By the end of your hunt, hopefully you’ve accomplished your goal (and tagged the bird if you’re required to do so). To make sure you get the most out of your catch you’ll need some key pieces to keep the meat fresh, clean and ready for cooking. At the very least, you’ll want to remove the beard and tail, gut the bird and pack it out to your vehicle as soon as possible.

FIELD DRESSING YOUR BIRD

  1. Hang your catch from a tree limb or lay it flat on its back.
  2. Locate the breast bone, found near the centre of the base of its neck. Follow along the breast bone to the rear of the bird until you reach the narrow point between the legs.
  3. Pluck a few feathers from this area, pull up the tip of the tail and make a shallow, horizontal cut just through the skin at the top of the vent, making sure the incision is large enough to fit your hand.
  4. Reach in and remove the entrails, windpipe, heart and lungs by pulling towards yourself.
  5. Separate the liver, heart and gizzard, and save them later. Make sure to open, empty and properly clean the gizzard before cooking.
  1. Once all of the organs have been removed, follow the intestine and cut around the vent. Make your cut precise so you don't puncture the intestine and let the contents get on the bird.
  2. Remove the head by making a cut high up on the neck. The neck contains a lot of meat that is great for stew.
  3. Make a cut on the turkey's neck and reach in to remove the crop, which is located at the top of the breast. Be gentle when removing the crop, as this is the bird's food storage organ and if it gets punctured, it can be messy.
  4. After the organs have been removed, rinse out the carcass with water and wipe it down with paper towels, or pack it with dry grass if you're still in the field.

COOLERS/STORAGE

Top pick: Cabela’s Polar Cap Equalizer® Coolers


A key step in preserving the animal is to drop its core temperature to prevent it from spoiling. You’ll need a large cooler, big enough to house the full bird. Do yourself a favour and make sure to pre-cool your cooler by throwing in some reusable ice packs.

Processing


Your turkey hunting pack needs to include a few quality tools to take your bird from field to plate safely and effectively. Whether you stick to just a field knife or want to go all out with a field processing set, take your time to choose the right gear for you.

Top pick: Havalon Piranta Edge Folding Knife

COOKING

Top pick: Masterbuilt® 30-inch Digital Electric Smoker


This isn’t your grandma’s butterball. There’s nothing better than eating a freshly harvested wild turkey. Just remember that wild turkey meat is going to be considerably leaner than the stuff you buy in store.

While it’s easy to over-cook and dry your bird out, all it takes is some time, care and a few key ingredients to make the moment you bite into the bird you put on the table, something special.

SIMPLE SMOKED TURKEY

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: Approx. 5.5 hours
Servings: 10+

Ingredients:

  • Apple juice
  • Water
  • 1 whole turkey (about 19 pounds), thawed if frozen
  • Cabela’s Marinade and Glaze, or your other favourite marinade
  • Cajun seasoning

Equipment:

  1. Fill the smoker's water tray with equal parts water and apple juice.
  2. Preheat smoker to 275°F.
  3. Rinse and dry the thawed turkey.
  4. Using a marinade injector, inject turkey with one jar of Cabela’s Marinade and Glaze, or your other favourite marinade.
  5. Season inside and outside of turkey with Cajun seasoning and rub it into skin.
  6. Position turkey on middle rack of your smoker and close the door.

Smoked Whole Turkey – Gravity Series

Source: Masterbuilt®


Ingredients:

  • 1 19-Pound Whole Turkey (Thawed or Frozen)
  • 1 Injectible Marinade or Chicken Broth
  • Cajun Seasoning
  1. Remove the intake slides from your Gravity Series grill. Grates should be "smoke" side up. Open charcoal hopper doors. Pour in charcoal if needed and fill hopper. Turn on and set temperature to 275˚F. Add wood chunk(s) to the Gravity Series Ash Bucket for additional smoke flavor.
  2. Rinse and dry the thawed turkey. Using a marinade injection syringe, inject turkey with your favourite injectable marinade. Season outside and inside of turkey with your favourite Cajun seasoning, rubbing it into the skin.
  3. Place turkey on grates and close lid. Smoke for 5 1/2 hours or until internal temperature in breast reaches 165˚F. Note: This total cooking time is for a 19-pound whole turkey. Based on the weight of your turkey, you will need to adjust the total cooking time. Estimated time at 275˚F is about 18 minutes per pound. Make sure your internal temperature in the breast reaches 165˚F.