TURKEY Field Care; Now you have prepared for this turkey
hunting trip all winter, checked your shotgun pattern and shells (or better your bow), got
all of your calls tuned and ready, got the best camo on the market, put a nylon stocking
in your day pack. What !!!, a nylon stocking, for what???? Glad you asked. When you go into the
field you should be equally prepared to preserve that bird in the best condition for your
taxidermist i.e. THE NYLON STOCKING.
We all know a lady maybe a wife, sister, girlfriend, mother, aunt and even a
neighbor if need be. They go through nylons like we go through shells, so just
ask for a old pair that they are going to throw out anyway.
Now what you will need to do is cut about two (2) feet
of the thigh area of the stocking for a big
bird like turkey or Geese and the calf area for smaller birds like ducks or
grouse. Tie a knot in one end, than when you
harvest that bird take a paper towel and stuff
down the beak that will stop the blood from running out. Now put the head
first into the nylon stocking (you can also tuck
the head up under the wing) and just let it slip on down, now tie a
knot at the other end. This will hold all of the feathers tight to the body
and will prevent them from being broken.
All your taxidermist will have to do is cut the knot at the head end and
slide it out, i.e. perfect condition!!. Remember the better shape you bring
it to your taxidermist the better it will come back to you.
If you are not going to take it to your taxidermist right away, than you will need to
freeze it, so get a plastic garbage bag and put the turkey and stocking into the bag, wrap
it and freeze it. What ever you do DO NOT GUT it!!!!!!!!! If you want the meat get
it to the Taxidermist right away just keep it cool until you get it there.
Now is the time to go visit your taxidermist of choice, before you go hunting. Ask
questions, like will he/she be available on the days you will be hunting, so you can bring
the turkey to be skinned, (because you want the meat). Ask to see reference pictures that
he/she will use to mount your bird, if they say they don’t need reference pictures it
is time to get out of there and look somewhere else. Also don’t be limited to your
driving area, if you know a good taxidermist there is always Overnight mail. It always
upsets me to here someone say they have a bad mount but that is the only Taxidermist in my
area. It may cost a little more for the shipping cost but the rewards are well worth the
cost. You might want to ask how he/she will preserve the head i.e., skin mount,
artificial, or freeze dried. I like the freeze dried method myself it eliminates the
chance of bugs getting into the head, and the head hair stays intact.
If you need more information or Question Please Email me.
