Hunting with beagles in briar thickets

By By Otha Barham / outdoors editor
Feb. 20, 2004
As Whitney Adams stared down her shotgun barrel at the trophy gobbler, the old monarch had no clue what was about to happen. Dressed to a T in full camouflage, even an expert would have been hard pressed to spot Whitney in the spring foliage. The old gobbler cut loose one last gobble and turned directly in front of Adams, at just 20 yards. As soon as he finished his pirouette, Adams squeezed the trigger and the old master had met his match.
Had he known that he had succumbed to one of the premier outdoor personalities in Mississippi, the old bird with the 11 inch beard probably wouldn't have taken it so hard! After a month of battling and whipping many hunters, a lady had finally beaten the king of Gobbler Ridge!
Whitney Adams, of Pelahatchie, is not your average outdoors person. Although she grew up in a rural area near Pelahatchie, she never really participated in the outdoors scene until changing jobs about four years ago. The Mississippi State University graduate had majored in communications, with an emphasis on writing and broadcast journalism. That opened the door for the talented young lady when an editor's job came open at Mississippi Woods and Waters magazine.
It didn't take Adams long to realize that she needed to learn more about the outdoors. "When I came to work here I was determined to do a good job, and I learned quickly that I had to know more about hunting and fishing if I was going to write about it," explained Adams enthusiastically.
Spurred on by a new job and her newfound interest in the outdoors, Adams went to a Women in the Outdoors seminar held at Tara Wildlife near Vicksburg. While there she participated in shotgun, rifle and pistol shooting, as well as fishing and archery. In fact, it was that experience with shooting a bow that really hooked her. "I fell in love with bow hunting and wanted to get a bow after that trip,"related the budding young hunter.
Although her first deer was taken with a Browning 7mm 08 rifle, she purchased her weapon of choice, a bow, about a year later. Hunting with a bow is still her favorite way to deer hunt. Accordingly, her dream is to harvest a nice buck with her bow.
From that first experience in the outdoors, Adams has really jumped head first into the world of hunting and fishing. She has now harvested deer, duck, dove, turkey, rabbit, and quail, as well as a fish or two. Thats not too bad for a relative newcomer to the outdoors.
From the solitude of a deer stand, to the social gathering at a dove hunt, Adams enjoys it all. "Being in the woods while deer hunting is great for me,"said the enthusiastic hunter. "It's such a break from the every day hustle and bustle life that's so fast paced nowadays. An afternoon in the woods is such a relaxing experience,"
Quail hunting is Adams' favorite type of hunting with dove and duck hunting close behind. "I like the wing shooting sports because they are fast paced and you can enjoy hunting with a group of people,"advised the sharpshooter. " I love turkey hunting also. There's nothing quite like calling to an old gobbler and then hearing him respond to your calling."
During the last couple of years, Adams has experienced many firsts. She has harvested her first quail, dove, duck, turkey, bass and crappie. All the while she has met many new friends and hunted all around the Magnolia state. She has also become somewhat of an outdoors ambassador, promoting hunting and fishing while attending wildlife shows and seminars around the state.
While it has become commonplace for so called "stars" to become more and more outrageous in their public lives, it's refreshing to see a positive role model like Whitney Adams for young people. While she travels around the state as editor of the ever-popular Mississippi Woods and Waters magazine, she is always promoting hunting and fishing with a smile and positive message.
Her advice for the youngsters interested in the outdoors, "Try it, you never know what you will like to do, or what you've been missing." Adams also advises that career opportunities in the outdoors are there for young ladies. "There are a lot of good opportunities in the outdoors, but most importantly, it's full of good people. She noted.
If we had a few more people like Whitney Adams in the world, it would be a better place And who knows, she might just inspire some young lady to be the next Annie Oakley!