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And I don't mean Thanksgiving either. In the last two weeks I have butchered and put 11 Bronze Broad Breasted turkeys that I raised in the freezer. ground, smoked, whole, brats. Last two done today. Needless to say didn't eat much turkey yesterday......

I've been spraying #9 shot over bastard trespassers in my woods trying for my turkeys here in Virginia. It gets worse every year. Last year one of them shot one of my "No Trespassing- No Hunting" signs. It wouldn't bother me, but he seriously wounded the little tree I hung the sign from. When they hear the shot showering down through the tree canopy, they get the message and get out. Fortunately my back yard is about 60 feet higher than the foot of the woods by the creek. I can unnerve trespassers effectively without having to confront or endanger them. Turkeys are hard to get a shot at, so I always see them or hear their missed shots long before they get to the sweet spot. Its still a PIA. When I hunted years ago, we would have dragged a trespasser off people's posted property and we did, many times. Seems like nobody cares anymore around here. It was very different in Mississippi 50 years ago.

By the way, do you keep the beards from the Toms? I have always been amazed by those things. I've seen them really long.

Toms are only about 6 to 7 months old. beard just starting to grow. Some years they are a about 2 inches other time not hardy showing. These are bronze broad breasted turkeys like in the store. This year they dressed out from 22 lbs to 54 lbs. I have about 300 lbs of turkey in the freezer. Not sure what I was thinking, guess I didn't want to run out of turkey, but actually not going to raise any next year, so its a two year supply. I built a gas powered plucker this year and it made processing them way to easy. Now if I can only stop my self from ordering 50 or more meat chickens.....