NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Four NWTF chapters received national awards for outstanding achievements in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters. The R3 Award is given to chapters that facilitate hunting heritage events, including JAKES, Wheelin' Sportsmen and Women in the Outdoors, focused on getting new hunters afield.Representatives from the Henry County Longbeards Chapter, Virginia; The Monocacy Valley Chapter, Maryland; The YBridge Longbeards Chapter, Ohio; and the Cleveland County Cutters and Strutters Chapter, Arkansas, accepted R3 awards during the NWTF's 48th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show, sponsored by Mossy Oak.NWTF chapter events across the country are vital to correcting declining hunter numbers, which have decreased for the past 30 years, a trend that could jeopardize the conservation of our great natural resources.With over 207 kids and an action-packed day of hands-on learning, the NWTF Cutter and Stutters Chapter considers this one of the best turnouts it has had in the annual event's 23 years. The Cleveland County JAKES Day event included numerous learning stations where kids spoke with experts and engaged with the activities at each station, including hunter and shooting safety, shotgun shooting, taxidermy, animal identification, trapping, off-road vehicle education and more. NWTF volunteers are the driving force that brings together the different experts from the community to make such events successful.Jimmy Edmonds and John Varnell, NWTF Arkansas volunteers and Cleveland County JAKES Day coordinators, raised over $5,000 in donations before the event, allowing for meals at the free event and hosting a variety of giveaways for the kids, including 21 firearms."Thank you so much [for this award]," Varnell said. "It's a true honor to be involved in helping with this program." "Our selfless volunteers never cease to amaze me," NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. "Whether it is getting a youth out in the woo...
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