# field Dressing Doves



## tullisfireball (Sep 6, 2010)

I was just wondering, how long does everyone wait to dress out their birds? I usually put ours in a dove bucket with ice and take care of them at the end of the day. 

Does anyone dress them in the field when if it slows down, or do you think the Game Warden would frown on not having the whole bird when he checks your limit?


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## burkehunter (Sep 6, 2010)

I usually wait until the end of the hunt to dress mine out but I have been hunting when the GW checked us and accused a guy of shooting too many birds because some folks put theirs together so they could clean them and had a few breasts popped out of some already and the GW couldn't account for whos was who and how many had been cleaned.  My advice is to always keep your birds separated and I guess it don't matter when you clean them.


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## tullisfireball (Sep 6, 2010)

I wait until we are done, but had watched a video about a new recipe and the cook said the sooner they are dressed the better they taste so it just got me to thinking

My son and I both have our buckets to keep them separated, just like when we are trout fishing everyone has their own stringer, so there is no problem with the limits... like I ever have a problem with getting my limit


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## gobbleinwoods (Sep 6, 2010)

We clean them after the hunt but I don't think it really matters.


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## LEON MANLEY (Sep 6, 2010)

I try to pluck as many feathers off as I can then put them in a cooler with a frozen water bottle. This helps get them cooled down quicker. I pull the guts out when I get done with the hunt.


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## breathe in (Sep 6, 2010)

I gut as I shoot, clean at the end of the day.


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## mlandrum (Sep 6, 2010)

Dressed Birds don't make good pictures????


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## emtguy (Sep 6, 2010)

i think its illegal. im not 100 percent sure though.


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## Georgia Hard Hunter (Sep 6, 2010)

I usually clean mine when done with the hunt, if I shoot 3 boxes of shells it don't take long to clean 4 or 5 doves..LOL


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## Dead Eye Eddy (Sep 6, 2010)

I usually clean them when I get home, but today, I cleaned them in 2 batches.  I cleaned 9 during the midday lull.  Then, I cleaned 5 more just before dark.  Probably could have gotten in trouble with the GW, but didn't think about it.

I used to breast my birds out, but last year, I started filletting them.  It's so much easier and you don't get nasty eating them.


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## tullisfireball (Sep 6, 2010)

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> I usually clean them when I get home, but today, I cleaned them in 2 batches.  I cleaned 9 during the midday lull.  Then, I cleaned 5 more just before dark.  Probably could have gotten in trouble with the GW, but didn't think about it.
> 
> I used to breast my birds out, but last year, I started filletting them.  It's so much easier and you don't get nasty eating them.



Do you cut the breast fillet off or how do you fillet them?


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## Dead Eye Eddy (Sep 6, 2010)

tullisfireball said:


> Do you cut the breast fillet off or how do you fillet them?



I got the idea from watching a buddy of mine fillet out a wild turkey breast.  I was like, "Wow, I could do that on doves the same way."

Lay them on their back, head towards you.  Use your thumbs to break the skin over the breast and push it down as much as possible.  Then, using a fillet knife, cut down either side of the breast bone and work each fillet off.  Peel off what remains of the skin and feathers, and drop each fillet in a bag.  Also doesn't puncture freezer bags, since there are no broken bones.


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## tullisfireball (Sep 7, 2010)

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> I got the idea from watching a buddy of mine fillet out a wild turkey breast.  I was like, "Wow, I could do that on doves the same way."
> 
> Lay them on their back, head towards you.  Use your thumbs to break the skin over the breast and push it down as much as possible.  Then, using a fillet knife, cut down either side of the breast bone and work each fillet off.  Peel off what remains of the skin and feathers, and drop each fillet in a bag.  Also doesn't puncture freezer bags, since there are no broken bones.




 Cool I will try that Saturday... if I get my barrels straight before then


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## Dew Man (Sep 7, 2010)

Clean them as i go, put them in a freezer bag in a cooler.


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## BBQBOSS (Sep 7, 2010)

I just threw 'em in a gallon ziploc bag and put em in the cooler with my drinks. Cleaned'em when i got home...


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## Nicodemus (Sep 7, 2010)

BBQBOSS said:


> I just threw 'em in a gallon ziploc bag and put em in the cooler with my drinks. Cleaned'em when i got home...





That`s the method I use.


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## emtguy (Sep 8, 2010)

i clean em when i wana eat em, had over 400 in my freezer once...just throw em in a bag whole and leave em. When ya want a mess take a few out give em 10 minutes to thaw then pop the breast out and throw away the rest, its way easier this way b/c feathers stay on bird, blood is froze and the breast pops out clean.

i do like eddy though, i peel the skin from the breast with two thumbs pushing downward then use my thumb to push the meat off the breast plate. takes 2o seconds


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## Dead Eye Eddy (Sep 8, 2010)

emtguy said:


> i clean em when i wana eat em, had over 400 in my freezer once...just throw em in a bag whole and leave em. When ya want a mess take a few out give em 10 minutes to thaw then pop the breast out and throw away the rest, its way easier this way b/c feathers stay on bird, blood is froze and the breast pops out clean.
> 
> i do like eddy though, i peel the skin from the breast with two thumbs pushing downward then use my thumb to push the meat off the breast plate. takes 2o seconds



I wouldn't even consider eating a bird that has been frozen whole.  When the shot rips through, it pushes who knows what through the meat.  I know that the meat is on the bottom, so there's less gut contamination than other game, but there's still feathers and whatever is on them.  I have a friend that routinely ices them down and cleans them the next day.  He does the same thing with fish.  I prefer to get all non-edible parts disposed of ASAP.


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Sep 9, 2010)

we're old school.  we pick every bird we kill.  they fry better with the skin on.


