Shortly before 9 a.m. Oct. 18, Earl Thomas spotted a group of turkeys feeding their way along a field. He had a lot of options; most people would have ducked and run around them, trying to get in front of the flock.

With nearly four decades of dedicated turkey hunting under his belt, Thomas chose the best course of action. He quickly picked the best available cover, set up behind the turkeys and started calling."I had about 12 birds come in; a mix of jakes, hens and gobblers," Thomas said. "The last bird in the flock was a bearded hen, and I was hoping to get a shot at her."When that opportunity didn't readily present itself, Thomas leveled his shotgun and waited for a clear shot on a gobbler. It wasn't long before he had dropped it, leaving the rest to scatter.With that shot Thomas had accomplished something few can even imagine. He'd shot 200 turkeys. When he posted a picture of himself with the turkey on Facebook, many people "liked" the picture, but some questioned it as well.Thomas, who's from Palo Alto, near Pottsville in Schuylkill County, can't estimate how many miles he's traveled in pursuit of turkeys. He's hunted in 10 states - Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia.He knows how it started."I was 14, hunting in the Lewiston Valley with John Leatherman, when I saw my first turkey," he recalled. "I was hooked. I went out turkey hunting in the fall and ended up shooting one."In the turkey hunting world, hunters seek to complete a "Grand Slam" of taking four turkey species (Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam and Osceola) in a single season. Thomas has done that, and also completed a "gauge" slam, taking turkeys with shotguns in the 10, 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauges.Thomas chose other states when he sought specific species and also more liberal bag limits. For example, until recently, hunters could shoot four turkeys in New York. In spring 2015, Thomas hunted turkeys in Kansas, South Dakota, New York and Pennsylvania, before bagging turkey number 200 during the New York fall season. He hunts often with the same friends, identified only as Jim, Wayne and Walt."A lot of people like calling elk, I like calling turkeys," Thomas said. "I like how interactive it is, with calling and getting them to respond.""You hear the bird coming and it's exciting, closer and closer," he added. "I've only used a shotgun because I like getting them in close."Thomas's favorite tool is the diaphragm (mouth) call, and he also has "probably way too many" friction calls. His favorite call maker is Ed Terefencko (E.T. Custom Turkey Calls,

www.terefenckoturkeycalls.com), Pottsville.Although being good at calling is important, people would be more successful at turkey hunting if they were betting at sitting, Thomas said."Most people don't have enough patience, and patience is the biggest thing," he said. "You have to put in enough time, and if you do, the birds will sometime be in the right mood and place."How soon before he sets his sights on 300?"Well, sure," he said. "God willing I'll live long enough."