Looking for advice on an Eastern Kansas Turkey Hunt

[Otto Syracuse]

I have only smoked salmon from Lake Ontario, but may give turkey a try. Sounds delicious!

Kcfrhc - small world! Looking forward to being there in springtime, we were last there in August. Hot!

 

[Dishpointer]

Im west of Louisburg 10 miles

Where do you live? Paola? I'm 20 miles west of you!

 

[davesl708]

If you go online at Kansas Wildlife and Parks there are maps of public land and private land leased by the state for public hunting.
As to taste I love wild turkey. I wrap it in bacon and stuff it with potatoes, celery, onion and carrots.

Never had a guest disappointed in turkey dinner.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Ever eat pheasant? It's probably the best-of-the-best in wild game (quail is great also). My experience with wild turkey resulted in most of it being thrown out. The hunt was fun, but the meat was incredibly gamy. It was a Spring turkey; we had a hard winter, so maybe that was the reason, perhaps a Fall turkey would have been better. Have fun with your turkey hunt, but keep in mind that pheasant is marvelous eating. Keep in mind Kansas is known for its fine pheasant hunting.

 

[GGB]

My favorite way to prepare a wild turkey is to first brine with a sugar/salt mix, adding a couple of garlic cloves and wine if you are so inclined. Then I smoke it slowly on a Weber Bullit smoker with the leftover brine for moisture, or rotisserie on the gas grill with the brine pan set so the turkey self-bastes. I use whatever fruitwood I have on hand.

Either way, do not over cook! An internal breast temperature of 155 degrees is plenty, as the temperature will continue to climb to 160-165 even after removing from the heat source. I think cooking too fast or too hot is a great way to ruin a great piece of any game.

(Lest you think I'm a great hunter, I hunted turkey for 5 years before getting my first! Maybe that's why the first one tasted so darn good. They have become my favorite game to hunt.)

 

[kcflhrc]

Where do you live? Paola? I'm 20 miles west of you!

I'm right on 68 Hwy, just west of 169. How is the Dish Pointing business? I work for CenturyLink in Gardner. I'm a Field Tech.

 

[kcflhrc]

Ever eat pheasant? It's probably the best-of-the-best in wild game (quail is great also). My experience with wild turkey resulted in most of it being thrown out. The hunt was fun, but the meat was incredibly gamy. It was a Spring turkey; we had a hard winter, so maybe that was the reason, perhaps a Fall turkey would have been better. Have fun with your turkey hunt, but keep in mind that pheasant is marvelous eating. Keep in mind Kansas is known for its fine pheasant hunting.

My brother makes pheasant chunks wrapped in bacon. I throw the pheasant away and eat the bacon. Now Quail and Chucker are a different story, great tasting birds and white meat instead of that nasty reddish brown foul tasting crap. On another note, I will be smoking a Honeysuckle White Turkey Breast in my new smoker tomorrow. Cant wait to try it. My brisket and pork loin turned out fantastic.

 

[teejk]

My favorite way to prepare a wild turkey is to first brine with a sugar/salt mix, adding a couple of garlic cloves and wine if you are so inclined. Then I smoke it slowly on a Weber Bullit smoker with the leftover brine for moisture, or rotisserie on the gas grill with the brine pan set so the turkey self-bastes. I use whatever fruitwood I have on hand.

Either way, do not over cook! An internal breast temperature of 155 degrees is plenty, as the temperature will continue to climb to 160-165 even after removing from the heat source. I think cooking too fast or too hot is a great way to ruin a great piece of any game.

(Lest you think I'm a great hunter, I hunted turkey for 5 years before getting my first! Maybe that's why the first one tasted so darn good. They have become my favorite game to hunt.)

A friend uses maple syrup in his marinate (but he used to put ketchup on T-bones too until my dad pulled the steak away and served him hot-dogs). If you want to smoke it, fruit wood with a mix of hickory (do not use mesquite...I have learned that it only works on thick cut beef). Will reserve any opinions on how many people love to hunt them (it can be a challenge...birds that will follow a manure spreader at 10 ft. in the winter but get wary in the hunt time) but don't care to eat them. I love the hunt (I meet up with old friends for the typical beer-drinking/card-playing "camp"...not unlike our typical deer camps in November). Unlike them I really like the meat. I have always saved the legs and thighs for soup meat...mentioned that to a friend (a former member of the NWTF board) that only took the breast meat...for some reason he has bested me and saves the entire carcass (a lot of meat there too).

 

[Otto Syracuse]

If you go online at Kansas Wildlife and Parks there are maps of public land and private land leased by the state for public hunting.
As to taste I love wild turkey. I wrap it in bacon and stuff it with potatoes, celery, onion and carrots.

Never had a guest disappointed in turkey dinner.

Thanks, I did do that and have two areas in mind not too far from his house. He is asking around a bit too, so we may have some ideas, but it doesn't hurt to have plan B just in case.

I'll be turkey hunting in Georgia too, visiting another friend during our RV trip. PLUS all of May is turkey season in NY, so I will get my fill this year!

 

[5030]

Um, don't expect a butterball type taste on the table for wild turkey. I don't know what **** tastes like but a well worn boot comes close to the taste in my opinion.

I guess you have to know the correct way of baking them. I sure don't.

Your post and the one preceeding made me chuckle. Tastes like ****** that is downright funny. I turkey hunt every year on my up north Michigan land. It's fun. I use a X bow but most guys use a shotgun.

The only edible part is the breast. toss the rest. Don't taste like domestic turkey at all but it don't taste like ***** either. It's an acquired taste.

It's the stalk in hunting turkeys. You have to be extremely stealthy and quiet plus you have to have some skill in calling them in. This time of year, Tom's only have one thing on their mind and it's not being eaten either....