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Joined: Oct 2013
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Actually, I FIRMLY believe that a wild turkey is FAR better tasting than store bought, and I never waste anything from my birds, ever. I generally cook wings and thighs and carcass down and pull the meat for turkey soup with the saved broth, or turkey salad. Breasts are generally filleted and grilled. Sometimes I’ll fry the whole bird, skinless. Tender, juicy, and full of flavor..... which I can’t comprehend anyone ever saying about any store bird unless they brined it forever and injected it. I guess I would caveat that I’ve never eaten anything but acorn eating and bugging easterns and rios.

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like wild birds,depends whats they been eating,i smoke them or deep fry them.real tender.

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Do some of your states require particular parts of a bird to be used?

In Montana, the breast, thighs and wings are considered edible meat and are required to be taken. The legs are not.

I've tried the wings and thighs smoked, broiled, fried and whatever other way---and they all sucked (the breast too for that matter, but that's a different story). Almost makes me want to stop hunting them-or not.

These days I breast the bird out like many others have said above, cut into 1 inch cubes and soak in salt water overnight and then smoke it. It makes decent snacks. You could put them on salads, if you'll admit to eating those.

The wings and thighs I strip from the bone, then freeze and wait for when I have some deer or elk grind meat, then mix it in.



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I think in Texas tossing the legs and thighs is illegal although done often.

Use the thighs for: Tamales, Gumbo, Soup, chili, Coq Au Van, Wet Smoked, In dry sausage, or one of the best is to slow cook the thighs and make meaty gravy then fry the breast and cover with the gravy over rice or mashed potatoes it is hard to beat.

Turkey sausage is one thing that recovering heart patients can eat. Make some for a friend in need.

Last edited by Tejano; 04/15/18.

"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." Niccolo Machiavelli
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The few I bagged in the past, I plucked, or skinned whole. Today, I whacked a nice 22 1/2 pounder and decided to breast him and pluck the legs and thighs in one piece. Still a good bit of work, but nothing like plucking one. I'll do the legs in a slow-cooker. If that makes deer shanks fall-off-the-bone tender (it does!), it'll do bird legs.

There's a LOT of meat on a big turkey, even leaving the wings and back.


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Mentioned this on another thread, but aging gamebirds (especially old ones) helps tenderize them just like it does big game. We field-dress our turkeys, then keep 'em in a cooler for a week. Some of the older ones we part out, but use all the parts in various ways. A younger bird, plucked and roasted, is always better tasting than a store bird.


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After I shot enough big Toms over the years I started taking Jakes. They taste better to me. I breast them and take both legs/thighs. They are great in Turkey soup. The breasts usually go in the crock pot or on the grill. A couple of times we picked them but the traditional baking isn't as good, to me anyway, as grilled or put in the crock pot.

We also make Turkey salad sandwiches with what is left.

I have pulled a lot of pheasants apart by standing on the wings and pulling on the legs but I don't know anybody who can pull a Turkey apart that way.

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Ready for the oven....almost

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