who picks his birds and doesn't breast them? I have no reason why I do this other than that is the way my grandpa and father taught me. Don't get me wrong, I will occasionally breast a bird if I am planning on wrapping with bacon.

Second Question - Anyone else fry up the hearts? That's probably my favorite part of dove season.

Is it worth the effort to do anything other than breast them regardless of how your are cooking them? Just seems like a ton of work for no meat

I was raised to pick them, and cook the hearts and gizzards both.

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Is it worth the effort to do anything other than breast them regardless of how your are cooking them? Just seems like a ton of work for no meat

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THIS! Now back in the day when my father was alive and we would go bird hunting he would pick the birds and save the legs, heart and gizzard as well. All that would be fried up with a meal when we ate the breast. Now I guess I am just too lazy to do all that and really only want the breast meat so no reason to go through all the work.
Sad face b/c I miss those days.

OP you are not the only one that picks them. Am planning (God willing) to pick some tomorrow and fry up for the rib and I for supper tomorrow night.

Have not tried the gizzard/hearts/leg thing before but may have to give that whirl.

Good luck everybody!

I usually breast & eat the hearts. Never done the legs or ribs but will give it a try this year.

That's how we did it growing up. It definitely is not worth the extra work as far as meat goes, but there is something respectable about using every part.

I still keep the hearts and sometimes the gizzards. Makes great gravy.

Occasionally, I'll still do it this way if I get a small batch of doves and want to brown and stew in gravy like the old days for nostalgia sake.

Growing up, we always completely picked the birds and ate the hearts too. I don't know why we never ate the gizzards. Having cleaned plenty of chicken gizzards, I am guessing they are a little hard to clean?

We always had dove stew, sometimes with dumplings. At some point, breasting them and grilling them took over.

I remember seeing somewhere recently some coonasses always picked them and used the whole thing....maybe that was on here.... but they are such good cooks, I would always try it their way.

How are you all preparing the hearts? Fried heart poppers? I've had dirty rice with hearts, but haven't had poppers.

Ditto- I've always thought it was a coonass thing.

Hearts always get browned and stewed in gravy in our house. Think giblets for Thanksgiving gravy.

My dogs get the hearts.

We would fry the bodies, the legs, hearts and gizzards with flour and salt and pepper. Then make cream gravy, and serve with homemade biscuits. Granny was the best! I wished she was still here to make that meal for my boys.

If anyone is going to be hunting in Coryell County Opening weekend, let me know. We will be on the old family ranch just outside of Evant. Message me if you are going to be near by. Depending on the number of birds, I may head home Saturday morning before kickoff.

We always pick & gut & save hearts & gizzards, then pot-roast the whole bird in brown gravy.

I weighed out both methods one time and the picked bird with heart & gizzard weighs double what the breasted dove weighs.

To the people who pick the bird, are you leaving them on the breast bone when frying?

I think most people that pick use the whole bird and leave the bones in. They look like little chickens. We cut them along the backbone to remove guts and small rib bones when we do this.

Then you brown them with a little flour and oil and make a good gravy. Slowly simmer/stew them in the gravy until the meat pulls easy from the bones.

It's alot of work and most people don't like all the bones. It also is a little messy as you have to use your hands to really get the meat off. Still damn good eating.

That adds the other question though of how you breast your birds. Some people remove the breast bone completely in what they call a breasted bird. We always leave ours in. Just pull up, clip or pull the wings and move on to the next one.

I plucked a bunch last year and made this Jessie Griffiths recipe. Also used the hearts and gizzard in it too. Outstanding recipe.

Hot Fried Doves

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To the people who pick the bird, are you leaving them on the breast bone when frying?

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yep.....dust em in seasoned flour and fry em whole.

Does anyone here do anything to drain the blood from dove? I had a guy telling me how to do it one night on a hunting trip, but I was pretty drunk and my recollection of his lecture is fuzzy

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Does anyone here do anything to drain the blood from dove? I had a guy telling me how to do it one night on a hunting trip, but I was pretty drunk and my recollection of his lecture is fuzzy

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we just soak them in water and if we have time/proper facilities then we may rinse and repeat after about 10 minutes.

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Does anyone here do anything to drain the blood from dove? I had a guy telling me how to do it one night on a hunting trip, but I was pretty drunk and my recollection of his lecture is fuzzy

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let them soak for awhile in ice water with some salt mixed in, that will help pull some of the blood out. may also then marinate in Italian dressing if youre making them for someone who really doesnt like the gamey taste

There was a thread recently about aging doves. Basically an article about some guy that throws them feather, guts and all in his refrigerator for a week or two. Supposedly, much more tender. I haven't been brave enough to try it and think they eat pretty good as is.

If you preparing at home soak them in buttermilk overnight in the fridge. If in the field see above

I like picking quail, but they are better table fare (imo), plus a nice little whole skin on quail makes for great presentation.

do this with ducks all the time, if not gut shot it works well. if noticeable pellets with through the guts, remove em to reduce potential spoilage.

Until I was 20 or 21 I never knew about just breasting them. My dad and my uncle who I had done all of my dove hunting with always plucked and gutted the doves. They are from Central Louisiana and I guess that's what everyone did around there. I actually dreaded cleaning doves because I'd usually end up having to pluck the most. When I went with some friends from A&M and we just breasted them after a trip I felt angry that no one had ever showed me that before. We breasted about a 100 quicker than I could have plucked 15.

We never grilled doves growing up either, they were always in a gravy or gumbo.

What do you do about the pellets in the meat if you are just plucking the feathers?

Pick them outta your mouth.

That's what I thought...will continue breasting out with the tenders and wrapping in bacon japs onion cream cheese

Cooking meat with lead pellet peppercorn marinade doesn't sound right

Like you don't wanna break a tooth, or you're concerned with the possibility of lead poisoning?

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I plucked a bunch last year and made this Jessie Griffiths recipe. Also used the hearts and gizzard in it too. Outstanding recipe.

Hot Fried Doves

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Holy crap that looks delicious

I barely find quail worth going the extra mile - snip off the head, wings, and feet, pull the skin off over the legs, snip up the back bone and pull the guts out. Doves are simply not worth even that much effort - pull the breast and be done with it.

One of my dad's hunting buddies about 60 years ago was from Louisiana and he was always the last one done because he was meticulously plucking his doves. Dad, uncle and other hunting pals sitting back having a beer, me a coke (I was 10) and ole Dick Norman plucking dove feathers under the big oak tree.

Ppl save the birds to eat? I just shoot their nuts off and leave them.

Damn 02 I laughed

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Ppl save the birds to eat? I just shoot their nuts off and leave them.

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