Tes Jolly is a wildlife photographer and freelance outdoor writer on many subjects found in the southeastern outdoors, but her specialty is the wild turkey. She credits her Native American heritage and God-given gifts of patience and passion for her ability to record wild turkey behavior and creatively capture the essence of the birds’ beauty and behaviors at close range.

For nearly three decades her work has appeared in print and online including — Turkey Call, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Realtree.com, Mossy Oak’s Gamekeepers, QDMA’s Quality Whitetails, National Deer Association, Turkey and Turkey Hunting, Deer and Deer Hunting, plus books, calendars, advertising, packaging and art reference.

A self-described tomboy as a child, Jolly credits her parents, who were avid hunters, with sparking a deep passion and respect for the natural world that eventually evolved into a career in outdoor communication. At nine years old, her enthusiastic desire to hunt was dampened by an unfortunate “men only” hunting club rule but her parents devised a plan. Disguised in baggy Army surplus clothes, a floppy hat and obeying instructions to avoid conversation and limit her wide dimpled smiles, a girl named Harvey embarked on a childhood adventure with her brothers, acquiring hunting skills and a lifelong love and respect for wildlife and the outdoors.

In 1994 Jolly entered the outdoor and hunting industry as one of the country’s few female turkey hunting guides at famed White Oak Plantation located in Alabama’s Black Belt Region. Over the next several spring seasons she guided and met many outdoor professionals—editors, writers, photographers, call makers and manufacturing representatives. In 1996 she met and married noted outdoor videographer and writer Ron Jolly. Friendships from guiding developed into invaluable mentoring and industry contacts that helped Jolly transition to a full-time career in freelance outdoor photography and writing.

Jolly is a lifetime NRA member and longtime member of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association. Jolly taught archery for more than 20 years in the Alabama Becoming an Outdoors Woman program introducing hundreds of women to archery and hunting with an “If I can do it, you can do it” approach.

Her turkey photography and writing currently is featured online with the wild turkey conservation organization, Turkeys for Tomorrow, promoting its mission to assist in science-based solutions that improve the plight of the wild turkey.