# First time Turkey hunting.



## hockey22dad (May 28, 2007)

First time going turkey hunting this year. Question 1. After shooting turkey, do you gut it out then or wait till get home? Question 2. How do you clean a turkey, Pluck it or skin it, or the best way? Thanks


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## slowpoke (Jan 30, 2001)

hockey22dad said:


> First time going turkey hunting this year. Question 1. After shooting turkey, do you gut it out then or wait till get home? Question 2. How do you clean a turkey, Pluck it or skin it, or the best way? Thanks


I just wait till I get back to the cabin to clean my turkey. I tried to pluck my first turkey and gave up. I skin all my turkeys now. It's a lot easier to skin them. Good luck.


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## full strut (Feb 27, 2008)

I wait until I get home to gut them, and don't pluck it, skinning is the way to go. The joy of getting your first turkey will quickly diminish while plucking:lol:


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

I gut them immediatlely and place small bottle of frozen water or a small frozen "blue ice" in to the cavity. You can freeze water or juice, and then you also have something cold to drink as it melts. You only need to make a small incision to get the guts out. I keep the heart, as I do on anything I shoot, I just love the heart. There is always a cooler with ice waiting back at the vehicle, and the bird goes in here ASAP, especially on warm days (spring or fall). If the temperature of the bird is not less than 40 degrees, spoilage is occuring and bacteria thrives in temperatures between 40-140 degrees.
The only time I wouldn't gut it is if one needs the weight to score it for a contest, etc. But it would still go in to a cooler with ice ASAP. I see way too many people carting turkeys around all day after shooting one, and while it's great to show it off if you want, you got to always "take care of your meat" if you want it to taste fresh! This goes for any fish and game, get it on ice ASAP!
Skinning is alot easier, and is fine for deep frying or roasting in a bag. I mostly do skin them. An easy way for me is to cut the wings off, leaving that last meatier section, cut the tail off, and then skin as you would anything. But if you are in the mood & have the time, one should try plucking at least one, you can make it look about like a Butterball, if you're careful and don't tear the skin. It takes some time, especially with all the pin feathers and hair, but that skin has some great flavor (fat) in it for roasting.
Don't forget the crop! I am embarrased to say that the first turkey I plucked (& I was SO pleased with how it looked!), I somehow neglected to remove the crop, roasted it, went to carve it, sliced into the crop, mmmm, roasted crop-contents, oops. I removed it and we ate the bird, but I felt like a bonehead as I've cleaned hundreds of birds of all kinds before that and always removed the crop, oh well.
Save the feathers & feet for your own use, give feathers to fly tiers, or save them and the feet for an Indian friend who use them in their Regalia, and will gladly accept them with much appreciation.


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## Fowl Obsession (Mar 1, 2006)

Weather you should skin or pluck your turkey depends some on how you plan to cook it. If you are deep frying or baking, I would recommend plucking. If you are grilling or smoking, skinning is just fine. Plucking is not difficult if you scauld the bird first, the feathers will literally wipe off. We use our turkey fryer burner, as follows:

1) Bring the pot of water to a boil (while waiting for water to heat, remove head, beard, tail and wings at first joint away from the body).
2) Submerse the bird for about 45 seconds (don't leave it in too long or it will start to cook).
3) Quickly hang the bird upside down by it's legs (from a tree branch or clothes line pole).
4) Start wiping and pulling feathers (will take about 5 minutes or less to do the entire bird).
5) Finish with a small propane torch to remove any pin feathers and hairs from the skin.
6) Cut the legs off and remove the insides. Clean up and your done.

Good luck with your hunting. I hope you have a bird to clean.


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## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

Skinning is easy, the are better eating(more juicy) if you pluck them. I always pluck mine, it's a pain but it's worth it.


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## tracker14 (Jun 1, 2007)

itchn2fish said:


> I gut them immediatlely and place small bottle of frozen water or a small frozen "blue ice" in to the cavity. You can freeze water or juice, and then you also have something cold to drink as it melts. You only need to make a small incision to get the guts out. I keep the heart, as I do on anything I shoot, I just love the heart. There is always a cooler with ice waiting back at the vehicle, and the bird goes in here ASAP, especially on warm days (spring or fall). If the temperature of the bird is not less than 40 degrees, spoilage is occuring and bacteria thrives in temperatures between 40-140 degrees.
> The only time I wouldn't gut it is if one needs the weight to score it for a contest, etc. But it would still go in to a cooler with ice ASAP. I see way too many people carting turkeys around all day after shooting one, and while it's great to show it off if you want, you got to always "take care of your meat" if you want it to taste fresh! This goes for any fish and game, get it on ice ASAP!
> Skinning is alot easier, and is fine for deep frying or roasting in a bag. I mostly do skin them. An easy way for me is to cut the wings off, leaving that last meatier section, cut the tail off, and then skin as you would anything. But if you are in the mood & have the time, one should try plucking at least one, you can make it look about like a Butterball, if you're careful and don't tear the skin. It takes some time, especially with all the pin feathers and hair, but that skin has some great flavor (fat) in it for roasting.
> Don't forget the crop! I am embarrased to say that the first turkey I plucked (& I was SO pleased with how it looked!), I somehow neglected to remove the crop, roasted it, went to carve it, sliced into the crop, mmmm, roasted crop-contents, oops. I removed it and we ate the bird, but I felt like a bonehead as I've cleaned hundreds of birds of all kinds before that and always removed the crop, oh well.
> Save the feathers & feet for your own use, give feathers to fly tiers, or save them and the feet for an Indian friend who use them in their Regalia, and will gladly accept them with much appreciation.


Very well spoken if you don't know any fly tiers theres always traditional archers who use the wings for fletching wooden arrows


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## 00Buckshot69 (Dec 30, 2007)

What's a crop???


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## spiritofthewild_06 (Mar 20, 2007)

I just take mine to the Amish lady up the road, throw her a five spot and ten min. later I got a butterball in the freezer!


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## SgtSabre (May 15, 2004)

Am I the only one who just breasts them?


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## bigsablemike (Apr 26, 2005)

00Buckshot69 said:


> What's a crop???


its like a pre stomach,birds peck sand and small gravel.the seeds that they swallow are chewed by the crop,birds dont have teeth.atleast thats how i understand it.


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## spiritofthewild_06 (Mar 20, 2007)

00Buckshot69 said:


> What's a crop???


*Crop:* In the same way that a chipmunk stores food in it's cheeks, birds store food in their crops. The crop is composed of layers of muscle tissue, and holds and softens the food until it's ready to be passed on to the gizzard.


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## gunner7848 (Feb 8, 2006)

SgtSabre said:


> Am I the only one who just breasts them?


Breasting the bird is a waste of a lot of meat. I pluck mine then deep fry the bird. Taste so good


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## glnmiller (Jan 7, 2006)

If I am headed right home I wait and gut/dress the bird at home. If it is warm and I won't be going right home I field gut and put a frozen water bottle in the cavity. 
I prefer to pluck, but it's a lot of work, the last two birds I just skinned. I may pluck the next one to use in my new deep fryer.


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## melvvin (Nov 21, 2007)

For what its worth i always gut mine right away just seems the right way to do it.


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