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So I got to go pheasant hunting with 3 of my BILs in colorado last weekend. It was a friggin' blast. On a sunflower farm that hires out their 1200 acres with guides and dogs on the weekends over the winter. There were 4 of us, 3 with guns (we switched off), and one guide and his dog.
First time through the field we jumped about 10 birds. Far more than I've ever seen in an entire day of pheasant hunting around here. Just watching the dog (german wirehair) work was worth it alone. Sneaky little birdies can hide pretty much anywhere.
We saw about 20 birds in an afternoon and came back with about 8 (missed a couple and a few weren't safe shots so we let them go). I made a couple good/crossing shots and was pretty pleased; I think I got 3 or 4 depending on which of us actually hit a couple (we shot at the same time). I completely missed the last one I shot at, and it was flying directly away from me. There must have been a pheasant-shaped hole in the shot pattern, like when Bugs Bunny runs through a snowdrift.
I don't have much experience with pheasants as the "glory days" of pheasant hunting have gone away around here. Cool birds.
Our guide cleaned them for us, which ruled... he did the thing where you stand on the wings and pull up on the legs and they pretty much clean themselves; the breast and ribcage sort of folds outward away from the guts and you just grab it, yank it upward, and snip the edges by the wings. Pretty trippy. People usually just eat the breast because the legs are kinda stringy (like turkey legs) but I asked for some legs/thighs for me to try to cook.
I dusted the legs/thighs in flour, salt/pepper, and sage, and browned them in butter with sliced onions and red bell peppers. when the meat was well browned on both sides, I dumped in a bunch of red wine and some minced garlic, and a bay leaf. Simmered covered for a couple of hours, then removed the meat and boiled/reduced the sauce until silky and rich. The thighs were really good; the drumsticks were good but the tendons or whatever got in the way (like with turkey legs). But I don't understand why pepole don't bother with the thighs. My kids really liked it.
The breasts I fileted and cut into nugget-sized pieces; pretty much what happens anyway after you cut the pellet trails/feathers out and any damaged meat. Had a good sized salad bowl full. Marinated the meat in salt/pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, rubbed sage, a bit of garam masala and dried ginger, and some worcestershire sauce. Sounds weird, I know. But it worked out well.
Dusted the pieces in flour (also with salt/pepper/onion/garlic powder), egg, and breadcrumbs, then fried in light olive oil. The oil was pretty hot so the nuggets browned really quick. I was afraid the meat wouldn't be done but it was. I made a dipping sauce with sour cream, mayo, herbs, and lemon juice... the Pheasant McNuggets were really, really good. Much more tender than the chicken ones I made later because people were still hungry after the pheasant ran out.
I was trying to figure out how much the meat cost us and I think it was probably about 120 bucks a pound. Great day, though.
First time through the field we jumped about 10 birds. Far more than I've ever seen in an entire day of pheasant hunting around here. Just watching the dog (german wirehair) work was worth it alone. Sneaky little birdies can hide pretty much anywhere.
We saw about 20 birds in an afternoon and came back with about 8 (missed a couple and a few weren't safe shots so we let them go). I made a couple good/crossing shots and was pretty pleased; I think I got 3 or 4 depending on which of us actually hit a couple (we shot at the same time). I completely missed the last one I shot at, and it was flying directly away from me. There must have been a pheasant-shaped hole in the shot pattern, like when Bugs Bunny runs through a snowdrift.
I don't have much experience with pheasants as the "glory days" of pheasant hunting have gone away around here. Cool birds.Our guide cleaned them for us, which ruled... he did the thing where you stand on the wings and pull up on the legs and they pretty much clean themselves; the breast and ribcage sort of folds outward away from the guts and you just grab it, yank it upward, and snip the edges by the wings. Pretty trippy. People usually just eat the breast because the legs are kinda stringy (like turkey legs) but I asked for some legs/thighs for me to try to cook.
I dusted the legs/thighs in flour, salt/pepper, and sage, and browned them in butter with sliced onions and red bell peppers. when the meat was well browned on both sides, I dumped in a bunch of red wine and some minced garlic, and a bay leaf. Simmered covered for a couple of hours, then removed the meat and boiled/reduced the sauce until silky and rich. The thighs were really good; the drumsticks were good but the tendons or whatever got in the way (like with turkey legs). But I don't understand why pepole don't bother with the thighs. My kids really liked it.
The breasts I fileted and cut into nugget-sized pieces; pretty much what happens anyway after you cut the pellet trails/feathers out and any damaged meat. Had a good sized salad bowl full. Marinated the meat in salt/pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, rubbed sage, a bit of garam masala and dried ginger, and some worcestershire sauce. Sounds weird, I know. But it worked out well.
Dusted the pieces in flour (also with salt/pepper/onion/garlic powder), egg, and breadcrumbs, then fried in light olive oil. The oil was pretty hot so the nuggets browned really quick. I was afraid the meat wouldn't be done but it was. I made a dipping sauce with sour cream, mayo, herbs, and lemon juice... the Pheasant McNuggets were really, really good. Much more tender than the chicken ones I made later because people were still hungry after the pheasant ran out.
I was trying to figure out how much the meat cost us and I think it was probably about 120 bucks a pound.
Great day, though.
