Beards & Spirs

[Fazzy]

We had a fun & successful hunt in SW MN (Shot my 1st Bird). We had a bunch of friends over last weekend, and enjoyed a BBQ Wild Turkey Feast - it was excellient!.

I'm now left with photos, spirs and a beard.

What do you guys do with the spirs & beards from your turkeys?

[sticknstring]

Congratulations on your first bird. With the spurs, I take a hacksaw and cut each spur off the leg with perpendicular cuts to the leg tight to each side of the spur. Take a pliers or other tool and remove the skin and marrow from the bone. Heat up some water and and add some bleach and soak the bone for a few hours leaving the spur above the liquid line and scrub clean. Take a leather strap or rope and slide the spurs on and hang them at a place of your choosing. In a few years you'll have a pretty cool "necklace" so-to-speak.

[Hotspotter]

I like Stick's ideas, and did that for a few years.

Now, I just cut the whole foot at the joint, borax the bloody ends, and stuff them in a box. It doubles as a nice backscratcher, and is a fun box of goodies to show the mother-in-law just before Thanksgiving dinner.

Joel

[eric29]

Did you happen to save the the fan(tail) too. With all my birds i hang the fan, beard and spurs up on a wood plaque that you can buy at any sporting goods store or pretty easily made.

[fishermusk]

You can do what stickastring said and boil the spur aswell and it will come off the bone like a fingernail, let dry and glue them to the plaque with the fan tail.

Good luck,

Dave

[Wallydog]

I have been cutting the spurs off for years and attaching the tag to the spurs (leg bone) with wire. I frequently look at them checking the year and reflect back the hunt. I also keep the fans. I may need to cease keeping them as I have a pretty good pile. I pull the beard and insert it with one body feather in the spent shotshell case and write the date of kill on the brass of the case.

WD

[Shoot2Kill]

Hope you saved the tail too!

[Hammer Handle]

My biggest and first turkey was shot in the flight and fell in a pond in the woods (where a pond normally isn't). The water was shallow, but the bird flopped around (head shot) and nearly all the tail feathers came out.

I guess water and turkeys do not mix....

[MrBaz]

I use a similar style as Wally, I cut the shot shell (that I shot the bird with) so its just the brass and then I punch out the primer and take some twine and make a loop at the top, then hot glue the beard in the brass caseing so it hangs nicely, then I glue the spurs on top of the beard on a plaque that I have. Looks really nice and a good way to keep some memories of the hunts. I made a nice cherry wood plaque thats is getting full now and hope to fill the last spot next weekend.

[Fazzy]

My bird tumbled into a small stream after I shot him. After all the flopping and splashing the feathers were all banged up. So I didn't save the fan. These are great ideas. I also just read, in my Feild & Stream mag, how to make a coat rack from a turkey leg. I think the necklace idea is cool. I'm thinking of using my fly-tying vice and cementing the base of the beard, then wrapping it with some red floss to make it a bit more durable.

All good ideas - thanks.