1st Time Hunter; Help

[SpringOWeiler]

After buying hunting licenses for the past 9 years (my way of directly supporting the Dept of Fish and Game) will be the first time I will actually hunt.
I'm planning on going pheasant hunting and have about 6 weeks to prepare. I have a Remington 870 wingmaster magnum 3" shotgun 28" barrel. No choke.
What type of ammo should I get?
How do you field dress Pheasants?
How should I practice for this upcoming hunt?

[mete]

Sporting clays was developed for training and practice for hunting with a shotgun .And it's fun too !
Pheasant ? Think chicken .Some knifes have a hook to remove the insides. Do this soon as you can. open body cavity from sternum to vent , remove insides.The feathers can be easily removed , bit by bit if it'd done soon otherwise it may be easyer to dunk in hot water , then defeather.
You must pattern your loads and pick the best for pattern and get an idea of minimum and max range. This is done at 40 yds.

[SpringOWeiler]

Is there any type of ammo I should use or avoid. Obviously Self defense ammo is probably out of the picture. Currently I have high velocity steel shot. Never patterned it though. I remember dissecting quails in my college biology class so at least I have that to fall back on. I"m just not trying to make a stupid mistake with this. My friend and a I are going to practice at a trap range a couple of times before we go out.

[jimbob86]

The feathers can be easily removed , bit by bit if it'd done soon otherwise it may be easyer to dunk in hot water , then defeather.

I've been hunting pheasant a long time, and have never seen anyone pluck one. Ever.

I've seen folks just take the breast out (a waste of good meat, IMO)..... but most folks skin them (easier done than you'd think: it pulls right off).

Keep in mind that some states require evidence of sex of the bird be left on .... we always left one foot attached.....hens have no spurs.

Start by removing the ends of the wings, the head and one foot. Pull the skin off, then remove the entrails. Rinse, clean any feathers or pellets out of wounds ........ soak in salt water overnight. Freeze in airtight plastic bags if not cooking immediately .....


The best thing you can do to prepare for the hunt is to practice hitting moving targets.....go shoot some clays..... 5 stand trap is good practice, and is fun, too.

As for ammo ..... I always liked #6 game loads ...... but most any shot size 4 through 7 1/2 or even 8 will work ..... there are people who advocate smaller shot for early season, and larger for later, when the birds flush further out .....

[tahunua001]

I'm not sure if this works for pheasants, but grouse, which are about the same size have a really easy, but kindof gore method of field dress. you step on both wings(one under each foot) and pull up on the legs.
here's a youtube demonstration.

another very easy way is to just cut the front open with a pocket knife, find the sternum and cut along both sides and just follow the breast all the way around. wild birds have such little amount of usable meat that the breasts are all you really care about.

[jimbob86]

wild birds have such little amount of usable meat that the breasts are all you really care about.

There's two ways to look at this:

1- "There's not much there to begin with, so don't waste any."

2- "There's not much there to begin with, so if you waste 1/2 of it, you aren't wasting much."

If you are in the second camp, why bother at all?

About 1/2 the meat on a ringneck is in the thighs, back and legs.

[hoghunting]

I have a Remington 870 wingmaster magnum 3" shotgun 28" barrel. No choke

Not sure what you mean by "no choke", the barrel has been cut down and there isn't a choke restriction, there should be a choke tube but you don't have one, it doesn't use choke tubes but you don't know what choke the barrel has?

With no choke you'll have to get close and shoot quickly as range will be a problem.

[tahunua001]

There's two ways to look at this:

1- "There's not much there to begin with, so don't waste any."

2- "There's not much there to begin with, so if you waste 1/2 of it, you aren't wasting much."

If you are in the second camp, why bother at all?

