2010 May | Hunting Outdoors | Tips & Discussion on Deer, Turkey, & Elk Hunting

Hunting News – Turkey Hunting Accidents

“What are they thinking?”

I just read a story of 2 men from Chester Maine that were hunting together for spring turkey and one shot the other. Accidents like this happen oh to often and there is no reason for this type of ignorance. As I researched farther into this accident I found another similar mishap as the hunters viewed the accident.

In the first story the 2 hunters spotted a turkey and split up to cover more area. Awhile later after stalking to the spot they had seen the turkey they didn’t realize how close together they ended up and one hunter saw something move and shot. The ISSUE I have with this story is YOU HAVE TO IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET BEFORE YOU SHOOT, PERIOD. I have been hunting for 32 years and have yet to see how someone can mistake the animal for a human being. A turkey looks nothing like a human!

“Again?!”

In the second accident the sheriff department stated one man was stalking and calling with a mouth call and a slate call when he saw what he thought was a tom turkey about 70 feet away and fired, according to the sheriff’s office. Seventy feet is less than 24 yards maybe this guy needs an eye exam. At 24 yards couldn’t the guy see that his partner didn’t have a visible beard

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Turkey Hunting – Butchering a Wild Turkey

Another way to process your turkey is to scald and pluck the turkey feathers. After this process is completed your turkey looks like a turkey you would get from the store. But, there is no sport in going to the store and buying a butterball.

First the head must be removed, this is accomplished by laying the head and neck across a block of wood and taking a hatchet to chop off the head, generally at the base of the neck. A big pot of water is warmed to 145 degrees and you must submerge the turkey for 45 seconds to loosen the feathers so they can be pulled by hand or use a motorized feather removing machine to remove the feathers from the turkey. The feet are cut off after the bird has been submerged in the hot water. Do not cut the feet off until after dipping the turkey in the hot water because they serve as a handle to keep from burning your hands.

When I turkey hunt locally I prefer this method of cleaning my turkeys. There is a person who cleans turkeys for people for a small fee. She has been doing this for years. The butchering area is set up for efficiency. When they butcher everything you saw on the video is done here except for the motorized plucker, it is done by hand.

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Turkey Hunting – Breasting Out a Wild Turkey

After a successful turkey hunt and properly checking your harvest with your states DNR or conservation department it is now time to butcher your turkey. There are several options to accomplish cleaning your turkey. The fastest way to butcher your turkey is called ‘breasting out’. It is less work to butcher this way but you will waste some meat doing it this way. this video shows proper technique on how to breast out a turkey.

When hunting outside of my home range I use this method of butchering because it is fast to breast out my turkey. Remember a good Sharp knife is a must to do the job efficiently. Butchering by scalding and plucking is not practical to pack the necessary equipment. The turkey breast is the best part of the tukey to eat so I don’t feel like I am wasting any valuable meat.

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