TURKEY FIELD CARE INSTRUCTIONS
1. Harvest turkey.
2. If flopping... run to the bird...hold it by the head until it stops! Do not let your bird thrash it's gorgeous feathers, do not let other birds attack your dead turkey! Every single feather matters.
3. Take pics, high five, celebrate!
4. Admire birds beauty... open tail fan, enjoy the moment!
5. Time to work! Bring a large zip lock sandwich bag that has the following contents inside...
A. Large white trash bag
B. Four regular size white paper towels
C. Roll of electrical tape
6. Take one paper towel... dab... (not rub) any visual blood on any feathers. Dab it.... then take that same paper towel, ball it up, open mouth, place it down into the throat.
7. Take the other three paper towels, wrap them around the outside of the fleshy head in a circular motion so the entire head is wrapped in white paper towel.
8. Place sandwich bag over that same area, over the three white paper towels. Wrap that baggie with electric tape. A few times around will suffice. Tight enough so the baggie wont fall off. It just puts pressure on the head so the bag and towels don’t fall off. Don’t touch electric tape to ANY feathers. (this step stops the blood that comes out of the head from getting on the feathers)
9. Carry bird by the feet, over your shoulder. It will no longer drip blood.
10. Place in white trash bag loosely for the trip home, don’t seal that trash bag ... just to keep feathers clean, dry and from getting scuffed up. Don’t travel with them in the back of a black bed pick up in the sun. Don’t travel with them in back of truck where wind tears the feathers up.
11. If possible... buy a big bag of ice... place bird in big cooler, put bag of ice in first (leave ice in the bag) then lay white trash bag with enclosed turkey on top of ice, shut cooler. This will keep your bird from spoiling or starting the decomposition process .
•Do NOT gut the bird...
•Do NOT breast it out...
•Do NOT attempt to skin the bird...
12. Place turkey inside of a large thick black garbage bag. Fleet Farm bags from Toyland (orange ones) work awewome. Try to push the air out, wrap a string tie around the bag to seal air out. Place turkey carefully in freezer. Take care not to set items on top, especially tail area. Wait 4-6 hours, then open freezer, and flip the bird over, so the side that was facing up, is now facing down. This allows proper freezing of the entire bird in a timely manner.