keeping grouse while hunting

[rab89]

Hey guys, so my buddy and I are planning a couple day trip for the first weekend of october, for some reason he's really stoked on getting lots of grouse, I couldn't care less about grouse, I want a deer!

but anyways, does anyone have some good ideas to keep grouse cold while still hunting? I was just thinking a cooler of ice, will this be good enough?

thanks for your help!

[Vital Shock]

you just have to keep it cool! grouse will cook up nice for camp dinner too!!

[Kody94]

Hey guys, so my buddy and I are planning a couple day trip for the first weekend of october, for some reason he's really stoked on getting lots of grouse, I couldn't care less about grouse, I want a deer!

but anyways, does anyone have some good ideas to keep grouse cold while still hunting? I was just thinking a cooler of ice, will this be good enough?

thanks for your help!

If there's not enough room in the cooler, I just drink a couple more beer real fast. ;)

j/k ... I do keep a cooler bag under my seat and will fill a couple waterbottles up with creek water and put them on either side of the bird(s) in the cooler bag. Its not much, but it helps. If your out for a while, you'll want to put new cold water in the bottles every once in a while.

[rab89]

cool so not a big deal if it stays real cold then.

and not to worry, if we need room we'll get rid of a few beer haha.

hey how bout some grouse cooking tips? I've heard grouse fingers are where it's at.

[huntergirl270]

Grouse is good cooked up like pork chops. We do it sometimes with a bit of seasoning salt and pepper and dice it up and fry (can use a bit of garlic or garlic powder here too) If you are camping bring along a can of mushroom soup and pour it over the browned grouse and simmer until tender. I like to add fresh mushrooms and onions but they aren't necessary. Serve over noodles or rice :)

[rab89]

sounds good! you got a name for that dish yet?

[Lone Ranger]

Depending on the hunt schedule, I like taking the few minutes to cook it up over a small fire right then and there, with whatever spices/sauce I can find (BBQ sauce works well). If not, keeping it in the shade around whatever cool objects you can fine should be enough for a couple of hours. If I think/know its going to be any longer than that I will refrain from shooting it. LR

[Moosehunter64]

Shake and bake works good also,helps keep them moist and tender just don`t over cook.

[kgs]

If its just for the day I use a small self contained ice pack in a plastic bag. Lasts all day works good and lite enough to carry.

[Ken the Kanuck]

Typically we will freeze some gallon milk jugs filled with water. These make nice big blocks of ice which last for awhile and give you some water with which to wash your grouse ( or deer ) once you have field dressed it.

KTK

[barry1974w]

I keep a small cooler with two litre pop bottles of ice reserved for ditch chickens. I've kept them for up to five days like this and they were fine.
One of our favorite (and easy) camp dinners is to cube a few birds, fry with bacon and onions, mix with a packaged four cheese alfredo sauce, and serve over tortellini. Tastes pretty good, fills you up and only takes about twenty minutes.

[rab89]

you guys are great! so many good ideas! I'll show my friend this thread.

thanks a lot for all your help!

Rab89

[35 Whelen]

Rab...have you tried the trick of lying a freshly killed grouse on it's back, stepping on the wings right where they attach, then pulling hard on the feet. You end up with just the breast with the wings attached..all the rest is junk. Just wrap the wings around the breast, pop it in the cooler and it will last for days..the wings keep the meat dry and it won't sweat. I used to just pop them into the back of my hunting jacket and kept walking. They never soured even on a long walk with the shotgun.

[TheDuckinator]

Rab...have you tried the trick of lying a freshly killed grouse on it's back, stepping on the wings right where they attach, then pulling hard on the feet. You end up with just the breast with the wings attached..all the rest is junk. Just wrap the wings around the breast, pop it in the cooler and it will last for days..the wings keep the meat dry and it won't sweat. I used to just pop them into the back of my hunting jacket and kept walking. They never soured even on a long walk with the shotgun.
I tried that but it only seemed to work if it was REALLY fresh and was a headshot.

But just keep a small cooler in the cab with bottles of cold water, as long as the grouse stays cool its all good.

Best of Luck!

[35 Whelen]

Yes....they need to be freshly killed. If the bird has stiffened up, it will not work. Head or body shots didn't seem to matter for me. Trick is to hold the wings down with your feet right beside the breast and NOT out on the tips of the wings.

[FlyingHigh]

Yes....they need to be freshly killed. If the bird has stiffened up, it will not work. Head or body shots didn't seem to matter for me. Trick is to hold the wings down with your feet right beside the breast and NOT out on the tips of the wings.

i've managed to do it after the bird was 30 or 40 minutes dead. maybe that's still fresh.

[Moosehunter64]

To do the stepping on the wing thing you need to let them sit and stiffen up a bit.You put your feet as close to the body as you can and pull slowly not fast, you will feel it coming apart.It works well just just need to do it slowly.

[Billyisgr8]

Yup did my first one this way last night, so I had to post a video of it too cause there arn't very many vids of this way out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41KmW_Gfoa8

.

[huntergirl270]

sounds good! you got a name for that dish yet?

No name yet.. Feel free to make one up :)

[rab89]

thanks for the help guys, seems like an easy thing to do while still hunting deer.

I'll think up some names for that dish for ya!

also my CORE should be back to me tomorrow, or tuesday, then I can head out and get my first grouse. and hopefully a couple deer later on this year!

[bearhunter338-06]

Rab...have you tried the trick of lying a freshly killed grouse on it's back, stepping on the wings right where they attach, then pulling hard on the feet. You end up with just the breast with the wings attached.

I'm to lazy to bend over so I just take the wings in one hand and the feet in the other and pull. I always have a cooler in the truck with blocks of ice, wrap the breasts up in plastic bag and put them on ice.