The first thing to keep in mind is that nearly the entire
turkey can be used for something. The wing bones can be
transformed into turkey calls, the primary wing feathers
into arrow fletchings and the secondary wing, tail and body
feathers into fishing flies. Christmas wreaths, dry flower
arrangements, pins, earrings, necklaces, bolos, blankets,
hats and many other items can be fashioned from wild turkey
feathers, spurs, beards and bones.

But of cooking is what you have in mind there are two main
methods that yield good results: skinning and plucking.

Skinning a wild turkey is easy and, with practice, can take
less than three minutes per bird. This method of preparation
also reduces the amount of fat and cholesterol that gather
in the skin.

The first step to skinning a wild turkey is to hang it
from the head and cut off the wings at the first joint.
Then, remove the beard by pulling gently and cutting the
loose skin at the base. The next step is to remove the
lower legs by cutting around the joint where the feathers
meet the scaly part of the leg.

Remove the cape next by inserting a knife into the neck
skin where the feathers start on the back of a gobbler's
neck. Continue the cut down the neck and back following
the subtle division between the back and breast feathers.
Continue the cuts down to the base of the tail feathers
and sever the fan by cutting the fatty tissue known as
the "pope's nose." The cape and fan can then be put
aside for mounting until the job of butchering is
completed.

The remainder of the turkey's skin is removed by pulling
and trimming with a knife where needed. The skin is
removed from the legs by rolling it down as far as
possible, that then it is severed with a circular
cut of the knife.

Next, remove the upper wings and legs. Starting at the
base of the neck, strip the skin from the carcass. The
entrails can now be removed by cutting from the tail to
the tip of the breastbone and cutting around the anus.
Using your hand, reach in and pull out the viscera, trying
not to tear them.

The breast fillets are removed by inserting the knife blade
along the ribs and cutting toward the keel bone, being
careful to keep the breast half in one large piece.

If you want to keep the skin on the bird and want to
try plucking, there are two main methods: wet or dry
plucking.

If a source of nearly boiling water is available, wet
plucking is the most effective. The first thing to do
is dunk the bird head first into the water, submerging
it to where the feathers end on the thighs. Swish the
bird in the bath for 10 seconds and remove. Then hang
the bird from its head and start plucking. Pliers may
have to be used for the larger wing feathers.

If there is no water available, hang the bird head-up
and sever the outer wing bones at the joint with a
knife. Pull the larger feathers out with a pair of
pliers and pluck the rest by hand. Next, remove the
entrails and wash the body cavity with water.

The last step with either dry or wet plucking is to
remove the small, hair-like feathers, or down. This
is best done with a flame from either a small propane
torch or a torch made from tightly rolled newspaper.
The bird's skin should be dry before this process.
Lightly run the flame over the bird, being careful
not to burn the skin.

For a quick-cleaning method, many hunters simply
choose to breast the bird out. Simply cut the beard
free as mentioned above and cut the skin along the
breast bone. You can then peel the skin away, exposing
the breast, the major source of meat on the turkey,
and cut them away from the breast bone as described
above also.


http://www.wanwtf.org