From the very first day I accompanied my husband into the woods for a deer hunting excursion, I was hooked. I wanted to hunt and I wanted to learn everything there was about hunting. Now, I'm not a very patient person and I wanted to learn quickly. Thank God for a wonderful husband who understood my desire to learn as much as possible in a very short time. I was no longer a "Spring chicken". My thinking was that I probably didn't have too many years left in me to climb deer stands and tromple through the woods, so I'd better not waste any time. Of course, I wasn't 
THAT old, but in my mind I had already wasted too many years NOT being a hunter and I wanted to experience that excitement that I had seen my husband experience everytime he went into the woods, regardless of whether or not he brought home a big buck.
It wasn't long before I shot my first deer. Of course, I had my loving husband Tommy next to me giving instruction, guidance, and encouragement. The following season, I decided I wanted to try hunting on my own. My husband reluctantly left me alone at my stand and within just a matter of minutes, a small buck appeared and I raised my gun and made the shot. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I had just proven to myself that I was a "REAL" hunter! I had shot my first deer without any assistance. That was a milestone I needed to cross. It was the first of many deer I have taken on my own.
After 
being introduced to deer hunting, I realized that there were another deer hunting season that I was not taking advantage of. Besides gun and muzzleloader season, there was also bow season. It wasn't long before I had my very own Mathews Mustang bow. Again, Tommy instructed me well and I soon found myself in the woods for muzzleloader season, gun season, and bow season.
Hunting was now an addiction and I couldn't get enough. The time between the fall deer seasons is long though and I found myself aggitated that I couldn't spend more time in the woods. It was the one place where I honestly felt at peace, a place where I could unwind and forget the worries of daily life. Plus I loved the challenge that it offered. I decided it was time to expand my seasons and my next option was to take up turkey hunting. I needed a shotgun.
My first shotgun was a Rossi 20 ga. and I soon fell in love with it. It just felt so right in my hands. Once again, my loving husband took me under his wing and taught me everything I needed to know about turkey hunting. It wasn't long before we were headed to Kansas to hunt the Rio turkey. It was a tough hunt, but I bagged my first bird, with Tommy doing the calling for me and guiding me every step of the way. I've shot several turkeys since that first turkey hunt, but always with Tommy at my side. This year, I needed to prove to myself that I could do it on my own.
I've been practicing my turkey calling for a couple years. Last year, I sat in the woods and attempted to call a gobbler in with no success, though I did call in a big Coach Whip 
snake and did have a hen turkey chat with me for awhile. So I wasn't feeling too bad about myself. This year though, I was determined to make it work and thinking that I might need a little help in coaxing in the gobblers, I ran to Wally World and purchased my very first turkey hen decoy, whom I named Matilda.
Now, I have to tell you that Tommy doesn't hunt with decoys and when I walked in the front door toting Matilda under my arm, he gave me one of "those looks" and I knew exactly what he was thinking, but I just packed her away in my turkey vest and awaited the first day of Spring Turkey Season. I was ready!
Day One was really yucky, wind gusting and cold. The turkey hunters in our area would've done themselves a favor
if they'd just stayed in bed the first day of the Season. It was impossible to hear the turkeys gobbling and impossible for the gobblers to hear our calling. But regardless, I stayed most of the day laying in wait, hoping that a big old gobbler would happen close by and spot my beautiful decoy Matilda waiting for her lover to come-a-courting. It didn't happen.
Day Two wasn't much better, though at least the wind had settled down a bit. It was cloudly and overcast. I could hear the gobblers gobbling in the distance, and called to them in hopes of finding Matilda a mate. Matilda stayed close... 24 yards to my right, swaying with the breeze and looking just as pretty as ever. A gobbler behind me sounded interested. My hopes were up until I heard another hen between me and the old gobbler yelping ever so sweetly. "My gobber's being stolen by another woman," I told myself. No amount of calling could pull the gobbler away from that hen.
Day Three started out foggy but pleasant. Again I would hunt near the cedars where I had heard the gobblers before. The deer and turkeys love this area of our farm. I felt confident a gobbler would eventually respond to my calling. However, I warned Tommy, "If a gobbler doesn't show up today, I'm going to shoot Matilda."
Again, I placed Matilda 24 yards to my right and dug through my turkey vest until I found my glass slate from Hunter Specialties. Ever so carefully, I took my striker and stroked the slate. Immediately, I heard several gobblers. In fact, it appeared that I was surrounded by gobblers, at least on three sides of me. I yelped and turkeys gobbled. It was a good sign.
I had 
decided to setup under a cedar tree. Fully camoed, I sat with my Thompson Center Encore at full alert, calling to the gobbers in the distance. "Yelp-yelp-yelp!" ("Over here, lover boy!") What fun I was having!
When two gobblers stepped out from behind the trees to my right and headed straight for Matilda, I knew this was going to be our lucky day. Matilda had found her a couple of beaus and I was having fried turkey breast for supper! I eased my shotgun into place and waited for the perfect shot. I couldn't risk shooting both turkeys, since the bag limit was only one a day. I would have to wait.
Both gobblers were trying to get Matilda's attention and she was playing hard to get, their amorous advances going unnoticed. All attempts to woo her proved futile. I smiled as I thought, "What a frigid bird you are, Matilda!"
They circled her, a bit puzzled by her rejection. With one turkey now to Matilda's left and clear from the other gobbler, I placed the bead of my shotgun on my target and pulled the trigger.
As I admired my downed gobbler, I realized that I had accomplished exactly what I had set out to do. I had called in and shot my very first gobbler with no assistance... well, except for sweet Matilda's. I couldn't wait to share my excitement with my husband and children. Momma's a REAL turkey hunter now!
