Cleaning a bird...how?

[Dave Poss]

I've been invited to go on a muzzleloading bird hunt...sounds like fun...EXCEPT, I don't have a clue how to clean a bird!!! If you can help with a description or a website I could look at, I'd appreciate it. I always felt that if the game didn't have fur; it wasn't worth hunting! So, I've never hunted birds in my life.This will be my first.HELP.

 

what kind of bird? for small birds like quail or doves I just breast them. Don't even need a knife, although scissors are helpful to cut off wings and legs. Basically you just pull the feathers off the breast-- put your thumb under the breast and pull it from the rest of the body. More trouble if you want those tiny drumsticks. Big birds like pheasant and turkey are a lot more work. typically you gut them, pluck them and cut off heads and legs--some states require you to leave proof of sex --like one leg on a cock pheasant or the sex organs intact in transit home. Leave the skin on pheasant and turkey if you plan on roasting them! on turkeys I often just filet the breast meat off in thin slices and treat it like veal in recipes.
OH! if they are badly shot up you might soak them in salt water in the fridge overnight--in any event rinse them in water.

 

Longknife,.... I always jest skin'em. Ya can tear tha skin'n feathers of'em purty easy, and use'a knife ta cut wings'n feet off, after "break'n at tha joints"!!

"Pluck'n" is time-consume'n, and fer folks what ain't real hungry!! :m2c:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Stumpkiller]

I'm with RollingB. Pheasant and grouse I skin. Turkey and goose I pluck. Never shot a duck.

For the field dressing I just hook the organs out through the vent, either with a piece of bent clothes hanger wire or a purpose designed bird knife. Poke a 1/2" hole at the anus and push the hook up inside to the throat, twist it around in a circle twice and pull. The rest I do at home. If you tie flies you'll want to have some plastic bags for the feathers, anyway. If you don't tie flys, you have a good excuse to start. :winking:

 

Stumpkiller,.... Yore'a heck of'a lot quicker'n me,.... if you can tie up flies!! :shocking: :hmm:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Plains99]

With pheasants I skin the bird. Cut off the wing and head with shears or knife. After skinning, make a small cut at the point of the breast and pull back to expose innards than just rake them out with your finger. In Kansas we have to leave one foot on the bird for sex identification if challenged by a game officer. With quail and dove I just skin the breast, make the same cut then peal the breast off.

 

[bob1961]

right after the bird is dead i cut a slit it the rear of the bird from leg to leg at the butt for bout 3-4" and just go in by hand and make sure i get everything out up to the heart and lungs comes out in one nice little pile....even with turkeys....and i always skin what ever bird i do get and cook in an oven bag to make it juicy.....................bob

 

Longknife, with grouse, step on the head and pull it off. Then just turn it on its back, spread the wings and stand on them. Then grab the legs and pull. You will have in your hands the legs, skin and all of the innards except the heart, liver and gizzard. On the ground you will have a nice skinned breast with the heart, liver and gizzard inside and the wings attached. Pick it up, fold the wings against the breast and put it in your bag, coat pocket or just carry it. It don't get any easier or cleaner. With geese, I just lay them on thier back, grab the skin on the breast and pull it apart. It will tear easily. Peel it back then take a knife and cut down along the breastbone and cut out each side of the breast. The coyotes get the rest.

 

[Keith]

With ducks and turkeys I've plucked them and roasted 'em. Not worth it really. In most birds most of the meat is in the breast, turkey's have big legs, but lots of tendons. I breast the birds pretty much like Cody. If it isn't real warm and you are doing it that day you don't need to even gut them in the field.
What are you hunting?