News
News and Events
Fifteenth Annual Youth Governors Hunt
Jan-2024
The Governors Youth Turkey Hunt has been a very successful event over the last 14 years and serves both as a celebration of Missouri’s leading role in providing outdoor recreational opportunity as well as recruiting and retaining additional outdoor enthusiasts. This hunt is a cooperative effort between Governor Mike Parson, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, National Wild Turkey Federation, Friends of the NRA, the Missouri Department of Conservation, elected officials from the capitol, and a host of private landowners and other volunteers.
Click on the download link to download the link and apply for the hunt.
Download form
2023 Mentored dove hunting program
Date of Event: Hunt dates may vary but will be 9/1 and 1 or 2 other days during September 2023.
Although not required, it is highly recommended that you acquire hunter education training if you have never previously hunted. Online training options can be accessed using the following link:
https://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/hunter-education FREE classes are also available for improving your wingshooting skills and can be found at the following link:
https://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/hunter-education/effective-wingshooting-workshops
This opportunity is being provided in an effort to recruit new hunters. Therefore, priority will be given to people, regardless of age, that have never previously hunted. Second priority will be given to lapsed hunters (did not hunt anything the previous season), and those hunters that have not previously hunted migratory birds followed by youths 11-15 (even if they have previously hunted).
Send completed application to: John Burk, 7152 Tomahawk Lane, Steedman, MO 65077 or e-mail to jburk@nwtf.net.
You can also sign up online: Click here
Note: Hunting licenses and shells will be the responsibility of the participant.
All information is due by August 25, 2023.
Click here to download the form
North MO Landowner Newsletter
2021 Putnam County Wild Turkey Research Update
Field work for the 2021 field season concluded on August 15th. We would like to thank the 86 landowners who granted us permission to access 40,488 acres of private property in Putnam County.
Please click here to read the full story.
Hunting Heritage and R3 Update
Date: April 2021
The NWTF has been investing in hunter recruitment for decades with programs
like Women in the Outdoors, JAKES and Wheelin’ Sportsmen. The Recruitment,
Retention and Reactivation (R3) of hunters and shooting participants led the
NWTF to expand programming to focus on mentored hunts and Learn to Hunt
Clinics, diversifying audiences and moving toward a multi-pronged approach.
The key ingredient to our success has been partnerships. Working with NWTF
volunteers/members, state and federal partners, outfitters, industry and other nongovernmental organizations, we’ve made strides in our R3 work.
Click here to open the newsletter
2021 Spring Turkey Youth Hunt
Date: January 2021
Dear Chapter President or NWTF Youth Coordinator,
Plans for the Annual Spring Youth Turkey Hunt are underway. The event will be during -the youth spring turkey season, April 10-11, 2021. The event will begin on Friday, April 9, and will be held at Camp Semo at Wappapello, Missouri. Space is limited to the first 10 students to sign up. NWTF chapters across the state of Missouri have the opportunity to send one JAKES member to the event. To attend the event, the student must be an active JAKES member and MDC guidelines will be in place.
Click on the link below to be download the forms for this years hunt!
If you have any questions please contact Rob at 573-450-1577
Save The Habitat. Save The Hunt.
Date: January 2021
We have completed our eighth year since we started our journey to Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. This past year, our accomplishments total 4,012,270 acres conserved, 1,530,603 hunters created, and 667,772 access acres gained. With 2 years remaining in the initiative, we have already exceeded our goals in all 3 categories. This is an incredible accomplishment that you helped make happen! As you would probably expect, Missouri did our part to achieve mission delivery. Thanks to your continued support Missouri is third in conserved acres at 301,540 and on track to achieve our 400,000 acre goal, fifth in hunters created through registered events at 5,152, and we had to double our initial access acreage goal from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres and still achieved it.
Project Forester Justin Ferguson
Date: January 2021
Justin’s fourth quarter has been a solid finish to the 2020 calendar year. Justin was busy with the fieldwork and office work associated with developing forest management plans. In total, seven FMPs were developed totaling 991.2 acres influenced. The largest plan developed is in St Francois county and is over 515 acres. This landowner has an interest in managing turkey habitat with prescribed fire and is very excited to begin work on the property. Six of the seven landowners have applications in for the NRCS EQIP or CSP programs to assist with implementing conservation practices outlined in the plan. Justin also completed three EQIP practice certifications. One was for firebreak installation for a prescribed fire planned to take place this Feb/March. The other two were for edge feathering work.
For the immediate future, Justin has inventoried another property and will begin the office work associated with developing the FMP. Justin has several other FMPs in the hopper that will keep him busy through the Spring.
NFI Forester Tyler Cooper
Date: January 2021
These last few months have slowed up here in NW Missouri. Most of my last few months have been getting EQIP sign up deadlines met with landowners who needed cost share assistance with Forestry and Wildlife practices. I was still able to complete 3 Forest Management plans as well. Site visits and field work was pretty slow due to hunting season and most landowners not wanting the woods disturbed. I was able to get out and certify some TSI and brush management practices. A total of 55 acres were conserved/enhanced and 395 acres influenced. The majority of my time was spent assisting other planners throughout the area with both EQIP application and planning as well as CSP renewals planning.
I foresee my next few months to be full of time in the field with forest inventories and writing management plans. I will also spend a fair amount of time checking out completed cost-share practices as well as meeting with landowners to assist them in implementing new contracts and management practices.
NWTF Project Forester NRCS and USFS Will Reckhemmer
Date: January 2021
The timber harvest on the Handy SPA in the Mark Twain’s Eleven Point District has remained strong in the last quarter with 15 additional acres completed along with closure work on 2 other units, and 3 units open that are currently being completed. The Arkansas View SPA timber sale and mid-story work has restarted after a long hiatus due to mill closures and COVID-19. The crew is currently finishing up 24 acres of timber removal and mid-story treatment in the 5th unit. This work is moving along nicely, and we are opening the final unit on the sale now. We are also completing a modification on this agreement that will add another 44 acres of cedar removal on glades.
2021 Conservation Seed Program
Date: January 2021
It’s time to order your Spring time seed!
The seed we can most likely count on will be Roundup Ready corn, Roundup Ready soybeans, and milo. Clearfield sunflowers may or may not be available but we have ordered some for Missouri if they do become available. Same rules apply, you MUST be a member to purchase the seed, it CANNOT be harvested, and the limit on corn is 5 bags per member.
If you are interested in ordering some seed, please fill out the information below and return it to John Burk, 7152 Tomahawk Lane, Steedman MO 65077 or e-mail me the same information to jburk@nwtf.net.
Click here to download the application for more information
Managing Agricultural Lands for the Property Owner
Date: July 2019
Do you own investment or recreational land that includes rented farmland? This workshop will take an in-depth look at how to maintain profitability and enhance your investments for the future. Click on the below to see the flyer.
Forest Health News
By: Tyler Cooper
Date: July 2019
This article is going to address the Little green/brown metallic beetles that have been annoying us the last few years during the summer months. Japanese Beetles, originally from Japan, first made it to the U.S in 1916 and have been spreading ever since.
NWTF Hunter Recruitment Form
Please help us track our progress towards achieving our hunter creation goals of 4,000 new hunters annually in Missouri. If you are an NWTF member and you have taken someone hunting that has never before hunted, please fill out the attached form and e-mail it to John Burk at jburk@nwtf.net
Here is the form you will need to fill out and attach to the email NWTF Hunter Recruitment Report Form