Got a nice Rooster this morn

[kcflhrc]

I personally would pass up 10 pheasant to eat 1 quail. Very few quail around these parts anymore. My brother would wrap pheasant nuggets in bacon and fry them up, best part was the bacon. Chucker are good eating birds also, white meat like the quail, quite tasty. Hard to beat steak though.

 

[gwdixon]

By the look of the tail feathers, I'd guess it was a planter as well. The fact that you flushed and got him without a dog is further evidence.

There used to be a heavy and healthy wild pheasant population here in rice country in Central California. Now, with farming practices and no burning, seeing a wild bird is very rare. Planters are the only option.

So far this season I've gotten a few on a club.

 

[sld]

I smoked the pheasants I shot on opening day here in Kansas. It was very good! When the kids eat it and ask for more you know you are doing something right.

Quail is very good too but the best wild meat I have ever had is a wild turkey during the spring season. Unreal!

 

[Jimbrown]

I never these suckers were good to eat.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I smoked the pheasants I shot on opening day here in Kansas. It was very good! When the kids eat it and ask for more you know you are doing something right.

Quail is very good too but the best wild meat I have ever had is a wild turkey during the spring season. Unreal!

I have eaten Spring turkeys and my experience was just the opposite. The legs were so gamy they were inedible. The breast was better, but still a bit too gamy for me. I attributed it to the them having to scrounge for food during the Winter; they had virtually no fat on them. I concluded that a Fall turkey would probably be better because of the food supply.

 

[Shift4200]

By the look of the tail feathers, I'd guess it was a planter as well. The fact that you flushed and got him without a dog is further evidence.

There used to be a heavy and healthy wild pheasant population here in rice country in Central California. Now, with farming practices and no burning, seeing a wild bird is very rare. Planters are the only option.

So far this season I've gotten a few on a club.

RI hasn't had a natural game bird population for as long as I have been hunting (24y+). The ONLY birds we get are stocked. They typically don't flush, even if you have a dog. They sit and stare at you for a few sec and then take off on the ground running. Normally I take my pup, she's no bird dog but sure does flush em pretty good for me (jack russel). If they try to run, she's all over em. This was the wife's first time out, and opted to not take her so she could get a feel for it before having to be aware of the dog.

Wife beer battered hers and another we had in the freezer from earlier in the season.... then deep fried. Came out fantastic!

-J

 

[AaronS]

I have eaten Spring turkeys and my experience was just the opposite. The legs were so gamy they were inedible. The breast was better, but still a bit too gamy for me. I attributed it to the them having to scrounge for food during the Winter; they had virtually no fat on them. I concluded that a Fall turkey would probably be better because of the food supply.

I'm not a big fan of wild turkey either, but EVERYTHING is better with bacon.

Turkey bacon ranch


Turkey breast roll-ups

 

[MacLawn]

Oh me, Toll, that looks great! Being an old fashioned southerner, I was raised shooting 16s. That's all me Dad wanted, so that's what I first hunted with. 16s have an old tradition in the Deep South, but not many people are even aware of that nowadays. When I was 16, I bought a Fox 16 side by side, improved cylinder/modified, the perfect bird and rabbit shotgun. Like some have said, only problem is we just about don't have any more wild birds here now. In my home state, when you said birds, that meant quail. Pheasants canno' live here for some reason. My dream is to go to South Dakota, or somewhere with wild pheasants, and camp and hunt. I cannot' afford those high dollar "game preserve" hunts. Actually I wouldn't care for them anyway. I've shot pen raised quail two times, pretty pitiful when you know the real thing. Pheasants might be different.

Love ye hunt pics, and ye Jeep!

 

[nybirdman]

Don't kid youself;half the birds shot in S.Dakota are stocked birds.I once watched a show and the birds still had blinders on!I have been told;if you guide(charge to hunt) you must replace any shot birds with new stockings.
I own a small uplands preserve in NYS,I guarantee my birds will give you a run for your money.

 

[/pine]

... but the best wild meat I have ever had is a wild turkey during the spring season...

I agree with the others that think the opposite...I no longer hunt turkeys simply because they are just plain lousy table fare (IMO)...I try not to kill anything that I can't or wont eat (besides coyotes)...it's a Karma thing...!

Most hunters around here hunt them only for the beard and spur trophies...

Years ago the ruffed grouse (excellent table fare) population here was prolific...since the turkey population has increased there is a lot fewer grouse...because of the rugged and steep terrain here grouse offer one of the most challenging hunts there is for game birds...