Pheasants of the Mind

T

Tomahawker

Active member
By Datus Proper
Great book, charming and witty while deadly serious about hunting pheasants. Highly recommend. Last chapter has some good recipes.
 
Indeed, great book, great read.

I had it, read it and loaned it out. It got passed on and never returned. :(

I think I'll Amazon a used one. It's out of print now. $75 for a new one. $12 for used.

Has anyone had the um....err.....guts to try his pheasant recipe where he hangs the birds for a few days? I think it was Pheasant with Dragon Sauce or something.
 
View attachment 9634Made it yesterday! Did not use the liver, but all else as directed. Hung in feather for 7 days, plucking was a slow process with a few skin rips. Have to say it was very good, bird was tender and flavorful, sauce was absolutely delicious. A hardy wild bird.
 
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I keep saying I'm going to do it but my hunting partners give me funny looks.

We have a base camp in SD with full kitchen and every time I mention this, the other guys are not enthusiastic. I guess I just need to pull the trigger so to speak.

BTW, why did you not use the liver?
 
To be totally honest, I made a mess of the guts looking for it. Got the heart right away and smooshed around to much for the liver. In the stock pot I had the heart, feet, neck. I think it would of added to an already tasty sauce. It was nice change up. We mostly marinate and grill the breasts and “chicken” salad /chicken and noodles the rest. My wife has no idea I’ve been doing this. I got my kids hooked on roasting on an open fire in the woods, day of. I keep pill bottles with salt and pepper in my vest.
 
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Actually, hanging a dressed bird in the right conditions makes perfect sense. Here at home I often leave the birds out at least overnight before cleaning them. You pay good money for aged steak. Why not a bird? The poultry you buy in store has hanged in a meat locker for some period, too.

To be tender and flavorful meat needs to at least go through rigormortis. Aging helps. This fall a brother shot a big buck, but didn't need the meat and offered it to me. It hung for over a week in the shade at his place, temps in the 30's. I had it another several days before butchering. This is some of the best venison I've ever had. I grilled steaks a couple days ago and it was friggin awesome!

Compare that to some deer we butchered without hanging years ago that was gamy and tough.
 
Ranger Rick said:
Actually, hanging a dressed bird in the right conditions makes perfect sense. Here at home I often leave the birds out at least overnight before cleaning them. You pay good money for aged steak. Why not a bird? The poultry you buy in store has hanged in a meat locker for some period, too.

To be tender and flavorful meat needs to at least go through rigormortis. Aging helps. This fall a brother shot a big buck, but didn't need the meat and offered it to me. It hung for over a week in the shade at his place, temps in the 30's. I had it another several days before butchering. This is some of the best venison I've ever had. I grilled steaks a couple days ago and it was friggin awesome!

Compare that to some deer we butchered without hanging years ago that was gamy and tough.
Click to expand...

Check out Hank Shaw’s info on hanging game birds. I don’t do it often but the results are spectacular.
 
I have this book it is great. Apparently Datus fell in a trout stream and hit his head and drowned in shallow water. A very good read for anyone interested in pheasant hunting.
 
I’ve got the book, it’s one that I reread from time to time. Didn’t realize how valuable it is.
 
After a good friend from Montana shamed me for cleaning pheasants the day we killed them, I haven't done it since. Much tastier to wait. We go to ND every year , we clean birds on Friday night or Saturday morning . Thats from Monday through Friday. You can tell the Friday birds. Meat is still tight and smell much worse. He was right , let them age, you will never want same day birds again.
 
If the weather is cool, I hang my birds for several days.
 
Guess I should have said, 45 degrees down to freezing. Dont want them froze. We lay ours on a concrete floor in a quonset.
 
I just finished The Old Man and The Boy by Robert Ruark and they talked about hanging the birds for a few days before cleaning and eating.
 
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