NWTF Convention disappointment

[Kystrut]

After attending the national convention for 12 straight years and being a small time vendor for two of those 12, I am disappointed with NWTF now more than ever.
First of all this convention is set up for the big time corporations to succeed and for the small guys/gals to be pushed by the wayside.
After the last show I attended as a vendor I made a personal decision to stop supporting NWTF with my membership. This was a small statement but the only thing a poor man can afford to do. It is my personal opinion NWTF is a money grubbing organization with very high paid upper management.
However with all this being said. Over the last several years I have still attended the show as it is only 2 1/2 hours from me and I have made several friends from other states over the years and the show serves as a great gathering place to catch up and tell lies ever year. During these years I have chose to pay the $20 day pass and not pay a membership.
After making the drive today with my father and two brothers, we braved the line only to be informed the cost is now $35.00 and a $20.00 day pass is not an option... probably much to the surprise of the young man at the desk I politely informed him we would not be bullied into buying a membership even if they have a gift card to hand us.
For a minute during my walk to the truck I started feeling like this could just be me? About the time I reached my truck we encountered 5 guys on their way home for the same reason!!!!!
It wasn't the money let's get that straight! It's the forceful tactics NWTF is using to sell memberships.
At the very least this should have been disclosed....
The more money it cost me to get in just to spend my money is just gonna cause me to spend less at these over priced booths these poor suckers have paid for with turkey calls their trying to sell to break even.
This is an end of an era for me.. unicoi here I come..!

[Spitten and drummen]

I agree with everything you are saying about the NWTF. It was started with great intentions and they were one of the main reasons the wild turkey was brought back to huntable populations and restored in some areas. Over the years though there seems to be less focus on habitat and care of the bird and more about fattening up executives pockets and funding their life of luxurey. Very sad.

[trkehunr93]

I was a long time member and let my membership lapse and back in 2012 I rejoined and got involved in getting a local chapter back on its feet.  The experience was less than pleasurable as the focus was selling tickets for a banquet to raise money that the majority of the $$ raised went into the "Super Fund".  All the work that was put into selling tickets for a banquet and my time spent attending meetings to plan it and to see that tiny check cut for the chapter left me wondering why in the hell did I do all this.  I walked away and haven't looked back.  Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt is a joke in my book.  I'll attend local wild game dinners to benefit scholarships for local kids before I give the NWTF a dime.  Andrew McKean with Outdoor Life became fed up as well and worked to put together a local rod and gun club rather than seeing local money shared nationally rather where it should be. 


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[Clovis67]

I really enjoyed NWTF functions when the organization was a grassroots movement that you could feel good about being associated with....but when the focus evolved into a $$$$ Wild Turkey money machine my eagerness to support them changed....Chapters in every corner and memberships and sponsorships being the ultimate goal.Watching NWTF staff go get another grand slam isn't exactly progress. Every time you turn around it seemed like the organization was preaching moneymaker.... not the original goal of the group that started the thing.

[Greg Massey]

I didn't have a problem with attending the Convention and paying my 35 dollar's and meeting lot's of vendor's and friends and got deals on calls from some of the best in the business of building turkey calls. And now i have a 25 dollar gift card to Bass Pro .. You can look at any show or convention and find problem's if you look for them. I got deals from most all of the same vendor's that attend Unicoi each year ...  Take for instant Nomad camo , was gifting away free Tee Shirt's to anyone who wanted one , it was 20 dollar value for free .. Lot of vendor's were giving away free stuff or having drawing , like if you bought a pot call from them your name went into a drawing for Savage 301 turkey in 410 .. I saw a lot of small vendor's and big vendor's having a great time. So i have different opinion myself ....  Everyone i saw was having a blast and enjoying the show and meeting new and old friends ... They added another room this year with another 150 vendor's with over 200 on a waiting list , so i don't think them miss one vendor is a big problem... Looking forward to next year with my room already booked ...

[treein dixie]

Where was this other room?  And what was in it?  Thanks

[Roost 1]

Where was this other room?  And what was in it?  Thanks

I'm wondering the same.. there was 2 rooms last year and all I saw was 2 this year.

[GobbleNut]

I see all sides of this conversation.  The convention is a great avenue for turkey hunters from across the country to get together.  From that standpoint, I applaud the NWTF for putting it together every year.  If anybody is a serious turkey hunter, the cost to get in is a bargain, whether or not an NWTF membership is required as part of the deal.

From the other perspective, however, there is no question that the NWTF has strayed far away from its initial mission of helping wild turkeys.  Now the focus seems to be on keeping the dollars flowing in at whatever cost.  Unfortunately, that cost has been what appears to be a significant loss of focus on that original mission. 

There is a way to bring both perspectives together.  That is for those that have to pay for that membership to get into the party to make sure they use that membership to speak up and let the NWTF leadership know in no uncertain terms that they want the focus of the organization to get back to helping wild turkeys and, by association, wild turkey hunters. 

[Greg Massey]

Where was this other room?  And what was in it?  Thanks

I'm wondering the same.. there was 2 rooms last year and all I saw was 2 this year.

I was lost after i when thru the Ryman room ... lol... it was so big ..  that was probably the part i like the least the entrance how it's setup... did you all fine the room with all the camo discounted with great deals , i didn't find it either , but i heard about it ..

[Sir-diealot]

Where was this other room?  And what was in it?  Thanks

I'm wondering the same.. there was 2 rooms last year and all I saw was 2 this year.

I was lost after i when thru the Ryman room ... lol... it was so big ..  that was probably the part i like the least the entrance how it's setup... did you all fine the room with all the camo discounted with great deals , i didn't find it either , but i heard about it ..

You did not find it because it was camouflaged silly.

[Greg Massey]

Where was this other room?  And what was in it?  Thanks

I'm wondering the same.. there was 2 rooms last year and all I saw was 2 this year.

I was lost after i when thru the Ryman room ... lol... it was so big ..  that was probably the part i like the least the entrance how it's setup... did you all fine the room with all the camo discounted with great deals , i didn't find it either , but i heard about it ..

You did not find it because it was camouflaged silly.

you know your probably right .. but room or no room, it was blast at the show if you had the right attitude to have a good time ...but I'm still looking for the camo... BUT I DID FIND THE FREE NICE TEE SHIRTS ..

[aclawrence]

I missed this camo room you speak of. Also missed seeing the taxidermy stuff.


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[Greg Massey]

I missed this camo room you speak of. Also missed seeing the taxidermy stuff.


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Did you get the free Tee Shirt form Nomad ?  Wife and i both got one of those ... You could have you pick green or gray color ..

[turkeynewb]

Taxidermy was at the other end of the watering hole

[Jfowler82]

I played a ton of the contest calls and thought that alone was worth 35 dollars ! We had a blast but I can see the other side of the argument.