# What do you do?



## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Thought I'd start a thread to see what everyone does with a bird that they were lucky enough to harvest. What parts of the bird do you keep? Fan? Beard? Spurs? More than that? What do you do with them (spurs, fan, beard, etc)? When it comes to the meat, what do you do? Do you breast the bird out? Pluck the whole thing? Legs/No legs?

I personally keep the fan, beard, and spurs. I've got a few of them mounted on the wall (beard/fan/spurs on each mount). I also have a couple sets of beard/fan/spurs laying around that I said I was gonna mount, but just haven't got around to it. I always plan on keeping beards and spurs for sure, but I'm not gonna mount every turkey I shoot so I'm beginning to wonder what I can do with the fans besides mounting. I know that they can be attached to decoys for more realism, but I don't have/use a strutting decoy for the fan so that idea is out. I know of an artist that will take a photograph and a turkey fan feather and paint the image onto the feather. It's really cool. As for the meat, I typically just breast the birds out. The legs aren't for me, too tough and stringy. IMO plucking is too much of a pain in the ass. I can have a bird breasted out in less than five minutes.

Let's hear what everyone else does


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

i do about the same things you do but i just keep the beards and spurs dry out and string up the spurs on a leather type shoe string . i have been to the wtf national convention and have seen the spurs on a neckless made up by people and they look really cool! once in a while i keep a fan but not yery often as i have to many mounted now .but i would like to try one on a decoy they seem to work good on those tv shows.i also breast out the turkey. but how do you cook it ? we grill it and sometimes deep fry turkey nuggets and dip it in ranch dressing. well good luck!


----------



## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I keep beard and spurs. A person can only keep so many fans. I have a couple fans mounted and I don&#8217;t need more. I skin and do the obvious things with breast meat. I take all the rest, cook it down and make turkey salad with it. Would also make decent turkey burgers, but I never feel like getting out the 100 lb grinder for 2 lbs of wild turkey meat.  I plucked my first bird. Never again.


----------



## squid_1 (Jun 2, 2005)

I grind up the thighs and breast and add some bob evans sausage make into patties and grill.


----------



## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

i will show you monday what we do lol :bananahuge::bananahuge:


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

i see first flite has no turkeys yet. maybe monday?


----------



## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

get on www.taxidermy.net/forum and I'll bet you can sell the fans...sometimes taxis will buy them to replace lost feathers on customer mounts...there's a lot of crafty people on there too who paint them,etc.etc. Don't expect to get rich though.

Being a taxidermist myself, I skin the birds and you can sell them that way too. Taxidermists will buy most anything if it is in good condition and is cared for. Take pics and post...you'll be surprised.


----------



## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Its illegal to sell any part of a wild animal for money. You can give stuff away. Can't sell it


----------



## floater99 (May 21, 2010)

I save the beards and spurs,mount with epxy in empty shell csg.
I pluk all my birds,roast the whole bird,roast just the brst,legs thighs i cook in crok pot with crm msrm soup then shred mt and pour over noodles YUMOLA.I would not grind up a breast they are to delish.Maks great fajitas also.


----------



## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

I_Shock_Em said:


> Its illegal to sell any part of a wild animal for money. You can give stuff away. Can't sell it


Shock Em...do you have a link...I may very well be missing it however we can sell furbearers, deer capes and antlers (if tagged) and wild turkey skins/feathers (if tagged). In Ohio, the tag usually stays with the meat or antlers, not the skin. I'm not saying you are wrong, but if you can find that in the regs., I will recant my statement. From ODNR:

Live furbearing animals, amphibians, reptiles, game quadrupeds, or game birds may not be held in captivity or sold except by propagation permit. 

Hides of fur-bearing animals taken legally during the open season may be sold during that open season. 

Furbearers may not be taken alive during open hunting and trapping seasons. 

Persons desiring to buy green or dried fur must have a fur dealers permit. 

It is unlawful to buy, sell or possess nongame birds or their parts, dead or alive. 

Thus, to my understanding, GAME birds (in this case turkeys) can be sold if dead w/out permit...as long as tagged.


----------



## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

So we have a few previous/past game wardens in our Ohio Taxidermist Association and talking with them in the past, it is NOT ilegal to sell legally tagged skins of deer or game birds...it is however, illegal to sell whole deer, whole turkeys, whole pheasants,etc. The way they say, as long as they are dead, tagged, and skinned then all is well.


----------



## Minnowhead (Jan 12, 2011)

I mounted my double beard turkey in full strut, so no more full mounts. I'll take a picture and put it in an album. That's it for the trophy room. I gave my fans to a lady who paints scenes on the feathers. As far as the meat, we smoke the breast and it turns out great. Also make a homemade "chicken " noodle soup with the chunks of meat. Very very good way to use up the turkey.


----------



## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Ojibwa- I'm in the process of trying to find a link. I cannot say for 100% certainty that I'm right, but I spoke with my taxidermist about this before and he said that if someone brings him something (fish, deer, etc) to mount, but never comes back for it and pays for it, he is stuck with it. He said that he is NOT allowed to sell any part of a wild animal. I'm pretty sure that the same concept applies to meat. I do know that it is illegal to sell the meat from a whitetail harvested in Ohio (unless it was farm raised). Not sure whether or not this applies to turkeys as well. If you find any links, post em. We'll figure this out


----------



## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

I'd like to get a full strut mount one day....definately gotta wait til I'm not living in an apartment with limited space though


----------



## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Got it. When it comes to the sales of TURKEY parts:

(H) Sales of turkey parts

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to buy, sell or offer for sale any wild turkey, or part thereof, taken from the wild, except:

(a) Legally acquired and possessed turkey feathers, bones, spurs, feet, skin and beards may be bought and sold at any time individually or as a wildlife ornamental product by the legal owner.

(b) Wild turkey taxidermy products may be bought or sold at any time. At the time of the purchase or sale the taxidermy product must be accompanied by a signed statement or receipt, legible in the English language, which lists the previous owner&#8217;s name, address and phone number, the state of kill(s) and the assigned tag, seal, certificate for legal ownership or permit number(s), if applicable, and the number of wild turkey, from which the said wild turkey parts originated, that were sold during the transaction. This information must remain with the taxidermy product unless said product(s) are disassembled and manufactured into a wildlife ornamental product(s).

Here's the link. it's at the bottom of the page

http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/1501:31-15-10

I did read that deer meat can be sold if it is tagged/certified by the DOW. Didn't come across anything yet when it comes to deer mounts/antlers. I would assume the same as turkey parts. Any idea if there are different rules for fish since they are not tagged?


----------



## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

I'm 99.9% sure that deer are the same way as turkeys. Ever notice why your deer processor keeps the backhides? They sell them.

I can't say anything w/ confidence about fish but from what I've been told (by other taxis) its a no no. This is because they can't track them b/c they're not tagged like you said.


----------



## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

weasel said:


> i see first flite has no turkeys yet. maybe monday?


dude with all the guys i have taken out we have gotten 9 as of today  and no i have no lifted my gun yet  there is no rush for me to kill my birds yet ..nobody get in there but me bawhaaa


----------

