Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Back last night from 2 days in 3-13 with 9 birds between the two of us. I have been keeping a small/narrow roll of shrink wrap in my field bag, use this to wrap up the feathers on the wing then drop it in a zip bag when cooled off. Works well for us.
Wonder if any one hangs them for storage? In a field bag?
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
You could just leave the bird ungutted and hang them for a few days or a week. Google it, a lot of hunters do this technique.
Here's a link to one site that mentions it. http://honest-food.net/2012/10/20/on...g-pheasants-2/
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Step on the wings and pull up on the legs, the breast will pop up into your hands with wings attached...one wing has to stay until you get home, you can lop off the other. Rinse quickly with the cold water in the 2L pop bottle you brought in the cooler, and toss into a plastic bag in your ice pack equipped cooler. If you're hiking and hunting, you can get a small soft cooler and fit one of those small ice packs into it until you get back to your truck.
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ubertuber
This is what I do with my birds if I'm not going to eat them right away and it's not warm out. Been doing it for years.
If they are shot up I gut them and then hang them - but rarely do I get that many pellets in a bird
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Best way I found is to put small soft sided insulated cooler in my hunting pack with a couple of instant cold packs as soon as you get the first one pop the cold pack and put it in the cooler with the grouse breast,kept five cool all day saturday.
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
new trigger
Back last night from 2 days in 3-13 with 9 birds between the two of us. I have been keeping a small/narrow roll of shrink wrap in my field bag, use this to wrap up the feathers on the wing then drop it in a zip bag when cooled off. Works well for us.
Wonder if any one hangs them for storage? In a field bag?
That's a great nugget. I'm going to use that one.
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Out in the field I have used the old fashioned potato burlap bag (washed before use and hung to dry) lined with dried grasses to carry my dead birds. Do not use leaves of any kind to line the bag. I try to clean the bird as soon as possible, the longer you leave them the tougher it is to pull them apart.Works well strung off my day pack or tied up(suspended) in the box of my truck. Once the meat is cool to the touch and stiffened up a bit then I'll put them in a plastic wrap and a cooler. Ask any chef and they'll confirm putting warm meat in a plastic wrap and then in a cooler is not a good idea.
When preparing to cook them it's pretty easy to see if there are any pellets penetrating the meat, that's where I slice down the thru the area and use a set of tweezers to remove the pellet, if there are lots of pellets you'll have to make grouse stew - just don't cook the meat too long or it'll get real chewy.
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
I always hike with a 'camelback' type backpack. The packs have a large cold water reservoir. After i shoot a bird or hare, I clean it and wrap it in cheesecloth or newspaper and drop it in a ziplock. I then pack it against the cold water reservoir in my pack. This keeps it cool while I continue hunting. Also, I always have a small cooler with cold packs that i keep back at the truck.
I've got into the habit of keeping the legs of the grouse I shoot. There's a good amount of meat on them and it only takes an extra minute or so to remove them.
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
I have a buddy who will shoot them and hang them whole on a pole at camp for 3-5 days,one night he'll cut them up and make grouse-atori ,no ones died yet....of course it depends on temp ect....common sense stuff!
Re: How do I keep grouse and other small game fresh in the field?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Singleshotneeded
Step on the wings and pull up on the legs, the breast will pop up into your hands with wings attached...one wing has to stay until you get home, you can lop off the other. Rinse quickly with the cold water in the 2L pop bottle you brought in the cooler, and toss into a plastic bag in your ice pack equipped cooler. If you're hiking and hunting, you can get a small soft cooler and fit one of those small ice packs into it until you get back to your truck.
This is the way to do it....Plus, for more meat cut off the top portion of the legs + half of the gizzard is edible and delicious..