You can talk to a taxidermist but what I have done for years is just let them air dry. If you do this make sure you get them in the form you want while they are still fresh as they will harden once dry.
I have added nothing to them and have lots I use for Hunter Education classes and some displays. Have even taken a rubber band tied down all toes except one which is now mounted as the Last Act of Defiance!
Can't show that here but is a good bar conversation plaque!
JW
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Turkey Hunting! ~ One Turkey Calling Another!
PRESERVING WILD TURKEY LEGS
[/align][/align] Wild turkey feet and legs decompose quickly, so I put the STOP-ROT to them as soon as possible. I just put them in a pan with a little STOP-ROT and then brush it on thoroughly over the feet and legs. The feet and legs are left in the STOP-ROT for thirty minutes to an hour.
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[/align]If the bird isn't going to be mounted right away, I inject the feet and legs with STOP-ROT before freezing. This helps to keep them from freezer burning and makes it easier to inject filler later.
[/align][/align][/align] PRESERVED WILD TURKEY LEGS
[/align][/align] I have used STOP-ROT in the following ways on wild turkey feet and legs, and couldn't really tell any big difference in performance on wild turkies that I have mounted right away. They have been:
[/align]1. soaked
[/align]2. brushed on
[/align]3. brushed on and injected
[/align]4. soaked and injected.
[/align][/align][/align] The two above photos show wild turkey legs and feet that have had nothing done to them other than a STOP-ROT treatment. They look pretty darn good like that, but I go ahead and mist on just a little color. A guy that can't paint very well might consider just using a clear spray for a sealer, even if they fade someover time, that will still look better than a bad paint job.
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[/align]If the bird is fresh, you can flesh and wire wheel the skin before using the STOP-ROT, but you will probably be better off to go ahead and use it right up front. When these guys bring you birds that have been in the back of a pick up just a little too long, and the skins are turning green, you better get the STOP-ROT on right away.
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[/align]Just like you see in the picture sequence, there isn't anything to using STOP-ROT. You just brush it on the flesh side and let it work for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. You can see it start to work on a wild turkey skin just like you do on a mammal skin.
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I just let em air dry. I have one set that spread out the toes like it was walking and tied the leg to an upright post. After they dried I untied them and now they stand on their own. I like JW's bird flipping the bird, sounds like a novel way to do it!
preserving turkey legs
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