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## Nitram4891 (Sep 9, 2010)

I put them in a gallon zip lock in the cooler.  At the end of the hunt I pop out the breast bones and throw them in a ziplock with ice water.  When they are cool when I get home I push the meat off the breat plate with my thumb.  This seems easier to do when the meat has cooled down which is why I don't do it right after the hunt.


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## Resica (Sep 9, 2010)

I'm surprised you guys dress them at all, I figured you'd do them like a lot of you do with deer, leave the guts in.


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## Lane Morrell (Sep 9, 2010)

emtguy said:


> i clean em when i wana eat em, had over 400 in my freezer once...just throw em in a bag whole and leave em. When ya want a mess take a few out give em 10 minutes to thaw then pop the breast out and throw away the rest, its way easier this way b/c feathers stay on bird, blood is froze and the breast pops out clean.
> 
> i do like eddy though, i peel the skin from the breast with two thumbs pushing downward then use my thumb to push the meat off the breast plate. takes 2o seconds





They are a lot easier to clean when they are cold.


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## Dustin Pate (Sep 9, 2010)

Resica said:


> I'm surprised you guys dress them at all, I figured you'd do them like a lot of you do with deer, leave the guts in.



LOL. Yep and let someone else clean them for them.


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## whchunter (Sep 9, 2010)

*My way*

I put each dove in an empty shell box and then place the box in the cooler. It keeps my drinks from getting dirty.  I usually have boxes left over after each hunt if anyone else runs out of boxes.


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## pine nut (Sep 9, 2010)

I'm with Doc Holiday23 on this.  I do pick my birds in the field though in between flights of birds, and put them in my bucket on ice.  I try to be careful not to get blood on my gun though.  I do not open them up until I get home.  I use a pair of shears (Gerber) to snip the legs off and maybe the tip of the wings...then I snip off the tail and cut up through the backbone on both sides.  I also swinge the hairs off before I open them up.  The lungs are the first thing that spoils, so be sure to remove them.  
If you never have cooked the doves dressed this way on a charcoal fire you haven't lived!  Basted with lemon juice and butter mixed with a bit of flour and slow cooked those wings and legs are super good.  Yeah, it is trouble over just breasting them, but it is worth it IMO.
Did you ever notice that the dove is the only game bird that doesn't stink when opened up!  No smell!  They are the cleanest meat you can eat... They eat nothing but grain.   I think they taste better than quail, but hey , I like gizzards too!


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Sep 9, 2010)

pine nut said:


> Yeah, it is trouble over just breasting them, but it is worth it IMO.


some things in life are worth the trouble.  this is one of them.


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## emtguy (Sep 9, 2010)

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> I wouldn't even consider eating a bird that has been frozen whole.  When the shot rips through, it pushes who knows what through the meat.  I know that the meat is on the bottom, so there's less gut contamination than other game, but there's still feathers and whatever is on them.  I have a friend that routinely ices them down and cleans them the next day.  He does the same thing with fish.  I prefer to get all non-edible parts disposed of ASAP.




well eddy that shot pushed whatever through the day he was killed or 4 months later when i take him out the frezzer.

im just saying you can frezze the entire bird and clean em when you want, its alot easier and less mess, i have left the feild with 150 birds before, i dont like cleaning that many at once...and no GON police i did'nt shoot em all, they was gave to me for a group wildgame fry.


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## Lane Morrell (Sep 10, 2010)

pine nut said:


> I'm with Doc Holiday23 on this.  I do pick my birds in the field though in between flights of birds, and put them in my bucket on ice.  I try to be careful not to get blood on my gun though.  I do not open them up until I get home.  I use a pair of shears (Gerber) to snip the legs off and maybe the tip of the wings...then I snip off the tail and cut up through the backbone on both sides.  I also swinge the hairs off before I open them up.  The lungs are the first thing that spoils, so be sure to remove them.
> If you never have cooked the doves dressed this way on a charcoal fire you haven't lived!  Basted with lemon juice and butter mixed with a bit of flour and slow cooked those wings and legs are super good.  Yeah, it is trouble over just breasting them, but it is worth it IMO.
> Did you ever notice that the dove is the only game bird that doesn't stink when opened up!  No smell!  They are the cleanest meat you can eat... They eat nothing but grain.   I think they taste better than quail, but hey , I like gizzards too!




I would much rather eat dove than quail.


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Sep 10, 2010)

Lane Morrell said:


> I would much rather eat dove than quail.



white meat vs dark meat.  i love both of them, but if I had to choose, it would be the doves.  They don't dry out like quail do and that little strip of white meat along their breast bone is like a little buried treasure.


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## Peter D (Sep 10, 2010)

*I received this answer per WRD personnel:*

There is no problem with dressing doves in the field, but any Law Enforcement personnel who check you will need to be able to tell how many mourning/white wing doves you have harvested.

 For example, if you killed 10 mourning doves and 6 Eurasian collared doves and boned out the breasts (and discarded the carcasses), you will be over the limit since a ranger would not be able to identify the species of bird just from the breast meat.

 Federal Regulations do require the head or a fully-feathered wing be left on the carcasses of all migratory game birds during transportation with the exception of doves and band-tailed pigeons.


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## pine nut (Sep 10, 2010)

Peter D said:


> There is no problem with dressing doves in the field, but any Law Enforcement personnel who check you will need to be able to tell how many mourning/white wing doves you have harvested.
> 
> For example, if you killed 10 mourning doves and 6 Eurasian collared doves and boned out the breasts (and discarded the carcasses), you will be over the limit since a ranger would not be able to identify the species of bird just from the breast meat.
> 
> Federal Regulations do require the head or a fully-feathered wing be left on the carcasses of all migratory game birds during transportation with the exception of doves and band-tailed pigeons.



Good point!


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