About 1/2 the meat on a ringneck is in the thighs, back and legs.

the way I look at it, there isn't much there, what is there in the legs is so tough you have to slow cook it. breast taste the best and aren't too tough. out this way, even with turkeys is often the only thing you take. tried the legs one time, came out the same taste and consistency as chicken gizzards. haven't taken legs since. the why bother crowd could also argue that the 30 pounds of meat that you get from a single small doe after all the gas spent on half a season of getting skunked that the deer is no longer worth it because it's cheaper to just get meat from the store...

sometimes it's just about the taste and the experience.

[Barnacle Brad]

Guys instinctively want to take the easy way out of a chore AND want to fry every piece of game they bring home - which does not equate to the best method or the best eats. Imo, the novice hunter should experience the whole enchilada, meaning, to discover on his own what he/she likes about the sport and what they find palatable in the game. Pretty hard to discover if you like something or not if you leave it for the yotes.

As far as "field dressing" the birds - if you are truly going to do this in the field - make sure you bring a box of zip lock bags to put the cleaned birds in. As noted in another post, the hide and feathers peel off quite easily. Placing your thumbs on keel bone of the breast with moderate pressure pull back toward the thighs. It may be helpful to spread the feathers back to expose the skin using this technique, but you will find the skin is very thin and separates easily. Work the hide back to expose the joint at the base of the wing or first joint of the wing and cut through. Do the same with the thighs and cut at the leg joint (A pair of hand pruners makes these cuts easy). Next cut the tail off at the base and peel the hide up to the neck and cut off the head. Pull out the entrails and you are done.

If you shoot a fine rooster you may want to keep the the tail feathers for a memento. They are such pretty birds - if it is up your alley, you can preserve the whole hide with a little borax. Lay out the hide or just the tail portion and coat liberally with borax and let stand for a week or two.

For cooking, you might get away with frying the breasts, but you are going to have something akin to jerky - dry at any rate. Instead season up the bird after coating with oil or butter and foil wrap the beast and cook at 275 for two hours. If it is not falling off the bone, add a little chicken stock and give it another half hour. You can braise the bird also in a covered cast iron or other vessel. You will start with plenty of chicken stock in this method.

Happy hunting!

[buck460XVR]

Most times, if you kill a Pheasant, it's because you put holes and shot into it's body. This means plucking it will not make access to shot and feather trails easy. You almost need to fillet the meat to make sure you don't miss any and end up with a chipped tooth. Since there is not much fat on a wild bird anyway, the idea of keeping the skin on to preserve moisture is almost a moot point. Pull the skin away and take all the meat that is salvageable. It don't have to be pretty. Choke is not as important as using the right size shot(I like #5s) and loads(heavy pheasant loads, not the wimpy field loads). Remember to lead and not shoot at the tail like many new pheasant hunters do. The birds are faster than they look.

[Pahoo]

I've been hunting pheasant a long time, and have never seen anyone pluck one. Ever.

You can pluck if you wish but really not worth the time and effort and all you gain, is that it will look prettier, in the pot. Most Pheasant hunters just skin them out and cook the entire carcass or cut it up and follow their favorite recipe. There are some birds that should be plucked, like water foul and some that are really a waste of time and won't pluck like a chicken. ....

Be Safe !!!

[NHSHOOTER]

The one thing I do remember about pheasant hunting long ago here in NH, if you dont have a dog to help you find and flush em, not to much worry about how to clean and cook em..

[Snyper]

Not sure what you mean by "no choke", the barrel has been cut down and there isn't a choke restriction, there should be a choke tube but you don't have one, it doesn't use choke tubes but you don't know what choke the barrel has?

Before choke tubes became popular, the 28" barrels were Modified, the 26" Imp Cyl, and the 30" were Full chokes

I suspect that's what the OP means

[SpringOWeiler]

I'm meant the shotgun appears to have a Full choke, it says Full on the left side of the barrel about an 1" ahead of the receiver. It has a 6 digit serial number so I assume it's a bit older.

Thanks for everybody's tips. I feel a lot more comfortable in preparing for this. Sounds like the dressing method kind of depends on how terrible my shot placement is.

