Executive Committee
Safe the Habitat. Save the Hunt.
President - Brian Wooldridge
Brian is a professional wildlife biologist working in conservation and wildlife management in northern Arizona. His love of hunting growing up in Iowa, especially turkey hunting, is what lead him down the path of a career in conservation. Brian has spent most of his life hunting and fishing, but turkey hunting and fly fishing are his greatest passions. Brian has been a member of the NWTF since 2003 and has involved with the Northern Arizona Chapter of the NWTF since 2012. He has been the chapter president of the Northern Arizona Chapter since 2015. He is very active in the youth hunting programs, especially the youth turkey camps in northern Arizona. Brian has been also a Hunter Education instructor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department since 2013. In his free time, he spends most of his time helping his kids fulfill their hunting and fishing dreams.
Vice President - Cole Talboom
Cole has been a resident of Northern Arizona for 29 years growing up as an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. With a background as a wildlife biologist the outdoors has always been his number one passion and obsession. Spending nearly all of his free time backpacking, bow hunting big game, fishing, hunting upland game and waterfowl, along with shed hunting every spring. Giving back to wildlife through conservation has always been his priority and a passion he shares with hopes to inspire others to do the same. Now working as a Realtor® in Flagstaff he enjoys welcoming new members to our mountain town community with a mission to encourage old and new residents to spend their days in the outdoors.
Community involvement has always been coveted by Cole and he joined the NWTF in the winter of 2015. He was later nominated to honor the role of Vice President in 2017 for the local Flagstaff chapter. He has been a member and volunteered for numerous conservation organizations around Arizona such as the Arizona Antelope Foundation, the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, the Arizona Elk Society, and the Arizona Mule Deer Foundation.
Treasurer - Scott Talboom
The year 2020 will mark my 42nd year in Flagstaff. I took my first turkey in 1986, near the Naval Observatory, West of Flagstaff. It was the last day of the season, last light, and it was a last- ditch effort. I had found a roost, and was calling but there were no gobbles. Suddenly I heard the crunch, crunch, crunch of a big tom walking on the dry pine needles. He came in silent, with a younger tom definitely looking to roost.
I saw his silhouette, beard protruding from his chest against a blood red sunset and fired my old, full-choke Remington 870. He went down and I got up from my sitting position jacking a shell into the chamber as I ran toward the bird. He recovered from the first shot and got on his feet too! Boom!!! I shot again, he rolled down the hill, and I pursued, pumping the last shell into the chamber of my reliable old shotgun. He got up again, stopped, looked at me defiantly and started to come toward me! I shot one more time at almost point- blank range. The gigantic tom finally laid still, and I carried him over my shoulder a ½ mile back to my two- wheel drive pickup after retracing my trail to pick up the
empty shells.
I was in disbelief, breathing hard, and hooked on turkey hunting for life. I have been on many turkey hunts since. I have been skunked, missed shots in disbelief, and had successful hunts, but never have I not had fun hunting those crazy birds. I have been in the advertising, PR, marketing and fundraising business since my sophomore year at Northern Arizona University to finance my turkey, elk, quail, duck and dove hunts as well as a $100 dollar a day fly- fishing habit. I live in a modest cabin, drive an old truck and mostly still hunt with the guns I have had all my adult life.
Introducing my son to the outdoor life and watching him put me to shame as a hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman is my greatest accomplishment.
The area where I took that first bird, is no longer available to hunters. It is one of the reasons I have a passion for the NWTF and all conservation organizations. They are not making any more land, so we have to make the best use of what we have, and reclaim what we can. We also sadly have to protect our Second Amendment rights, and we cannot do all this alone. We need donors and new members like you working together with us to make it all happen!
Secretary - Bruce King
Bruce has been a resident of Arizona for 36 years. He was introduced to hunting shortly after moving here. He quickly found his passion of spending time in the outdoors and making memories with friends, both old and new, in the field. In 2002, he moved to Flagstaff and, through hunting, met new friends quickly. The former President of the NAZ Chapter NWTF convinced Bruce to join the local NWTF chapter in 2004. This is where Bruce learned so much more about the opportunity to give back to wildlife and other people through conservation. He is presently in the process of helping to motivate, teach, and inform new youth hunters as a certified Hunter Education instructor with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
State Representative - Stellane John
Growing up on the reservation definitely had its challenges, but that only inspired me to work harder and to do more. I am Navajo and Hopi, work full-time, a veteran, student, coach, CEO and Founder of my own non-profit organization 'Team Way of the Warrior', events coordinator for the Arizona Mule Deer Organization, and current State Chapter Representative for NWTF. Most of the time you'll catch me wearing a ball cap or fishing. My love for the outdoors is unconditional and so is giving back to the youth, my community, and tribe.