Author Topic: Turkey wings (Read 4736 times)

DC · « **on:** April 25, 2017, 12:03:14 am »

A guy at the range gave me 4 wild turkey. A nice gift because there are no turkeys on the Island. They have been frozen for a while I believe. I got home and started yanking feathers. I got about half out by grabbing the wing in a vice and pulling them with pliers. Arthritis doesn't leave me with much of a grip. The other half I cut of with wire cutters. Are they supposed to be this tough to get out?

H Rhodes · « **Reply #1 on:** April 25, 2017, 12:26:32 am »

Yep, they are tough to yank out. I am blessed to be surrounded by good turkey hunters who keep me stocked with feathers. Since I have plenty, I only try to use the sweet spot on each primary feather - one fletching for one feather. I always cut mine with wire cutters. By using the middle section of the primary feather, I get one fletching which is neither too thin and whippy, nor too thick and bulky. You can get two fletchings from one feather in a pinch, but I was never good at it. Some might say that I am wasteful, but I give away lots of secondaries and tail feathers.

DC · « **Reply #2 on:** April 25, 2017, 12:31:38 am »

Thanks. At least I wasn't doing it wrong.

Pappy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 25, 2017, 03:30:54 am »

I just clip them off, never tried plucking them. I have 40+ set in the freezer I plan on trimming next week at the Classic.

Pappy

mullet · « **Reply #4 on:** April 25, 2017, 06:16:03 am »

I take them off with a hatchet or run them through the bandsaw.

JEB · « **Reply #5 on:** April 25, 2017, 06:59:37 am »

All good ideas for removal. I use a larger size wire cutters or side cutters, what ever I grab from the tool box. Don't forget those wing bones for turkey calls.

bjrogg · « **Reply #6 on:** April 25, 2017, 07:03:50 am »

I cut them off with side cutters. Put them in a bag with some borax to keep the bugs from eating them. Like Pappy enough people around here know about the crazy guy that hunts with the primitive stuff he makes that I have stuff dropped off from people. I like the center primary feathers best also and usually just get one adult fletching per feather. I lots of times use the rest of feather for kids arrows. Hey Jeb I never made turkey call from wing bone. Which part of wing do you use?
Bjrogg

JEB · « **Reply #7 on:** April 25, 2017, 08:15:23 am »

You use three of the wing bones. The easiest way to see how to make one is thru youtube. I have written instructions if you want them, I can send them off to you. Not hard work but time consuming because of the steps you take. I go a couple of steps farther than the instructions. I grind the joints down so they are flush which makes my wraps look better. I wrap the joints like I do when I tie on guides on fishing poles.

Eric Krewson · « **Reply #8 on:** April 25, 2017, 08:28:11 am »

I clipped them off for years, my biggest haul for a year was 70 wings which got my hands sore from all that clipping.

One day I though "BANDSAW", and haven't clipped a feather since, 5 seconds and you are done with feather removal on a wing.

bjrogg · « **Reply #9 on:** April 25, 2017, 08:37:32 am »

Thanks Jeb I already checked out the YouTube videos. Pretty sure I can figure it out from there.
Bjrogg

Pappy · « **Reply #10 on:** April 25, 2017, 09:06:34 am »

Yep the band saw is the way to go if you have many to do. I really like it when I have some help, I separate them into piles of right and left , then cut all the left and then the rights and store them in separate ammo boxes, I usually give the right away for the help.

and keep the lefts for my use. I pull all the seconds out as I cut them and put them in one pile fits all as I do with the tail fans. They get given away also. The guys around here that hunt them a lot really don't want anything but the spurs and maybe the breast and sometimes not even the breast, imagine that.

Like I said I usually do a bunch at one time, if I were only doing a few I would just cut them off with dykes.

Pappy

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #11 on:** April 25, 2017, 11:30:27 pm »

Sure glad I opened this post - I am about ready to prep the turkey feathers and was wondering about the best way to get them off the wing. Hello bandsaw😀👹! Now, I got to put the new blade on it!
The bandsaw that is!
Hawkdancer

Marc St Louis · « **Reply #12 on:** April 30, 2017, 02:59:25 pm »

Kind of wondering how many get wings from roadkill. I had to go to Ottawa this weekend and half way there I came across a dead Turkey on the HWY, had to stop and harvest the wings and tail of course. We don't have them up here and was wondering if it was common to see them hit by cars where there are abundant.

Knoll · « **Reply #13 on:** April 30, 2017, 03:06:16 pm »

I've NEVER seen roadkill turkey here in St Louie, Missouri, area.

JEB · « **Reply #14 on:** April 30, 2017, 03:59:37 pm »

Mark, we get road kill turkeys here in Michigan this time of the year. I carry side cutters in the truck for the feathers.

In the fall I carry a battery operated saws all in the fall during the rut for antler recovery as well.

Primitive Archer