How to pluck a wild turkey

There's more than one way to pluck a turkey. Whatever method you choose, don’t just grab a handful of feathers and start yanking. This could rip the very thin skin, and once you’ve ripped the skin it’s difficult to finish plucking. In fact, at that point you may need to resort to skinning the bird.

Keep the feet attached to while turkey while plucking it. They’ll give something to hold on to as you rotate and move the carcass around for thorough plucking.

Dry plucking a bird – simple but time consuming

To dry pluck a turkey, hang it up or hold it by the neck with one hand. Grab a few feathers at a time and pull them down toward the tail. Pulling in the direction the quills are laying makes them easier to remove and you’re less likely to rip the skin.

Work your way around the bird until all the feathers are removed. Note that it’s easier to pluck a turkey with the wings removed.

Once all the larger feathers are removed, you’ll see hundreds small, downy pin feathers still intact in the skin. These are so small and numerous they’re nearly impossible to pluck out one by one. Instead, try singeing them with a small torch.

A quick pass with a flame will burn these downy feathers, giving you a clean, fully-plucked bird. Don’t get to close or to hot – you don’t want to burn the skin.

While it’s easier to pluck a turkey that's still warm, once plucked it needs to be refrigerated immediately. Instead, gut your bird in the field and leave the feathers on until you get it home or back to camp. The feathers will help protect the meat from bruising and dirt, and your home or camp will be a more efficient place to pluck.

Dry-plucking a turkey takes time, which is why many hunters prefer wet plucking.

Wet plucking – dipping the bird in boiling water

First, find a pot big enough to hold the whole bird, and add enough water to fully submerge the bird. Don't add so much that water will overflow the pot when you add the turkey and splash boiling water all over. You’ll probably want to do this outside in an open space.

Bring the water to a boil – while you’re waiting, remove with wings and tail feathers from the bird. Note that some turkey hunters think boiling is too hot and will dip their bird once the water temperature reaches 140º.

Once the water reaches a boil, grab the bird by the feet (not the head) and completely submerge it. Hold the bird under water for seven seconds, no longer. If you submerge the bird too long, the skin will rip more easily when you start plucking, and the meat might start to cook. So stick to the seven second count!

Remove the bird, then grab it by the head (the head will be hot, so where a rubber glove) and start plucking. Pull the feathers down, toward the tail. If you pull up against the direction that the feathers grow, you’ll tear the skin.

Wax plucking – a favorite with waterfowlers

Wax plucking is a third way to pluck a bird and is popular with duck hunters who often pluck a number of birds at one time. Wax plucking is easy and fast, but requires more attention to detail and lots of wax.

If you’re already a waterfowler and regularly wax pluck your ducks and geese, this method will work for turkeys as well.