Mike Giles
Tess Jolly peered intently through her scope, centered the crosshairs on a magnificent whitetail buck and squeezed the trigger until the rifle roared. In a split second the buck of her lifetime collapsed in a heap with a precision shot. The beautiful buck sported nine points and gross scored 153 and was the buck of her lifetime. My how times have changed!
Born in Kansas to Ned and Ernestine Randle, young Jolly moved with her family to Ocala, Florida around the age of six. The rural Florida landscape fit Jolly to a T and she thrived in the outdoors. “I’ve been chasing bugs and picking up toads as far back as I can remember,” said Jolly. “After we moved to Ocala Dad joined a deer club and started deer hunting. Women were welcomed at the camp on Thanksgiving and Christmas days only.”
At the tender age of nine the aspiring young hunter decided that she wanted to go deer hunting with her father and brother. As opening day approached, young Jolly was brimming with anticipation. Opening morning came and Tess and her brother got up and got ready to go. “When Dad got ready to go that morning, I wanted to go too,” said Jolly.
Regretfully, Ned Randle told his daughter that he couldn’t take her hunting that morning because it was against the rules! “But I wanna go,” cried the youngster. “Dad saw that I was hurt and quickly told me that if I wanted to hunt that bad, he’d get me in there somehow!” He outfitted the aspiring young hunter with a floppy hat, loose clothes and told her to stay low and stay away from the others, and she did just that, for awhile.
Stowaway
“We’d sign in at the camp and I’d hide in the dog box until we got to our area,” Jolly said. “That worked until I got to be 12 years old and couldn’t hide my smile and big dimples when the boys rode by.” One of the camp members, a doctor, finally confronted Ned Randle. And the jig was up.
A hastily called meeting was held the next day concerning the rules about girls coming to camp. During the meeting several men said they’d never thought about bringing their daughters before; it just didn’t occur to them that they’d want to go. “The next year there were about three other girls that hunted with us after they changed the rules,” Jolly said.
“It got to be really fun then,” she continued. “I’d ride around with Dad while we hunted hogs, and I could be his ears and wear earrings too. They called me Harvey after that, because of the invisible rabbit named Harvey in the Jimmy Stewart movie,” said Jolly. After going through all that, Jolly has nothing but good memories. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that I wasn’t welcome.”
Tess Randle Jolly is not only a very successful outdoorswoman, but one of the most successful outdoor personalities found anywhere, bar none. In addition to being an expert deer and turkey hunter and guide, she is one of the foremost wildlife photographers and writers in the country. And she never meets a stranger. True to her outdoors roots, she’ll make you feel like you’ve been friends with her all your life! And not everybody can do that.
A few years ago Tess Randle Jolly met her husband Ron while she was guiding turkey hunters at the famed White Oak Plantation in Alabama. It didn’t take Ron Jolly long to realize what he needed to do and Tess Randle became Tess Randle Jolly shortly thereafter!
Two big accomplishments that highlight her talents were winning a Pinnacle award for the best magazine story in the Professional Media Association’s excellence in craft competition, and a first place award for the best published photo in the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s EIC awards.
The consummate outdoorswoman spends much time in the outdoors photographing wildlife and teaching other ladies about the thrill of the outdoors.
BOW program
“I coordinate and help with a lot of outings with ladies in the Becoming an Outdoorswoman program,” said Jolly. “That program has broken down a lot of barriers for women getting into the outdoors. It’s not about killing, it’s about being out there, and we never make them feel like they have to kill something,” Jolly said. “These days I recycle animals with my camera and manage the farm for turkeys.”
“Dad killed his last deer last November before he passed away in January at the age of 93,” Jolly said. “He was very conservation minded and always taught us to take a moment of silence, to have respect and to give thanks for our harvest. He thought that was very important!”
Jolly has scheduled another women’s hunt near Butler, Alabama in a couple of weeks and plans to pass along her great outdoors tradition. Tess and her husband Ron teach archery to aspiring young hunters at events such as that one.
Ned Randle would be proud of his daughter for continuing to break down barriers in the outdoors. Yes, very proud! Take it from Tess, carry someone hunting and never miss a chance to take your daughter, or son, fishing or hunting. You’ll be glad you did! For more information on Tes Jolly’s articles and wildlife photography, visit her Web site at Jollysoutdoorvisions.com.
Contact Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or e-mail him at Giles1958@bellsouth.net
