Field dressing grouse - (New hunter question)

[Ash]

Hello everyone! I will be hunting for the first time this year, I was going to start with grouse. I was planning on using the "Step on the Wing" method of cleaning the bird, but am wondering if it is legal to do so in the field. I've really been unable to find anything online that does not involve doing the "Step on the Wing" method.

Do you wait until you get home to do this? Does it work on a "cold" bird? Do you gut your birds in the field to cool them or just leave them in tact? I ask because the WDFW regs state: "The feathered heads of game birds must be attached to the carcass when they are in your possession in the field or are being transported." Page 73 of this years regs.

Sorry for the newbie question, I greatly appreciate your assistance.

[quadrafire]

Ash, very good question. Lets see what the experts say. I am wondering that also.

[BLKBEARKLR]

I can tell you that the step on wing method, is a lot easier to do when the bird is fresh and not cold. I have done many birds this way and the colder they get the harder it is to get them to seperate.

Joe

[huntingfool7]

You can do the step on the wing method then just leave the head, wings and breast feathers on the bird.  The legs will pull away with the intestines, then you just reach in there and pull out the remaining organs. 

If the bird is cold you can cut a small incision at the base of the breast to help get it started.

[seth30]

How to field dress a pheasant

[seth30]

not my vid just one of many helpful vids on U tube. Hope this makes it easy for ya!

[Ash]

Huntingfool7, thank you for the reply. I guess this is something I will have to figure out in the field. Worse comes to worse I'll just skin the bird.

Seth30, I've seen several videos illustrating the same method. These are the video's the lead me to pose my questions. As you can see when the bird separates the head goes with the guts and the legs. I can't imagine that people take the guts(head attached) home for disposal, but maybe they do?

WDFW says you must leave the head attached. So ultimately, the question boils down too... Is there a way to keep the head attached when using the 'Step on the Wings' method?

Huntingfool7, say's it can be done. I'm just having trouble visualizing it, the fact that I've never cleaned a bird before is probably just making it hard for me to imagine.

[carpsniperg2]

i am not sure of the laws but the old stand and dress like in the vid sure works good

[Thenewguy]

Ash, am a skinner of my birds. It does not take much time to do on a bird that small. I say, worry about shooting some. Once you have gone through a few you will answer your own questions.

[seth30]

Huntingfool7, thank you for the reply. I guess this is something I will have to figure out in the field. Worse comes to worse I'll just skin the bird.

Seth30, I've seen several videos illustrating the same method. These are the video's the lead me to pose my questions. As you can see when the bird separates the head goes with the guts and the legs. I can't imagine that people take the guts(head attached) home for disposal, but maybe they do?

WDFW says you must leave the head attached. So ultimately, the question boils down too... Is there a way to keep the head attached when using the 'Step on the Wings' method?

Huntingfool7, say's it can be done. I'm just having trouble visualizing it, the fact that I've never cleaned a bird before is probably just making it hard for me to imagine.

I do it at home, and put the leftovers in a very big ziplock bag and in the trash.

[ICEMAN]

Ash, here is a link to a tutorial I wrote on field dressing.... We know the regs say to leave the head on...my tutorial shows a different way. A person could use this method with the head on....

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,33461.0.html

[Sportfury]

I like Icemans method. http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,33461.0.html

I used it last year and it works great. You don't lose a lot of meat and it makes for very easy cleaning.

[Sportfury]

ICE you beat me to it! 

[sako223]

The hard part is fending off the bees.

[ICEMAN]

ICE you beat me to it! 

My bad!

[whitey]

The dog that got that bird!
Got ahold of the bird.
Chomp!!!
Thats how I do them.(Without the Chomp..)
Works great.Im not a leg guy,,Or a wing guy..
It doesnt work real well on geese..

[ing]

On grouse I just pluck the feathers below the breast then make about a 3 to 4 inch cut below the breast. Then grab the bird by both wings and the head and swing it like a hammer.  If all works well all the guts come right out on the first swing or two. And I always have a cooler full of ice to throw them in to cool them down quickly.

[Ash]

Thanks for all the replies everybody. I wasn't trying to sound "holier-than-thou" by quoting the regs, I'm just a dumb newbie who is trying to stay out of trouble. leave head on, don't leave head on... I don't really understand why we can't leave a wing like the rest of the world.

Iceman, your method looks great and very meat efficient. I did a search of this forum before making my initial post but didn't see this come up. I wish I had. It kind of reminds me of butterflying trout... I can do this. I'll just have to experiment this year and figure it all out.

I hadn't thought of just blaming a headless bird on my "hard mouthed" Chessy. 

[RustneckNW]

I usually skin them. Cut 'em up into parts, & bake 'em in some wild rice!
Welcome to the site, Ash! Best of luck & let us know how it goes!

[rasbo]

hmmm I head shoot mine with a 22mag,wonder what the Gammies will say to that,for identification,me no likey bb holes

[Hangfire]

It only takes a couple of minutes to skin a grouse. You have no problem leaving the head attached and get them in a cooler with ice, better meat. I always save the legs,my wife cooks grouse often in a crock pot with dressing or rice. Seems like wastage to me to discard legs.

If I have to carry by hand or in a vest I often just open up slightly, pull out guts and cut out vent. I skin later.

[400out]

OK I have been hunting birds a long time and that is the first time I ever saw that! My dad mush have thought it was funny to make me breast them all out 

[runamuk]

The dog that got that bird!
Got ahold of the bird.
Chomp!!!
Thats how I do them.(Without the Chomp..)
Works great.Im not a leg guy,,Or a wing guy..
It doesnt work real well on geese..

I love this method.....hubby shot 2 grouse and brought them home so i could try this and show the kid who usually cleans all the birds worked slick on grouse....however son informed me it does not work on ducks real well 

[jeepster]

what about breasting it out/getting what you want off of the bird, and keeping the carcase? does that break any rules?

[Hangfire]

what about breasting it out/getting what you want off of the bird, and keeping the carcase? does that break any rules?

It would depend on where you breasted it out at and how much you did not keep. If you left intact with the head, until home, I would see no problem. Breast it out in the field with out head attached, problem. You would be subject to the discretion of law enforcement, if you took only the breast and left the legs, wings and back, wasteage.

[bucknasty]

I've grouse hunted a few times over the years and I've always gutted them out immediately after a kill. It just takes a min to pluck out the belly and using a sharp pocket knife cut a small slit and drag out the intestines. If you don't do this and the intestine were puntured from the kill it the meat will start to smell after an hours or so. Even it the intestines weren't punture it will start smelling after a few hours. Not that big of a deal if you were already heading back to camp or home but if you plan to stay out in the field...

a few plastic bags is always good. unless you want blood/crap all over my vest or backpack.