Processing timeframe

[Penguin907]

Do you field dress/gut the bird right after shooting or do you take it home and do it (lets say home is under an hour)?

[nyturkeyduster]

If home is under an hour away, I'll usually take it home.

But I always try to have gallon bags and a sharp knife in my vest so I can do take the legs and breast meat out on the spot if I have a long walk back to the truck.

[Timmer]

I gut it and put it on ice.  If it were under and hour, I might forgo the put it on ice part.

[Lcmacd 58]

Home

[WLT III]

I always take the guts out when I get back to the truck. I keep frozen coke or water bottles in my cooler. I shove  one up the cavity to cool it down fast. 

[mdmitchell]

You have some leeway with game birds. The meat has an entire ribcage between it and the guts. Yeah don't drive around in 90 degrees for 4 hours with it but  I've waited 2 hours before cutting them up and it doesn't hurt anything.

Look at upland guys if you need inspiration. They let those birds ride in game bags for hours.

[mnbirdbuster]

A trick ive always used is to get the pics out of the way, pull the guts out, and stick a frozen 1L bottle of ice into the cavity from where you previously extracted the entrails of the bird. Within and hour that whole bird will be cold to the touch

[Greg Massey]

Home or put it in the cab of the truck with the air-cond ... Wild Game doesn't ruin that fast ...