BritChaser
Well-known member
Are sharptails good to eat?
Sharptail Grouse
- Thread starter BritChaser
- Start date
Bob Peters
Well-known member
I know I heard from a few people that prairie chickens are not very good to eat. After I shot a few and realized they were delicious, I knew the problem is many people don't know how to cook.
Wind River
Well-known member
Add it to the Booyah!!
Plannerman
Active member
Fantastic in stir fry, fajitas, or my wife's favorite...tacos. Agree NEVER overcook the breast meat. Thighs and legs low, slow and moist bake...good eating.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Just spent 6 days hunting them…as always, enjoyed them grilled to rare/med rare after marinating in zesty Italian dressing and tenderizing with meat mallet…seasoned with montreal steak seasoning…also, made into poppers…so delicious! 
Birdman2
Well-known member
Lots of spices to help, lol. Hope hunting is going well.Just spent 6 days hunting them…as always, enjoyed them grilled to rare/med rare after marinating in zesty Italian dressing and tenderizing with meat mallet…seasoned with montreal steak seasoning…also, made into poppers…so delicious!
BritChaser
Well-known member
are they livery tasting like prairie chicken? don't care for PC
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Hunting was great…going back 9/20. I routinely marinate chicken breast and grill them with certain spices…same with many cuts of steak…young sharptails, grilled, are tender and flavorful…older birds are better for poppers…rolled up with a piece of pepperoni, red pepper, 1/2 slice of bacon…many do these with duck as well…3 of us ate about 27 of these along with grilled breasts…excellent! Not everyone likes lamb, or venison, or moose, or whatever…probably had it prepared poorly at some point. Great in stir fry as well, last ingredient to go in wok…cubed…in peanut oil with variety of veggies, served over rice, some sweet/sour Asian sauce…have added peanut butter even…Szechuan style is another great flavor profile with pheasant or sharptail. All the chicken-based asian dishes can substitute pheasant or hun or sharptail…I also use pheasant or sharpie in a traditional wild rice based dish that starts with sautéed onion, celery, carrot, mushroom and cream of mushroom soup, herbs de Provence, and at the end heavy cream or sour cream, topped with smoked paprika…cooked in Dutch oven…very popular at office, or many other scenarios…
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Hunted most days from 7 am to 10 or 11 am…usually done by then, some days it was cool longer, mid 60’s, we’d target huns..,the hilly prairie pothole country, preferably several square miles without roads, is what the grouse prefer…usually walk 5-7 miles, at times more…stunning, spectacular country! I love wheat country…the green bushes with red berries are favorite hangouts, as are silver berry or Buffalo berry thickets, usually a few feet tall occurring on hillsides within pasture ground…fascinating birds! The bushes have to have fairly open access, the birds need to run out before flushing…bushes ringed with grass don’t hold them. They fan their wings in the dirt, looks like a buck scrape….cool that they’ve been here for thousands of years…my favorite game bird.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Not uncommon for 10-15 or more to flush, usually staggered unlike huns…you can reload and still have birds flushing….10-15 flushing out of a bush the size of your truck is a rush! Many go out opposite of where you are, not always…I got 2 yesterday out of one bush…true pandemonium! A day earlier I saw about 12 flush out of alfalfa from 200 yards…marked where they went down in some grass, in a bowl…I mismarked them, but worked up the hill, my dogs got birdy, and flushed several that were below me…shot at 3, got 2…felt like duck hunting at that point, longish shots, had potholes below me…much fun!!
Plannerman
Active member
Quickly becoming my favorite as well. Love the country, plus the chance for bonus huns!
BritChaser
Well-known member
thank you. will not be gunning for sharps.
benelli-banger
Well-known member
Huns are good as well…for me, texture is about 75% of why I do or don’t enjoy certain foods…tough and rubbery, no go! I enjoy meat that’s softer, more tender…I was able to tear some of the sharpie breasts that we grilled the other day by gently pulling on it…not for everyone, obviously…the acid in Italian dressing helps break down and tenderize the meat , as well as give some flavor. I’ve eaten huns a lot, that meat doesn’t strike me as especially tender, but it’s all in the prep and how it’s cooked. I like it for sure. Younger sharptail is my
favorite…especially the tenderloins!
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BritChaser
Well-known member
best tasting game bird i ever had was an opening day dusky grouse who had been feeding on berries.