Gobble gobble Spring Turkey 2025

[Lostinthewoods]

I have a few goals for this 2025 season.

Kill two Missouri birds with my bow.
Get my eight year old daughter her first turkey.
Help 2-3 people get a bird.

I've been trapping some farms like crazy, so it's great seeing the turkey population improve and I can share the successes with friends.

Then if life, time, money, etc allows it... I'll chase them in NM, OK, or KY.

 

[Birdbander]

I thankfully received some very relieving news today.
I'll be planning a long weekend turkey hunt to a friend's in Indiana then hunting here at home in Michigan.

 

[WildWill]

Last year was rough for me spent quite a bit of time trying to get a legal bird in range. They just weren't talking and it was hard to find them. I got complacent and after about a week of hunting (not consecutively) finally had a pair of 2 year olds work into my set. They came in without a gobble and one minute I'm dealing with a text from work the next they're 10 yards away. I was startled and rushed spooking them a bit they go to leave and I sent a shot over the closest at like 15 yards as he stopped to look back.

 

[Nick87]

What's the preferred method for cooking your turkeys? A buddy of mine ground all of his into turkey burger mixed with bacon, red pepper flakes and fennel. Never been a fan of turkey burgers but that was damn good.

 

[WildWill]

What's the preferred method for cooking your turkeys. A buddy of mine ground all of his into turkey burger mixed with bacon, red pepper flakes and fennel. Never been a fan of turkey burgers but that was damn good.

I'm about 50/50 on smoking the breast or frying nuggets. The legs and thighs become pozole. I've made some breakfast sausage out of it and pears that was good but not better then pork.

 

[ccc23454]

Buffalo style nuggets! Cut them into pieces same rough size if possible, drop in a bag with some garlic salt and flour, drop in fryer (not that air crap, grease!) Remove, toss in bowl with 2/3 franks, 1/3 butter (add pepper flakes or more heat if your style). Remove let dry some and eat with blue cheese and celery

 

[Nick87]

pozole

I love pozole.

 

[Bonasababy]

Like to get out with my 7 year old grandson this year, which should be an adventure. Around the home place our nearest neighbor would like to take a bird with his even younger son--so I need to see if I can get them to show up right in our yard like last year. Could have shot one from our front porch!

 

[Sheltowee]

What's the preferred method for cooking your turkeys. A buddy of mine ground all of his into turkey burger mixed with bacon, red pepper flakes and fennel. Never been a fan of turkey burgers but that was damn good.

Cut the breast into fingers, lightly flatten with a meat mallet, brine in pickle juice for a couple of hours, lightly flour, egg wash then coat in panko or Italian breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown and serve with Chickfila sauce.

The legs and thighs are highly, highly underrated. I can't believe some guys toss those. Either a low and slow barbacoa or, my favorite, simmer in a crockpot with half white wine, half water, onion, celery, parsley, whole peppercorns, little salt all day. Then, pull the meat from the bones, strain the stock, boil some egg noodles, return meat and noodles to the crockpot for turkey noodle soup.

 

[Gellar]

What's the preferred method for cooking your turkeys? A buddy of mine ground all of his into turkey burger mixed with bacon, red pepper flakes and fennel. Never been a fan of turkey burgers but that was damn good.

Im convinced that gutting them and than hanging for at least 24 hours in a refrigerator is key! But after that time I pluck the bird and then separate it into pieces: legs and thighs, wings, breasts and lose meat (after I piece it out I get about 1 pound of other meat) I smoke what’s left of the whole carcass for a few hours. After the smoker I put it in the roaster with carrots, onions, celery, and herbs covered in water at 200 degrees for at least 24 hours, adding water as needed. Here’s what I do with the other pieces.
Lose meat- just like Nick said, ground with bacon, peppers, etc. southwest turkey burgers are the friggen cats meow!
Wings, thighs, legs-carnitas, follow hanks shaws recipe.
Breasts-I love breasts! I smoke one and slice it. I pound one thin about 1/2-3/4 “ and deep fry them. I’m still smiling from when my kids proudly proclaimed “This is better than Chick Fil A!”

 

[Bigjay73]

I have a question that @Nick87 and I have been talking about.

Decoy setups. Do you run a hen? A hen and Jake? No decoy?

Personally I hunt run n gun so I carry a collapsible hen decoy from Montana decoys. I think it’s called Miss Puurfect or something like that. I set it out 50% of the time depending on my set up. If I’m in the woods I don’t set up a decoy, but if I’m in the open I will set one out.

Hen only. A mid morning gobbler gets pretty lonely

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I have a question that @Nick87 and I have been talking about.

Decoy setups. Do you run a hen? A hen and Jake? No decoy?

Personally I hunt run n gun so I carry a collapsible hen decoy from Montana decoys. I think it’s called Miss Puurfect or something like that. I set it out 50% of the time depending on my set up. If I’m in the woods I don’t set up a decoy, but if I’m in the open I will set one out.

I spend a lot of time thinking about this question. I probably overthink it to be honest.

I always feel like decoys look so fake, but I try them. I tend to put them in vegetation where they can be a little obscured because I think they look so unlifelike.

I have tried just a hen, hen and Jake, just a Jake, full strut tom and an array of like three hens and two jakes really spread out in a pasture. I have been successful with the big array, the single hen and the hen/Jake combo. I have also been successful with no decoy.

I tend towards no decoy and the main reason for that is that I have had too many deer get interested in the decoys and basically scare the actual turkeys away...

But I will probably lug a full tom, a Jake and a hen out with me everywhere I go this spring. Cuz I'm a dummy.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

As for my plans, I have three Illinois tags. I have a tag for the county my parents live in. I a hoping that I can hunt the woods I got my turkey in 2 years ago. It is the 1st season so I plan on taking a couple days off work to hunt that tag since there are no weekend days in that season.

I have a tag for the 3rd season at a skate park in north west Illinois. I have hunted it before and I am hoping this year I will have the ability to put it all together.

I have a 4th season tag with a buddy of mine for another piece of public ground also in north west Illinois. I've never been there, but I am hoping to go out this Saturday to scout a little bit. I am interested in exploring this new spot but I am also hoping I can get my buddy his second bird. It has been 6 or 7 years since he got one.

 

[CPAjeff]

What's the preferred method for cooking your turkeys? A buddy of mine ground all of his into turkey burger mixed with bacon, red pepper flakes and fennel. Never been a fan of turkey burgers but that was damn good.

Lots of butter and seasoning in a foil pan on the grill:



Or bacon wrapped on the grill: