To bag or not to bag it's head during butchering?

mjolly

In the Brooder
11 Years
Apr 7, 2008
41
0
32
My dear BF and I have a dilemna as to how to kill a meat bird.

I have killed and processed a turkey and a young rooster earlier this spring. My brother-in-law helped me. I held down the body and my brother-in-law streteched the neck of the bird out and chopped it off with an axe. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. The birds were used to being around people so were not agitated. They obviously knew something different was happening, but they were not fighting against me like a wild animal would.

I have raised a broad-breasted white turkey and she is now full size and ready to process. My dear BF is a hunter, yearly goes duck hunting as well as turkey hunting. He is not uncomfortable about killing birds, etc.

Our dilemna: He has never been close to the animals he's killed. And he has watched many wild animal shows where a bag was placed over the animal's head during tagging and noticed it calmed the animal. Also he feels it is out of dignity to the bird to put a bag over it's head during butchering.

I wanted to get your opinion on processing a bird. Do any of you place a small black bag on their heads prior to butchering?

I worry it might actually aggitate the birds further. Also reminds me of an old west hanging!

Please let me know your experiences and thoughts.

mjolly
 
I don't think it's a silly idea.

One of the hardest parts of processing is how they look up at you all curious like 'whatcha doin?' just before you strike the blow...

I'd use something disposable though - I'd not want to remove the bag after the fact to reuse it...
 
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He has never been close to the animals he's killed

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I have no idea about bagging the head but how has he never been close to the animals he has killed??? Does he just leave them laying in the woods????:eek: My husband hunts as well but if he kills something it is eaten by our family....my thoughts were always that you kill for food not for just the fun of it.... We have the motto....you kill it you eat it.....Ive never heard of anyone just killing an animal and then walking off.​
 
Roosty,
I'm sure what she meant was that her BF was never near them when he did the actual killing, as in shooting the critter from a distance then retreiving the carcass. I'm sure he didn't just leave it to rot.
 
Maybe I misunderstood.....maybe she meant he has never been near them before he shoots them like they are around this turkey all the time.......I dont know....just sounded weird to me....
smile.png
 
I understand, when you are hunting, the adrenalin is pumping, you are in that high walking up to what you killed. Not all shots are clean ones, but if you are a good hunter, then one shot drops the carcuss.
If bagging the head is what makes your job easier, then by all means, blind fold the turkey and give it its last ciggarette too!
lol.png
 
I wonder if "bagging and tagging" might not be even more stressful for the bird. I know I would fight having my head stuffed in a bag. Then again, I think they stick a stock over ostrich and emu, but I think that may be more of a safety thing for everyone. Yes I believe Mjolly meant proximity to the bird at the the time of the kill. Big difference between "in your hands" and even a few feet away. I despise cripples and lost birds more than anything. Ah, but birds in the deeks at first light gotta love that. Gook luck and let us know how it turns out.

Swamp
 
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I have no idea about bagging the head but how has he never been close to the animals he has killed??? Does he just leave them laying in the woods????:eek: My husband hunts as well but if he kills something it is eaten by our family....my thoughts were always that you kill for food not for just the fun of it.... We have the motto....you kill it you eat it.....Ive never heard of anyone just killing an animal and then walking off.

Whoa Nelly.......if I am correct, you totally misread what she wrote. By close to them I am sure she meant, he didnt "know" the wild animal personally like he does the birds that he has had living and caring for on his property. An apology is in order here as far as I am concerned. JMHO
 

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