Best use for new batch of feathers?

[Prarie Bowyer]

I only had phesant once which I bought and followed along with a Scottish recipet that involved raspberry stuffing.  It was ok.  I can see it had potential.  I think it's the novelty for me.  Won't be buying anymore.  WAY expensive for the scrawny bird and no feathers!

I've had quail only in resturants and can't get over the idea that they look like little mice on the plate.  Not keen on their flavor as I've had them but then fried I would think does them little justice.

I love ALL meat (ok most meat, I have no desire to try things like raccoon, common rat, mountain lion etc.  I only eat bear when I'm in a funky mood).  But when it comes to poultry there is one that just makes me sing.  He's not fancy.  He's not glamorous.  He certainly isn't smart (this begins to echo my wife's description of me), and he's common.  A turkey is realy all I need.  We grill 2-3 a year in the webber with a little smoke and an all day cook on as low as I can manage after an overnight brine.  If I could figure out how to make it into chewing gum I would.

I've alwayse wanted to try squab and dove.  I get doves in my driveway but I'm pretty sure as sure as I nail one the cops will be making a random trip down the alley.  I can almost see my dove impailed arrow stuck in their tire while I try to talk my way out of that.  And it seems like pidegeons flock to the cities. I think they are hard wired to poop near clean cars. I don't want trash eaters but some plump country pidgeon would be nice.

thanks,
Scott

[Gus]

Yes Sir,

Love Dove.
Fillet the breast halves out.
Roll them up in Bacon with a slice of San Marcos Jalapeno in with the breast meat and grill....
or
Chicken fry the fillets, serve with cream gravy, rice, fresh green beans and fresh Mrs Baird's White Bread for sopping.
A limit will feed three to five folks.

Duck Gumbo! Takes me three days to make it, but DAMN!

Slow Smoked Wild Turkey... mmm!

Slow Smoked Molasses Crusted Snow Goose... Yowsah!

Smoked or Fried Wood Cock. This one is HARD to beat.

Chicken Fried Wood Duck... Amazing how good this was.

Chicken Fried, Smoked or Grilled Sandhill Crane... Sirloin of the Sky.

Have cooked and eaten many of the birds that frequent Southeast Texas, back when I was a young teen on solo trips into the thicket.
Quite a few that are questionable, suprising what tastes good when you haven't eaten in a few days...

Haven't had a chance to try some of the upland Game Birds yet but I willing!

-gus

[JW_Halverson]

My father once went on a snow goose hunt with a half dozen other guys.  After three days of getting the barrels of their shotguns too hot to touch it came time to divy up the birds.  Ever last son of a b---- declined to take a single bird.  I personally think they all should have been written up for "wanton waste of game".  So my dad, being the lifelong meat cutter says he'll take care of them.  He loads them all in his pickup (nearly 100 of 'em) and goes home.  He ended up breasting them out and deboning the thighs.  He ran the whole pile thru his grinder and added seasonings, stuffed 'em in casings and smoked them up.  Snowgoose summer sausage. 

Next spring they all get together at a guy's cabin at the lake for a little walleye fishing and he pulls out a 10 inch chunk of this snow goose summer sausage and slices it up.  He asks them to guess what it was.  They guess everything but snows.  When he told 'em they all start clamoring for a few sticks of this here sausage.  He just smiled and told 'em to enjoy what he little brought because that's all any of them would ever see, what's more it's more than he saw of any of them when it was time to do the work!

I just weep to think of all those wonderful primary flight feathers going to the dump.

[Gus]

I hear ya JW...

That would seem to Defy the ethics of Logical Use.

I have acquaintances that do the same thing with Dove, they like to shoot 'em but don't like to eat 'em.
If I hunt with these folks, the problem then becomes, WHAT do I tell the Game Warden if I were to get pulled over with two hundred birds in my cooler?
I've been put in this position before and don't like it one bit.
But I Do love to eat dove, and detest throwing good meat away.

-gus

[bowtarist]

Gus and JW, That sounds great, all of it.  I just like wild game.  When we sit down to eat and are having meat, my oldest boy, 7, likes to ask, "Papa, did you kill this meat?".  I love that part of dinner.  I like my dove bacon wrapped and grilled also. 

