Species?

[gwhunter]

I'm thinking I would just dunk it in boiling water and scald it like my mom did chickens when we lived on the farm. The feathers come right off.

IIRC you don't necessarily want the water to be boiling. I think the ideal temp is around 160ish degrees. You keep dunking it in and out of the water, leaving it submerged for around 5-10 seconds each dunk, until the tail/wing feathers pull out with minimal resistance. This is the way I have done it with the 5-10 chickens I do per year that my wife raises.

 

[gwhunter]

Yep! My pard uses the same diaphragm for turkey's, elk, and coyotes. Lots of online places to listen to the sounds they make in order to mimic them. I use both a diaphragm and a slate call. The later is very easy to learn to make noises with and I've had both work.

Another call that I think is even easier to use is a box call. There are lots of tools to call in turkeys and I like the box call the best because I can't use a diaphragm call to save my life.

 

[EasternMTHunter]

The best temps for scalding are 147-155. It will take about 5-7 minutes for a turkey. You should also add a little dish soap to the water as well as it helps the water penetrate better. It is best to lightly/moderately pull on one of the primary feathers on the wing (long ones at the tip). When it comes out with minimal reistance they are ready to pluck. We did 17 home raised turkeys this year. The bad part is I usually have to heat up a 55 gallon garbage can to dip them in. My biggest tom this year was 39#s. Getting him in the water was hard but getting him out was a bit more challenging. Hope this helps

 

[JohnCushman]

I use a variety of calls, ie: diaphragm, slate, and box, to sound like multiple hens. That would sound true to my decoys for a tom to look at. It took a lot of practice, but I've gotten to where I can do the diaphragm and either box or slate at the same time.

 

[James Riley]

I remember out elk hunting once and I found this little camo box with a stick in it. I thought WT . . ? I thought maybe it was part of a booby trap or something. I checked it out for safety, picked it up and messed with it and then the little light bulb went off over my head. I've still got it somewhere. I'll have to break it out.

Growing up in Northern Colorado I never saw a wild turkey. I guess they've made quite a comeback. I know I get 30 or so around here (south-central CO) in the winter, eating my crab apples and whatnot. They are funny with their pecking order routines.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

I would pay anyone $5 to do that crap

this!!! LOL

 

[Hummer]

I didn't know there were different species until I read the "Grand Slam" thread. I've never hunted them and the only birds I've ever hunted were small and I just ripped the breast out. How do you get the feathers off or do you just skin them and keep the meat? What species are these (south central Colorado mountains)? They are on my place but they only come down in the winter:

Those could be some of the ~120 Merriams that were netted on the High Lonesome Ranch in NW CO and transplanted to the San Luis Valley last February. If all goes well with the trapping more will be taken there next month.

The birds are baited to a site under a net. When they come in at first light the net drops and the team rushes in to hold the birds and prevent injury. One by one they are carefully extracted from the net and boxed for transport to a new home.

Wrassling turkeys can be fun....

 

[gwhunter]

Cool pics! Thanks for posting them up.

 

[James Riley]

Cool pics! Thanks for posting them up.

+1!

 

[JMG]

My Dad and I (when I was younger) raised 100 turkeys. When butchering came, we would purchase a brand new metal garbage can, Mom would boil water .... pour it into the empty metal garbage can (and kept the boiling water coming). We would chop the head off and after the bird stopped flopping around, we would dunk the bird in the hot water, and the feather would pull out with ease. This process stinks, but it does two things; 1) it would kill any lice on the bird(s); and 2) for whatever reason .... it makes the feathers pull out with ease (with the exception of the large wing and tail feathers). Once the bird was plucked . . . . then we gutted them and cut the leg off.

If you have the time and large pot to dunk the bird . . . . try it. I did it with the wild turkey I shot and it worked. I used a medium size rubber made container to hold the hot water.

 

[1_pointer]

If that box doesn't make any noise, apply some chalk along the contact surfaces. The location of the ends of the spring, which apply pressure on the noise maker part (technical term ) also can matter. Those box calls are super easy to use and can be quite effective.

 

[O C Hunter]

There is only one species of turkey. There are 6 subspecies: Eastern, Osceola, Merriams, Goulds, Rio Grande, and Oscillated. Yours are probably Merriams.

 

[DrH]

Well, I will continue to take the breast and legs, whether any of you like it or not. I do not want to cook and eat a whole turkey more than once a year. I plucked the first 50 I killed and got tired of cooking them on their sides or propping them up since they won't lie on their backs, and do not want to pluck any more. And, I do not want to store a half dozen whole turkeys in my freezer each year. It's a lot easier to cook a breast on the grill or in the crock pot than a whole turkey. I suggest you pluck or not, however YOU want, not how the rest of the world thinks you ought to do it.