Dixie Chopper has gobbled up the opportunity to become the Official Lawn Mower of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).
The partnership evolved recently after representatives of the NWTF national headquarters called on Dixie Chopper dealer Dave Nunamaker’s Southern Rental and Sales business in Aiken, S.C., looking to acquire a new mower.
National headquarters of the NWTF is located at Edgefield in southwestern South Carolina, about 30 miles west of Aiken.
Knowing Dixie Chopper’s interest in the outdoors and the environment, Nunamaker contacted Dixie Media Marketing Manager Rick Judy about trying to work out an arrangement with the NWTF.
“They were really interested in one of our new camo mowers (the special-edition Realtree Classic),” Judy said, indicating the NWTF will get one when the special-order mowers become available.
The new camo mowers have not yet gone into full production, so for the time being, the NWTF will mow its grounds using an XG 2703-60 Classic with a 27-hp Generac engine and a 60-inch deck. Thus, Dixie Chopper has found its calling as the “Official Lawn Mower of the NWTF.”
The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation and education organization dedicated to “conservation of the wild turkey and preservation of our hunting heritage.” It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.
In 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in Fredericksburg, Va. At that time, there were an estimated 1.3 million wild turkeys and 1.5 million turkey hunters. Since then, the number of wild turkeys has increased to more than 7 million birds thanks to state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF, its members and partners.
The NWTF itself has expanded from 1,300 members in 1973 to 545,500 today, encompassing all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and 14 other countries. Turkey hunting has become the fastest-growing form of hunting and has the second-highest number of participants of any type of hunting.
Since 1985, more than $230 million NWTF and cooperator dollars have been spent on upholding hunting traditions and conserving more than 11.3 million acres of wildlife habitat.
For more information on the National Wild Turkey Federation, check out the website www.nwtf.org or call 1-800-THE-NWTF.
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