Photo: AGFC Maj. Brad Young, AGFC Sgt. Chris Majors and AGFC Col. Greg Rae
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A local Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) employee is one of two presented with awards from the Arkansas chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) for their work toward wild turkey conservation in The Natural State.
Sgt. Chris Majors of Calico Rock and Jason Mitchell from Mena were presented with their awards last week at the AGFC’s meeting in Little Rock.
Sgt. Majors received the Arkansas NWTF Wildlife Officer of the Year Award, presented by Chris Hinkle and Terry Thompson of the NWTF. Hinkle has been a wildlife officer for the AGFC for more than 23 years, all of which were in Baxter County, which encompasses three wildlife management areas and hundreds of thousands of acres of hunting opportunities for wild turkeys and other game.
Hinkle says, “Chris has been a pillar in his community, going above and beyond what the job of Wildlife Officer entails.”
In 2020 alone, Majors logged more than 150 hours of turkey hunting enforcement on both public and private property, resulting in 17 citations ranging from hunting on private property without permission to hunting without a permit. He also made many more contacts with hunters in the field to promote ethical sportsmanship and enjoyment of Arkansas’ natural resources. Majors was involved with 105 combined warnings and citations last year.
A hunter himself, Sgt. Majors has assisted many hunter and angler recruitment efforts in Izard, Baxter and Stone counties, instructing young hunters on firearms training, hunter education and other outdoor classes, including a youth workshop on building turkey calls.
The NWTF — a national nonprofit organization– is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. Founded in 1973, the NWTF is headquartered in Edgefield, South Carolina, and has local chapters in every state. The NWTF is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Through vital partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF has helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America — from a mere 30,000 in the entire United States to more than seven million across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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