By Brenda Valentine
First Lady of Hunting®
April 24, 2011

Among my favorite things are meeting new people and hunting in new places. Recently, Allen Treadwell invited me to hunt turkeys at one of his old haunts, Paxton, Nebraska.  Allen and I are co-hosts of Bass Pro Shops' 100% Real Hunting TV show on Verses. We would be hunting and filming a show with Jim Martinosky, owner of Central Nebraska Outfitters. This trip had a lot of twists and turns that might undo many casual hunters, however, Allen and I are anything but "fair weather" turkey hunters.

Our party of four each flew to Denver where we would rent vehicles and make the three-to-four hour drive to Paxton. Once landed in Denver we learned a freak spring snow storm had dumped on central Nebraska and closed I-80. None of us had planned on hunting in freezing cold temps nor had we packed for this situation. Luckily, there is a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store in Denver. It took us only a few minutes to shop for warm socks, hats, and long johns after which the store manager treated us to a delightful lunch while we waited for the Interstate to clear and open. Some areas got nearly two feet of snow!

The Jim Martinosky and Travis Jay families had the grills smoking when we finally arrived. I was wondering what the following morning of hunting would bring.

Thankfully, the weather returned to normal springtime temperatures and the snow left quickly. I always carry my RedHead Pac-Lite rain suit for sitting on the wet ground.

The gobblers weren't very vocal despite all the "Sweet Talk" I was putting on them.

             
This part of Nebraska is home to three subspecies of the wild turkey. I shot this really nice Rio Grande gobbler with my old pump shotgun and Winchester 3-in Extended Turkey Ammo.  Notice the stunning copper plumage of this old longbeard.

Allen also scored on a great bird. His is a Merriams gobbler with the striking white tipped tail feathers. Some of the best turkey hunting is often found in or near cow pastures.

We couldn't resist close-up shots of the brilliant fans of our gobblers. This is Allen's Merriams tail feathers.

These golden feathers are from the fan of my Rio Grande.

If you are interested in hunting where there is a possibility of taking multiple turkey subspecies, I recommend Central Nebraska Outfitters. Contact them at 308-239-2354 or on the web at www.centralnebraskaoutfitters.com.

I want to give a special "Thank You" to Dr. Byrd and the professionals at the Ogallala, NE Hospital who got me back on my feet and well enough to turkey hunt after a case of walking pneumonia interrupted my schedule. I walked into his office running a fever and dressed in full Mossy Oak camo.

Yes, this trip seemed to be a roller coaster ride with all of the ups and downs. The next to the final twist occurred when a storm delayed my return flights, resulting in an unplanned night at the Chicago airport. And, yep, you guessed it! The final blow was lost baggage! 

I'm pretty sure I'll drive to my next hunt!

- Brenda

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