WELL FOLKS''   HERES A PICTURE OF A GOOD BUDDY .. THERN HATHAWAY  AND A STORY TO GO WITH IT. IF HE WAS HERE  RIGHT NOW HE WOULD  TELL THIS A HOLE LOT BETTER THAN  I    BUT HERE GO'S. ON THIS MORNINGS HUNT. THERN AND I HAD  GOT A COUPLE OF OLD TOMS TO SOUND OFF WHILE STILL ON THE ROOST.WE HAD MOVED IN ON THEM JUST AT DAY LIGHT. SO AFTER DOING A FAST SET UP  AS CLOSE AS WE COULD GET ON THESE BIRDS WITH OUT BLOWING IT. IT WAS  THERN .WHO CUT LOOSE WITH A  HEN CALL .WHEN IT COMES TO CALLING .THERN HAS ME BEAT HANDS DOWN. AS A MATTER OF FACT IF YOU WAS TO HEAR HIM CALLING IN THE WOODS  AND COULD SEE HIM .YOU MOST LIKELY WOULD THINK IT WAS A BIG TALL HEN IN CAMEO HE'S SO GOOD. WELL AS SOON AS THEY RETURNED OUR CALL.WE COULD TELL THAT THEY HAD FLOWN DOWN AND WHERE FARTHER OFF THAN MIN'S BEFORE. AND THAT WAS THE WAY IT WOULD TAKE PLACE  WITH THESE 2 OLD  TOM'S  AS THEY GOBBLED  OFF AND ON.  AS THEY MOVED AWAY..THERN CAME UP TO ME AND WE HAD A FAST  TALK. WITH HIM TELLING ME .HE DIDN'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT  FOLLOWING AFTER THESE TOMS. AS MOST OF THE TIME THEY OR HEADED SOME WHERE  AND DON'T PULL BACK EASY AT ALL. THAT WAS MY FEELING ALSO.THERN WANTED TO KNOW IF I NEW OF A WAY TO HEAD THEM OFF.I TOLD HIM THAT I  THINK THERE MOVING ACROSS A OLD CUT-OVER.THAT HAS A OLD LOGGING ROAD RUNNING ACROSS IT -GOING NORTH.  I NEW OF A  CROSSING ON THAT OLD LOGGING ROAD .THAT WAS ONLY ABOUT 600 YARDS FOR THEM BUT A HALF /MILE FOR US IF WE WAS TO  CUT AROUND TO THEM .SO THERN SAID LETS HIT IT  -NOW//. OFF WE GO.AND IN DUE TIME WE OR ABOUT 150 YARDS  DUE EAST OF THE  OLD ROAD WHEN THERN STOP'S TO USE A CROW CALL TO  TO GET A FIX ON THEM.. GOBBLE GOBBLE  .COMES BACK ONE OF THE OLD TOMS. HE SOUNDS LIKE HE IS ABOUT 100 YARDS WEST OF OLD ROAD BED.WE NEW WE NEEDED TO GET  TO THE OLD LOGGING ROAD FAST. SO WE HIT  IT AGAIN. SECS OR MIN'S LATER.{{WHO'S TO SAY}}. WE HIT THE LOGGING ROAD. OFF TO OUR LEFT 30 YARD'S IS A BEND IN THE  ROAD BED . WE HOT FOOT TO IT .KNOW TIME FOR DECOYS .THERN DROP'S DOWN ABOUT 5 YARDS OFF BEND IN ROAD BED. HE'S LOOKING DUE WEST.I DROP BACK BEHIND HIM ABOUT 15 YARDS.AND SET UP FACING DUE SOUTH..30 SEC. LATER THERN LETS OUT A LOW HEN CALL.AND I LOOK OVER MY RIGHT SHOULDER  TO WATCH HIM AND ALSO LOOK UP THAT OLD  LOGGING ROAD. WOWWW- THERE  STEPPING INTO THE LOGGING ROAD .IS 2 BIG TOMS WITH A HEN.THE BIG ONE HAS HEARD THERNS CALLING AND HE'S SHOWING THE WORLD .THAT HE'S THE BOSS OF THESE WOOD'S.. CLOSER AND CLOSER THEY COME 40 THEN 30 YARDS.THERN STILL HOLDS OFF [[[ I'M THINKING  SHOOT]]]. I'M WATCHING IT ALL TAKE PLACE. THERE'S KNOW WAY I CAN TAKE A SHOT AS I'M BACK BEHIND THERN.WHAT'S HE DOING ?/ WHY  HAS HE NOT SHOT..?? THEN IT HIT'S ME..YEAAA// I KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING .THAT YOUNG MAN IS A DEAD SHOT AND WITH THAT CUSTOM BARREL OF HIS. 30 YARDS OR LESS AND HE CAN ALMOST BLOW A TOM'S HEAD OFF.. .HE'S GOING TO LINE UP BOTH BIG TOM'S HEAD'S  AND TAKE THEM BOTH. BOOMMM GO'S HIS WINCHESTER  PUMP WITH ITS 3 INCH MAG LOAD . THE BIGGEST TOM'S BLOW-ED OVER .STONE COLD DEAD.THE 2'ND TOM TAKES TO THE AIR. AT WHICH TIME I CAME TO MY FEET .AND TOOK 3 LONG STEP'S  TO MY SOUTH.I WAS HOPING THE OTHER TOM WOULD CUT ACROSS MY WAY AND GIVE ME A SHOT.AFTER I STOPPED I LOOKED