Turkey Hunting >> Turkey Hunting Tips

It is crucial to preserve the turkey meat that is why you must cool the game and keep it that way. The very first thing you must do is to remove the organs, do this as soon as possible. With your own fingers feel for the breasts’ point which is situated between the legs and insert your knife. Afterwards make a cut between the tail of the bird and the point of the breast. The cut must be made from one leg to the other.

After completing this step you must gently pull the back and breast apart far enough so that you can get your hand inside the body cavity, between the back and the intestines. You now need to slip your hand in along the back as far as possible. The next step is to grip the entrails ( liver, lungs and heart ) and extract them. There is a slim chance you won’t extract them all from the first time, if this happens you must try again and remove them all.

It is very important to take the crop out, the crop is the location where the food these birds eat gathers prior to the moment it goes into their stomach. At the bird’s neck, you must grab the skin where it meets the feathers and make a cut there, splitting the neck open. You will now have to remove the crop, the esophagus and the windpipe. The moment you have completed removing everything you must wipe all the blood out of the turkey’s body cavity or you can let it drip out. As soon as possible, place some ice inside the body cavity and you are now ready to head back home.

This field dressing procedure basically means gutting the bird in the field while leaving the feathers on. In order to allow the bird to cool faster but also to keep the “juices“ inside the turkey from ruining any meat, you must remove the guts/entrails. If the temperature is somewhat low and you are close to your home you can skip this step of field dressing and wait right until you arrive home before cleaning the turkey.

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