Looking to get some different thoughts on what guys do after the bird is down. Do you always remove the fan, beard, spurs for a trophy? Do you field dress it or take it back to the house to clean?
First thing I do is get pictures taken. Then the fan, beard, and spurs are taken off. Lastly, breasted out.
Quote from: buck_hunter21 on February 28, 2012, 10:39:43 AM
First thing I do is get pictures taken. Then the fan, beard, and spurs are taken off. Lastly, breasted out.
About the same thing, unless I have someone else with me then we tie it up in a tree and go after another bird.
Pictures in the fiels then back home or camp. Remove beard, fan (if nice), and spurs. Sometimes I remove wings if I know someone who needs feathers for arrows or wants to make a wingbone call. I usually fillet out the breast meat and debone the legs/thighes then go after the little pieces of loin meat next to the back bone. I have a turkey fryer, so sometimes I pluck out the whole bird for frying.
Pictures and back of the truck while we work on finding the next bird.. turkeys aren't like deer and dont need to be field dressed right away. they are fine in the shade hung up in the shed or covered in the back of a truck for a few hours..
After hunting is done at noon we weight it, and messurements are taken from the beard and spurs at removal. I dont keep many fans but I would take it now and place on a board with Borax to dry if I was keeping it. Breast out the meat and prepare for the next one!!!
Appreciate the replies! Glad to know that they do not have to be field dressed right away.
step on his head :z-guntootsmiley:
If I'm alone, I head to camp or home. If I'm with a buddy we'll work together to get him a bird after I stash my bird in the shade. Beard and spurs are added to collection, possibly fan and wings if I know someone is lookin' for some. Breast em out and take the legs and thighs. Of course pictures are a must.
1. Walk back from the field.
2. Take some photos.
3. Remove the breasts, legs/ thighs and wings.
4. Remove the fan, beard and feet.
5. Put shotgun away, open bottle of Wild Turkey 101 and reflect on the hunt.
Usually cut the beard and feet off, dress him out, and then my girlfriend collects the feathers she wants for her craft making and the rest gets chuncked.
Jonathan
I don't worry about field dressing 'em like I do with deer. I've gone hours before cuttin' 'em up and they tasted just fine.
1st First thing is take photos
2nd if I'm going to mount it make sure the feathers are smoothed out and be carefull carring it home.
3rd. mount or not I pull the breast out.
4th if no mount and spurs are long cut them off along with beard
5th cut off wings and tail if no mount and make traditional fletching with the wings and wall mount with the tail.
6th eat it.
Quote from: rawalley on February 28, 2012, 11:56:20 PM
step on his head :z-guntootsmiley:
A turkey hunting friend of mine told me once when I first starting turkey hunting "You have not won the game until you are standing over your gobbler with your foot on his neck" truer words have never been spoken! :lol:
I usually pluck him & spend the next hour scratching lice.
Quote from: mcgruff1533 on February 29, 2012, 09:46:50 AM
1. Walk back from the field.
2. Take some photos.
3. Remove the breasts, legs/ thighs and wings.
4. Remove the fan, beard and feet.
5. Put shotgun away, open bottle of Wild Turkey 101 and reflect on the hunt.
YES THIS!!!! Except I just breast and on .3. and its budlight or jim beam on .5.
shake uncontrolably when i calm down i talk about it for a month.
Thank the turkey Gods that didn't miss !!!!! :TooFunny:
Remind myself to breathe! Regain control of my shaking body, and then go put my foot on his neck. It amazes me that every gobbler is still like my first one! Pictures come next then breast it out save the beard and spurs all the while thanking the Almighty for the opportunity!
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I'm from Illinois and the first thing we're supposed to do is notch the tag and fasten it around his leg.
Quote from: buck_hunter21 on February 28, 2012, 10:39:43 AM
First thing I do is get pictures taken. Then the fan, beard, and spurs are taken off. Lastly, breasted out.
Me too!
Lately i've taken to breasting out my birds, then grilling it after experimenting with some marinades. Once in a while, i'll still roast or fry a whole one, and in that case i don't field dress the bird in the field. I scald them (after removing beard, fan, and any feathers i want to salvage. A few dunks in sclading water, hold em by the feet, feathers come off very easily. Once the bird is good and clean, then gut it and rinse well. Pat it dry inside and out and youre in business. Fast, easy, little mess. Plus the feathers dont blow all around the back yard and get me in trouble with the mrs!
If it's early enough I put it in the back of the truck and go after another. When I get home I take pictures then remove the beard, fan, and legs. Then I take the breast meat and dark meat for turkey salad.
After high fives, hooping and hollering, and doing a little jig...
I'll snap a few pics if I have a camera handy, and hike back to the truck.
Once home/back at camp I'll remove the beard. If its a mature bird, I will keep the spurs and fan. I have the spurs and fan from every longbeard I've killed.
Obviously I'll clean the bird and fry up some turkey titties!
Tag it, take pictures, take it home, remove beard, spurs, and fan, then breast it out, and then finish the tail fan mount. relax...
Tag him,take pics and put him in a 120 qt cooler with 2 bags of ice to keep it cool until all my hunters have tagged out.Absolutely will not ride him around to spoil without taking these precautions.We eat a lotof turkey and i think its blasphemy to not preserve the taste.JUST MY OPINION.
Tag him, pictures, cut beard and spurs, maybe the fan if someone wants it for a decoy. If I'm hunting with someone else, then I throw the turkey in the back of my vest and its off to the races again. I wouldn't dare just leave a turkey laying or hanging somewhere so that the coyotes or bobcats can enjoy the breast meat before I do. I have never field dressed a turkey.
Tag em',Pluck em",Put em in the Smoker,Then We eatem"