NWTF Convention disappointment

[Greg Massey]

On a local level our chapter does some great things. Spring turkey clinic for youth and interested non hunters, women in the outdoors activities, buying trees for some of the local public lands, college scholarships, youth hunts for doves, ducks and turkeys.

I will say I get tired of them whoring out Kansas as a mecca when numbers have dropped precipitously. I contacted the biologist several years and they kept saying they would come back. Now that they havent guys are hitting the panic button. I hadnt been to a banquet in a couple years. Amazing how few people go anymore, and how little stuff goes for at the auction.

We have the oldest Chapter in Tennessee and every year we have 250 - 325 people attend the banquet .. great showing and lot's of local support form the community ...

[Turkeyman]

I've been a NWTF member since 1979. Back in the day, I hunted with Rob Keck and a few other officers, and knew them quite well. All good people and dedicated to the betterment of the wild turkey. Now...over the years, did they benefit financially from their positions? Yes they did!  But show me any LARGE conservation organization whereas the upper echelon isn't compensated with high salaries, perks etc. Take the NRA. Yes, LaPierre has become a multi-millionaire as a result...and I imagine some of the other higher-ups in the NRA as well. But let's do away with the NRA...where do you think you'd be? You're firearms would have been ground up as they were in England and Australia! Don't kid yourself.

Yes, I'm jealous of the salaries, perks et al of NWTF, NRA, SCI etc. but it is what it is. If these conservation organizations didn't exist we'd be in a heap of dodo...again, don't kid yourself.

[eggshell]

Man all this salary talk about what Non profit officers make is making me feel like a borrowed mule. I have served 5 years as Chairman of the board and chief fiscal officer of a charity and I ain't made a dime, but I have spent a few hundred dollars for administrative expenses out of my own pocket. I guess I'm just not smart enough to get paid.

On the serious side, I believe in what I'm doing and never took it on for anything other than to serve a need. Of course we are pretty small and it only requires about 8-10 hrs a week of my time. 

Serving a need is what people in non profits should be about. If your heart is in the cause should you expect pay equal to Corporate leadership for profit. I am first to say if a person devotes full time to a job they deserve to be paid, but wouldn't it be reasonable to take less for a good cause? I think 6 figures is not unreasonable for the lead of a 40 million organization, but $350,000 plus perks might be a tad high. Here's an example that is comparable, Chief of the Ohio Division of Wildlife made $99,142.00 (per Ohio's treasurers transparency web page) in 2018 with no perks. The ODW annual budget is around $60 million annually. I guarantee you that person is doing more for sportsmen/women than the NWTF CEO. Seems a little unfair to me.

[Spitten and drummen]

On a local level our chapter does some great things. Spring turkey clinic for youth and interested non hunters, women in the outdoors activities, buying trees for some of the local public lands, college scholarships, youth hunts for doves, ducks and turkeys.

I will say I get tired of them whoring out Kansas as a mecca when numbers have dropped precipitously. I contacted the biologist several years and they kept saying they would come back. Now that they havent guys are hitting the panic button. I hadnt been to a banquet in a couple years. Amazing how few people go anymore, and how little stuff goes for at the auction.

Thats great. How are they helping the birds again? As far as trees , our state gives them out freely to anyone who will plant them. Pines that is. Instead of focusing on clinics and hunts for everyone , how about spending some on getting rid of nest predators , protecting hardwood forest , re stocking and just wild turkey habitat in general. When they started , populations exploded and expanded. Fast forward and turkey populations have been dwindling nation wide as a whole. Just my opinion.

[Spitten and drummen]

I enjoy both Unicoi and NWTF convention .. glad to have them , agree it could be a lot worst , but we all need to protect our heritage and our 2nd amendment. I will continue supporting these organizations, that support what i love doing and that's hunting in general .. small game , deer , turkey etc...  I'm disappointed to see some of use bickering over the NWTF ... regardless they still stand for US .. not liberal's or socialist who want to take our rights away everyday .. YOU NEED TO THINK....

I really dont think no one is bickering really. I just think we are all giving our opinions. Hope no one gets their feathers ruffled over a post that we are having an adult conversation. Every topic here is based on opinions really. Just my thought.

[Greg Massey]

I enjoy both Unicoi and NWTF convention .. glad to have them , agree it could be a lot worst , but we all need to protect our heritage and our 2nd amendment. I will continue supporting these organizations, that support what i love doing and that's hunting in general .. small game , deer , turkey etc...  I'm disappointed to see some of use bickering over the NWTF ... regardless they still stand for US .. not liberal's or socialist who want to take our rights away everyday .. YOU NEED TO THINK....

I really dont think no one is bickering really. I just think we are all giving our opinions. Hope no one gets their feathers ruffled over a post that we are having an adult conversation. Every topic here is based on opinions really. Just my thought.

