Ron Jolly

Over the last decade, hunters and biologists across the country have watched a troubling pattern unfold: wild turkey numbers are declining in places where they once flourished. Early warnings were easy to overlook—after all, ground-nesting birds naturally rise and fall with the seasons. But by 2018, it was clear that something deeper was happening. Flocks that once filled winter hardwood bottoms and spring ridge tops had thinned, in some cases dramatically.

For me, the realization struck hardest at home in Alabama, where our winter flock fell from nearly fifty birds to fewer than ten. It was a wake-up call. In June of 2020, I gathered a small group of seasoned turkey hunters to ask one question: What’s happening to our birds, and what can we do about it? That conversation became the foundation of Turkeys For Tomorrow—a hunter-led, science-driven nonprofit focused on identifying the root causes of the decline and restoring wild turkey populations for generations to come.

Today, TFT is funding research in multiple states, partnering with universities, and pushing forward groundbreaking work like the Poult Project, which is uncovering critical knowledge about what young turkeys need to survive. We believe that to find answers, you have to ask the right questions—and be willing to follow the science wherever it leads. The future of wild turkeys depends on it, and so do we who love and pursue them.