How To Clean Grouse, Duck, Pheasant....

[ICEMAN]

Here is a how I have been cleaning our birds for many years. Not the only way of doing it, but a quick and easy way I have found to save every bit of meat on the birds with little fuss....pretty clean too;

1. Trim head, feet and wings at first joint.
2. Reverse the skin and feathers over the bird, starting at the neck and ending at the vent.
3. With pruners, or scissors, or game shears....starting at the neck, cut a 1 inch path thru the back and ribs to the vent.
4. Pull neck, vertebrae, and entrails all towards the vent until all hang from the vent, trim it all off.
5. Wash bird and toss on ice.

[gasman]

 

I like the idea of cutting the back bone.

should cme in handy next week. I saw 5 grouse behind ur camp durring scouting 

[robodad]

Great stuff, Most guys just cut out the breast and toss the rest, I usually cut the skin and peel it off then try and get the guts out and make a complete mess of it so thanks for this tutorial it will come in handy for sure !!! 

[boneaddict]

That is a cool way.  I'll have to try it.  Thanks for posting that Ice.

[ICEMAN]

No problem.

Forgot to add....it helps to have a great firewood round to clean them on..      We have been cleaning grouse on that round for years at our favorite ridge top grouse camp site, probably atleast 80 grouse cleaned on it over the years.... Every year we return and use it, and not a single feather can be found from the previous year....

[GWP4Me]

Yup, my thanks as well. As a relatively new hunter (went from shooting with buddies who got to worry about all that to owning a dog and having clean my own birds), it helps to see how to save all the meat.

[dontgetcrabs]

Thanks for posting Ice.

[cummingsa]

Great pictorial explanation!  Thanks for the post!     Now I want some birds 

[Ironhead]

Good  idea Iceman, just goes to prove you can learn something new everyday.

[coasty]

when first shot try stepping on the wings and poll on the feet all comes clean gust cut the wing off and you can take the legs but to tuff to eat for me grab the liver and giz to cook with the bird

[alecvg]

That is a great way to clean them.  Thanks, that will come in handy this season!

[Sportfury]

Just to clarify, you first cut one inch down the back before cutting from the neck to the vent?

That is a much better way than I have been doing it. Thanks ICE.

[batsquatch]

step on the wings and pull up on the feet

[robodad]

Just to clarify, you first cut one inch down the back before cutting from the neck to the vent?

That is a much better way than I have been doing it. Thanks ICE.

I gathered that you cut a half inch on each side of the backbone (with a shears)from the neck to the vent the full length of the bird so all the insides stay intact and remove the entire spine along with the innerds ??  sounds like a very clean way of doing it compared to what I have been doing !!! 

[ICEMAN]

Sportfury, robo was correct, I cut down both sides of the spine to the vent, then pull the neck/spine. The entrails often pull out with the backbone. If they don't, just sweep them loose with your fingers and the whole magilla hangs from the pooper. One snip and all is loose and falls away.....Sometimes a bit of lung to flick out with your fingers...not too bad...

Hey you guys who like stomping on the birds and yanking the wings/legs....lets see some pictures! 

Are they all pretty lookin when done?   

[Bearhunter]

Stomping and pulling works great as well and is very clean if you prune the wing bones as well.  Nice tutorial!

[Thehowler]

I would have to agree with the boys on  stepping on the wings and pulling on the legs, And it's FUN!!!!!!!!

[Armadillo]

Sweet, I use those exact same pruners on my critters, I'll have to try your method though

[robodad]

Stomping and pulling works great as well and is very clean if you prune the wing bones as well.  Nice tutorial!

I had heard of this method years ago and attempted it on several occasions, the only problem I ran into is when I stood up I had both legs and nothing else, they just seperated from the bird and I had to skin and pluck anyhow. Since the bird has to have it's head still attached while in the field, it's almost impossible to use this method while the bird is still warm unless you get it right at the end of your day in the field and hunt close to home !!!  

[CP]

Don’t you have to the head on the bird until you get it home? 

[Armadillo]

Don’t you have to the head on the bird until you get it home? 

I thought that you only need to leave the head on turkeys to verify the beard 

[cabin308]

Don’t you have to the head on the bird until you get it home? 

You are correct.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/mwug2009.pdf

Page 21,
"IT IS UNLAWFUL TO:
• Possess in the field or transport game birds
unless a feathered head is left attached to each
carcass, except falconry-caught birds."

[ICEMAN]

Never seen anyone in our group, or others do this since the beginning of time.

Similar to keeping the testes, or doe/cowhole attached to a quarter until it was processed. Never seen it.

[Alchase]

Don’t you have to the head on the bird until you get it home? 

