For more information, contact Michael Turbyfill at (803) 637-7667. 

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Mark Prudhomme's focus, talent and practice paid off on Feb. 20 when he won the Champion of Champions Division at the National Wild Turkey Federation's Grand National Turkey Calling Championships in Nashville, Tenn.

South Carolina's Mark Prudhomme showed his all-around turkey calling prowess when he won the Champion of Champions division at the 2010 Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF Grand National Turkey Calling Championships.
Photo by: Author

"A long time ago when I first started calling competitively, I visited the NWTF's headquarters and saw the Champion of Champions trophy on display. I looked at all the legendary names on the trophy and told myself I was going to win it one day," said Prudhomme, who also won the division in 2009. "It's great to win it again because to win this division you have to be strong with so many different turkey calling instruments."

In the Champion of Champions Division, callers are asked to perform a series of calls that imitate both a wild turkey hen and gobbler. Some of these calls include the yelp, cluck and purr, kee kee run and gobble. A panel of seven expert judges score each call and the slightest mistake can virtually eliminate a caller from contention.

"Winning a title at Grand National Turkey Calling Championships is like reaching the summit of a mountain. There is no higher place among the turkey calling's elite," said George Thornton, NWTF CEO. "The atmosphere in the room during the trophy presentation is electric. Raising the first-place trophy at these contests means that you have beaten the best callers in the world."

Each year, thousands of outdoor enthusiasts and NWTF supporters rally at the NWTF National Convention and Sport Show. The event features the Grand National Calling Championships, seminars from hunting pros, more than 550 vendor booths, top entertainers at evening functions and more.

The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of 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 across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

2010 Convention Sponsors:

Affinity4, ATK/Federal Premium Ammunition, Bank of America, Bass Pro Shops, Benelli, Browning, Call Makers and Collectors Association of America, CamoFX, Chevrolet, Farm Service Agency, Foxy Huntress, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, HuntVe, Knight Rifles, Leupold & Stevens, Marlin Firearms Company, MeadWestvaco, MidwayUSA, Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, National Band & Tag Co., O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., Mossy Oak and The Pursuit Channel, The Outdoor Connection, Remington Arms Company, Inc., SHE Outdoor Apparel, TriStar Sporting Arms, USDA Forest Service, Weatherby, Inc., Wild Turkey Bourbon, Winchester Division/Olin Corp.

About the NWTF: The National Wild Turkey Federation is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its more than 350,000 members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

The Federation works to increase interest in the outdoors by bringing new hunters and conservationists into the fold through outdoor education events and its outreach programs – Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin’ Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES.

The NWTF was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C. According to many state and federal agencies, the comeback of the wild turkey is arguably the greatest conservation success story in North America’s wildlife history.

Visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF for details.