How many of you pluck waterfowl and/or turkeys and how many take the breasts?

[M12shooter]

Only pluck and draw prime birds later in the fall. Usually spatchcock them after that. Anyone wax their birds once rough rough plucked... if not research it. No messy burning off of down and all that.

 

[canadian hunter312]

Personally, I think those who breast out birds and leave the legs behind should be ashamed of themselves for wasting edible meat as its done out of laziness and/or ignorance. Obviously nobody is expected to take every last bit, but leaving the legs behind has never made sense to me.

Most provinces have laws against wasting good meat. Had anyone ever been charged for leaving bird legs behind?

 

[Big Bad]

Grouse, which are what I mostly hunt, are fairly simple to clean and pluck. Wildfowl, esp ducks, have a lot of flavour in the parts and bones, it's why the French invented the duck press (which I do not have, but the same things can also be simmered to make stock.) I'm not shooting a lot of those though.

 

[Mr.Subzero]

Man I even cook the geese feet to eat and I like em boiled!

 

[FLYBYU44]

I skin them and take all the meat, legs, wings, breast and heart/liver. I plucked some ducks last year and the skin wasn't what everyone raves about. Most I fry up or make into jerky anyway, I don't roast birds much.

 

[Suther]

Personally, I think those who breast out birds and leave the legs behind should be ashamed of themselves for wasting edible meat as its done out of laziness and/or ignorance. Obviously nobody is expected to take every last bit, but leaving the legs behind has never made sense to me.

Most provinces have laws against wasting good meat. Had anyone ever been charged for leaving bird legs behind?

In BC the only part you must take is the breasts. Judging by this thread I would think that's pretty typical for most places.

 

[Kingjenky]

A ducker plucker thread.....greasy!!!

 

[Papaclaude]

Grouse, which are what I mostly hunt, are fairly simple to clean and pluck. Wildfowl, esp ducks, have a lot of flavour in the parts and bones, it's why the French invented the duck press (which I do not have, but the same things can also be simmered to make stock.) I'm not shooting a lot of those though.

With grouse, I always use(d) the step on the wings and pull on the legs, all the guts and skin come off, then I took the legs, heart, liver and gizzard. The only problem with the innards is that they gave me gas that would knock a moose down at 30 yards! Since moving to Ottawa, I've only gotten 2 grouse. They're a lot more skittish here than up North, yet I never see anyone hunting for them where I go.

 

[Big Bad]

With grouse, I always use(d) the step on the wings and pull on the legs, all the guts and skin come off, then I took the legs, heart, liver and gizzard. The only problem with the innards is that they gave me gas that would knock a moose down at 30 yards! Since moving to Ottawa, I've only gotten 2 grouse. They're a lot more skittish here than up North, yet I never see anyone hunting for them where I go.

From the Ottawa area right down through New England, they are about the wiliest game bird imaginable. I've seen them do things that suggest they have college degrees.

 

[Big Bad]

My preference would be wood ducks, teal and widgeon. Mallards and blacks are ok as well, but not as easy to pluck. As a general rule, dabbling ducks are best. But it always depends on what the duck is feeding on. For example, you’ll likely notice the difference if you eat a mallard thats been feeding in grain fields vs a mallard that has been eating swamp grass. Same goes for divers...you can eat a blue bill thats been feeding on aquatic vegetation and while it may not be as good as a dabbler, it will be ok. Catch another blue bill that spent its summer eating zebra mussels and shell fish and it will be gross

Reminds me of eating fish eating bay ducks, collectively but incorrectly known to New England country folks as "coots." Anyway, there are two traditional methods I know of for preparing and eating their rather tough meat, which are as follows:

1: Place the carcass of a coot in a steel or enamel pot of salted boiling water and put a half pound iron bar in with it. Continue boiling for several hours. When the iron bar is soft and tender, then so is the coot.

2: Obtain a clean and white piece of sugar pine of suitable size and nail or tie the plucked and skinned carcass of the coot to it. Put the board, coot side up, in a place exposed to sun and good air flow and leave it for a month to six weeks. After that time is up, remove and discard the coot carcass and eat the board.

These are really old jokes, about as old as flintlocks, apologies to those who have seen them before.

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

I don't hunt, but my buddy comes here for lunch when the geese are in my field. We just take the breasts, and they go directly on the grill. He will sometimes take an extra, but normally just 1 each day.

 

[Grouse Man]

Legs on geese, for sure. But ducks are usually just breasted.

 

[Papaclaude]

From the Ottawa area right down through New England, they are about the wiliest game bird imaginable. I've seen them do things that suggest they have college degrees.

Funny thing, though, when I grew up in Northern Ontario, the only time the ruffed grouse would fly more that 15-20 feet was if it was very windy. But here, they fly right to the next township, and I've only been able to get into shooting range maybe a dozen times in 20 years, when I'm out deer hunting and not hunting for them. Yet they face little to no hunting pressure. Odd.

 

[1963beretta]

Funny thing, though, when I grew up in Northern Ontario, the only time the ruffed grouse would fly more that 15-20 feet was if it was very windy. But here, they fly right to the next township, and I've only been able to get into shooting range maybe a dozen times in 20 years, when I'm out deer hunting and not hunting for them. Yet they face little to no hunting pressure. Odd.

I’ve had the same experience on the property I hunt in the Kawartha’s. Its often easier to hunt turkeys than grouse. And then total opposite in the Parry Sound area. You can walk right up to grouse and hunt them with a sling shot

 

[Papaclaude]

I’ve had the same experience on the property I hunt in the Kawartha’s. Its often easier to hunt turkeys than grouse. And then total opposite in the Parry Sound area. You can walk right up to grouse and hunt them with a sling shot

Yep, and if you go far enough North to get spruce hens, they're even dumber. You can often bonk them with a stick - and they are better eating than ruffed grouse, IMHO.

I've often wondered if they are a different subspecies of ruffed grouse further south?

 

[sam menard]

I haven’t hunted ducks in years, but would dip the carcass in hot paraffin wax, then peel off the feathers when the wax cooled and hardened. Worked pretty slick!

 

[Waterfowler]

Personally, I think those who breast out birds and leave the legs behind should be ashamed of themselves for wasting edible meat as its done out of laziness and/or ignorance. Obviously nobody is expected to take every last bit, but leaving the legs behind has never made sense to me.

Most provinces have laws against wasting good meat. Had anyone ever been charged for leaving bird legs behind?

Not in Ontario.

 

[M12shooter]

I haven’t hunted ducks in years, but would dip the carcass in hot paraffin wax, then peel off the feathers when the wax cooled and hardened. Worked pretty slick!

Thats for sure, barely have to pluck them but still only worth the hassle on prime late fall ducks such as mallard, pins, redhead and canvas. Cant believe more hunters don't know of this method. Further when I breast out my ducks I always save the legs and cook them at a later point really slow in duck fat for 4 hours or so. Makes a tender and delicious meal regardless or species less ganzers and all that crap which I never shoot.