About half of both the roughly 60,000 turkey hunters who go afield in the Lone Star State each spring and the 25,000 birds (on average) that the former harvest come from the Hill Country.

As Fulson said, “The birds are still walking around for a reason. And the old ones don’t get to be as smart as they are by making it easy on us!”

Those ideas are what make turkey hunting such a grand sport -- one that pits man against one of the best opponents nature has to offer.

The South Zone spring Rio Grande turkey season begins March 15 and runs through April 27; the North Zone season starts March 29 and runs through May 11. The bag limit for Rio Grande turkeys is four per year, but hunters should check county listings to make sure of specific rules.

For information on turkey hunting, contact these outfitters: Wildlife Systems, Inc. (325) 655-0877; Total Outdoors Adventures (817) 461-6129; Krooked River Ranch Outfitters (325) 773-2457; Salt Fork Outfitters (806) 447-2322.