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Field Care Tips for Wild Turkeys

Copyright © 2010 by Anne Vinnola

 So you are heading out for a gorgeous day of turkey hunting. Are you prepared for having your turkey mounted by a taxidermist? Many turkey hunters don’t go past the kill part of their planning, they assume they are just going for the meat and are not prepared when a trophy walks into shooting view.

Turkeys are impressive mounted in a home. Here are some tips to help you get your turkey to the taxidermist in the best shape for a beautiful showpiece for your home or office.

Hopefully you have checked out the taxidermists in your area months before hunting season. Not every taxidermist is good at birds. Birds and fish are some of the more difficult specimens to do well. Look carefully at the turkeys in the taxidermy shop you visit. Balance is very important in a turkey mount. Does the bird appear to be ready to fall over or stumble sideways or does it look right for the position it is in? You as a hunter have a pretty good idea of how a turkey should look.

When aiming at your bird, try to wait for a shot that will not damage the fan. This seems obvious but many hunters get busy watching the tail feathers and shoot holes right through their trophy; sort of like hunters watching the racks on large bucks. The head can be replaced if necessary, but the tail feathers are harder to match.

Get over to your bird right away after you have shot it. You will want to prevent any possible thrashing around that may get the turkey dirty or harm the feathers. 

 Carry the bird by the legs not the neck. Keep it out of the dirt and weeds and if it is still bleeding place cotton or paper towels into the mouth to stop the blood flow.

Cool your turkey completely.  NEVER place a warm bird in a plastic bag, cooler or other tightly sealed container. Put it into a cool shady place with a breeze, opening up the wings and legs a bit if possible until it s thoroughly cooled.  

Decide what you want to do with your bird. Do you want a full body mount or just a fan display?  Full body turkeys are very impressive and showy and one you are going to have mounted in a full body mount really should be kept intact until you get it to the taxidermist; but you can free the breast meat only to use it if you follow these steps.

1.  Weigh the bird, so the taxidermist will know what size body to place back into the bird.

2. Place the bird on its back on a clean surface and find the line on the breast just under the beard, where there aren’t any feathers and begin your incision; cutting just deep enough to cut through the skin.

3. Cut with your clean knife facing up downward toward the vent being careful not to cut feathers. Stop your incision just above the vent. 

4. With your fingers and gently work the skin away from the breast working your way toward the back.

5. With a sharp knife remove the breast meat only from the carcass and set aside.

6. Place damp paper towels into the bird and place into a bag, keeping it dry and cool.

7. Take it to the taxidermist immediately or freeze it.

 If you will need to ship your turkey or haul it far then take some cardboard to wrap around the tail feathers or to sandwich the tail feathers, to keep them from becoming bent or frayed.

Save the spurs and the beard of your turkey and if you like the shotgun shell or arrow used to kill the bird also. A fan mounted with the beard is beautiful and the spurs are also a fun bragging piece.

When looking for a place in your home to display your bird, be sure there is no direct heat source such as a fireplace or furnace vent close by or anyway for dogs to get at it.

 Wild Turkey and Rice Soup

 Two turkey breasts cut into bite sized pieces.

3-4 stocks of celery chopped,

1 small can water chestnuts chopped

One small onion chopped

1 box or 3 cans of chicken broth

1 tbs. parsley

½ tsp. sage or poultry seasoning

½ tsp. rosemary

1 tsp black pepper

Dash salt

1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend

Dried cranberries, sliced onion and chopped walnuts for garnish

________________________________________________________________

Saute’ turkey breast, celery and onion together until the celery and onion are transparent and the turkey slightly browned.

Add broth, parsley, sage or poultry seasoning,rosemary, pepper, salt and rice and simmer until rice is tender.

Just before serving add chopped water chestnuts. 

Serve in large bowls with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and green onions as garnish.

Tell us what you think! Do you like the recipe and how can you use this field care info? 

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Camp Chef ~ SHOT SHOW Goodies!

Camp Chef's Hot pot keeps hot water at your fingertips!

The Camp Chef Dutch Oven Dome turns your dutch oven into a convection oven.

 For anyone who hasn’t yet heard of Camp Chef, you need to look this company up right now! This is THE way to cook outdoors.

