NATCHEZ — Camouflage served as a color of unity at the Miss-Lou Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation’s annual fundraiser and banquet Wednesday night.

The event is hsoted annually to help restore land and reinstate wild turkeys on those lands.

With many locals walking through the front doors of the Natchez Convention Center for raffle ticket prizes, food and games that would be enjoyed by several children, NWTF Miss-Lou Chapter Chairman Doug Atkins wore a vibrant smile just one month away from turkey season.

“The Miss-Lou chapter has the most members of all Mississippi chapters, and last year, we were ranked second in the state in profits gained,” Atkins said. “McComb had the most, but we’re hoping to beat them this year.”

The money raised at the event will stay in Mississippi to help fund hunter education courses and Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship (JAKES) events. The chapter brought in $85,632 last year.

The money helped produce JAKES events, where children learn how to shoot skeet and competed in fishing tournaments.

Drawing ideas from JAKES events, the Miss-Lou chapter went out of its way to ensure a family environment was available at the banquet with archery posts, a mechanical bull, a pellet gun range and a space jump.

Local Jeremy Sutherland stood by and watched his son, Hudson, take aim with a pellet gun.

“It seems like usually, they’re more oriented for adults,” Sutherland said. “It’s nice to be able to do something with your children.”

The Miss-Lou chapter joined forces with 4-H for the third straight year for the event that’s helped bring more than $1.7 million to Mississippi since 1985.

Adams County 4-H Director David Carter placed a pellet gun in children’s hands, instructing them how to properly hold the gun and aim at their target.

“Here in Natchez, most of these kids are going to do this anyway,” Carter said. “So what they’re doing, we want to make sure they’re doing it right.”

In the banquet’s auction, more than 25 guns, a log cabin and a Bad Boy Buggie were all raffled off.