Not only will this provide benefits to wild turkeys, this restoration effort will also improve habitat for white-tailed deer, bobwhite quail and songbirds in the renewed structure and diversity that mastication creates.
Once mastication wraps up, the Forest Service will use prescribed fire to maintain these areas and keep them from being overtaken by hardwood encroachment. Fire is a natural and necessary part of these ecosystems, used to recycle nutrients, stimulate new plant growth and conserve the open structure hens need to successfully nest and raise broods.
For hunters and conservationists, this investment means better long-term habitat, healthier turkey populations, continued access to quality recreational opportunities and serves as a model of what partnership-driven habitat work can accomplish.
This is exactly the type of work NWTF members make possible. Through banquet dollars, memberships, volunteer hours and advocacy, NWTF members help drive habitat restoration projects that would not happen otherwise. The Old Hickory Project is a direct reflection of the commitment and investment not only in turkey habitat, but in the future of hunting, environmental health and shared stewardship on America’s public lands.
Projects like this strengthen the foundation of the NWTF’s mission and ensure that wild turkeys have what they need to thrive, hunters have meaningful access to high-quality places to hunt and that future generations will inherit a landscape full of birds, wildlife and opportunity.
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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