Shoot it.........eat it

[working class]

Silly question i have always wanted to ask, if you blast a pigeon or such like with a shotgun, dont you have to spend hours afterwards picking the shot out of the meat before you can eat it?

[gun12b]

has anybody tried squirrel ? I have.

[dcw@pr]

working class said:

Silly question i have always wanted to ask, if you blast a pigeon or such like with a shotgun, dont you have to spend hours afterwards picking the shot out of the meat before you can eat it?

in short - no. I eat a lot of pigeon, and at a guess I get a piece of shot every 20 breasts or so

[dcw@pr]

nick_j007 said:

toxgobbler said:

My father does Peasants/Ducks and the occasional pigeon, my aim is rubbish enough at clays which don't zigzag so I don't do the live shooting, but I get a brace or two every time he does, it is as free range as it gets and very tasty once you remove the lead the only (small) downside is that it's not cellophane wrapped and takes a bit of prep, find rabbits a bit of a faff though, more meat on a pigeon.

Pigeon...how do you prep and cook that?
Maybe just take the breast, or roast the whole bird?

Ta.

easiest to take breasts off, can do a bird in about 30 seconds or so

[dcw@pr]

gun12b said:

has anybody tried squirrel ? I have.

yes - a lot of hassle for not much meat though!

[Bill]

dcw@pr said:

nick_j007 said:

toxgobbler said:

My father does Peasants/Ducks and the occasional pigeon, my aim is rubbish enough at clays which don't zigzag so I don't do the live shooting, but I get a brace or two every time he does, it is as free range as it gets and very tasty once you remove the lead the only (small) downside is that it's not cellophane wrapped and takes a bit of prep, find rabbits a bit of a faff though, more meat on a pigeon.

Pigeon...how do you prep and cook that?
Maybe just take the breast, or roast the whole bird?

Ta.

easiest to take breasts off, can do a bird in about 30 seconds or so

Don't bother plucking or drawing them first, just peel the skin off afterwards.

[MKnight702]

I go beating for the local pheasant shoot when I can, (unfortunately held on a Friday). I've been shooting since I were a little lad (still no good though!) and this spring I took my daughter pigeon shooting for the first time. I fully agree with the sentiment that if I want to eat meat then I should be prepared to kill and prepare it.

I had a nice argument with my brother's father in law (a raging veggie). Surely, if I go out shooting and eat what I kill that is the best way to source meat, entirely natural, 100% wild creatures killed specifically to be eaten by me, not factory farmed chickens or cows some of which live in conditions I do not find morally acceptable, but which I probably help to perpetuate as I still eat meat.

I also was surprised by the attitude of a collegue at work. When I told him that I shoot he said how could I? Now, so far as I am aware, he is a carnivore so that does make him a hipocrite. How can we eat meat if we (generic we) don't kill it, does he think that it grows on supermarket shelves in nice clean white polystyrene trays?

[Emsman]

Well said that man.

I get it a lot- you kill things and that's disgusting.

(whereas my leather shoes are ok, and my chicken that has never seen sunlight and is pumped full of growth hormones and ends it's life suspended by it's legs before having having it's neck pulled by a machine is a great way to procure healthy meat)

[otolith]

I don't understand how it gets more free range than things which have to be shot.

[zakelwe]

I guess the argument is that people shouldn't have fun or enjoyment out of killing things. So that ranges from killing an ant with a magnifying glass up to butchering your granny with a meat cleaver and sticking her head on a pole while masturbating. Where do you draw the line?

Personally I don't shoot anything and would rather wildlife walk around so I can watch it, but I don't mind people shooting or bullfighting or fishing or trapping things even if it is rather inhumane as long as they eat it. Life is inhumane. Of course the interesting thing is that in the future it will all be banned, trust me, so enjoy it while you can. The hunter instinct is being more and more quashed under equally inhumane farming practices.

Regards
Andy

[zakelwe]

PS An other interesting cooks and animal welfare issue, where do you draw the line boiling things from live? Mussels? Lobsters? Cute lambs ?

I'm sure most people here would not do the lamb, but the mussels and lobster might be an entirely different kettle of fish (pardon the pun). I remember Keith Floyd throwing live langoustines onto a hot griddle where they obviously reacted but couldn't get away from the searing heat and I felt very uncomfortable watching that, but on the other hand I am more than happy cooking live mussels in boiling liquid.