PB, you're gonna have to give them other meats a chance, the next time I catch a coon @ the chicken coop, it's already been decided by the family that Racoon is what's for dinner.  I was just reading about the Joy of Cookings history.  Up until the 1970 processing and cooking wild game was in there, including coon, muskrat and even opposom. I'm actually looking for an older edition if anyone has one and want to come off of it. 

Eat right, know where your meat comes from, dpgratz 

[JW_Halverson]

  I was just reading about the Joy of Cookings history.  Up until the 1970 processing and cooking wild game was in there, including coon, muskrat and even opposom. I'm actually looking for an older edition if anyone has one and want to come off of it. 

You will want a copy of Joy of Cooking, 2nd Edition or 1st edition.  The third edition where the original author's grandchild picks up is all about how to microwave the take out from Hop Sing's Mexican/Chinese Fusion Restaurant. 

I have a copy of the 2nd Edition and they even explain how to take the glands off the 'coon!  There is also recipes in there for whale!  How un-PC is that?!?!?!  There are literally thousands of these books out there, check a used book store.  I bet they have a box full of 'em.

[bubby]

we take the dove and quail, slice it in strips and make fajitas, they are outstanding, Bub

[Prarie Bowyer]

Gus and JW, That sounds great, all of it.  I just like wild game.  When we sit down to eat and are having meat, my oldest boy, 7, likes to ask, "Papa, did you kill this meat?".  I love that part of dinner.  I like my dove bacon wrapped and grilled also. 

PB, you're gonna have to give them other meats a chance, the next time I catch a coon @ the chicken coop, it's already been decided by the family that Racoon is what's for dinner.  I was just reading about the Joy of Cookings history.  Up until the 1970 processing and cooking wild game was in there, including coon, muskrat and even opposom. I'm actually looking for an older edition if anyone has one and want to come off of it. 

Eat right, know where your meat comes from, dpgratz 

I have a reprint of the original game stuff and I have a cook book of my grandmothers that talks about cooking raccoon, armadillo, oppossum etc.

Gus~ Sand Hill crane?  Is that legal?  I know people used to shoot herrons and cranes for their feathers.

I've heard that wood duck is the prime of the prime in duck.  Why fry it?  I'd think it would be greasy as heck.  Grill, pan seared and finished off in the oven would be ideal for duck.

I can't wait to try dove.  My neighbor has some property.  Told me I can take deer also but I have no place to put one.  A few rabbits and doves would be ideal :-)

I've had squirrel~ grandmother cooked it with a shake and bake recipet.

[JW_Halverson]

Sandhill cranes are definitely legal to shoot in the central flyway.  They are considered by many to be as good eating as the finest Kobe beef!  I would say better. 

Kentucky is actually considering a sandhill crane season since the population is now risen to the point they are causing crop damage.  The Anti's are coming outa the woodwork claiming that if season opens that every last whooping crane will immediately be shot, eaten, and it's skin stuffed.  Considering a majority of all whooping cranes are in the central flyway and don't seem to get shot in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, or Saskatchewan, I seem to believe that with proper hunter education they will remain safe in Kentucky, too.

[Gus]

Yes you have to request a Sandhill Crane stamp ($7) in addition to your license here in Texas.
The last one I took with number 6 shot at Goose height from my Ruger Red Label 12ga 30".
The guys watching were shocked I hit it at that range.
Bagged it and Tagged it.
Grilled/Smoked it that night for the camp.
No Leftovers.

Skinned the Wood Duck and stripped the fat.
Battered and Fried like chicken.
Considerably less greasy than Hearts Chicken.
And a WHOLE lot tastier.
No Leftovers.

I do most of the wild game cooking (and most other cooking for that matter) in my hunting circle and family.
Have stumbled onto many good dishes over the years.
Generally subscribing to the KISS school of thought in cooking, Seafood Gumbo or Duck/Andouille Sausage Gumbo not withstanding.



-gus

[Prarie Bowyer]

Huh, you learn something every day.