What are the best tasting birds in BC?

Western Canuck

Western Canuck

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New PAL holder and hunter here. What are your favorite birds for eating? I've heard good things about sand hill crane. I have heard duck is hit or miss depending on if it's a dabbling or diving duck. Ruffed grouse seems to be popular in my local area, with multiple locals complaining about the taste of spruce grouse. Anyone tried wild turkey from BC south?
 
Western Canuck said:
New PAL holder and hunter here. What are your favorite birds for eating? I've heard good things about sand hill crane. I have heard duck is hit or miss depending on if it's a dabbling or diving duck. Ruffed grouse seems to be popular in my local area, with multiple locals complaining about the taste of spruce grouse. Anyone tried wild turkey from BC south?
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While a young Sandhill is indeed the best eating they are protected in BC and can't be shot.

A Canvasback - a diver - is very good eating and tastes better than a mallard - a puddle duck - that has been gorging on snails. My favorite ducks for eating are Blue and Green Winged Teal. Golden Eye have a very "strong" flavour" and I personally avoid shooting them.

Spruce grouse are generally good early in the season before they turn to eating conifer needles. Late season spruce grouse can often taste like turpentine.

Ruffed and Blue grouse are generally safe bets for table fare.

No wild turkey in the Central Interior so I can't comment.
 
Hard to beat a good duck breast IMO. Especially if they've got a good fat layer and you can do em skin on.

Goose breast in a hot skillet with butter is delicious too.

Grouse is good, but I'll take a limit of mallards and teals over a limit of grouse. Grouse, particularly ruffed grouse, is too similar to regular store bought chicken to hit the top of my list.
 
Ruffed grouse are the best of the grouse.
Ptarmigan are very good
Goose breasts are a new favourite when seared skin on and then lightly cooked.
Mallards are very good as poppers.
I don't shoot diver ducks so I have no idea on them.
 
I don’t do any waterfowl hunting but as much as I hate to say it I’d probably choose duck over grouse for actual eating, duck has more fat on it and that usually makes for good eating. If it’s strictly on hunting them then I would go with grouse, nothing more enjoyable than wandering the woods blasting grouse.
 
Like Boxhitch stated, California Quail are definitely at the top of my list as well.

Ruffed grouse take a close second.

I no longer eat, shoot or hunt waterfowl here in the Kootenay's. No longer have a hunting dog.

I would like to hear about the new rules you describe about road/ditch shooting in orchard country though.
 
DFarmer said:
Ruffed grouse are the best of the grouse.
Ptarmigan are very good
Goose breasts are a new favourite when seared skin on and then lightly cooked.
Mallards are very good as poppers.
I don't shoot diver ducks so I have no idea on them.
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Most diving ducks taste like mud, dirt, or fish.

Mergansers are the worst, they taste like dirty snapper!......:) LOL
 
Most of the ducks in BC are good eating. Mallard, wigeon, teal, canvasback and pintail are all great. Some guys I know eat northern shoveler and bufflehead - I just don't shoot them. If I'm getting out frequently, I try to limit myself to harvesting green heads.
 
Western Canuck said:
New PAL holder and hunter here. What are your favorite birds for eating? I've heard good things about sand hill crane. I have heard duck is hit or miss depending on if it's a dabbling or diving duck. Ruffed grouse seems to be popular in my local area, with multiple locals complaining about the taste of spruce grouse. Anyone tried wild turkey from BC south?
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Don't forget you will need a BC hunting license in British Columbia to hunt upland birds. I'm assuming you live in BC, because of your avatar.

If you hunt waterfowl, mourning doves, ring-necked doves, woodcock, snipe, or other migratory birds, you will need a migratory bird license as well.

Sandhill Cranes are so beautiful, I'm not sure I would want to hunt or harvest one. Here in BC they are protected like BOO has stated.
 
gdawg said:
Most of the ducks in BC are good eating. Mallard, wigeon, teal, canvasback and pintail are all great. Some guys I know eat northern shoveler and bufflehead - I just don't shoot them. If I'm getting out frequently, I try to limit myself to harvesting green heads.
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Most of the ducks you listed are puddle ducks, the bufflehead is a diving duck. Diving ducks normally do not taste that good, but this is just my experience, others may have a different opinion.

Waterfowl is a dark rich red meat, not one I was ever particularly fond of. I like white or light brown meat.

Everyone's taste buds are different.

You will have to shoot various birds to find out how they taste, just not spotted owl!....... :oops: :ROFLMAO:
 
I can't believe no one has mentioned the Northern pintail!?
imo, the best duck to eat, even over the lauded mallard.
when i was a madman for waterfowl, that was my fav.

nowdays, i dont waterfowl hunt anymore so Blue grouse (Sootys) top my list.

Just know that you can big game hunt and naturally crossover into or include small game, including opportunistic grouse, but if you wanna get into waterfowling, that's a whole universe in there, same goes for serious upland.
 
Beeron said:
I can't believe no one has mentioned the Northern pintail!?
imo, the best duck to eat, even over the lauded mallard.
when i was a madman for waterfowl, that was my fav.

nowdays, i dont waterfowl hunt anymore so Blue grouse (Sootys) top my list.

Just know that you can big game hunt and naturally crossover into or include small game, including opportunistic grouse, but if you wanna get into waterfowling, that's a whole universe in there, same goes for serious upland.
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Most of the ducks in BC are good eating. Mallard, wigeon, teal, canvasback and pintail are all great. Some guys I know eat northern shoveler and bufflehead - I just don't shoot them. If I'm getting out frequently, I try to limit myself to harvesting green heads.



Gdawg actually mentioned pintails above!

Pintails are a puddle duck, so they are usually very good as well.
 
Thunderhog said:
Most of the ducks in BC are good eating. Mallard, wigeon, teal, canvasback and pintail are all great. Some guys I know eat northern shoveler and bufflehead - I just don't shoot them. If I'm getting out frequently, I try to limit myself to harvesting green heads.



Gdawg actually mentioned pintails above!

Pintails are a puddle duck, so they are usually very good as well.
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ok ya, it was mentioned.

I guess I meant recommended.
 
Paul_T said:
What are you talking about?
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Oh, pre-C68, its going back quite a while now, to when driving rural roads and jumping out and shooting birds was a thing,
roads and ditches were ok, and even over the fence on occasion, with permission of course
We had to wait once for a school bus to p/u and leave before banging a ditch covey
 
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