Things to think about I guess. No easy answers for the budding cook.

Regards
Andy

[Don]

nick_j007 said:

toxgobbler said:

My father does Peasants/Ducks and the occasional pigeon, my aim is rubbish enough at clays which don't zigzag so I don't do the live shooting, but I get a brace or two every time he does, it is as free range as it gets and very tasty once you remove the lead the only (small) downside is that it's not cellophane wrapped and takes a bit of prep, find rabbits a bit of a faff though, more meat on a pigeon.

Pigeon...how do you prep and cook that?
Maybe just take the breast, or roast the whole bird?

Ta.

If you have the time it's quite fun to fully pluck and gut whole pigeon then you cook 'em whole like a big quail. If you have a bag of twenty or thirty birds I'd just pluck the breast and cut off the two breast fillets. Then you can either casserole 'em in a pie (mmmm) or I sometimes pan fry them very fast (and a bit rare) and serve them on top of some salad with a little balsamic vinegar.


I used to hunt pigeons with an air rifle as a lad and I ate a LOT of pigeon back then.

[nick_j007]

Don said:

nick_j007 said:

toxgobbler said:

My father does Peasants/Ducks and the occasional pigeon, my aim is rubbish enough at clays which don't zigzag so I don't do the live shooting, but I get a brace or two every time he does, it is as free range as it gets and very tasty once you remove the lead the only (small) downside is that it's not cellophane wrapped and takes a bit of prep, find rabbits a bit of a faff though, more meat on a pigeon.

Pigeon...how do you prep and cook that?
Maybe just take the breast, or roast the whole bird?

Ta.

If you have the time it's quite fun to fully pluck and gut whole pigeon then you cook 'em whole like a big quail. If you have a bag of twenty or thirty birds I'd just pluck the breast and cut off the two breast fillets. Then you can either casserole 'em in a pie (mmmm) or I sometimes pan fry them very fast (and a bit rare) and serve them on top of some salad with a little balsamic vinegar.


I used to hunt pigeons with an air rifle as a lad and I ate a LOT of pigeon back then.

Many thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Anyone know what you can and cant shoot with an air rifle? I like to be able to pick my rifle up and go for a wander with a pocket full of pellets! maybe take the odd pigeon or rabbit for the pot! If I come across a Pheasant or Mallard am I able to shoot it with an air rifle or do I need to run home quick and get a shotgun?!

[sleep envy]

I bagged 5 pheasants plus a rabbit yesterday (a tension cable also helped me get one - always nice to have a bird that hasn't got any shot)

will leave them to hang for a few days and then it's plucking time


can't beat a good day out shooting

[Don]

MonkeyMatt said:

Anyone know what you can and cant shoot with an air rifle? I like to be able to pick my rifle up and go for a wander with a pocket full of pellets! maybe take the odd pigeon or rabbit for the pot! If I come across a Pheasant or Mallard am I able to shoot it with an air rifle or do I need to run home quick and get a shotgun?!

The key things to shooting for the pot are:

• PERMISSION - the landowner must have granted you the right to shoot on their land. They may, for example, give you permission to take vermin but not their game as they probably want to sell that.

• SPECIES - you will only want to shoot the species you have permission for, are legal to shoot, and that you can take with your weapon of choice. Pheasants and Wild Ducks are game birds and you are unlikely to have permission to take them as the landowner will likely be selling the rights to shoot them. Pigeons are vermin so you might well be granted the right to take them.

• WEAPON - depending on the species you will be taking and the situation you can choose the right weapon. If your weapon is unsuitable for delivering a clean kill you should not take the shot - ever.

With an air rifle you can easily make an outright, clean kill up to about thirty yards away. So your hunting method must be to sneak up on your prey, get within range and then, sniper stylee, go for the headshot. You could certainly take pheasant and wild duck this way BUT you are unlikely to have permission to do so. Pigeons - no problem.

If you are thinking of waiting in a hide at a field's edge and getting the pigeons in the field as they land you are unlikely to get within thirty yards - you'll need a shotgun.

There isn't a straight answer to what you can and cannot take with an air rifle - the parameters make it a complex situation. I hunted Pigeons on my neighbour's farm as a lad and did so just with an air rifle. I had to get fairly close. There was no game on his farm other than the pheasants that flew in from neighbouring land where they were being bred.

