What are the best tasting birds in BC?
- Thread starter Western Canuck
- Start date
badgreenbird
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek, BC
The first reply by Saskbootnut was pretty much spot-on.
An important tip on waterfowl (and the super dark meat upland birds) is: if you are frying the breast meat (as opposed to roasting the whole bird), DO NOT overcook it! Go for medium rare... any more and it will taste like a mix of liver and boot leather.
Diving ducks (with the plausible exception of mergansers) are generally OK if cooked lightly. I've had eiders and scoters that were as good as any mallard or wigeon.
I can vouch for wild turkey... excellent; as good as the other white-meat birds.
An important tip on waterfowl (and the super dark meat upland birds) is: if you are frying the breast meat (as opposed to roasting the whole bird), DO NOT overcook it! Go for medium rare... any more and it will taste like a mix of liver and boot leather.
Diving ducks (with the plausible exception of mergansers) are generally OK if cooked lightly. I've had eiders and scoters that were as good as any mallard or wigeon.
I can vouch for wild turkey... excellent; as good as the other white-meat birds.
Back in the day when we were young(and very good looking) we hunted the fabled Long Point on Lake Erie, SW Ontario.
We would breast out some Bluebills and fry them up with bacon & eggs on our boat on a little Coleman stove. My most memorable breakfasts of my life, with friends in God’s paradise. Sigh……
We would breast out some Bluebills and fry them up with bacon & eggs on our boat on a little Coleman stove. My most memorable breakfasts of my life, with friends in God’s paradise. Sigh……
As someone who has shot waterfowl in BC and Sask for 50+ years I think that Specs are the best eating of the geese clans. Have had good and bad on the west coast but big thing is do not overcook it .Duck has to be med rare ,oh I brine everything usually overnight. Widgeon are not my favourite shot a few that had been eating shellfish oh m g
I’ve mixed grouse and chukars together into a stew mix.
A few chicken thighs if were a tad short.
Cut all the pieces into small pieces, add some vegi’s.
It should resemble chicken pot pie stuffings.
Some garlick bread and smashed potatoes or polenta.
Vahhmoosh.
Fine vitals.
A few chicken thighs if were a tad short.
Cut all the pieces into small pieces, add some vegi’s.
It should resemble chicken pot pie stuffings.
Some garlick bread and smashed potatoes or polenta.
Vahhmoosh.
Fine vitals.
270WSMXBolt
Regular
- Location
- Delta B.C.
Your question has as many answers as the amount of shot from a mounted blunderbuss fired from a duck punt floating out of control through multiple hunting areas. Pretty wide pattern, if you catch the drift. Your also asking to compare the same amount of taste buds x a million or whatever to your own personal taste. All replies are subjective.
I live in what is arguably the best duck hunting region on the planet. I have yet to experience a good tasting duck. For that reason I don't wander the local fields with my good friends who do eat them, except on occasion, I do sit in a blind and drink a little coffee from my thermos.
I have had Canuck Grouse from Keats island that were exceptional and Quail from a winery in Oliver that were incredible. The ability of the hunter to process the birds with the respect and care make more difference to the taste but not as much as the habitat and food they eat.
My process for mountain chicken (grouse) is to breast them and drop them in a pinch of salt and pepper in a ziploc right away. The Iodine in the salt deals with the bad bugs, the salt and pepper well that's just the bonus.
I won't shoot a bear that lives on a salmon source. They don't taste good. Higher alpine berry bears are far superior. They are what they eat.
Shot a whitetail doe in an apricot orchard. OMG the best ever.
Great question but not really one that can be answered. Cheers and good luck
I live in what is arguably the best duck hunting region on the planet. I have yet to experience a good tasting duck. For that reason I don't wander the local fields with my good friends who do eat them, except on occasion, I do sit in a blind and drink a little coffee from my thermos.
I have had Canuck Grouse from Keats island that were exceptional and Quail from a winery in Oliver that were incredible. The ability of the hunter to process the birds with the respect and care make more difference to the taste but not as much as the habitat and food they eat.
My process for mountain chicken (grouse) is to breast them and drop them in a pinch of salt and pepper in a ziploc right away. The Iodine in the salt deals with the bad bugs, the salt and pepper well that's just the bonus.
I won't shoot a bear that lives on a salmon source. They don't taste good. Higher alpine berry bears are far superior. They are what they eat.
Shot a whitetail doe in an apricot orchard. OMG the best ever.
Great question but not really one that can be answered. Cheers and good luck
It all depends on what they have been eating and their body condition.
If u are on a long haul stoppver, recently arrived birds can be gamy and super lean.
If u are on central flyway resident pea, lentils, etc, a standard honker can be amazingly rich and delicious. Though in the same circumstances, a speckle belly os superior in my opinion.
In BC, i have watched geese eating manky salmon carcasses so honestly you kinda take your chances if you hunt coastal.
I grew up in skabush but im a BC kid now.
Teal nuggets are hard to beat.
Shedmaster
Member
- Location
- ne Alberta
Best advice is do not kill what you don’t eat. Taste them all and decide for yourself which you prefer.
For me pheasant, chukar, Hungarian partridge and ruffed grouse. I prefer the white meat birds.
Most others mentioned are dark meat birds. I do not shoot them. But I make an exception for a nice green head and sharp tail grouse in a stir fry.
For me pheasant, chukar, Hungarian partridge and ruffed grouse. I prefer the white meat birds.
Most others mentioned are dark meat birds. I do not shoot them. But I make an exception for a nice green head and sharp tail grouse in a stir fry.
I quite enjoy Ruffies, Blues, and Spruce as they make an excellent panfry.
Pheasant are excellent, if they are wild birds. The pen-raised, release birds are small, do not taste the same, and are not fun to hunt. There's no challenge when the hunter can walk over and pick them up. There was a time when there were good populations of wild breeding birds but the winter hits them hard.
If you can find some the feral populations of Peacock, they are tasty. Very similar to a wild pheasant. I first ate one in Ghana and I would never pass one up.
Mallards, Snows, and Specklebellies are my favs for waterfowl. The Specks and Snows make a nice roaster.
Pheasant are excellent, if they are wild birds. The pen-raised, release birds are small, do not taste the same, and are not fun to hunt. There's no challenge when the hunter can walk over and pick them up. There was a time when there were good populations of wild breeding birds but the winter hits them hard.
If you can find some the feral populations of Peacock, they are tasty. Very similar to a wild pheasant. I first ate one in Ghana and I would never pass one up.
Mallards, Snows, and Specklebellies are my favs for waterfowl. The Specks and Snows make a nice roaster.
Less than a full days drive, and only a few more bucks for the license, you can drive to Alberta and have a time!
I figure it was less than a handful of fingers times, that, in 8 years time, I actually saw any Cranes on the ground, in Alberta (Cold Lake to Edmonton, every weekend for a year, as well as repeated trips for another eight or so years) so, best of luck with that! And, I was driving by, not actually hunting them.
Sorry, not really seeing the attraction. Big, and maybe Tasty, they may be, but I have not ever been in a place that had numbers worth thinking that a couple Thanksgiving Dinners would not almost eliminate them.
Almost ALL the cranes I saw, were at about 8000 feet altitude, screaming their damn fool heads off, and not stopping by for a visit.