You are correct.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/mwug2009.pdf

Page 21,
"IT IS UNLAWFUL TO:
• Possess in the field or transport game birds
unless a feathered head is left attached to each
carcass, except falconry-caught birds."

  uhm.......that is good to know,

[hornhunter]

ICEMAN I cant wait to trry this thankyou!  I have shot alot of birds and have never been introduced to such an effective way to clean birds! thanks!

[ICEMAN]

No problem hornhunter. Always good to share info...

[goody31]

Ice,

How do you get the skin to start coming off?  Do you cut a little of the neck so it slides over the whole bird?  Thanks for the tip can't wait to try on some ducks this year.

Goody

[ICEMAN]

goody, yep, I just rip a bit of the neck skin and start working it all the way around so it comes off clean. If you get too hurried it shreds and then you have a whole lot of pieces to work off the bird....If you wait too long for the bird to cool down, the back skin sticks like glue and I have had a hard time.... best to get it off within a few hours of shooting...which makes it a bit harder for my duck hunting since I stay out a bit longer...but it still works...

[Balladeer]

Thanks Iceman!

[whacker1]

Walt showed me first hand how to do this format this weekend, and I was quite impressed.  I will be using that method again in the future.
Thanks ICE

[ICEMAN]

 

[Sportfury]

ICE,

Got to use this method this weekend. My son got his first grouse, a blue, and I used this method to clean it. It worked great.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I employ a similar method.  I leave the head and neck on per the regs, pull the guts out, cut off feet and wings, and skin.  At home I snip out the length of the spine, split the leg half from the breast half, split the pelvis and the breast and end up with 4 quarters to marinate, broil stew or grill. 

I'm with Ice, I want every bit of meat on grouse, pheasants, quail, chukars.  I will confess I just breast out waterfowl. 

[gooeydruid]

Thanks Ice!
Used your instructions on my first grouse this afternoon.

[ICEMAN]

Bump for the 2010 Season. Saw interest in another thread and thought this may help.

[ICEMAN]

Bump for 2013!

[akirkland]

Ice..you sure are a clever guy. Im trying this on my next bird! Thank you, Sir!

[Michelle_Nelson]

He is.  You should read through some of his other tutorials. 

[R4n6er]

Wish I saw this before yesterday

[Atroxus]

Any chance we could get this stickied?  It's a great how-to. Or maybe get a sticky How-To thread for various upland bird hunting things with links to this and any other useful threads related to Upland Bird hunting/processing/cooking?

[irishevox]

i am going to have to try this!

[sakoshooter]

Iceman, Great idea for upland birds. Do you do this for your ducks too?

[ICEMAN]

Iceman, Great idea for upland birds. Do you do this for your ducks too?

Yes, I do....

[pd]

Iceman, I just found this.  Thanks for sharing.  I use the "stand on wings, pull legs" method, which is fast, but still leave the guts, and also tends to break the wings to bits.  Also, only works on smaller birds (wouldn't work with large waterfowl, I think).

Question for you.  After you trim off or snap off the head, do you peel the skin back from the neck to the vent?  Your instructions and photo seem to show the skin/feathers in one mass, but how do you get the whole skin to come over the breast and wings?  Do you have to peel it like an orange, or does it tend to come off in one single motion?

[birddogdad]

Thanks Ice!
Used your instructions on my first grouse this afternoon.

Never came in from spine side, great trick~
Great find! thanks Ice~~~

[Hunterman]

Don’t you have to the head on the bird until you get it home? 

You are correct.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/mwug2009.pdf

Page 21,
"IT IS UNLAWFUL TO:
• Possess in the field or transport game birds
unless a feathered head is left attached to each
carcass, except falconry-caught birds."

Look on the "Definitions" page (pg. 16) under "Upland Game Birds" . "Grouse are not upland birds", the fether head rule does not apply to grouse.

Great info Ice. I wonder if a person could do this method on chickens?

Hunterman(Tony)

[CP]

Don’t you have to the head on the bird until you get it home? 

You are correct.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/mwug2009.pdf

Page 21,
"IT IS UNLAWFUL TO:
• Possess in the field or transport game birds
unless a feathered head is left attached to each
carcass, except falconry-caught birds."

Look on the "Definitions" page (pg. 16) under "Upland Game Birds" . "Grouse are not upland birds", the fether head rule does not apply to grouse.

Great info Ice. I wonder if a person could do this method on chickens?

Hunterman(Tony)

Page 18 in this year’s regs:

IT IS UNLAWFUL TO:
…  Possess in the field or transport game birds unless a feathered head is left attached to each carcass, except falconry-caught birds.

Note the word “upland” does not appear in that.  Grouse are not an upland game bird but they are a game bird per WAC 232-12-004.  Maybe the regulation is not enforced but it is illegal to possess grouse in the field without a fully feathered head.