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FirstFreedom
May 13, 2007, 12:55 PM
Quail, pheasant, turkey, partridge, chukkar, prairie chicken, ptarmigan, sandhill crane, what? I've heard sandhill crane, among species in this state...

fisherman66
May 13, 2007, 01:10 PM
I'll vote fer Ben Franklins bird...turkey, fried please. Dove as a long distance 2nd.

roy reali
May 13, 2007, 01:20 PM
Spotted Owl.:D

DonR101395
May 13, 2007, 01:36 PM
pheasant

RedneckFur
May 13, 2007, 02:50 PM
Crow and Seagull :D

fisherman66
May 13, 2007, 02:52 PM
RNFur, you eat a lot of crow?

tronman
May 13, 2007, 03:56 PM
Not sure what they call 'em, but them great big blackish brown birds with the white heads is downright tasty!

Made the mistake of saying something to that effect at the game wardens office one day registering my boat...those fella's have no sense of humor.

Lavid2002
May 13, 2007, 03:57 PM
Pheasant : D Mmmm

WeedWacker
May 13, 2007, 04:46 PM
I'd go with pheasant or dove. I think it all depends on how you cook it. THe smaller birds can be tossed in a crock pot whole and slow cooked with whatever you want to baste them in.


Not sure what they call 'em, but them great big blackish brown birds with the white heads is downright tasty!

Made the mistake of saying something to that effect at the game wardens office one day registering my boat...those fella's have no sense of humor.

"The local game warden for Lake Wabasha had heard that Ole was shooting loons. Now, the loon being the state bird of Minnesota that was quite the no-no for people. SO the warden drives up to oles cabin and knockes on the door. Ole answers and says,"Can I help yöu, Mr. Vorden?"
"Yes, Ole, I heard you have been shooting loons. Would you mind if I came in and looked around?"
"Oh ya sure ya beytchya. Come in come in."
The warden walks in looks around at all the animals mounted on the walls and walks to the kitchen. He goes up to the refridgerator and opens up the door. Sure enough, there are over a half dozen dead loons in baggies.
"I'm sorry, Ole, but I gotta take you in."
He gets the cuffs on Ole and puts him in the back of the car and starts driving back to town. As they drive along, to make small talk, he asks,"Ole, I'm kinda curious. Now this is completely off the record. I kinda wonder what loon tastes like." Ole thinks, and he thinks. After about five minutes ole responds in an affirmative tone,"It tastes alot like Igle."

Mannlicher
May 13, 2007, 06:27 PM
I have only killed and eaten the ones in FL, GA, SC and VA. I like quail best.

stuckon308
May 13, 2007, 07:23 PM
I happen to be partial to partridge. Mmmmmmmmm. Some of the best memories are frying up partridge with my dad for the rest of the family.

wolverine350
May 13, 2007, 07:32 PM
Quail is excellent, and Pheasant

HuntCast
May 13, 2007, 10:24 PM
Partridge (Ruffed Grouse) when cooked properly, is like heaven!

Smokey Joe
May 13, 2007, 10:27 PM
I think it all depends on how you cook it.Weedwhacker is on to something here. Frankly, I never et a gamebird I didn't like. But I'm related to a bunch of good cooks, and am considered somewhat better than awful myself in that dept.

My mother roasted mourning doves. She also cooked my ducks with an orange sauce made from a Remington recipie book--we called it ammunition sauce. Oh, yum.

My #1 Son loved the way his gramma (my MIL) cooked barn pigeons--he called them "flying meals." (Now he's off on his own, and Gramma has long since quit farming.)

My wife makes an elegant roast Canada goose, and also has a recipie for goose soup that is XLNT for old tough birds.

And I once won a bet, producing garlic fried coot breasts with bacon in 10 min. from cleaned to plate. Part of the bet was they had to be great to eat.

But my favorite?? Awfully hard to say. I guess like a lot of things, my favorite is the one I'm eating RIGHT NOW.

FirstFreedom
May 13, 2007, 11:34 PM
Ruffed Grouse is one and the same as Partridge?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruffed_Grouse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partridge

By the way, best I've ever tasted (so far) personally was quail.

HuntCast
May 13, 2007, 11:53 PM
Ruffed Grouse have been called Partridge since the first European saw one in North America.
I know they aren't, but ya can't change that much tradition.

Stiofan
May 14, 2007, 12:13 AM
A nice pheasant for Thanksgiving (for two) is a nice meal and is hard to beat, but I'm partial to wild duck or goose as well. Hmmm, I like dove and quail too. And chuker.

skeeter1
May 14, 2007, 01:33 AM
My wife makes an elegant roast Canada goose, and also has a recipie for goose soup that is XLNT for old tough birds.