I agree it's all about opinions , but in the end , we all need to stand together .. and not lose these organizations that stand for US ... I supported these organization for years for others to enjoy and NOW, I'm still going to support these organization for my grandkids and i hope they do the same one day for their kids.

[eggshell]

I don't feel like we've been bickering. I think it's been a pretty civil discussion and at worse a healthy debate. I hope no one ever took that I was personally criticizing them for defending the NWTF.

Also, I have not called for them to disappear. What I have been saying is that there are better places and ways to spend my conservation dollars and that they have strayed from the primary mission. This does not detract from what good the NWTF may do towards education, recruitment and defense of our sport. I choose not to pay high salaries and operational cost for a group that has seemed to have lost focus on what sportsmen expect of them. What would bring me back is for them to reorganize and realign. It's not that I don't support conservation and even political action, I just don't do it through the NWTF. I do think that the NWTF (in it's present state) could disappear and the Wild Turkey populations would see zero impact from their demise. I don't even think turkey hunting would suffer. Do I hope that happens, absolutely not. I may be totally wrong, but that's what this discussion is about, our disappointment.

[Gentry]

I don't feel like we've been bickering. I think it's been a pretty civil discussion and at worse a healthy debate. I hope no one ever took that I was personally criticizing them for defending the NWTF.

Also, I have not called for them to disappear. What I have been saying is that there are better places and ways to spend my conservation dollars and that they have strayed from the primary mission. This does not detract from what good the NWTF may do towards education, recruitment and defense of our sport. I choose not to pay high salaries and operational cost for a group that has seemed to have lost focus on what sportsmen expect of them. What would bring me back is for them to reorganize and realign. It's not that I don't support conservation and even political action, I just don't do it through the NWTF. I do think that the NWTF (in it's present state) could disappear and the Wild Turkey populations would see zero impact from their demise. I don't even think turkey hunting would suffer. Do I hope that happens, absolutely not. I may be totally wrong, but that's what this discussion is about, our disappointment.

You hit the nail on the head!


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[Greg Massey]

I don't feel like we've been bickering. I think it's been a pretty civil discussion and at worse a healthy debate. I hope no one ever took that I was personally criticizing them for defending the NWTF.

Also, I have not called for them to disappear. What I have been saying is that there are better places and ways to spend my conservation dollars and that they have strayed from the primary mission. This does not detract from what good the NWTF may do towards education, recruitment and defense of our sport. I choose not to pay high salaries and operational cost for a group that has seemed to have lost focus on what sportsmen expect of them. What would bring me back is for them to reorganize and realign. It's not that I don't support conservation and even political action, I just don't do it through the NWTF. I do think that the NWTF (in it's present state) could disappear and the Wild Turkey populations would see zero impact from their demise. I don't even think turkey hunting would suffer. Do I hope that happens, absolutely not. I may be totally wrong, but that's what this discussion is about, our disappointment.

I understanding what your saying .. But 35 dollars year is not going to break me either way.. that's less than what most spend on carton of cigarettes ever week...  But i will agree if you don't want to support the NWTF , then that's your choice. Good post either way .

[Gentry]

I don't feel like we've been bickering. I think it's been a pretty civil discussion and at worse a healthy debate. I hope no one ever took that I was personally criticizing them for defending the NWTF.

Also, I have not called for them to disappear. What I have been saying is that there are better places and ways to spend my conservation dollars and that they have strayed from the primary mission. This does not detract from what good the NWTF may do towards education, recruitment and defense of our sport. I choose not to pay high salaries and operational cost for a group that has seemed to have lost focus on what sportsmen expect of them. What would bring me back is for them to reorganize and realign. It's not that I don't support conservation and even political action, I just don't do it through the NWTF. I do think that the NWTF (in it's present state) could disappear and the Wild Turkey populations would see zero impact from their demise. I don't even think turkey hunting would suffer. Do I hope that happens, absolutely not. I may be totally wrong, but that's what this discussion is about, our disappointment.

I understanding what your saying .. But 35 dollars year is not going to break me either way.. that's less than what most spend on carton of cigarettes ever week...  But i will agree if you don't want to support the NWTF , then that's your choice. Good post either way .

It's not about the 35 dollars so to speak, it's about what they are doing with it.


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[Greg Massey]

I don't feel like we've been bickering. I think it's been a pretty civil discussion and at worse a healthy debate. I hope no one ever took that I was personally criticizing them for defending the NWTF.

Also, I have not called for them to disappear. What I have been saying is that there are better places and ways to spend my conservation dollars and that they have strayed from the primary mission. This does not detract from what good the NWTF may do towards education, recruitment and defense of our sport. I choose not to pay high salaries and operational cost for a group that has seemed to have lost focus on what sportsmen expect of them. What would bring me back is for them to reorganize and realign. It's not that I don't support conservation and even political action, I just don't do it through the NWTF. I do think that the NWTF (in it's present state) could disappear and the Wild Turkey populations would see zero impact from their demise. I don't even think turkey hunting would suffer. Do I hope that happens, absolutely not. I may be totally wrong, but that's what this discussion is about, our disappointment.