I just checked my ammo cabinet and I have 2 options on hand.
2-3/4" #7.5 Federal Game Loads in the Blue Box. About 50 of them
3" Magnum Estate BBB 1.25oz Steel Shot 1 box of 25.

[big al hunter]

Check the game regulations, some areas in Washington are non-toxic shot required. Either way I would get new loads for pheasant. For lead a good start would be #5. For steel to get the same result as lead you want 1 size larger shot....so #4.

[Ghost22]

I don't have a ton of experience hunting pheasant, but from what I remember 7.5 shot size will work, assuming lead is legal in your area. (According to a coworker who regularly hunts, 6s are better). I would be more worried about hitting the birds. See if you can find a shotgun range that has skeet, trap and sporting clays, and work on mounting the gun smoothly and getting the proper lead and follow through. The internet and other sources will have some basic info about how to mount, swing, lead and follow through. If you had to pick one to start, 16 yard trap from a low gun mount may be a good place. I'll let others chime in if I'm mistaken here.

[Pahoo]

One point that is not often considered but potentially frustrating experience, is whether these are "free-ranging" birds or "pen-raised". On the pen-raised, I would have not problem with the 7-1/2 shot. On the free-range birds I'd stick to the 6"s and 5"s. Now, the 4's is the last desperation shot and that is where you will lose birds.. ...

Also, on free-range birds; it all depends on how hard they are hunted. The harder they are hunted or "pushed" the longer the shots and they will overcome a natural fear and run on you. They will also play the wind so note the direction of the wind. ...

Might add that hunting behind a good dog, is poetry in motion and it all comes together. Many times I lose concentration on the hunt and just watch the dogs. ..

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!

[Panfisher]

Cleaning a pheasant can be as easy or difficult as you want to make it. Since I happen to like all the meat I don't just breast them out. Use a pair of game shears (or even tin snips or pruning shears can work) to remove the wings and one leg. Grab the skin under the breast or on the back and peel it off up toward the head and down over the legs. Turn the bird breast down and take the shears and stick them into the the soft area around the vent and cut right against the backbone all the way up and out at the neck, do both sides, then grab the neck with head still attached and peel the backbone and insides out. What doesn't come right out is pretty easy to access now. Toss the bird into a cooler of water and ice. Be sure when doing the final cleaning to follow the pellet holes making sure to get any pellets out, don't mind biting on a feather but a lead shot is different. Usually I will fillet out the breasts for my wife to make whatever she wants to, and I will toss the rest into a big pot with some chicken stock and water, boil until it falls apart, stir vigorously, and pour through a strainer. Let cool and pick the meat from the bones. not so bad without all the vertebrae pieces. You can then add the meat back to the pot and season as you wish to make an awesome "chicken & noodles" or rice.

[jimbob86]

the way I look at it, there isn't much there, what is there in the legs is so tough you have to slow cook it. breast taste the best and aren't too tough. out this way, even with turkeys is often the only thing you take. tried the legs one time, came out the same taste and consistency as chicken gizzards.

Folks pay ridiculous money for deep fried chicken gizzards 'round here....

As for "having to slow cook it" ...... most wild game benefits from slow cooking, as it lacks fat in the muscle tissues: it will dry out easily when cooked most any other way...... though there are other tricks to tenderize tough meat and retain the moisture it does have ...... cooking wild game is a skill, and every bit as rewarding to learn as any other hunting skill .....

I regard people that "breast out" pheasants and turkeys the same way I do those that kill a deer and take the rack, backstraps and hindquarters and leave the rest to the coyotes ...... wasteful, with no respect for the resource .... but you do whatever floats your boat, guy ......

