Longtime Little Rockers might recall a car dealership's radio jingle from the 1970s that went, "You can talk turkey for chicken feed, but a little bit of scratch is all you need."
The Arkansas National Wild Turkey Federation made a little scratch Saturday during its annual awards banquet at the Hilton Garden in Little Rock, but this event wasn't about money. It honored people who made the most significant contributions to turkey conservation, turkey management and turkey hunting over the past year.
The top honor went to Gary Watts of Paris, who became the sixth person to be inducted into the Arkansas Turkey Hunters Hall of Fame.
Watts first joined the NWTF in 1978 when he bought a box call from a hardware store. An invitation to join the organization was stamped on the bottom of the call. Watts has served two terms as president of the state chapter, and he is currently the state treasurer.
The NWTF also honored Watts in 2010 with its Roger Latham Award, which it gives to its most outstanding volunteers who give up their personal time, energy and money to the conservation and management of the wild turkey.
I left the ceremony with one of 12 numbered box calls bearing Watts' name made in Scranton by Furr Calls. These calls are auctioned during the live auction, and they sell for about $200-$225. The winner gets a poker chip with the same number as the call. One chip is drawn from a bucket at the end of the auction, and the owner of that chip wins a new Weatherby Orion over/under 12-gauge shotgun.
Yours truly had the honor of drawing the chip, and Jim Wells of Hamburg was the winner. He handed me the call and said, "You can have the call. I got the gun!"
I intend to call up a gobbler with it in April.
To benefit those who are not familiar with the legal requirements of transferring a firearm, it's appropriate to explain how it's done at banquets.
The gun was returned to the dealer who ordered and received it on behalf of the NWTF. Before taking possession of the shotgun, the winner must complete paperwork from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. That person then undergoes a background check. It's been the same way since 1995.
Dealers sometimes attend larger banquets and fulfill the requirements on site.
The Arkansas NWTF has a three-year plan to accomplish three major goals in our state. One is to improve 40,000 acres of public land for wildlife. Another is to create 10,000 new hunters in Arkansas. The third is to create 20,000 acres of hunting access in Arkansas.
Terry Thompson, the Arkansas National Wild Turkey Federation president, said 92 cents of every dollar the organization raises is used "on the ground" in a multitude of turkey management programs. That is a very high percentage compared with many nonprofit organizations.
The state chapter usually works to find matching funds for $100,000, which the various local chapters generate. Thompson said the desired match is $2-3 for every NWTF dollar.
"Three or four years ago, we took $90,000 and turned it into $1.3 million on the ground through matching funds," Thompson said.
The NWTF was a major partner in the Bearcat Hollow restoration project in Searcy County, but the organization also works with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Forest Service to pay for research projects related to turkey management.
The Arkansas NWTF also will benefit from a special license plate the Arkansas Legislature created. It features an eastern wild turkey, a whitetailed deer, a mallard drake and a bobwhite quail. The Office of Motor Vehicles must get 500 signatures, $5,000 or a combination thereof by Aug. 1 before it will issue the plate. You can sign up to get one at arnwtf.org.
Also, the Arkansas NWTF named Cpl. Derek Winter its Wildlife Officer of the Year.
Brad Carner, chief of the AGFC's wildlife management division, accepted a partnership award for assisting the NWTF for conducting mentored hunts around the state. Eight hunts were held in 2015 for nearly 60 first-time hunters.
Plum Creek Timber, a major landowner in southern Arkansas, received a partnership award for donating two specially rigged hunting trailers to assist disabled hunters in participating in special hunts.
Citizen organizations such as the NWTF are the engines that drive conservation in America, and it's good to see the NWTF thriving in Arkansas.
Sports on 01/14/2016