NWTF Develops Partnership with Academy Sports + Outdoors for Youth

The NWTF has developed an exciting partnership with Academy Sports + Outdoors that will further the NWTF’s mission of conservation and the preservation of our hunting heritage.

Through the partnership, Academy Sports + Outdoors will support youth hunting and safety through sponsorship of the NWTF’s JAKES Take Aim youth initiative.

The NWTF’s JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Experience and Sportsmanship) program has 27 JAKES Take Aim trailers with portable shooting ranges already in use at JAKES events throughout the nation. Fourteen more JAKES Take Aim trailers are ready for delivery, putting the NWTF ahead of its goal to have at least one trailer in use in every state by 2014.

“Our partnership with Academy Sports + Outdoors will allow more youth to take part in outdoor activities,” said NWTF national JAKES coordinator Mandy Harling. “We thank Academy Sports + Outdoors for their assistance in developing the next generation of hunters and conservationists.”

“The JAKES program provides an invaluable service to these youth and their families,” said Jason Wooden, regional promotions director for Academy Sports + Outdoors. “We couldn’t be more proud to partner with JAKES and the NWTF.”

At JAKES events, expert instructors supervise youth participation in various outdoor activities and provide education about conservation and outdoor safety.

Providing access and exposure to outdoor activities and conservation issues to youth is crucial to the future of conservation and the preservation of our hunting heritage.

Academy Sports + Outdoors is also serving as host of the NWTF/Academy Sports + Outdoors Pro Calling Circuit and supporting various NWTF events throughout the nation.

The NWTF, which played a major role in the restoration of the wild turkey throughout North America, is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation, investing $412 million to conserve nearly 17.25 million acres of habitat.

For more information about the NWTF and the JAKES program, visit www.nwtf.org. For information on Academy Sports + Outdoors visit www.academy.com, www.facebook.com/academy, www.twitter.com/academy andwww.youtube.com/academy.

National Wild Turkey Federation

The National Wild Turkey Federation is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. The NWTF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America, spending more than $331 million to conserve nearly 16 million acres of habitat. Wild turkeys and hundreds of other species of upland wildlife, including quail, deer, grouse, pheasant and songbirds, benefit from this improved habitat.

The NWTF also brings new conservationists and hunters into the fold through outdoor education events and its Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES youth outreach programs. Our dedicated NWTF volunteers introduce about 100,000 people to the outdoors through these programs every year.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C., and has local chapters in every state and Canada. According to many state and federal agencies, the restoration of the wild turkey is arguably the greatest conservation success story in North America's wildlife history.