NATCHEZ &045; Hunting season isn’t here yet, but for those looking for a chance to get together with fellow hunters and talk about white tails, the time is here.

The National Whitetail Association is hosting a series of banquets across the southern United States, and this week the show comes to Natchez. The NWA will host a banquet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Natchez Community Center. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

The NWA is an organization whose goal is &8220;to work toward the improvement of managing, developing and harvesting the white-tailed deer,&8221; as their mission statement says. To that goal, the organization lobbies in local and state governments about causes associated with white tails and provides a forum for hunters to discuss issues about deer.

&8220;The organization’s goal is educating people, both hunters and non-hunters, about white tail and hunting in general,&8221; NWA member and Natchez resident Jim Allgood said.

Allgood, of local television show Redneck Adventures, is the local liaison for the event. Allgood was approached earlier this year by the NWA about the possibility of hosting a banquet in Natchez. He said he was immediately drawn to both the idea and the organization.

&8220;We looked into (the NWA), and it seemed like a way to ensure our kids and grandkids have a chance to hunt,&8221; Allgood said. &8220;It’s a family organization, and that was important to us.&8221;

The event will feature speaker Ben McDonald, the former LSU baseball star and host of NWA Hunter’s Journal, a weekly hunting show aired on Cox Sports Television that began in July. The show follows the hosts as they hunt at various locations throughout the South.

The banquet will have a number of attractions, including auctions, door prizes (including a black powder rifle) and catering by Biscuits and Blues.

&8220;We’re going to have lots of door prizes, the auctions and a just a good chance to get together and talk,&8221; Allgood said.

The banquet will have two auctions, one live and one silent, containing various hunting gear including knives, guns, bows, hunting trips, other gear and hunting artwork.

Tickets are $55 for one person, $65 for couples and $35 for youth and include dinner and a one-year membership in the NWA.

They can be picked up at the Old River Peddler, Bowie’s Outfitters, Sports Center, Great River Honda and Allgood Business Machines.

Included in the price of membership is a NWA hat, bumper sticker and a subscription to the organization’s monthly magazine.