Cleaning pheasants

Flush em up

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How many of you skin the entire bird vs breast and de-leg them. It is pretty easy to quick breast them out but its also nice to have the full bird sometimes. Curious what others take from the bird.
 
I skin all my birds these days, except for the occasional one I give to an old friend who grew up eating wild pheasant as part of an almost subsistence
diet for the family. He says it isn't pheasant when it doesn't have the skin still on. :)
 
I skin them.
Although it's convenient and quick, I feel breasting birds wastes a considerable amount of very good meat (wings, thighs and - with some work - the legs).

Frank
 
I started making BBQ sandwiches out of turkey legs last year. Works well with pheasants as well. All day in crock pot then shred. Mix with favorite sauce.
 
In the field we clip the wings, one foot, head and tail. Skin them. Then with game shears cut the backbone out, and that in turn pulls the guts out. Into a ziplock back and cooler they go.

At home, I filet the breast meat off. Cut the leg where it connects to thigh. Thigh bone gets spun from the joint, and a little slit of a knife allows the meat to fall off. Carcass, thigh bones, and legs get used making pheasant and noodles. Thighs go into tacos or enchiladas. Breast filets get fried as strips.

Only keeping the breast is a waste to me. Also illegal for transport where I hunt.
 
i usually breast them out along with the legs skinless; but if they are not frozen or shot up too bad, I would like to pluck more
 
I cut off both wings, then remove head and neck, cut off 1 leg (and 1 is kept for transportation and identification the bird as a pheasant). I cut the leg at knee joint. Then I skin the bird starting at the top of the breast all the way to the tail, then remove the tail. Ten I cut along the backbone and pull it (from tail to neck). A lot of entrails go along with it. Th erest is removed manually. Next, I wash it cold waten and it goes into the fridge for transportation.
 
I cut off both wings, then remove head and neck, cut off 1 leg (and 1 is kept for transportation and identification the bird as a pheasant). I cut the leg at knee joint. Then I skin the bird starting at the top of the breast all the way to the tail, then remove the tail. Ten I cut along the backbone and pull it (from tail to neck). A lot of entrails go along with it. Th erest is removed manually. Next, I wash it cold waten and it goes into the fridge for transportation.
Here is more detailed info if you are interested: How to Clean Pheasants
View attachment 8469
Hope this helps!
 
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Flush, yeah, as far as plucking, it can be tough as like you noted, the skin tears easily, just need to take your time
 
I transport them whole. At home I remove the breast, thighs, and legs.

For you guys that are doing some amount of field dressing in the field, I hope you are being discreet with the parts you don't want. It's pretty gross walking up on a pile of bird parts in the ditch beside the walk-in.
 
I transport them whole. At home I remove the breast, thighs, and legs.

For you guys that are doing some amount of field dressing in the field, I hope you are being discreet with the parts you don't want. It's pretty gross walking up on a pile of bird parts in the ditch beside the walk-in.

I took the pup out the other day to work her into the gun and shoot a couple of doves over her. While I was messing around trying to get logged in on ISportsman she got into a pile of carcasses in the parking lot, my fault for letting her out. Probably didn't screw her up but the last thing I wanted do was start the outing playing catch me in the parking lot before going out to the field to work on bird manners. Some people don't have any sense.
 
I took the pup out the other day to work her into the gun and shoot a couple of doves over her. While I was messing around trying to get logged in on ISportsman she got into a pile of carcasses in the parking lot, my fault for letting her out. Probably didn't screw her up but the last thing I wanted do was start the outing playing catch me in the parking lot before going out to the field to work on bird manners. Some people don't have any sense.

Worse than that, how many lead pellets could she have ingested before you got her away from the pile? Carcass piles are definitely not a healthy snack.
 
Bring a grocery bag and throw out the remains at the first gas station and/or Wal-mart garbage can on the way home. Why leave garbage/refuse at the parking area ringing the dinner bell for skunks et al. You will still leave random feathers while cleaning your bird if the announcement of your kill to all other hunters is what's on your mind; my dog finds enough crap to get into let along some slob's garbage. As for shears, I found mine at Fleetfarm: duckhunter multi shears works well... in fact stood up to an unannounced 20 count chicken butcher this summer. Relatives trying to saw off chicken heads with dull knives (thank goodness for the multi tool still tucked in the truck); had to warn them to keep their fingers back lol.
 
No plucking for me. A pull out the breast for me and cut the meat off the thighs for the dog.
 
I transport them whole. At home I remove the breast, thighs, and legs.

For you guys that are doing some amount of field dressing in the field, I hope you are being discreet with the parts you don't want. It's pretty gross walking up on a pile of bird parts in the ditch beside the walk-in.

Not to mention, if you are hunting private land, you can seriously piss off landowners and lead to a piece of land being closed.
 
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