field dressing your turkey

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bradr3367
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field dressing your turkey

Post by bradr3367 »

Does anyone field dress your turkey in the woods after photos, tagging, and such? I'm talkin taking the breast, beard, legs w/spurs & thighs attached,& leaving the remains in the woods. I realize certain states may have different regs on this, but where legal, I'm gonna do it this year so I don't have to carry the whole bird out. I'm also thinking that it would attract less attention at a public WMA parking area, since no one would see you toting out a whole gobbler.
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

You may earn a Ziploc pro staff cap
Hobbes_mobile
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

Ive never done it. I just carry them out whole.
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joey46
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by joey46 »

I often gut them if it is a long walk back to the truck as much for cooling as weight. The actions described in the original post might not be legal in many places. A detached beard might be looked at suspiciously by a LEO if accompanying a dismembered bird. Spurs might help though.
spider316
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by spider316 »

ICDEDTURKES wrote: February 27th, 2023, 10:16 pm You may earn a Ziploc pro staff cap
Ziploc Prostaff, holy funny ! :LMAO: Sounds like all the ditch chicken chasers here the follow the pheasant stocking trucks. Nothing like finding 8 pheasants breasted out with the legs still attached ! :banghead:
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GLS
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by GLS »

Proverb: Large turkey and fish never take back alley home. Gil
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by crow »

bradr3367 wrote: February 27th, 2023, 9:58 pm Does anyone field dress your turkey in the woods after photos, tagging, and such? I'm talkin taking the breast, beard, legs w/spurs & thighs attached,& leaving the remains in the woods. I realize certain states may have different regs on this, but where legal, I'm gonna do it this year so I don't have to carry the whole bird out. I'm also thinking that it would attract less attention at a public WMA parking area, since no one would see you toting out a whole gobbler.

If I'm far from the truck and don't want the carcass for soup and it's legal I have done this. I also bring out he wings for the bones and feathers as much as for the meat. After taking off the thighs pull the skin up over the back (over top of the thighs)there are 2 pockets of meat, I get those also.

I let the meat cool out by spreading on branches and split it evenly into (2) 1 gallon zip lock bags left open to keep cooling out, I leave the thigh leg and feet as 1 piece.
you'll be taking 90-95% of the meat with you, what you carry out is about the same weight as what you leave in the woods. If there is phone service I call it in before butchering.


ziplock bags are as American as apple pie :struttin:
bradr3367
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by bradr3367 »

crow wrote: February 28th, 2023, 3:31 pm
bradr3367 wrote: February 27th, 2023, 9:58 pm Does anyone field dress your turkey in the woods after photos, tagging, and such? I'm talkin taking the breast, beard, legs w/spurs & thighs attached,& leaving the remains in the woods. I realize certain states may have different regs on this, but where legal, I'm gonna do it this year so I don't have to carry the whole bird out. I'm also thinking that it would attract less attention at a public WMA parking area, since no one would see you toting out a whole gobbler.

If I'm far from the truck and don't want the carcass for soup and it's legal I have done this. I also bring out he wings for the bones and feathers as much as for the meat. After taking off the thighs pull the skin up over the back (over top of the thighs)there are 2 pockets of meat, I get those also.

I let the meat cool out by spreading on branches and split it evenly into (2) 1 gallon zip lock bags left open to keep cooling out, I leave the thigh leg and feet as 1 piece.
you'll be taking 90-95% of the meat with you, what you carry out is about the same weight as what you leave in the woods. If there is phone service I call it in before butchering.


ziplock bags are as American as apple pie :struttin:
Do you leave the beard attached to one of the breast portions as well?
crow
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by crow »

I don't but I have thought about it, wouldn't be hard to do. I do leave a chunk of skin attached to the beard so it doesn't dry out and still looks fresh if stopped.

One time I got a mite turned around and came out on a woods road far from my truck, a kind soul gave me a ride in the back of his truck, when we got there he stayed and talked, the feet were popping up out of the vest, I shoved them back down and never mentioned the gobbler. I felt a little bad because he had been so nice, but not that bad. :LMAO:

Even though I shot the gobbler a couple hours from the truck, it was parked at one of my favorite spots and didn't want to draw any extra attention to it.
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GLS
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Re: field dressing your turkey

Post by GLS »

There was a meateater episode of a man hunting the mountains of NM. If memory serves, he hiked in 15 or more miles and after shooting one or two birds, field dressed the birds, hiked out with them to meet someone to take them out to refrigeration and went back in. Wore me out just listening to the account. Gil
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