Wild turkeys for meat

[Lothiriel]

I did some research here and realize it's illegal to take wild turkeys and raise them, however nothing specified if that was about raising and breeding only or if it included raising for meat.

So, if you had the opportunity to take a few 2 day old wild turkey poults from the clutch up in your field and raise them for Thanksgiving dinner this year, would/could you?

 

[Oregon Blues]

No, because it is against the law, and wild animals belong with their mother, not with me.

You can purchase breeds of turkey that are very close to wild in type and have those legally.

 

[columbiacritter]

Besdies being against the law they are true wild birds and will be much harder to deal with attitude wise when they get older. Much flightier, much more agressive.

 

[buckbye]

But what do they taste like?

 

[Hounds51]

But what do they taste like?

Depends on what they eat.
You are what you eat.
Wild turkeys are nothing to write home about compared to the domestic home grown turkey which are usually fed a high protein diet supplemented with grains.

 

[jaj121159]

Wild turkeys taste like um turkey. Turkeys from the wild will not have the fat under the skin as any domestic turkey. Wild turkey needs to be basted and cooked with lots of moisture. I usually use a cooking bag. Many folks will cover the turkey in bacon. Frying is a good option because the legs don't dry out like they do when roasting in the oven.

Most states do have a permit you can get to have wild animals or game birds. You need this to raise any breed of bird normally found in the wild in your state. This would include wild turkey breeds like Eastern, Rio Grande, Osceola, Merriam , etc. Pheasants and quial are usually treated differently. Only Ringneck Pheasant usually require a permit. Other pheasants are considered ornamental. Usually Bob White Quail need a permit while many other breeds are exempt. Hungarian Partridge and Chuckar depend on the state because in some states these have been introduced to the wild and are considered game birds while in other states they are not game birds.

Getting back to the original question, I would not take wild poults and raise them unless they were orphaned, and only with a permit. If I wanted a wild turkey to eat and would let them grow naturally and then shoot one after getting a hunting license.