Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: mr user on September 02, 2012, 04:09:36 PM

Title: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: mr user on September 02, 2012, 04:09:36 PM: I'm going grouse hunting tommorow, and I see that a feathered head must be left attached to the bird carcass. The only stuff on dressing a grouse I've found involves the step-on-wing method and that removes the head. Is there a way to do this method without removing the head?
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: bobcat on September 02, 2012, 04:24:42 PM: I usually wait till I get home to do it. If you have a small ice chest with ice, you can keep your birds cool and they'll be fine until you get back home or back to camp.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Hunterman on September 02, 2012, 05:01:44 PM: Grouse are excempt from the feathered head requirement..Case in point they are the only bird you can legaly shot with a high powered rifle, and you had better shot it in the head..

Hunterman(Tony)
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: wildweeds on September 03, 2012, 09:39:56 AM: Take it home whole and clean it there............ your forgetting something,if you clean the thing on the hillside or around your truck your potentially leaving clues as to the quality of the spot,and someone may just start hammering away on your "secrect covert".Never clean birds in the field and pick up all casings.
Title: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: sirmissalot on September 03, 2012, 10:10:43 AM: I clean grouse as soon as I kill them for some reason their guts start to stinking and makes it unappetizing to me. I've quit doing the step on the wings and pull on the legs method, I just skin the breasts and pull them out. Never thought about not cleaning them so people don't find my secret spot.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: stickbuck on September 03, 2012, 10:39:24 AM: Quote from: Hunterman on September 02, 2012, 05:01:44 PM
Grouse are excempt from the feathered head requirement..Case in point they are the only bird you can legaly shot with a high powered rifle, and you had better shot it in the head..

Hunterman(Tony)

:yeah: Step on the wing method for me immediately after shooting leaving wings attached and then into the cooler.
Title: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: TikkaT3-270Shortmag on September 03, 2012, 10:41:45 AM: Yup immediately then they go into my empty beer box.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Bofire on September 03, 2012, 11:16:50 AM: cut all the way around the A hole, hold by wings, lift arms slam down on knees, everything shoots out the hole, you have a whole clean bird with feathers and head. I can do it in seconds.
Carl
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: TONTO on September 03, 2012, 11:18:46 AM: Yep step and pull method, then I useualy push the legs back up through the skin and snap em off at the knee. Not much meat on the legs but what there is is just as tasty.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: BiggLuke on September 04, 2012, 08:56:16 AM: I'm with the other guys.
Unless you totally gut shot 'em, just clean 'em when you get home.
I've never had a problem with spoilage after only a couple of hours waiting till I got home.... or when you get back to camp, or whatever.
The Ice box idea is also a great idea.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Ash on September 04, 2012, 10:19:04 AM: I use the ICEMAN method outlined on this forum. I think it used to be stickied at the top of the forum. With a little creativity you can leave the head attached. I was looking for the the same information a few years ago and was pointed to the link below.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,33461.0.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,33461.0.html)
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: mr user on September 04, 2012, 05:27:23 PM: Thanks for the info everyone, hopefully i'll get to use it soon. Went yesterday and didn't see a thing :bash:
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: sebek556 on September 04, 2012, 05:48:28 PM: :tup: used the Iceman method today my self.. now for dinner :drool:
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: WildBear on September 06, 2012, 07:52:37 PM: Typically not many hunters in our spot. So we use the step on wing method, leaving behind our trophies to brag to our buddies! Showing them their to late. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Axle on September 06, 2012, 08:10:15 PM: Quote
I clean grouse as soon as I kill them for some reason their guts start to stinking and makes it unappetizing to me.

This is true. That is why some folks will never shoot and eat one. It is because they waited too long to clean it. If you wait - there is a high chance you will get meat that tastes like pine needles with turds in it. Don't know why this happens with grouse but it will.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: ICEMAN on September 07, 2012, 04:59:45 AM: Quote from: sebek556 on September 04, 2012, 05:48:28 PM
:tup: used the Iceman method today my self.. now for dinner :drool:

Awwww shucks guys..... :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Bigshooter on September 07, 2012, 05:23:29 AM: I like to get old blue grouse cleaned as soon as possible. There skin gets pretty tough after it cools making it hard to get off the bird. For ruff grouse sometimes I wait sometimes I do it right away.

For cleaning I've tried a lot of different ways. But the way I usually do it is to cut the head of then completely skin the bird. Then cut off the wings, tail freathers and feet. The way I get the guts out is to cut the thin layer of muscle just below the bottom of the breast like a smiley face. Then grab the breast in one had and the legs in the other hand and break the back so the guts are more exposed. Then I keep the heart, liver and gizzard.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: badcrc on October 04, 2017, 01:55:21 PM: Quote from: Hunterman on September 02, 2012, 05:01:44 PM
Grouse are excempt from the feathered head requirement..Case in point they are the only bird you can legaly shot with a high powered rifle, and you had better shot it in the head..

Hunterman(Tony)

I realize this is an old thread, I found it from a google search about this issue. So for future reference, I just called WDFW about this and they said grouse are NOT exempt from the feathered head requirement. They also said you shouldn't be using the step-on wings method and for transporting you have to have heads attached to the carcass.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Stein on October 04, 2017, 02:59:30 PM: Regs say the feathered head has to be on "game birds". They have a section on the website for "other game birds" that lists grouse, so I would leave it on.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: Tiger1358 on October 04, 2017, 04:43:15 PM: Don't think those apply to forest grouse. I usually skin them, used to pluck the wild birds back in the days, not anymore. Just cut a little notch in the back of the skin, pull the skin and take it off. Simple and easy, and you can eat the whole grouse instead of just the breast. If for some reason a game warden asks for a proof, you can just leave the head on it till you get home and cook it.
Title: Re: Field Dressing a Grouse
Post by: jkononen on October 04, 2017, 04:50:38 PM: It also says you can't shoot more than 3 of a kind a day. So I would have to guess you need to leave a piece of evidence attached to show proof of what kind of grouse they are.