It always amazes me how many people tend to turn up their noses about eating Canada Geese. AFAIC, when roasted well, they're delicious, and much better than farm-raised geese. Not nearly as greasy, and all dark meat. Besides, they're fun to hunt. The only hard part is that each goose has enough feathers to fill up a large-size trash bag.

Huntzalittle
May 14, 2007, 09:27 AM
Put me down for Ruffed Grouse, delicious!
I quit hunting geese and ducks 'cause I couldn't stand the way the wife cooks them. Fun to hunt on our farm and we got a lot of them. Just couldn't aquire the taste for them:)

srtrax
May 14, 2007, 01:19 PM
QUAIL

or the WIKI :eek: :D :) :p :rolleyes: ;)

fisherman66
May 14, 2007, 01:34 PM
Wiki taste worse than musky boar pelt. Now, the wika (lady version) ain't all that bad as long as she ain't in season.

Quail is gud, but there's so little reward for messin' with all dem bones (especially if the were broken by shot).

jhgreasemonkey
May 14, 2007, 02:17 PM
Toss up between grouse and turkey for me. Both please!

ConcealCarryNY
May 14, 2007, 06:26 PM
Ptarmagin. Little butter, salt and pepper in a cast iron skillet. Simple and best damn breakfast going.

robc
May 15, 2007, 12:54 AM
Ruffed grouse. I also love the strong, sort of livery flavor of spruce grouse.

Worst for me was turkey. I've only had wild turkey once, but it was like shoe leather.

Fat White Boy
May 15, 2007, 01:07 AM
Quail, Chukar, Hungarian Partrige, Pheasant- I guess all the gallinules. Dove is good if it's cooked right. Duck, goose- all are good with proper preparation...

OuTcAsT
May 15, 2007, 10:03 AM
definately Quail, I could eat it till I burst!!! MMMMMM!

Clayfish
May 15, 2007, 11:06 AM
I would have to go with fried turkey followed closely with quail.

oldbillthundercheif
May 17, 2007, 04:53 AM
Pheasant, but a perfectly cooked duck would probably run a close second.

Quail and grouse are high on the list as well.

Gbro
May 17, 2007, 07:07 AM
My car pool'er just came back from turkey hunting (Wisc) and they never saved the legs. I told him i would take them and we had turkey last night.
All day in a crock w/mushroom &Lipton onion soup, over rice.
It saw wonderful. I have some in my lunch for work today and a dish for the hunter also. (with promise i still get the legs again).

I do a tyreaki Goose on the rotisserie at Deer camp and its always a favorite.
Not so 30 years ago as the Geese back then were to strong(taste) to enjoy.

Scorch
May 17, 2007, 01:48 PM
I've read that the bustard is supposedly the best tasting (big quail-like bird in Europe and Asia), but since they don't make 'em here, I'll go along with pheasant as the best. Or goose. Or quail. I don't really care which, just lemme at 'em.

FirstFreedom
May 17, 2007, 05:30 PM
Wondering if those Aussies eat the cassowary..? Looks like a down under turkey with a dinosaur fin on top.

mrawesome22
May 17, 2007, 10:19 PM
Dove! My Dad makes a mean deep fried wild turkey that comes in a VERY close second though.

AZGunLover
May 17, 2007, 10:45 PM
I love Dove!

Leafs
May 18, 2007, 04:30 PM
partridge and turr, my dad hunted them

castnblast
May 21, 2007, 04:48 PM
:rolleyes: BUZZARD!!!My Favorite...

Seriously, Mine are pheasant, quail, and turkey, in no particular order. doves aren't bad either.

Here's my favorite Duck recipe:

1. Skin duck completely, and pound out the breast.

2. Marinade over night in 1/2 cup soy, 1/2 cup cooking wine 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 clove crushed garlic.

3. get some 1/4 inch tacks and a nice cedar plank...must be red cedar.

4. Place in smoker at 200 degrees, and slowly smoke for 3 hours, basting every 1/2 hour w/ remaining mixture.

5. carefully remove the duck from the plank, feed it to your dog, and eat the board.:D :D :D

Seriously, try that recipe w/ turkey. It's tasty, but you don't need to cook it that long. about an hour and a half will do it, and no, you don't need a cedar plank...

RedneckFur
May 21, 2007, 05:05 PM
I've not had many game birds, but I can say with all honesty that grilled quail and dove are very good.

