Do you No Funswickians have to take a turkey course?
Yes we NB hunters will have to take a course. They are expecting allot if they plan on hunting this May.
GETERDONE
THAT A GOOD THING! The course is mundane, but this is one of the only times you will dress in full camo and call for your query to come to you(if you aren't a run and gunner) . It is SO SO easy to mistake even the worse call as the real thing.
Remember the general population does some really dumb crap on a daily basis, but during a turkey hunt they are carrying a shotgun. A little education goes a long way.
Since Ontario dropped the course requirements every hunter says literally " now we can hunt turkey without doing a course!". These are literally people who don't hunt turkey simply because they didn't want to take a course.
Now they are walking freely from the basspro parking lot with there new Mossberg 12bore and UnderArmer camo straight into the woods with their HS strut combo pack and the instructional DVD still in the wrapper.
Good news is they are typically at the coffee shop by 8am.
What does wild turkey taste like? I've eaten wild ruffed grouse, pheasant, waterfowl, and spruce grouse of which I'll never do again lol. Is the meat a little tough with just a hint of wild taste, similar to comparing grouse to domestic chicken?
Wayne
From my experience, a mature turkey will have TOUGH legs, seems like most just use the breast meat and it will have a slightly wild taste. A younger bird will taste similar to a store bought turkey, not nearly as tough legs and little to no wild taste.
You need to get one to find out for yourself!
What does wild turkey taste like? I've eaten wild ruffed grouse, pheasant, waterfowl, and spruce grouse of which I'll never do again lol. Is the meat a little tough with just a hint of wild taste, similar to comparing grouse to domestic chicken?
Wayne
From my experience, a mature turkey will have TOUGH legs, seems like most just use the breast meat and it will have a slightly wild taste. A younger bird will taste similar to a store bought turkey, not nearly as tough legs and little to no wild taste.
You need to get one to find out for yourself!
Don't throw any meat away! Put the legs, thighs and wings into a large pot along with a few chicken bullion cubes, some red pepper flakes and some oregano. Cover with water and stew for a long time - about 3 to 4 hours (the drumsticks are the toughest). Pick all of the meat off of the bones (a bit tedious because of many tendons in the drumsticks) then return the meat along with a bag of homemade style (or just homemade) noodles. You won't regret the trouble, it's really good! You can also add a small can of biscuits that you cut into small pieces. They puff up into tasty dumplings.
What Grouse said. I hate it when people say I just cut out the breasts and throw the rest away. There are a lot of good recipes out there for legs etc meat. I usually kill between 8 - 12 turkeys a spring and thats alot of leg meat to throw away. They make great meat for pulled turkey, soups, turkey pasta salad etc
I agree with the special course if you have never had a turkey hunt before as there are not really any mentors like for deer hunting. In Ontario where there has been turkey hunting for a long time now that course was just becoming a money grab for a certain group !
As far as safety well those types that don't follow basic safety are always going to exist just have to be careful with your set ups. I have done the fanning thing for several years before it became the craze it is now and feel safer doing that than sitting calling sometimes. I have taken the beards off all my male decoys as well so if you are shooting you are obviously not identifying a visible beard for areas that have that requirement like Ontario. It is true that turkey hunting can be more dangerous than other types of hunting but if you use your head and think about what you are doing it is probably one of the most exciting and fun types of hunting out there !
BBQ'd pulled turkey leg sammiches in the crockpot are a staple in football season around here. Also like to make turkey nuggets with the breast meat, 1" chunks soaked over night in Italian dressing then a roll in seasoned flour or Italian breadcrumbs and fry.
Thanks everyone for all the great comments! I’ve taken taken 2 hunter safety courses, firearms course, restricted firearms course and a bow hunting course. This coarse old Tom is looking forward to the turkey hunting course.
Seems like Wild Turkey legs are like goose meat TOUGH LOL.