 Camp Chef started in 1990 when engineer Ty Measom realized that there was little available for outdoor cooking. He designed the DB-60D a powerful 2 burner stove with shelves and with the huge success of that item he began offering more products for outdoor cooking.

Fast forward several years to the Hot Pot, this is a great item for any outdoor kitchen.  Made of steel with an enamel coating both inside and out including a steel lid to retain heat, this pretty red pot heats 20 quarts of liquid easily, another great feature is the spigot on the side that dispenses water for hot chocolate, spiced cider, broth or washing dishes easily and quickly.

The Hot Pot is sturdy, attractive and retails for around $54.

The Dutch Oven Dome is an ingenious product that turns your cast iron dutch oven into a convection oven. I watched the video online at the CampChef.com website and the Dome makes dutch oven cooking SO easy! It comes in a kit with a “flame tamer” that spreads out the flame, along with the dome itself that is made of the same flame resistant material used by firefighters.

The Dutch Oven Dome retails for approximately $38.

Camp Chef is also releasing several exciting new products this year! Watch AnnieGotHerGun.com for more info!

Editorial by Don Bendell
 
WHAT WE  MUST DO ABOUT TERRORISM!
 
            Without being seen by our seemingly half-asleep national security forces, eight members of al-Qaida, trained in both Pakistan and Yemen, took over the midwest American high school armed with AK-47s, pistols, rocket propelled grenades, two machine guns, and remote-controlled Claymore mines. Within minutes of the school take-over, even before the local police and sheriff’s deputies arrived in force, the radical jihadists started screaming “Alluyah Ahkbar!” over and over while mowing down dozens of screaming innocent students and teachers. Firing their automatic weapons, they also tossed hand grenades down hallways and into some rooms filled with hiding children. Hundreds of children and teachers were executed even before the first SWAT team was in place.
            This is horrible and inexcusable, isn’t it? It is fictional but similar happened in Russia. Alarmingly, it is the exact scenario which has been practiced in al-Qaida training camps over and over, just waiting to launch such attacks in America. Shall we wait for our children to die to then act decisively?
            In life or death confrontations, second place never works. Many people are yelling and complaining about stopping terrorists, but very few  offer solutions. I do. If there is one thing in this world that I know as an expert and understand very well: That is fighting, protecting your loved ones, and winning. How must we stay ahead of the terrorists and stay alive?
            We must first, overcome denial, now. We have tried our nice feel-good tactics to suck up to the fanatical jihadists, such as electing a President with a Muslin name, adding a few Muslims to Hollywood and Beltway A-Party lists, and other stratagems to prove we are not prejudiced. It did not work with bullies on the playground taking our lunch money, and it will not work now. The al-Qaida, a fanatical well-organized, well-equipped, and well-trained guerilla army; secretly backed by both Iran and China, has one mindset, Dar el Islam, the Nation of Islam,” meaning world domination by Islam under Sharia law, where women wear burqas, are beaten regularly, and have zero rights, and all human rights are a joke. They want to convert or kill all Christians and kill all Jews, period. The only thing that will deter that is winning the supposedly non-existent Global War On Terrorism.          Usama bin Laden has stated many times that his number one goal is to detonate nuclear devices in two major American cities simultaneously with large Jewish populations during daylight hours for maximum terror affect. This is well-documented. He was behind 9-11, eight years after the first World Trade Center attack that was not quite as successful. Another eight years has passed and Flight 253 was a protected blessing from God and a warning for us, a divinely-inspired two by four across our head to get our attention. We must think post-9-11 not pre-9-11 for our survival.
            To that end, write to the White House and your congressman and insist that the President fires Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and replace her with someone who is not in over their head, such as House Armed Services Committee Chair Duncan Hunter or Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, and then let them do their job. By the same regard, insist that the President allow his generals and admirals to do their job without any interference by him or other politicians, as it was done in World War II where we won with unconditional surrender. In like manner, those same generals and admirals are to be ordered to allow their field commanders, who have been trained at a high cost, and with “boots on the ground” to be allowed to command their battles and combat situations without micromanagement from air-conditioned staff and command offices.
