Illinois State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Our state chapter and the local chapters of which it is comprised are dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey in Illinois and the preservation of our hunting heritage. To that end, each local chapter holds an annual fund-raising event, called a Hunting Heritage banquet, to raise money and to increase membership.

The Illinois Board hopes you find this web site informative & interesting. Most importantly we hope you choose to become an active member within the Illinois NWTF flock. 

What is the NWTF?

The NWTF — a national nonprofit organization — is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C., and has local chapters in every state.

The NWTF is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.

Through vital partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and our members have helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America — from a mere 30,000 in the entire United States to more than 7 million across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

State News

National News

Visit http://www.nwtf.org/about/nation for information in your area.

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Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. Initiative

Hunting and habitat go hand-in-hand. We can't have quality hunting without quality wildlife habitat. And the past has proven we won't have sustainable wildlife habitat unless hunters are involved. Hunters pay for 80 percent of the budgets for state wildlife agencies, which drive the research and work to restore essential habitat for game and nongame species.

We could sit idle and watch fields go fallow and our hunting rights crumble, or we can begin saving our lifestyle now.

The NWTF isn't going to let it happen on our watch. That's why we launched the Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative. It's an aggressive charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and our devoted volunteers not only to keep the NWTF alive but also to give it more purpose than ever.

We're committed to raising $1.2 billion to conserve and enhance more than 4 million acres of essential upland wildlife habitat, create at least 1.5 million new hunters and open access to 500,000 new acres for hunting, shooting and outdoor enjoyment.

It's an effort we must all stand behind to accomplish. Its success depends equally on unity and urgency. We must work together and we must do it now if we want to even begin to counteract the challenges to our lifestyle.