By Brenda Valentine
First Lady of Hunting®
October 26, 2009

NWTF members, Randy & Mary Phelps of the KY Twin Lakes Chapter, hosted the third annual Women In The Outdoors fall turkey hunt. Over a dozen lady turkey hunters gathered for a weekend of fun, food, laughter, and fall turkey hunting. Participants came from varying parts of Kentucky, Indiana & Ohio. Each hunter was provided an NWTF volunteer as a guide. Two birds were taken the first morning with more to follow later. The attending outdoor ladies may have represented a broad range of age and cultural backgrounds but all became the same in the predawn scurry of pulling on camo and boots while checking shotguns and gear. The Phelps and their large group of support staff are to be applauded for their dedication to conservation and their generous donation of time, energy, and facilities.

The lovely home of Mary and Randy Phelps near Litchfield, KY, reflects their passion of hunting and the outdoors. The Phelp's are both avid turkey hunters, NWTF members and Mary is a member of the Kentucky Turkey Hunters Hall of Fame.

One Friday evening activity was building turkey feather wreaths.

Of course with Halloween just days away there were some pranksters amongst the crowd.

Sleepy but smiling, the gals are ready to greet the opening day of the Ky fall turkey season.

Appetites intensify after a long cool morning of hunting. Randy and Mary magically put out a table-groaning lunch spread after guiding hunters all morning.

Everyone applauded Joyce Austin's large gobbler. It was her first ever wild turkey.

From left to right, Mary Free-Phelps is a member of the Kentucky Turkey Hunters Hall of Fame. Brenda Valentine is an NWTF National Spokesperson and Marilyn Biszmaier is a professional lady bass fisherman.

To find a Women In the Outdoors event near you go to www.nwtf.org

Read all of Brenda's Field Notes