Jason Hardin of TPWD receives the NWTF Mosby Award for his restoration work of the wild turkey in East Texas

Jason Hardin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wild Turkey Program leader, was awarded the NWTF’s Henry S. Mosby Award for his significant role in the restoration of the Eastern wild turkey in east Texas.

“It is an honor to be considered for the Henry S. Mosby Award and a real surprise to actually receive it,” Hardin said. “The NWTF Technical Committee has allowed me the opportunity to work with wildlife biologists from across the country with responsibilities for the wild turkey, and I have gained much more from those experiences than I can ever give back. I was a member of NWTF long before I became the Wild Turkey Program leader at Texas Parks and Wildlife. I was inspired by NWTF’s mission then and continue to be inspired today. The National Wild Turkey Federation, beyond being a great partner, provides Texas with the degree of services a state agency cannot achieve alone.”

Hardin accepted the Henry S. Mosby Award during the 45th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show, held virtually in 2021.

Hardin joined the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as an upland game bird specialist in 2007. In 2013, Hardin, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff and NWTF biologists began evaluating potential release sites to reintroduce the Eastern wild turkey. Due to Hardin’s integral role with the program, the TPWD has, to date, successfully initiated super stockings, or releases of large numbers of trapped and transferred wild turkeys, at 13 release sites. This work has led to the release of more than 1,300 Eastern and Rio Grande wild turkeys.

“Trap and transfer work, especially on the scale Jason and his team are operating, is no easy task,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “His dedication to restoring the Eastern wild turkey in east Texas is truly an embodiment of the NWTF mission.”

The NWTF named the award for Henry S. Mosby, Ph.D., whose research during the mid-1900s set the standard for wild turkey management. Mosby also helped found The Wildlife Society and won its highest honor, the Aldo Leopold Medal.