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About Perry
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Q&A with Perry Peterson
This Iowa chapter president keeps his volunteers active all year, from hosting a banquet to a state calling contest, and feels constant involvement is what makes his chapter successful.
NWTF: Why did you join the NWTF?
Perry Peterson: I enjoy turkey hunting so much, I wanted to give something back. I've stayed active in the NWTF because I really enjoy volunteering. We have a great chapter and committees. They make it fun.
NWTF: You consider your group a 12-month chapter, one that stays active all year long. What keeps you busy from January through December?
PP: We start our regular banquet meetings in January and meet every two weeks. Then in February we go to weekly banquet meetings. It's also when we receive our local scholarship applications. Our chapter awards two scholarships to high school students every year. We hold our Hunting Heritage banquet in March or early April.
We get revved up for turkey hunting in April and usually host at least one JAKES member on a hunt. We also try to do a Wheelin' Sportsmen hunt each year.
May is when I do most of my personal turkey hunting, as well as hunts with the Mossy Oak pro staff.
We start prepping for our JAKES Day in June, and our chapter volunteers work the gate at the county fair each July.
August is a busy month for us. It's when we host our JAKES Day, as well as the state turkey calling contest. We also do a wild game dinner for our sponsor members.
We do a yearly wrap-up with the chapter committees in September. That's when we set dates for the following year's banquet.
And it's back in the woods during October and November. Then we have our first banquet meeting in December.
NWTF: You're a busy fella keeping up with your chapter's activities. Does your family take part as well?
PP: My wife, Carla, helps with the banquet and does the scoring for the calling contest. Linsay, our college sophomore, has helped with the banquet since she was 10. This year was the first time Alyssa, my 7-year-old, helped with the banquet, and I think she'll become a regular. Carla also attends the NWTF National Convention and Sport Show with me every year.
NWTF: Why do you think it's important
for a chapter to stay active all year long?
PP: If you keep volunteers active all year, it's easier to keep the chapter going year after year. If your volunteers know what's going on, they're always there and willing to help.
NWTF: What is the key to a successful chapter?
PP: It is most important for volunteers to have fun. Our chapter gets together all the time to do fun things.
Also, when you're in a rural area like we are, it's good to have volunteers from across the area. Our chapter is made of folks from seven or eight towns, which makes it easier to sell banquet tickets.
NWTF: Name one thing during your career as an NWTF volunteer that has impacted you the most.
PP: That would be the first Wheelin' Sportsmen hunt we did. Several years before that hunt, I was on a rescue call for an accident that left a man paralyzed. It was neat to watch him harvest his first turkey.
NWTF: What is the best perk of being an NWTF member?
PP: Giving back. The NWTF has done a lot for turkeys in Iowa, and this is my way of keeping the effort going. — Karen Lee