Turkey Hunting >> Turkey Hunting Tips

The very first thing you must do if you don’t intend to cook your bird whole is to lay the turkey on its back. You must remove a few feathers so that you will expose the turkey’s skin. In order to remove the breast filets you must pull/cut the skin back from the turkey’s breast. You must make cuts along each side of the breastbone but also on the inside of both wings/clavicle.

If you want to save the wings, you must peel the skin back and remove the turkey’s wings from the cavity by cutting through the joint. In order to loosen the breast filet from the bone you must find the breastbone and make an incision down each side of the breastbone. You must work from the rear of the breast forward by fileting off the breast, pulling the filet and using a knife. This procedure must be repeated for the other side of the breast as well.

In order to remove the leg and thigh, you must cut through the thigh muscle in the location where it attaches to the back. After doing so you must grab the leg/thigh and pull until you can feel the joint pop loose. You must keep cutting through the thigh right until it comes free from the bird’s body.

Field dressing is a wise idea before cleaning the bird for the table in hot weather conditions. If you do decide to field dress the bird you must start by placing the turkey on its back. After doing so you must find the bottom of the breast plate and insert your knife, remembering to make a cut to the anal vent. Next step is to remove the entrails from this opening and afterwards reach into the cavity in order to sever the lungs, heart and windpipe. Place ice inside the chest in order to cool the cavity.

By skinning the turkey you will be able to cook the bird by grilling or frying the pieces of meat. You can skin and filet the bird’s breasts and cut the meat as much as possible from the wings and legs. You must make a cut along one side of the breastbone then work the skin off the breast halves, down to the back and over the legs. Keep in mind that in some states it is illegal to filet the breast out by leaving the rest of the carcass behind.

Plucking can take additional time in comparison to skinning and actually produces more mess but the taste of the deep-fried/roasted turkey skin is worth the effort. Plucking is considered to be the traditional style of cleaning a wild turkey and is the perfect way to prepare the turkey to be either roasted, smoked or deep-fried. Prior to removing the entrails of the bird pluck the wild turkey’s feathers in order to help maintain the moisture in the bird while cooking it whole.

As far as storing issues are concerned, you must remove the giblets and refrigerate in covered container for use within 1-2 days. Parts can be frozen for about 6 months while the whole turkey can be frozen for an entire year. The cooked turkey can be stored in a covered container/plastic bag or you can wrap it in an aluminum foil for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and for 3 months in the freezer.

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