I know most people cut them off and remove the skin/scales and bleach them. Say I wanted to leave the skin on, what would be the best coating to preserve it? Shellac or polyurethane?

I put polyurethane on some about 10yrs ago and they're still holding up nicely

I just let mine set in salt for a few weeks and hang em up

I don't do anything to mine.

^^this^^

I put salt where I made the cut and wait a few weeks. I just set them on a paper plate in a place the kids won't mess with them. I have some over 15 years old that still look like the day I killed them.

Well, I'm going to coat them with something, just didn't know what to coat them with. Sounds like polyurethane will do the trick!

I've never coated them with anything, why would you want to. Just put salt on the leg where you dejoint it where feathers meet scales. There is a place called inmans camp on lake Mitchell near verbena where my grandparents had a lake house when my dad was a kid before they moved to Florida. Supposedly mr Inman was some kind of state champion turkey hunter or something like that. My dad and grandfather and I pulled up to the camp one day on the boat while we were fishing so they could look around the camp. They hadn't been there or seen the camp for forty years. There were buildings with turkey feet nailed all over the sides of them. I'm talking probably 3 or 400 sets of feet. Long story short my grandfather said most of them were there 40 years before.

After about 2 weeks I spread his feet like he is walking screw in the Web to a piece of plywood and then spray with lacquer. There are some in my dad's carport 30 yrs old that still look good.

Strip the skin, remove the cartilage, clean out the marrow, let dry for a couple months, spray on lacquer, hang:

It's what a lot of taxidermists do and it is a better protectant in the long run. Keeps it somewhat protected from insects, etc. If I wasn't leaving the skin on, I wouldn't worry about it.

Dang gobbler, you got some thunder chickens under your belt.

Do what you want, I was just trying to save you some useless work. I've got feet from the first turkeys I killed 10 years ago and they look like I just cut them off the bird. I leave the skin on them and so does everyone else that posted here except for gobbler.

I've got some that are 20 yrs old that just fell apart. An outer layer peeled off the spur and left an inner layer that made the spur look half-size. These were left on the feet. I started cutting them off like gobbler does about 15 yrs ago, except I leave the skin on. I put all that I kill each year on a wire and just dip them thru a can of poly varnish, then hang them to dry.

Then I run a strip of leather thru the spur and run it into the metal part of a shotgun shell. Stick the beard in there and fill it with hot glue. Hang them by a loop onto a rope that runs from one side of the study to the other. I put a tag on each turkey that tells where I killed him, and put another tag on the rope to separate years. When I'm dead, it'll just be something to go out with the trash.

My wife doesn't like it.

I met Mr. Inmam some 40 years ago. He is the person that got me interested in turkey hunting. He used a single shot 12ga. with a 30 in barrel and a handmade box call there were turkey legs nailed everywhere on all the out buildings most all of which have been torn down now.

I cut mine about a quarter inch before the spur and use a small drill bit to drill out the meat and yucky stuff in the middle. Then I coat with polyurathane. Keeps them shiny. Some of mine are 5 yrs old with no rotting whatsoever.

Yep he was a true turkey slayer. I wish I could have met him.

None of the good taxidermists spray any laquer on the spurs, but they do airbrush the legs to the desired color.

You do not have to worry about any insects IF you clean all the tendons and marrow out and your dry them properly. Get a nail, poke the marrow and tendons out and cover with Borax for a few weeks or until fully dry.

I've got a bunch with the skin on, but a couple years ago I started pulling the skin off, popping off the spur cap and bleaching the bone white with peroxide. Once they're as white and greaseless, glue the spur cap back on the bone spur.

I got all the tendons and marrow out, and they have taken a dusting in borax. Guys, I'm hell bent on coating them, so don't try and change my mind!

It's just a matter of what to coat them with. I am leaning towards polyurethane. It might not be necessary but I often go above and beyond on things like this, so coating them will make me feel better. Thanks for all the advice though.