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The cleaning or field dressing process begins right after you shoot your bird. The first thing you need to decide after the pictures are taken is what you are going to do with your turkey after you harvest one.
Make a decision immediately about whether you will:
Have the turkey mounted.
Cook the Turkey by Roasting, Smoking or Whole Deep Frying. These cooking processes
work best with the skin still on the turkey although there are techniqes for
a skinless turkey as well
Cook the turkey by frying or grilling pieces. These processes work well with
a bird that has been skinned.
If you are planning on having to have the bird mounted, do not field dress the
bird.
Field dressing is essentially gutting the bird in the field and leaving the feathers on. A link to another informative article on field dressing a wild turkey is given below.
My explanation for gutting or field dressing a wild turkey is to:
Lay the turkey on its back.
Follow the breast down to the rear of the bird until it narrows to a point between the legs.
Pull up on the tip and cut the bird open by making a shallow horizontal incision (through the skin only) between the tip of the breast and the vent.
Make the incision large enough to insert your hand and pull out the entrails, making sure to pull out the heart and lungs.
Cut around the vent (anus) by carefully following the intestine back and then cutting around its exterior.
Remove the crop by making a cut on the neck of the turkey and reaching down and removing the crop located at the top of the breast.
Rinse out with water and wipe with paper towels.
NOTE: If you don't field dress the wild turkey, it is preferable to pluck it before removing the entrails.
If you are plucking the bird, it is easier to remove the feathers if the bird is dipped in hot water. Some people use boiling water but I have heard that water at 140 degrees is the optimal temperature for plucking a bird.
This is my preferred way of cleaning turkeys which is quick and easy and also allows me to save a cape mount from the back of the turkey. If you plan on roasting, smoking or whole deep frying your turkey, this method would not work since it doesn't save the skin. You will instead need to gut the bird and pluck it. I generally cook my turkey by frying or grilling pieces of turkey; using methods that make up for not having the skin on.
Generally, the areas I hunt are only about a half hour from my home so I never worry about field dressing the turkey. I just take it home and clean it immediately. I also hunt in Kansas and the weather is typically really cool during turkey season. On one hunt last spring, the weather changed from sunny, to rain. to hail, to sleet and finally snow. If it is warm where you are hunting and it takes you awhile to get to a place to finish dressing the turkey, by all means field dress it first.
Find the breast bone and make an incision on each side of the breast bone to loosen the breast filet from the bone. I then work my way from the rear of the breast forward, fileting off the breast by pulling the filet and using the knife where needed.
Repeat this for the other side of the breast.
Remove the thigh/leg by flipping the turkey over and cutting through the thigh muscle where it attaches to the back. I usually grab the leg/thigh and pull up until I can feel the joint pop loose. I then keep cutting through the thigh until I can free the thigh/leg from the turkey's body.
I hope these methods will help you enjoy your turkey.
Compliments of The Wild Turkey Zone http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/dressing.htm