Kristin Booth didn’t really want a box turkey call.

As an experienced turkey hunter, she was doing all right with the diaphragm call she was using.

But, Donnie Richards of Brundidge, coaxed her into using one of his “Come Heah Tuh Me” box calls.

“Donnie showed me how to use the call and the next day I killed two turkeys,” Booth said, laughing.

Booth, 28, is an emergency room nurse practitioner who is also an event coordinator for Women in the Outdoors.

“Women are discovering how much fun and rewarding hunting can be,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed hunting. I was going hunting with my dad when my girl friends were going shopping. I tried to get them interested in the sport then and I’m still working to get more women interested in hunting, especially turkey hunting. It’s much easier to carry a two-pound turkey out of the woods than it is to drag a buck out.”

Booth travels all across the country with Women in the Outdoors and frequently appears on nationally televised outdoor shows, encouraging women to learn to shoot and then get out and enjoy the hunt.

“Hunting is fun and it’s rewarding,” Booth said. “Most women don’t know how to handle a gun so the first thing they must do to get into the sport of hunting is attend a hunter safety class and get a permit. Then, they are ready to learn to shoot but they need to practice and practice before going on a hunt.”

Booth helps organize “all ladies” hunts and is in the process of organizing a hunt April 13-15 in Auburn.

“We’ll have classes, including Donnie’s class on calling turkeys, before we go out on the hunt,” Booth said. “I enjoy calling the turkeys. It’s challenging and it’s a lot more rewarding to kill a turkey that you’ve called than one that someone else has called.”

Booth is active with the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Women in the Outdoors program. It is the undisputed leader in creating opportunities for women, while teaching them about the great outdoors.

“I enjoy deer hunting, too, but I encourage women to turkey hunt,” she said. “It’s a much more active sport. You’re up and down calling birds instead of sitting in a deer stand all day.”

The 18th Annual Pike County Heritage Banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Cattleman Park. The banquet is sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation, an organization that is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the nation’s hunting heritage.

Booth said the banquet is a family event and a good time for women to learn more about the opportunities available to them in the great outdoors.

Tickets for the Heritage Banquet are $55 for individuals and $75 for couples.  Jake’s tickets for young people, ages 18 and under, are $20.

Tickets are available by calling Darren Jordan at 268-0974 or Roy Medley at 334-735-2580 and will be available at the door.