I understanding what your saying .. But 35 dollars year is not going to break me either way.. that's less than what most spend on carton of cigarettes ever week...  But i will agree if you don't want to support the NWTF , then that's your choice. Good post either way .

It's not about the 35 dollars so to speak, it's about what they are doing with it.


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Look if they take 10 dollars of my 35 dollars and help the youth or anyone for that matter it's a win for me .. now what they do with the other 25 dollars , i hope they help us anyway they can.. omg... If you don't want to support them , don't .. it's your choice..

[dzsmith]

The Rob Keck salary was a shock to me and even at state levels there are 6 figures.
Any conservation organization is better than not being a part of one.
Maybe you guys are new to the sport but....
By 2000 the NWTF goal was to be done with stocking of turkey.
Now they have the save the habitat save the hunt. Get it?
Look around, all wildlife is losing habitat. 

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I do agree...habit loss is substantial, and with rising turkey hunter numbers in big time turkey hunting states, it doesn't go well with habitat loss and peoples inability to not kill every turkey they encounter. its a doomed situation for sure.

[dzsmith]

On a local level our chapter does some great things. Spring turkey clinic for youth and interested non hunters, women in the outdoors activities, buying trees for some of the local public lands, college scholarships, youth hunts for doves, ducks and turkeys.

I will say I get tired of them whoring out Kansas as a mecca when numbers have dropped precipitously. I contacted the biologist several years and they kept saying they would come back. Now that they havent guys are hitting the panic button. I hadnt been to a banquet in a couple years. Amazing how few people go anymore, and how little stuff goes for at the auction.

Thats great. How are they helping the birds again? As far as trees , our state gives them out freely to anyone who will plant them. Pines that is. Instead of focusing on clinics and hunts for everyone , how about spending some on getting rid of nest predators , protecting hardwood forest , re stocking and just wild turkey habitat in general. When they started , populations exploded and expanded. Fast forward and turkey populations have been dwindling  wide as a whole. Just my opinion.

would be nice to get some legislation to make foresters keep some limited amount of hardwoods on timber company land. nothing necessarily excessive or anything that would cripple loggers but dagnam a little more timber on the creeks wouldn't hurt them at all and would vastly help wildlife.

[Spurs]

On a local level our chapter does some great things. Spring turkey clinic for youth and interested non hunters, women in the outdoors activities, buying trees for some of the local public lands, college scholarships, youth hunts for doves, ducks and turkeys.

I will say I get tired of them whoring out Kansas as a mecca when numbers have dropped precipitously. I contacted the biologist several years and they kept saying they would come back. Now that they havent guys are hitting the panic button. I hadnt been to a banquet in a couple years. Amazing how few people go anymore, and how little stuff goes for at the auction.

Thats great. How are they helping the birds again? As far as trees , our state gives them out freely to anyone who will plant them. Pines that is. Instead of focusing on clinics and hunts for everyone , how about spending some on getting rid of nest predators , protecting hardwood forest , re stocking and just wild turkey habitat in general. When they started , populations exploded and expanded. Fast forward and turkey populations have been dwindling  wide as a whole. Just my opinion.

would be nice to get some legislation to make foresters keep some limited amount of hardwoods on timber company land. nothing necessarily excessive or anything that would cripple loggers but dagnam a little more timber on the creeks wouldn't hurt them at all and would vastly help wildlife.

Many timber company's have adopted a SMZ (stream management zone), but I'm 100% in agreement with you that it should be mandated by the state.  I've always said there should be a 100' buffer along upland drains and a 300' buffer along creeks/bayous. 

But I'm from AR and anything that could slow down logging is like spitting in mammas face.

[sixbird]

Do people not realize that the more members an organization like this can report can greatly increase the amount of support and pull they can get for fighting for the things we all deem important.

And conservation projects on the number of acres the nwtf has affected and renting the opryland hotel with an extra room this year, is not free.

Look up sometime the $ amount the nwtf has put on the ground and how many turkeys they have spread across the country.

If you have had the chance to hunt turkeys in the last 20 years, you should buy an nwtf membership every year.

I have paid $15-20 to get into gun shows that i can walk through in 15 minutes and see everything. But the nwtf costs $35 now and they give you a $25 gift card, and you guys want to complain?


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Exactly! Well put...The habitat development doesn't come free. Try to buy a couple of acres these days.
That and representatives of NWTF coordinate with state wildlife agencies to get things done that the depts., frankly, don't have much interest in doing.
I understand some of the frustration but if not for NWTF, I don't believe turkeys would be in the places they are. That's an indisputable fact here in South Jersey.


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