Connected to the Outdoors
An NWTF member chooses to leave part of his estate to carry on conservation and hunting traditions.
You could say Chris Bistline was destined to love the call of the wild turkey. Raised in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, a stone's throw from Perry County, where many great turkey hunters and callers were reared, Bistline had two faithful encounters early on.
First, he met Dale Rohm, a renowned call maker and hunter who had a few talented sons that grew up in the outdoor industry as well. Rohm took Bistline under his wing, and they traveled to shows and hunted together for many years. Then he crossed paths with Don Heckman, who lived nearby in southcentral Pennsylvania.
"Those were the two that mostly influenced me with the NWTF," Bistline said. "The Rohm family was turkey hunting royalty, and they've always treated me like family. ... Don (Heckman) was big into trying to do something more than you can on your own. Being a part of something bigger than yourself is something he impressed upon me."
Bistline found that in the NWTF, becoming a life member, local chapter president and committed volunteer for nearly the past three decades. At 59, after a successful run primarily in property management and other business ventures, Bistline felt it was time to look at the big picture. He joined the NWTF Full Strut Society by including a portion of his estate in his will for the NWTF, to safeguard the future to benefit wild turkeys and our hunting heritage.
"I wanted to preserve the land I have for the future," he said. "I hate to see all the wild lands taken away for development."
By including the NWTF in your estate plan or naming NWTF as a beneficiary, anyone can leave a legacy like Bistline has for future generations. No minimum gift is required, and many planned gifts can be updated over time.
Bistline took a close friend and a youth hunter to his properties this spring and helped each harvest their first gobblers. After 30 years around turkey hunting and the NWTF, he's dedicated to enhancing the future of hunting and wildlife conservation.
"I really like the idea of taking land and dedicating it to nature and conserving it," he said. "Once it's gone, it's gone, and it has gone fast up here. ... Leaving something behind seemed like a good way to keep the outdoors alive, and it made me feel like I was contributing to the things I care about."