            Next, we MUST take the handcuffs and shackles off of our troops. According to the NY Times, the rules of engagement in Afghanistan state the following:
   “1. No night or surprise searches.
    2. Villagers have to be warned prior to searches.
    3. ANA or ANP must accompany U.S. units on searches.
    4. U.S. soldiers may not fire at the enemy unless the enemy is
    preparing to fire first.
    5. U.S. forces cannot engage the enemy if civilians are present.
    6. Only women can search women.
    7. Troops can fire at an insurgent if they catch him placing an IED
    but not if insurgents are walking away from an area where explosives
    have been laid.”
            This is insane! It is absolutely ludicrous and our troops will certainly be killed and can never win operating under such rules. Further, several Navy SEALs are charged and being court-martialed because a prisoner accused them of abuse with only a bloody lip to show for it. In POW training as a young Special Forces officer, I was water-boarded, given a black eye, split lip, broken rib, numerous cuts, tortured; and it probably made me a much safer and more effective officer in Vietnam. Guess what? I am still alive and in my sixties now and would go through the training again for my nation, gladly. The Commander in Chief should court-martial any senior officers who would even bring up such ludicrous charges against these fine brave warriors or any in similar circumstance. Why would any brave young American desire to go into specops or into combat if their commanders will not back them up? This thinking lends itself to the governmental mindset which has filtered down through every over-crowded branch of our giant bureaucracy.   
            Since Barack Obama took office, the Beltway mindset has been to cover you’re a*#, and not protect our homeland or our military. The President made it clear, we would become a kinder, gentler nation, so everybody in government positions are unwilling to stick their necks out to issue warnings, protect our citizenry, or speak out against possible terrorists for fear of being labeled a racist, intolerant, or too aggressive. Our Commander-In-Chief stated that the war does not exist, even though the al-Qaida declared jihad (Holy War) and started waging it when Jimmy Carter was President. Afraid of losing their lucrative bureaucratic jobs in a bad economy, many Beltway staffers have become Obamaphobes.
            Finally, regarding our airways. Muslims are not often terrorists but terrorists are always Muslims. Target mideasterners between 18 and 40 years of age in airport security. Search them thoroughly and not white-haired, white-skinned grandmothers. In other words, protect us, use common sense, and STOP the social experimentation crap and political correctness in airport security. Any pilot, co-pilot, or navigator riding in a locked cockpit and responsible for propelling hundreds safely through the atmosphere at 30,000 feet in a machine, should have enough common sense to be taught gun safety and proper gun handling and should be allowed to carry concealed weapons in the cockpit, in accepted calibers and nomenclature that will not penetrate the aircraft skin if fired.  
            Anybody in national security, law enforcement, airline security, and border and port security in supervisory positions needs to be able to communicate with each other with no concern about jurisdictional dispute, and also must be held totally accountable for any and all lapses.
            You will never win any fight, war, or self defense situation by acting wimpy, indecisive, or bowing down to your enemy. This only empowers them. They see it as weakness, and our nation is now viewed that way by other nations. They see us as naïve, weak, and easily-manipulated. We are not. We are Americans, but that is how our leaders have been presenting us to the world. It must first start with overcoming denial.
 
Don Bendell is the author of 27 books, including his newest novel, DETACHMENT DELTA, about modern day Delta Force(Jan, 2009, Berkley Books), with over 2,000,000 copies of his books in print worldwide and the new western novel STRONGHEART, (Berkley Books, 2010) which will be released this year. Don is a popular editorialist who has appeared on FOX NEWS LIVE, and many national radio shows. A 70% disabled vet, Don served as an officer in 4 Special Forces (Green Beret) Groups, including a 1968-1969 tour on an A-team in Vietnam, as well as the Top Secret Phoenix Program and has two sons in Special Forces.  A 1995 inductee into the International Karate Hall of Fame and a Grandmaster in 5 martial arts, he and his Master wife, Shirley, also own karate schools in southern Colorado and are the first couple in history BOTH inducted into the Hall of Fame. Don is “a real cowboy with a real horse and real ranch” and lives outside Florence, Colorado. Write him at don@donbendell.com.
 
 
 
Don Bendell
Visit Don’s new site: www.donbendell.com
Buy Don’s military thriller DETACHMENT DELTA now, and watch for his new western STRONGHEART, 2010.