Pigeon hunting

Goody

Goody

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My son and I have permission to shoot the pigeons at two horse farms (not good to have them around the horses) and I was wondering what they would taste like and if anyone had any suggestions for recipes and how to prepare them.
Do you breast them like a partridge and pull up on the legs for the breast meat?
I'm quite interested in some good advice as there are a lot to get rid of.
Thanks,
:dancingbanana: :dancingbanana:
 
never heard of eating pigeons, i have heard of eating doves.. like wood doves and such. I think Pigeons are dirtier... IMO i wouldnt eat them, even though they are in the country, they could eat pesticide and other nasty things.

im sure people have/do eat them, i have just never heard of it/been reccomended to do it.
 
They're really good.

In Europe people build nesting sheds for them and tempt the adults to come and lay there, then rob the nests for the squbs just before they can fly.

Don't why there's a prejudice.
 
pigeons taste great, in the country they are not dirty birds, they usually eat wheat and corn from the fields, they taste a little better than quail. they do have a thick breast if you just like to keep the breast but I personaly pluck them. In tomatoe sauce with rice on the side they taste great.:cool:
 
Feral pigeons are very selective as to what they eat and feed mainly on seeds and waste grain. Thats why they frequent grain elevators and rail yards. Many Europeans eat them as I had pigeon pie at a pals home once. These people were from Malta. Tasted better than half the ducks guys shoot I'm sure.

Once worked for an oil company. We had hundreds of these birds on our structures and tankage. My boss called me in one day and asked if I would concider shooting some as he knew I was a duck hunter(came in late couple times with marsh mud on my boots). The company would pay for the ammo he said, couldn't hardly contain myself! Anyway I think I shot 176 the first day. They do get smart real quick if ya can imagine that! Never cooked any of those up though.
 
I've picked up several pigeon decoys from Al Flaherty's store in Toronto. I've yet had a chance to use them but judging from the amount that the store carried, there seems to be a other hunters out there that are targeting them. You can probably check some UK sites for information about Wood Pigeon hunting which would give you some further ideas about what tactics & loads to use.

I personally would not hesitate to hunt and eat them if/when the opportunity arose.

Good Luck!

Frank
 
There was a family who lived in our little community who raised rabbits and pigeons to keep the family fed.They also ate a lot of deer meat as well,as soon as one of the kids was old enuff to have a deer tag it meant another deer for the freezer.
 
When I was a kid my grandmother used to buy me a box of shells for my .410 so I could shoot the makings for a pigeon pie. As I recall, it was very good. Haven't had pigeon pie for years.
 
Feral Pigeons ARE good to eat ... their diet in the countryside isn't any different than Mourning Dove ... waste grain, seeds, etc. I'd want to be
well removed from the potential of any "city" birds, however.

I don't agree that pigeon is "better than Quail", (eact to their own) but they are quite good, especially when braised in a red wine-based sauce. There isn't a lot of fat on them, so if you want to try them roasted, prepare basically as you would for roast wild duck - and adjust the cooking time as they are smaller. Use some bacon over them to help prevent them from drying out.
 
Woodpigeon here in the UK is good for food. I avoid feral birds or use them for ferret food or fox bait. The woodies certainly catch on quick and make serious inroads to crops. People actually pay for pigeon shooting over decoys and the record is something like 700 birds in a day for one gun!
 
My wife's uncle (German immigrant) harvests the pigeons that use his barn and they are very tasty. Stronger flavored than mourning dove and quail but very nice. Older birds are "gamier" (hate that word, should read "pigeonier") but still quite good when braised.
 
pigeon is great. If you can try for the younger ones, dull beak and dark brown eyes, less defined colour too. We used to raise them for table fare, once they get old they're pretty tough though like eating rubber. I like the red wine base idea for them too or stuffed with potatoes is also good.
 
TimC said:
Woodpigeon here in the UK is good for food. I avoid feral birds or use them for ferret food or fox bait. The woodies certainly catch on quick and make serious inroads to crops. People actually pay for pigeon shooting over decoys and the record is something like 700 birds in a day for one gun!
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I've shot wood pigeons in the U.K. and it's very exciting wingshooting.

They aren't just good for food but if cooked properly are excellent. Among my most memorable meals ever was a feast of wood pigeon breasts at a little country pub in the Bucks washed down with several pints of real ale.
 
To the persons who think they're dirty because of what they eat. They eat the produce of farms so do, deer, game birds, bears, cattle, humans too. Quick grilled pigeon proper name rock dove breasts/legs served with spagetti and cream sauce!!
 
The problem we have here is feral pigeons bringing disease to the farms, they're the really easy ones to shoot as when one drops from the sky the others all think he's seen food!
 
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