"Have to have, lad, to be a good shot," was the reply.
Not to alarm the game, Jed Sanborn told them to walk with care, and led the way in a semicircle through the timber. Then he told the boys to spread out around the tree.
"Fire as soon as ye get a good chance, but not afore," said he.
As they crawled closer they saw the wild turkeys quite plainly. There was a gobbler and six or seven hens, and they were roosting on several limbs close to the ground.
"Must be gittin' lazy, to be on their perches so late in the morning," observed Jed. "Ought to have been scratchin' fer a livin' hours ago."
"Well, this suits us," answered Whopper. "I'm going to try for the gobbler."
"I'll take the one below him," said Snap.
"I'll take the hen on the left," came from Giant.
"And I'll try for the one on the right," put in Shep. "What will you shoot at, Jed?"
Before the old hunter could answer there was a stir on the tree. The gobbler had heard them and he gave the alarm. Up and out went the turkeys as fast as they could fly. Bang! bang! went the shotguns, and several more shots followed. Jed Sanborn had also taken aim. There was a great fluttering, and down dropped two turkeys like lead. Two hens fluttered around, and the gobbler remained in the tree, caught between two branches and breathing his last.