I was fortunate enough to attend an All Women's turkey hunt last season in the Panhandle of Oklahoma. Not only did I have a great hunt in a beautiful setting, but I met a few new friends and women hunters. I went as a guide but ended up getting to hunt a little myself. The trip was very successful and I had such an extraordinary experience that I thought I would contact a few of the ladies I met to get their take on the hunt. What I found out was what makes women hunts so special are great people, new friends, and a shared love of the outdoors. Here is each hunter's take on the weekend. I hope you enjoy their unique perspectives and are encouraged to attend a hunt like this sometime in the future.

Jackie had been on a couple hunts before this one. She had attended Women on Target hog hunt and a similar one for doe in her native state of Texas. She became interested in hunting due to her husband's encouragement. She had never pursued turkeys before. The only experience she had was from watching turkey hunts on TV. She found the real thing was much different. "The TV shows make it look easy," Jackie told me.

The first morning she sat in a blind made by her guide. She heard real gobbling for the first time. "It made me smile every time I heard it." That was all the action that the morning brought, but it was enough to have Jackie excited for more. That afternoon her guide, Wayne Gendron of Quaker Boy game calls, took her to a new spot. She barely got sat down when she heard a turkey gobble. It was very close, so close that she jumped. The gobbling got louder as the turkey came into the decoy. When she saw her first turkey, she was amazed. "I never knew how pretty they were. I had never seen one up close; its feathers looked so soft and beautiful." Jackie's shot was true. She bagged her first turkey, a Rio Grande jake. Jackie loved her first experience in turkey hunting. "It was very exciting," she said, "I loved it out there--just you, the sky, the grass, and the birds. I can't wait to go again."

Jackie feels that the all women's hunts are a perfect way to start. "All you have to worry about is getting your stuff there. All the people involved with the hunt are ready to work with women. The guides were experts, so you know you are learning the right way." Jackie is now hooked on turkey hunting. She can say with pride that she has done something her husband has not, bagged a turkey. Jackie recommends an experience like this to women who are interested in hunting. "It is amazing what you can learn about yourself." Jackie attended another all women's hunt in November during which she bagged a cow elk.


Kelly had been dove and pheasant hunting once before. When she found out about the all women's turkey hunt, she decided she would give it a try. "I did not know what to expect," Kelly told me. "I was not a hunter, and I never thought I could do it. I decided I was going to go outside of my comfort zone and try something new."

The first day of the hunt Kelly went with her guide, Mike Emberson of Primos hunting calls. "I had no idea that you had to get there before the turkeys got out of bed!" They sat and Mike called for a while. He explained to her all about turkeys, hens and gobblers, different calls to use, etc. Soon three jakes walked by. "I had no idea how beautiful they were," Kelly explained. "It was like dating; the male turkeys try to show off for the females. The whole routine showed how cool nature is."

The next day she went with new guides, Rick Rhoads, owner of Backrhoads Outfitters, and Darren Delong of the NRA. Here she learned a different style of hunting. "We would hear the birds gobble and then we would move closer to them or try to get ahead of them. Hearing the gobbles kept my adrenaline pumping. Chasing the birds was so exciting. I thought I was so girly, I don't do bugs or the woods, but I did it, I realized that I had to become part of it, get in there and get dirty." At one point in the hunt, the guides cleared a spot next to an old stump and instructed Kelly to sit in it. "The old me would never have done it'I just sat in it." They ended catching up to the birds. She saw three jakes but missed her shot. Kelly was unable to get a turkey but that did not dampen her spirits. "I realized that people go hunting all the time and don't get one." Kelly learned so much and had so much fun that getting a turkey did not seem to matter. "The outcome definitely outweighed my expectations; I will definitely go hunting again."

Lisa came with no experience. She was a handgun shooter who enjoyed shooting with her husband. When her husband saw an ad for the all women's turkey hunt, he thought it would be a good time for her to get away. It started out as a joke between them; she could learn to kill the food they ate if a disaster ever happened. It was close to her home in Oklahoma, so she decided to give it a try. She was concerned about not knowing anything about hunting. She had never even watched it on TV.

The first morning of her hunt Lisa went out with me. We sat in a blind near where the turkeys were roosting. Soon after the birds began to fly down, a hen came right past the blind. "I sat like a statue; it was very thrilling." No other turkey came in to the calling. The next morning Lisa got to hear more gobbling and see a deer come out. She learned as she went along and got to know the calls of a turkey and how they respond to each other. "Nature was so beautiful," she told me. Lisa had a gobbler come in and strut back and forth in front of her. It only had to take a few steps past a fence for her to get a shot, but it never did. "It was so exciting; my heart was racing, and even my guide was excited."

Lisa especially loved the camaraderie of the hunt. She enjoyed lunchtime where the women came in from their hunts and talked excitedly about their experiences. She also enjoyed learning with other ladies like her. Lisa's advice to other women wanting to try hunting is, "Don't be afraid that you don't know enough. On this hunt, I never felt bad about being a novice." Lisa was not disappointed that she did not get a bird. She had a blast and it didn't matter whether she got one or not. She will go again and teach her husband how to go along with her.

Janis had hunted turkeys many times before. Her husband had gotten her started hunting when he got their daughter started as a child. She came on this hunt to meet other women hunters and because she loved turkey hunting. Janis went out on the first morning with Rick Rhoads. She was able to help call in a turkey and bag it. But to her, this was not the best part of the trip. She did love the hunt, but she also loved meeting the other women and eating and learning along with them. Janis made friendships that she still has today; she keeps in contact with Jackie through email and joined her on the all women's elk hunt. Janis says she is going to attend more all women's hunts and plans on going on the turkey hunt and the elk hunt again this year.

The Womenhunters Club offers All Women Hunts for many different types of hunts, including the same turkey hunt you just read about. These hunts are a great way for women, whether they are experienced or beginners, to go on a great hunt that they will remember for life. The hunts for 2003 include the Rio Grande turkey hunt in Oklahoma, a cow elk hunt in New Mexico, an archery antelope hunt and a buffalo in South Dakota, and a duck and quail hunt in Texas. For more information on All Women's Hunts, go to the club page or send me an email.