Shipping Your Turkey

Before you ship — contact us

Always contact us before you ship. We'll confirm we have room on the schedule, walk you through the packing steps, and give you the studio's current shipping address and receiving hours. We don't want your bird sitting on a loading dock over a weekend.

What to ship

Ship the whole bird, frozen solid, unwashed, un-gutted. Include the beard, spurs, and tail intact. Include a copy of your hunting license or harvest tag if your state requires it for out-of-state shipment (most states do, for interstate transport of game).

Packing the bird

1. Freeze the bird per our freezing guide. The bird must be rock solid when it leaves you.
2. Double-bag the bird in heavy plastic garbage bags.
3. Use a sturdy cardboard box a few inches larger than the bird on every side. A cooler inside a cardboard box works even better.
4. Line the box with an insulating layer — a Styrofoam cooler lining or reflective bubble insulation works well.
5. Pack around the bird with newspaper, foam peanuts, or crumpled paper to keep it from shifting.
6. Add dry ice (5–10 lbs) or well-frozen gel packs on top of the bird. Never put dry ice directly against the feathers — wrap it in newspaper. If you use dry ice, do not seal the box airtight; dry ice needs to vent.
7. Tape the box securely and label it clearly.

Overnight shipping only

Ship overnight or next-day, on a Monday or Tuesday. Never ship late in the week — you do not want a frozen bird sitting in a warehouse over Saturday and Sunday. FedEx and UPS both handle overnight service well; ask the counter to mark the package as perishable.

Insurance and tracking

Insure the shipment for the value of your bird and the cost of the mount. Get tracking and send us the tracking number so we can look for the bird on the receiving end.

When your bird arrives

We inspect and inventory every shipped bird as it arrives, then get it straight back into a freezer. You'll get a message from us confirming the bird arrived safely and moved onto the workbench schedule.