BACK  AND COULD SEE THAT THE 2ND TOM HAD NOT CAME MY WAY .BUT HAD IN TRUTH FLOWN BACK UP THE OLD LOGGING ROAD AWAYS .AND SET BACK DOWN. LOOKING OFF TO MY FAR RIGHT NOW I COULD SEE THERN STILL SETTING  THERE . LOOKING OVER HIS SHOTGUN BARREL. I WAS THEN THINKING. YEA.HE'S STILL GOT  A SHOT AT THE 2ND TOM. {{TAKE HIM}   {{ TAKE HIM  }} .HE;'S NOT FIRING .HE'S NOT FIRING??.THEN IT  HIT'S ME AGAIN{{{{MAN I WAS GETTING HIT WITH A LOT OF IDEA'S THAT MORNING}}  . I KNOW WHATS GOING DOWN. THAT YOUNG MAN  IS  DOING WHAT A TRUE SPORTSMAN WOULD DO FOR HE'S FRIEND. HE'S GIVING UP A SURE KILL ON THE 2ND TOM. LETTING ME GO FOR IT. AND   {{{  I NEED TO DO SOMETHING  NOW}}}  THERE WAS A ROW OF SMALL PINETREES MORE OR LESS BETWEEN ME AND THERN AT THIS TIME.AND I HAD TO LEAN BACKWARD A LITTLE TO MAKE THE SHOT ON THE 2ND.TOM .SO IN WORLD CLASS TIME.BOOOOMMMMM I LET THE OLD TOM HAVE THE LEFT BARREL . ROLLED HIM AND HE NEVER GOT UP. BUT FOLKS  .ONCE AGAIN IT WAS WAY TO FAR .I TOOK VERY LITTLE TIME IN GETTING TO HIM AND PLACING  A BIG NUMBER 11 BOOT ON HIS NECK..YEAAAA..ABOUT THAT TIME THERN  IS STANDING RIGHT BESIDE ME.. ASKING ME HOW IN THE WORLD DID I MAKE THAT SHOT..WELL THERN I SAY//// .WHEN  I  SAW WHAT YOU WAS DOING THEIR.GIVING UP YOUR SURE SHOT AT THE 2ND TOM..{{[[  I NEW I HAD TO MAKE THAT SHOT }} BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT YOU MAD AT ME {{{ ITS NOT GOOD TO HAVE A MAN MAD AT  YOU  IF .HE HAS A SHOTGUN IN HIS HAND. }}}. /////  WELL MR. THERN HATTAWAY-- JUST UP AND LET OUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST SMILE'S YOU EVER DID SEE. HE SAID..DONNIE .I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU.. FIRST THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST TURKEY HUNTS I'VE HAD  EVER..  WE HAVE  NOT ONE BUT .2 REALLY GREAT OLD TOMS  DOWN  BOTH AT THE SAME PLACE .  AND BOTH WITH BIG SPURS... AND WE BOTH GOT ONE EACH////// GREAT GREAT DAY. DONNIE .NOW ALL THAT SAID AND DONE. I NEED TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH.WHEN THEM TOMS CAME IN .I NEW YOU WAS OUT OF IT BECAUSE OF WHERE YOU WAS SET UP. AND AS THEY CAME IN .I WAS THINKING  THAT IF THEY STOPPED AND PUT BOTH OF THERE HEADS  JUST SO?? UNDER 20 YARD'S ..WELLL  THEY WAS BOTH GOING  TO BE IN THE BAG..I HAD THE BEAD ON THEM FOR EVER. BUT DONNIE ,THEY JUST NEVER GAVE ME A PERFECT SHOT LIKE I WAS WAITING FOR////.WELL DONNIE YOU COULD SEE THAT I HAD LET THEM REALLY GET IN CLOSE.AND I WAS FEELING LIKE  ONES BETTER THAN NONE.SO I PUT THE BARREL ON THE BIGGEST TOM AND LET IT ROLL BOOOOMM.  HERES WHERE OUR STORY'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT DONNIE. YOU SEE AFTER SHOOTING  THE FIRST TOM .I PUMPED MY SHOTGUN AND MOVED  IT OVER TO THE 2ND TOM WHEN HE CAME BACK DOWN  FATHER UP THE LOGGING ROAD.ONLY PROBLEM WAS I HAD SHORT  STROKED THE NEXT ROUND. AN THEIR I WAS WORKING  TO GET A ROUND BACK IN .AND TAKE OUT THE 2ND ONE TOO. WHEN OUT OF NO WHERE --BOOOOOMMM  . DONNIE  ALL I CAN SAY  IS THAT OLD DOUBLE BARREL WITH IT'S 2 FULL CHOKES IS A ----CANNONNNNNNN..   --------------WELL FOLKS THATS THE END OF THIS STORY  BUT WITH  A HUNTING BUDDY LIKE I HAVE .THERES SURE TO BE MORE .. MAY THE LORD WATCH OVER  EACH AND EVER ONE OF US IN OUR TIME OF NEEDS....AND  ON THAT MORNING I SURE NEEDED HIM //////