Coots..........for dinner?

[Curly]

Loki's merg thread got me thinking about coots.

Anybody have any luck cooking them and getting a good recipe?

My roommates and I killed a boat load of them back in college one day when it was a slow day for puddle ducks and geese.  We tried them, but most ended up as garden fertilizer.  I haven't shot coots since (and that was over 20 years ago).

I did find out why they were nicknamed mudhens. 

[npaull]

So I've read here and there before that there are guys who swear up and down that coot (at least some coot) actually taste better than ducks. These guys weren't kidding either. I've never had occasion to try it but I'd be interested to hear from people who actually like to eat them...

[lokidog]

I've just butterflied the breast pieces and fried like a steak to make them turn out decently.  I think the gamyness may depend on what they are eating.  If you are a gizzard fan, shoot coots, their gizzards are twice the size of a Mallard's.

In 20+ years of duck hunting in WA, I have only seen them in season twice though.

[npaull]

Tacootos! Greatest game dish name ever!

[Curly]

Tacootos! Greatest game dish name ever!

 

I missed the name the first time I read it.  That is a great name.

[Gringo31]

I'm not brave enough to try.  They aren't worth the steel IMO

[baldopepper]

Tried them once years ago (cooked like a regular duck breast) and decided the best  recipe was the old "season well, place on cedar plank, cook for one hour at 350 degrees and then throw away the breasts and eat the plank".  Might be ok in one of the above recipes, but cooked straight up the medhen name is  very appropriate.

[npaull]

lokidog I'm starting to think you either have guts of steel, no tastebuds, or very high quality mud where you hunt!

Seriously though I'm very intrigued by things I've learned from you in the past two days.

[Curly]

I'm thinking Loki is one hell of a good cook. 

[Rob]

My coot story...

Had a one year old lab and was trying to get her some experience with retrieving birds.  Ducks were not flying but there was an abundance of coots.  Shot 6 or 7 of them. 

Not one to let game go to waste I decided to breast them out and make jerky out of them.  I love duck jerky and smoking them should make them edible, right?

I marinated them for 24 hours and then put them in my big chief smoker for many many hours...  used 4 pans of chips too. 

They were the most nasty thing I have ever eaten.  horrible...  I thought at least they would make a dog treat.

They were so bad the dog would not even eat them - and my dog will clean the almond roca out of the cat box if you did not watch her! 

So my dog, who eats cat turds, would not even eat them.

I have never shot another mud hen...

[Rob]

I've just butterflied the breast pieces and fried like a steak to make them turn out decently.  I think the gamyness may depend on what they are eating.  If you are a gizzard fan, shoot coots, their gizzards are twice the size of a Mallard's.

In 20+ years of duck hunting in WA, I have only seen them in season twice though.

Recheck your regs!  25 bird limit!

[gasman]

How about some Coot pepperoni.

[h2ofowlr]

I know a few people that have shot a limit of coot in a day.  At least they are easy to skin.  A chicken on the water.

[Special T]

The first time i Shot a coot was on lower crab creek near the columbia. It was a slow day and i was out with a buddy who had a dog. I shot 2 coots because i was bord. That evening i cooked them up and they tasted damn good. As good as any mallard i had shot. The next time i went out i hit the potholes and pounded at least 6 coots, in addition to other ducks. I made dinner for my girlfriend (now my wife) and all the coots turned out horrible. i had even marinated them.  Fortunatly i had some mallards to feed her. I have tried on several other ocassions to duplicate my first experience with coots but never have. many of those chickens in wetsuits have died at my hands in vain.

I have come to the conclusion that Coots taste bad, so I will stick to my yummy Opossum! 

[WSU]

I added a bunch to my sausage mix once and didn't notice any difference.