[anonymous-user]

Don said:

MonkeyMatt said:

Anyone know what you can and cant shoot with an air rifle? I like to be able to pick my rifle up and go for a wander with a pocket full of pellets! maybe take the odd pigeon or rabbit for the pot! If I come across a Pheasant or Mallard am I able to shoot it with an air rifle or do I need to run home quick and get a shotgun?!

The key things to shooting for the pot are:

• PERMISSION - the landowner must have granted you the right to shoot on their land. They may, for example, give you permission to take vermin but not their game as they probably want to sell that.

• SPECIES - you will only want to shoot the species you have permission for, are legal to shoot, and that you can take with your weapon of choice. Pheasants and Wild Ducks are game birds and you are unlikely to have permission to take them as the landowner will likely be selling the rights to shoot them. Pigeons are vermin so you might well be granted the right to take them.

• WEAPON - depending on the species you will be taking and the situation you can choose the right weapon. If your weapon is unsuitable for delivering a clean kill you should not take the shot - ever.

With an air rifle you can easily make an outright, clean kill up to about thirty yards away. So your hunting method must be to sneak up on your prey, get within range and then, sniper stylee, go for the headshot. You could certainly take pheasant and wild duck this way BUT you are unlikely to have permission to do so. Pigeons - no problem.

If you are thinking of waiting in a hide at a field's edge and getting the pigeons in the field as they land you are unlikely to get within thirty yards - you'll need a shotgun.

There isn't a straight answer to what you can and cannot take with an air rifle - the parameters make it a complex situation. I hunted Pigeons on my neighbour's farm as a lad and did so just with an air rifle. I had to get fairly close. There was no game on his farm other than the pheasants that flew in from neighbouring land where they were being bred.

Cheers for that Don,
I do have permission to take what ever I like on a particular piece of land! I can take dear if I like but dont have a rifle! I have tried researching the air rifle/game thing and found it to be a grey area with lots of guidlines rather than rules! throughout the year there are different species of duck and somtimes geese! a large canada goose would make a fine table bird and a 20-30m head shot would be quite easy as there is a lot of cover around the pond!

[Don]

I believe that Canada Geese have recently had their protected status removed - you'd need to check on that. An air-rifle pellet is just going to bounce off their wings and annoy them anywhere else other than a hit directly to the head.

If you are an excellent marksman and can reliably hit a 2p coin at thirty yards I reckon you could probably take a Canada Goose that way with a powerful air rifle (i.e. maximum power before requiring a FAC. To be honest, though, I'd be afraid of missing and injuring the bird and anything less than a headshot isn't going to get the job done in a humane manner.

For deer obviously you'd need a stalker's rifle, FAC, and IIRC a special licence on top of that of some sort.

[anonymous-user]

Don said:

I believe that Canada Geese have recently had their protected status removed - you'd need to check on that. An air-rifle pellet is just going to bounce off their wings and annoy them anywhere else other than a hit directly to the head.

If you are an excellent marksman and can reliably hit a 2p coin at thirty yards I reckon you could probably take a Canada Goose that way with a powerful air rifle (i.e. maximum power before requiring a FAC. To be honest, though, I'd be afraid of missing and injuring the bird and anything less than a headshot isn't going to get the job done in a humane manner.

For deer obviously you'd need a stalker's rifle, FAC, and IIRC a special licence on top of that of some sort.

I have taken Geece before when I was younger when rules didnt seam to matter so much! a head shot is normaly quite possible as you can get pretty close to Canadas before they flight!

[Don]

MonkeyMatt said:

Don said:

I believe that Canada Geese have recently had their protected status removed - you'd need to check on that. An air-rifle pellet is just going to bounce off their wings and annoy them anywhere else other than a hit directly to the head.

If you are an excellent marksman and can reliably hit a 2p coin at thirty yards I reckon you could probably take a Canada Goose that way with a powerful air rifle (i.e. maximum power before requiring a FAC. To be honest, though, I'd be afraid of missing and injuring the bird and anything less than a headshot isn't going to get the job done in a humane manner.

For deer obviously you'd need a stalker's rifle, FAC, and IIRC a special licence on top of that of some sort.

I have taken Geece before when I was younger when rules didnt seam to matter so much! a head shot is normaly quite possible as you can get pretty close to Canadas before they flight!

I'll bet they roast up a treat, too!