04/18/2026
**Field care for your turkey **
Good luck to all the Indiana youth and Kentucky turkey hunters tommarow. Thought I’d share a few tips to help you get the best mount possible.
#1 Shoot your turkey in the head! Especially if you are shooting TSS. I know it’s hard to get them out of strut sometimes but the less shot you get in the birds body the nicer the mount will be. Especially with TSS it is hard on feathers.
#2 Don’t stomp on his head! Carefully sn**ch him up by the legs and just let him flop while you hang onto him. Most of the time you are gonna stomp out some neck feathers or damage the head which we will be sending off to have freeze dried.
#3 Carry him by the legs but don’t torque on the leg bones too hard as they can snap occasionally.
#4 If you cannot get to your taxidermist, put a paper towel in the birds mouth then slide a plastic bag over its head. This keeps blood from the head off the feathers. Fold the head against the body and put it in a trash bag but be easy on the fan. Do not tie the bag around the fan. Just keep it loose. Then you can put your bird it the freezer until you can get him to the taxidermist. If kept in there too long the legs will start to freezer burn but a few weeks is no problem.
Praying everyone has a safe and memorable hunt tomorrow. Good luck.