One note regarding skinning pheasants: if you're really careful skinning a bird, you can keep the skin relatively intact. Take the neck off the body, cut the skin up the center of the breast, and cut the tail off. Remove the skin from the body. Now get a metal coat hanger and a 1/2 gallon milk jug ...... drape the skin over the upright milk jug (you can fill it 1/3 full of dirt to keep it stable), and put the straightened coat hanger down through the jug so that you can impale the head and neck on it, and bend the tail end up at a 45 degree angle where it comes out the bottom of the milk jug and impale the tail on it. Take to a spot 40-50 yards from a road ..... winter wheat fields are ideal for this ...... arrange your zombie ringneck in a lifelike pose, and then add a little tag asking the idiot that just unloaded on it to set it back up so he's not the only slob roadhunter to fall for the zombie ringneck today.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Not all outside ranges have sporting clay ability on a moments notice. So if you could get a little Trap Shooting in before your hunt. That would really help and give you some idea what you will encounter afield. Pheasants primarily fly up and straight away from you at slight angles. Quite similar to shooting Trap. As far as suggested shot-shells. 2-3/4" - #6 has always been considered a good all purpose shot-shell. Steel or lead shot. Both are good for the purpose.

Just try not to do what Vice President Dick Cheney did too (his) hunting companion.

[Barnacle Brad]

I regard people that "breast out" pheasants and turkeys the same way I do those that kill a deer and take the rack, backstraps and hindquarters and leave the rest to the coyotes ...... wasteful, with no respect for the resource .... but you do whatever floats your boat, guy ......

That doesn't sound judgemental or antogonistic at all! Game laws require that edible meat from big game animals must be removed from the field. Failing to do so is wanton waste. Birds are not big game animals are they?

My buddy called wyoming game and fish to find out what days the pheasant release sites were releasing birds. The conversation went something like this:

John: Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me what days they are releasing birds at the Yellowtail site?
Wf&g: No! We can't tell you that!
John: Why not?
Wf&g: Because you will just go out and shoot them!
John: Hmmm... Well let me ask you this: what is the survival rate of the released birds?
Wf&g: Survival rate? Are you kidding? The fox and coyotes have those pen reared birds killed in the first few days!

So you see jimbob, you can't really compare wasting big game animals with leaving part of the birds that were intended for the coyotes anyway.

[jimbob86]

Brad, you seem to be under the impression that all game birds are pen raised .....

Besides, it's the principle of the thing: Waste is waste. Just because a thing is not "illegal" does not make it right.

The unprincipled wouldn't understand.

[Barnacle Brad]

Brad, you seem to be under the impression that all game birds are pen raised .....

Not quite that naive Sir! Shall we hold in higher esteem wild birds over ones raised in a pen? They look and taste the same...

You seem to be under the impression that because you feel one way about waste, anyone who disagrees with you is "unprincipled". It is possible to make your case without being judgemental. I happen to agree with you, but I found a way to put forth my opinion without alienating anyone or sounding "holier than thou".

You did make a good point about cooking methods though...

[SpringOWeiler]

Looked up some more information. Since I'll be on private land it looks like the lead bans won't apply. Thankfully there are plenty of trap and skeet ranges around SE Washington. 4 within a 45min drive. My friends have their own clay throwers, so I can set it up on our personal range to practice.

We may end of doing that to see if my Buddy's golden Retriever has any instinctual hunting skill. My dog is a Springer Spaniel/Rottweiler mix so i'll bring him along too. Not holding out that he has a clue what to do. Both of our dogs were rescues. Any tips on how to test them and their flushing abilities?

I'm not sure about the free range/pen raised birds. Both of our hunting grounds are within 40miles of the release sites. When I was growing up I used to feed the wild pheasants cracked corn at my parents house; so I guess they were half-wild since they got very comfortable around me.

I'm very excited for all the recipes you've shared with me. I plan to use everything I can plus the heart and liver . I had pheasant tortellini once and It was quite amazing.

Maybe a stupid question- When applying clay practice to the hunt, am I essentially treating the head as the point to lead off of?

[TimSr]

I live in NE Ohio where few truly wild pheasants exist, so when you do see a bird, it was most likely pen raised and released for hunting. If these are the type birds you are hunting, DO NOT throw away ANY of the meat that you would keep if it were a chicken.

Truly wild birds area different matter.