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Pheasant
Chukar
Dove
Goose

Member Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 376 Location: North ID.

Chukar
Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Turkey

I'll qualify the above, with the statement that the geese I shot at Izembeck Lagoon in Cold Bay, AK. were the best I've ever eaten, as good as #1 in the list above.

Mallard, baked slow over a sauerkraut covered with bacon and filled with apples and oranges. Set the oven at 225 degrees and use butter not margerine. Cover and bake slow. You can even throw a woodcock in there .You want a real good meal, take four breasts out of mudhens, soak them in milk four 3 or 4 days, then drop them on top of the sauerkraut and cook slow. You won't go back to beef. This even works on the hooded mergansers. Don't try it on the big mergansers. In fact you can barbecue the hooded mergansers and they are great. . But hten the grouse is easy to cook as are the pheasant. I just use a lot of sauerkraut.

Txshootist wrote:Some of these recipes remind me of an article submitted to Field and Stream many years ago wherein the writer came to the defense of the much maligned Coot.[/quote]

A buddy and I tried coot once during a lengthy and unproductive duck camp on the muddy Munuscong river. His assessment was, that no matter how it was prepared, it tasted like swimming upsteam with your mouth open.

As for favorites:
Ruffed Grouse
Pheasant
Grilled Goose breasts (rare with teryaki marinade)

There are only two tasty game birds.

Ruffed Grouse, and all the birds that wished they tasted like a Ruffed Grouse.

Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 602 Location: western pa

1.Grouse
2.Pheasant
3.Wood Duck
4.Wild Turkey
5.Canada Goose
6..Canvasback
7.Greenwing Teal
8.Dove and Woodcock

From the Bowels of Arizona (southeastern part) I would have to vote for
1. Chukar
2. Quail (any Variety)
3. Pheasant
3.1. Any of the Grouses except Sage
3.2. Sage Grouse(marinated at least 24 Hrs in Wine Vinegar then slow cooked in butter with a little Garlic Salt-must be thin sliced across the grain
3.3. Dove-Marinated in Italian Dressing, Grilled wrapped in Bacon, when the bacon is done the dove is perfect.
3.4 Smoked Mallard-Hickory Wood & Brown Sugar Brine (on the Sweet Side)
Very Happy

Geeesh I drooled on the Keyboard Ooops

Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 24

1. Grouse- nothing I have tasted is even close
2. Woodcock legs
3. wood duck

Did someone actually say mergansers? Only if you held a gun to my head--and then I'd still have to think about it. I swear I once saw a snapping turtle eating a merganser. The poor turtle was gagging. None for me thanks. Smile

1. Ruffed Grouse
2. Ruffed Grouse
3. Ruffed Grouse
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100. Ruffed Grouse

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

OK. This is serious. I'm not kidding. AND I've posted a similar comment before--somewhere. Confused

I suspect many of you are guilty of maligning the American Coot without having ever had any experience with coots other than to pass on aspersions about the culinary acceptability of said bird. This is precisely what many do regarding the 16 gauge shotgun--condemnation without experience; prejudice without information---shame! Shocked

The American coot is a vegetarian, he is plentiful, generally unwary and unendangered. In short he is a perfect candidate for the table.
Old hunter suggests soaking in milk--a perfectly good way (although unnecessary) to prepare this delightful bird for the fire--BUT coot can be a gustatory delight when prepared in a variety of ways (and you won't even need Cream of Mushroom Soup!).
So I would ask you otherwise astute gentlemen to give the unapreciated coot his due and----next waterfowl season when time crawls by in your duck hide---shoot a coot (or two) prepare him using your favorite recipe for other dark meat game and, as Sherman Bell has done, FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. Very Happy

Ron
p.s. The recipe for 'planked coot' is not a very good one to start with.
r

The one merganser that made it to my pot left in haste - they now get a full reprieve from me - I do not wish to experiment to find the correct way to prep said birds

As for coot - I have no experience with them

The one old coot I shot was totally by accident. The old SOB would not accept my apology and damn near crawled to the police station before he expired. I did not realize you could cook them. Isn't cannibalism frowned on in America?

Woodcock. Up here we use the term Rice hen. They feed on the wild rice lakes. Poor mans beef. 16gaugeguy was probably trying to hit one of the rice hens when he shot the old coot.