Starlings

[welsh]

To say that a dog trained on pigeons intuitively understands that a Snipe is a game bird but a Greater Yellow Legs is not, is utter nonsense.

I'm not sure anyone said that. I'm pretty sure everyone suggested that dogs learn what's desirable by exposure.

Starlings are common throughout the province. I run into them while pheasant hunting. Pigeons are associated with buildings and structures. It's not six of one and a half dozen of the other. And in more general terms, we want the dog to lose its early interest in songbirds. Surely shooting a songbird for the dog is not the best way to achieve that end: experience and exposure will be teaching the dog to pay attention to small passerine birds.

I'll quote David Lisett: "Everything you do with a dog is creating a habit. So you can either create a good habit or a bad habit. Think about what you're doing."

[bardern]

Pigeons are supposed to be delicious but I've never eaten one....

quite tasty at least the country squab. not sure I would want to chow down on the feathered rats in the city.

[Ugo]

Out west, pigeons feed on grains. I've eaten pigeon too as a youngster. They have a subtle livery taste which is a bit stronger than woodcock. Like most game, if the chef knows what they're doing...........
I may have shared this one but it comes to mind again here.
So this hunter comes out of the woods with a hawk he shot. An MNR chap is right there and says, "You know hawks are protected!"
The hunter gives him a sob story, "..........and I'm unemployed, my wife is sick, our three kids are starving....."
The officer says, "That may be but I HAVE to write you up."
The next thing, the officer says, "I have to ask you. What does hawk taste like anyway?"
The hunter opines briefly and says, "Hmmm.....a bit like eagle."

[Snowwalker]

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.

Blackbird shooting used to be a part of hunting apprenticeship as kids grew up but it has more or less faded from the culture. As someone in MNR told me years ago, now everyone wants to jump right into deer and turkey hunting.

Pigeons are supposed to be delicious but I've never eaten one....

The grain feed ones I am currently putting my freezer sure are. As for black bird shooting....Still do it, start with a 500 pellet tin, and hours later I have a couple hundred in the waste pile, about 50 pellets left in the tin, a few pigeons for the pot, and probably a lot of very cold birds that I was just a hairs breath off on.

You could always join me some weekend.. Your right here in town...

[Snowwalker]

Out west, pigeons feed on grains. I've eaten pigeon too as a youngster. They have a subtle livery taste which is a bit stronger than woodcock. Like most game, if the chef knows what they're doing...........

Let the breast meat (only thing you keep off them) soak in cold salt water ( do not use table salt the iodine wrecks the meat, pickling salt or course salt) in the fridge for about three days and they will turn pink like store bought chicken. Works for grouse, duck, goose, woodcock, etc.
Cook and enjoy or freeze for later.

[smitty55]

Let the breast meat (only thing you keep off them) soak in cold salt ( do not use table salt, pickling salt or course salt) in the fridge for about three days and they will turn pink like store bought chicken. Works for grouse, duck, goose, woodcock, etc.
Cook and enjoy or freeze for later.

It's been quite a while, but I've eaten plenty of pigeon in my day. I really enjoy the flavour and don't find it too strong by any means. For those that have never tried it, the meat is all dark except for a small pink filet on each side. Clay baker works great, oven cooking bags with bacon on the breasts is nice as is a slow cooker. I like to enjoy all the different flavours of various animals. I understand that a certain times some game meat can be quite strong and marinating is recommended but the last thing I want is everything "tasting like chicken"

Snowwalker I recall you posting this before. I've never tried it. So my question is, that by drawing out all the blood with the brine solution are you also taking away much of the flavour depending how long it's in the marinade? Does it do much tenderizing? Just curious. Tks.

Cheers

[Mount Sweetness]

Pigeon tastes good, better than mourning dove and more meat.
I've eaten plenty of pigeon, if I am out hunting and I see a flock...I drop everything and go after them, I love'em!

[Snowwalker]

It's been quite a while, but I've eaten plenty of pigeon in my day. I really enjoy the flavour and don't find it too strong by any means. For those that have never tried it, the meat is all dark except for a small pink filet on each side. Clay baker works great, oven cooking bags with bacon on the breasts is nice as is a slow cooker. I like to enjoy all the different flavours of various animals. I understand that a certain times some game meat can be quite strong and marinating is recommended but the last thing I want is everything "tasting like chicken"

Snowwalker I recall you posting this before. I've never tried it. So my question is, that by drawing out all the blood with the brine solution are you also taking away much of the flavour depending how long it's in the marinade? Does it do much tenderizing? Just curious. Tks.

Cheers

They still taste like Pigeon, not like chicken. The brine adds salt which helps the meat hold water so that it does not dry out, this makes it nice and tender. When you cook the meat it would turn white like cooked chicken even if you did not use the brine, but the mosture in the meat is far lower and it is easy to have a tough piece of meat. On something like a diver duck, or a puddle duck that has a weedy/alge taste from not have been eating enough grain, the brine will help remove the "pond scum" flavor, but leave the duck behind. If that makes sense. With a large pail and more time you can also remove most of the "boar tant" from a pig. This takes more then a couple of days, and may have to have the water changed once or twice.

If it can be eaten, I can prepare and cook it for the table. I have been from the tip of Cape Britons,NS to the southern shorse of Queensland, Australia and I can feed you and I with nothing more then a round rock and a sharpened table knife......If you don't mind a lot of rare shellfish, crustaceans( some cooked some not), fish, snake, seaweeds, and fruits and berries.

For some reason I am feeling very hungry now...

[Snowwalker]

Just enough for a pie....
20160116_155043.jpg
Four hours and five birds. All grain fed and fat.

Taken with an air rifle, well the cows ( and security cams) watched.

[fishhawk]

[QUOTE[COLOR=#333333]When my father was alive, he used to clear a square area in our yard from snow. He made a frame from broken hockey sticks with a mesh over it. It fit neatly inside this cleared snow area. He then propped up this net-frame with a stick - the base of the stick had a string tied on it leading through the basement window. He then would throw bred crumbs under said net and wait patiently for clouds of "blackeboords" (starlings) to settle under his net. I think you know the rest.
[COLOR=#333333]My Mum would prepare a tomato "meat" sauce adding a very small [COLOR=#333333]amount of sausage. The sauce was poured lovingly over a slab of polenta. It was delicious!!
[COLOR=#333333]Did I forget to tell you we grew up........humble.
No dog required. ][/QUOTE]

This is funny, my grandmother told me stories of doing this back in Europe.