It is said by many that, “The wild turkey is the greatest American game bird.” Certainly grouse and woodcock hunters, as well as those who prefer quail or waterfowl, might disagree. But, considering the fact that a huntable population of wild turkeys now exists in all 48 of the continental states and Hawaii, their numbers and availability make them a serious contender for the title. Adding to that the challenges and frustrations that one faces when hunting these wary birds, I do believe we can all agree that they are a very special bird to hunt and warrant our greatest respect.

A full taxidermy mount of this special bird is certainly one way to honor the bird and be able to reflect upon and tell the story of the hunt. If, however, you simply don’t have space for this display or the cost is a bit pricey for your budget, you might consider a mount called the “breast mount,” which is attached to a wall. Here, instead of using the entire bird, the head and neck along with the entire breast and some back feathers are used and placed over the fanned tail, with the beard hanging from where it is normally attached to the breast.

If you are a bit of a do-it-yourselfer, and have some artistic talent, it is not difficult to make your own fan and beard mount on barnwood. First scrape away all of the flesh from the base of the tail and sprinkle on borax to dry any remaining moisture or oils. Spread the fan out over a piece of cardboard and pin the feathers in place. Place a layer or two of the rump feathers at the base to add to the display, then hang the beard from the base. Finally, cover up the base of the feathers and the top of the beard with a small piece of barnwood and attach the display to a barnwood board plaque that extends an inch or so outside the outline of the fan and beard.

If any of these suggested mounts just aren’t your cup of tea, there are still a lot of ways to make use of your turkey besides enjoying the table fare it will provide. The feathers, bones, spurs and beard all have several uses.

Many of today’s turkey decoy selections include a full-bodied gobbler in full strut. There is a slot at the back of the gobbler’s body where you can insert the fan that is included with the decoy. However, it is made of plastic and is not really very realistic. Once you have dried your turkey tail in the full fan position, you can use it instead to give a more natural appearance to the decoy. A pair of the wings with the feathers intact – or a portion of the wing with the feathers attached – can be dried, then carried in your vest pouch and used to simulate the sounds created by beating wings. This sound will simulate a turkey flying down from the roost or stretching while loafing or feeding.

Individually, the tail feathers, as well as individual wing feathers are sometimes used in floral arrangements or table decorations to add color and interest. The center four tail feathers are also used by artists to create a painting on these wide feathers, which is then framed for wall display. The smaller iridescent breast feathers make a colorful lapel or hat decoration. A fall wreath or Christmas wreath can be made more interesting and colorful by the addition of some of these turkey feathers as well.

A gobbler’s spurs, also called talons or claws, grow approximately 2” above the foot on the backside of its legs and are used for fighting. By age two, a gobbler’s spurs will be about 1”in length and blunt on the end, and from 3 years of age and beyond the spur will continue to grow slowly, becoming sharper and slightly curved. The longest spurs of an Eastern turkey ever taken by a hunter were 2.25 inches, with one taken in Kentucky and one in Iowa. These spurs are often placed on display with a fan or beard mount, or made into a necklace.

The beard of a gobbler is often prized by a hunter as a keepsake to remember the adventure of the specific hunt. It is made up of modified feathers – actually fibrous bristles and hangs from the breast of the turkey. A two-year-old gobbler will have a beard of about 8” which will continue to grow throughout the bird’s lifetime, but often becomes broken off at the tips due to wear or freezing in wintertime.

Finally, you can use the three hollow bones from the base and midsections of the wings to make a wing bone call. Once dried, these bones can be cleaned on the inside and then joined in descending order of size. It’s rather amazing the turkey sounds that can be reproduced with this call.

It is pretty amazing all of the things you can do with your spring gobbler to honor the bird and show respect for this great American game bird. Next time we’ll look at numerous ways to enjoy its worth as healthy table fare.