My Spring 2008 turkey season started as usual. I took my vacation 5 days before the season opened to do some scouting and a little shed hunting. On the first afternoon of my arrival I went out to scout around some feed stations, just to see if the turkey were in the area. Ten minutes after I started, I let out a series of yelps, and some excited cutting(just for the heck of it). Instantly a gobbler fired off! He was within 60 yards, and was coming fast. I jumped in a clump of mesquite, and called the big old tom to within 10 steps. He was beautiful. I was surprised that I called him in, as I had no decoy, and the truck was in plain sight! What a start to the Spring season. After that, I scouted some of the wheat fields, and did some shed hunting. I located several gobblers that afternoon, and was super pumped for what was to follow. The next morning, I went out to listen and scout some more. I went out to the bottom wheat field, and sat and listened. I figured one, if not more toms would use this beautiful field to strut and gather hens. This is the first time I saw him, the big old tom I named “Tank”. As I sat with my video camera, and tripod, I sat and filmed this beautiful gobbler for over an hour. The toms beard seemed to disappear into the ankle high wheat, and his fan was the biggest I had ever seen. It was a beautiful white color, not common on Rios. Finally, he gathered about 13 hens, and left the field. For the rest of the day, I just relaxed, and located some roost sites, and gobblers using a crow call. For the next 2 days, I filmed the big old tom in the field. I had my 2 brothers, and my father coming in to hunt, and I was trying to locate as many birds as I could, so I could show them a good hunt. I sat around that afternoon, and watched the temperature drop, and drop. The next morning I woke up to 39 degrees! It had dropped 53 degrees since the afternoon before! As you can imagine, the birds talked little to none the day before the opener, but I was still confident, due to my scouting efforts. Now fast forward to opening morning. I woke up ready to hit the woods! My brother and I headed out, and ended up working several gobblers to within 75 yards, but the hens won the battle. About 9:00, we headed back to get my dad, and my 8 year old brother Spencer. Dad asked me what my plan was, as the turkey had shut up due to the cold temperatures, and cloudy weather. I told them we were going to head to a wheat field I had scouted, and set up a strutting tom, and 2 hens. I would call sparingly, and see what happened. We set up in the middle of a wheat field, in a clump of live oaks. I don’t know if you have ever tried to hide 4 hunters, and a video camera, but this is no easy task! I called for about 10 minutes, and brought 2 Jakes into 20 yards. My dad took the larger of the two birds. My little brother was so excited, he had never been turkey hunting, and after 15 minutes, he had 2 birds at spitting distance! As I set up the camera, to take pictures of my family with the bird, I thought to myself , This is why I turkey hunt. I went back to camp, and took “Spencers”bird to the taxidermist. Later that afternoon, I worked another tom to within 50 yards, but he locked up. I took my brother to the field that I had filmed old Tank at. I sat up the strutter, and set up and called. About 5:20, there was a sudden Garobbbbble! There he stood, still as a statue, looking at the strutter. He came in at a run, and tackled the strutter, he beat and pecked the fake tom for about 15 minutes. I could see it was him, and he was even bigger than I thought. His beautiful white fan, and long beard just 20 yards away. My brother took him, and this was his first bird also! He jumped up, and ran to the tom, and could not quit smiling. What a tom! 10 inch beard, 1 ½ spurs, a true legend of the cactus flats of Brady. After another picture session with the family, I again thought to myself, “ This is why I turkey hunt”. The next morning was again cool, cloudy, and very windy. My brother and I worked yet another tom to with in shotgun range, but a bad setup proved fatal. It was just too thick to see the old tom. What a start to turkey season. The next weekend, I took my brother, and a friend of ours to go chase those longbeards. We were greeted with 92 degrees, and very little wind. The first afternoon of our arrival, we had trouble finding a tom to work. That evening I crow called, and BAM! He fired off. They jumped into a pile of bushes, and I sat up back a little bit, and did some soft calling. Not a sound! I let out a series of loud yelps, and cutting, and instantly, Garobbbble! I said here he comes guys! As if to appear from the pile of cactus I stared at, there he was. Strutting, with the hot Texas sun beating on his fan. It looked as if he had a light bulb behind his fan. We waited as long as we could, but Andrew could not get a shot. Finally, I told my brother to take him. Andrew could see him, but had too much brush between him and the bird. My brother smoked his second bird of the season! A 3 year old tom, with over a nine inch beard, and 1 ¼ spurs. As the two grown boys, ran up and hugged me, they ran up to the tom. Andrew was just as excited as if he had taken the tom. They both said thank you to me, and Andrew said, Scotty, this is the best experience of my life. Earlier that year, I took Andrew out, and got him his first deer. He is now hooked. After an hour of picture taking, and admiring the bird, and retelling the story a thousand times, I realized again, ‘This is why I turkey hunt”. We had to leave the next morning, but what a trip, and what a memory! Now fast forward to the next weekend. Me and my brother arrived at the ranch late Friday night. The next morning, we instantly got a tom to fire off. I knew where he was, and we had to circle around about 200 yards, to get to where we could work him. As we arrived near the setup, I let out a soft series of yelps Garobbbbbbble! He was 50 yards and closing. Here we stood, wide open, and no time to find another setup. I handed Steven the strutter, and said lay down, and hold this decoy up. I laid down next to him in the field, and yelped twice. Garrrrrooooobbbbble! 40 yards, just around the bend. Here came 2 hens. They walked to within 5 yards of us. Here he came, as if on a rope, walking straight to us. 35 yards, 30 yards, 20 yards, 14 yards… BOOM! The tom fell to the 3 ½ inch magnum turkey loads as if hit by a truck! Steven jumped up, gave me a high five and could not believe we had pulled this off. Another amazing memory. Later that evening, we had set up on a turkey, that gobbled a little, but not a lot. Finally, about 30 before fly up time, the gobbler flew into the field, and lit in the decoys. The tom was probably a two year old turkey. As I contemplated shooting him, I looked up and a group of huge hogs had entered the field. I knew Steven had wanted to take a hog, so I waited for the tom to walk off, and told Steven to go ahead and do a sneak. I video taped him closing the distance from 250 yards, to 30 yards. He whacked a young hog with some magnum turkey loads! Another great hunt, and another wonderful memory. As I sit writing this story, there is two weeks left in the season. I believe I am through for the season, but what a season it has been. I was able to fulfill three peoples dream of taking a spring bird, or at least be on a successful hunt. For me, this is the greatest thrill of all. I would rather call one in for somebody else, than actually take a bird myself. I helped get a young man hooked on the sport, and my 8 year old brother. In a world of soaring gas prices, crime, and sadness, it is amazing how just getting out and chasing turkeys, can make you forget about all of the problems of the world, at least for a little while. As I sat there at camp after that last hunt with my brother, I thanked the lord for all he has given, and for letting me see all the things that make up a Spring day, just one more time.