Personally, i hate ducks too much to even eat one. I dont want one of those foul (fowl?) creatures inside of my body.

kcshooter
May 21, 2007, 07:53 PM
KFC Extra Crispy

Huntergirl
May 22, 2007, 01:08 PM
Pheasant and Ruffed grouse, my favorites.

FirstFreedom
May 22, 2007, 03:05 PM
castnblast - ha ha on the duck recipe...

Seriously though, I'm dying to try that with a turkey breast as you suggest! Sounds outstanding.

KFC? Somebody get a rope. :p

castnblast
May 23, 2007, 09:51 PM
First Freedom, try it on venison too...Very yummy. For an added kick, try crushing some fresh ginger. Adjust the brown sugar to desired taste, and add a crack of fresh ground black pepper. Slice the Turkey Breast in 1/8th inch strips and cook over hot coals. Baste w/ olive oil. MMMMMMM GOOD...Finger lick'n good...AIN'T NO KFC!!!:D

keita
May 24, 2007, 01:28 AM
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/news/images/20060517-dodo_side_profile.jpg

chris in va
May 24, 2007, 02:50 AM
Speaking of extinct birds...

You have to wonder something. Dinosaurs were very similar in construction to today's birds...so were they tasty?

WeedWacker
May 24, 2007, 03:24 AM
People say they were similar but in all realit a "true" dinosaur was very different. Physiologically they had completly different metabolisms, homeostatic mechanisms, and biological pathways. Anatomically there were similarities between them but as for simple things like hollow bones or just being warm blooded, they were completely different from eachother. Eh it's just as well. Probably tough and stringy. Would made good jerky though. Although I have had experience with gator jerky. Not the best stuff int he world so maybe dino jerky is a bad idea. :barf: :p

Kreyzhorse
May 24, 2007, 08:50 PM
I gotta go with turkey. I've had dove and quail, but the turkey that was bagged this spring was tasty. Alive then fried in under two hours. Outstanding.

Smokey Joe
May 24, 2007, 08:55 PM
Keita--What shotgun loads would you use for the dodo? Wouldn't want to tangle with a downed, wounded one--that beak looks wicked! And how prepared--BBQ, stewed, roasted, what?

zeisloft
May 24, 2007, 10:21 PM
I can not believe there have been no votes for the ribeye of the sky! My vote goes to sand hill crane. I have quail, dove, duck, geese, turkey, and even a phesant or two in the freezer, but the sand hills never make it that far.
~z

Glenn Bartley
May 27, 2007, 10:18 AM
Pigeon!

fisherman66
May 27, 2007, 10:30 AM
How do you prepare pigeon?

sm
May 27, 2007, 11:06 AM
Respect the Quail - Ruark

FirstFreedom
May 27, 2007, 11:17 AM
"Mmmm... Dodo with solient green...." [/H. Simpson] :)

intruder
May 27, 2007, 10:57 PM
Ruffed Grouse Pa state bird

Caimlas
May 28, 2007, 07:07 PM
Honestly, birds all taste almost the same to me, with the exception of the big ones (only big one I've ever had is turkey). Dark bird meat is dark; light bird meat is light. That's about the extent of it - it just depends on how they're cooked. As a general rule, I don't care for bird meat. But if it's cooked right (fried :P), it's good.

revjen45
May 28, 2007, 07:26 PM
Depends on the skill of the preparation and unknown variables. Ruffed grouse is supposed to be top of the line and my wife is most skilled in the culinary arts. However when we brought home some grouse and she prepared it cacciatore (hunter style) it was too ugly to eat. Her brother brought in a venison roast one night (the statute of limitations has expired-it was "harvested" after the bar closed) and it stunk up the house so bad we had to open the windows. The dog wouldn't eat it. Seems like game critters are exempt from quality control.

springmom
May 29, 2007, 10:29 AM
...is the one somebody else plucks and cooks :D

Springmom, who likes to cook but is not into plucking

Shoestring
July 9, 2008, 09:43 PM
Hard to beat dove rolls.

Breast meat, bacon, Jalapeños and a little honey.;)

MeekAndMild
July 9, 2008, 10:21 PM
Best is Indian jungle fowl. It tastes just like chicken. :D

phil mcwilliam
July 10, 2008, 04:44 AM
Another vote for quail. I've had Emu on a couple of occassions & didn't like it.I have heard people rave about swan, but I've never tasted it.

Sidetracked
July 10, 2008, 01:25 PM
Dove is quite tasty, but I haven't had any in 20+ years.

My personal favorite... Blue Grouse (Pine Chicken).

JWT
July 10, 2008, 01:37 PM
Spotted owl...