# Is this a hen or a chicken of the woods?



## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Hey, guys I picked this in the woods Friday morning. I was just wondering if it was a hen or a chicken of the woods. It's not orange, it is however HUGE and I picked it next to an oak tree. Can I eat this. If not, what is it??


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Nice. That is a hen I am quite sure, probably a kind of off white underneath and when cut to brown in color on the upper part? Looks to have been out a couple days or so. The color in the picture didn't show up real well. I have a few pics of them both in my photos. Click the little camera icon on the upper right if you wanna see them
They sure came on around here this week and the Honeys just in the last couple days.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

It's whitish underneath. No bright colors. Still firm and white in the middle though. Can I eat it??


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

I did quite a bit more research online. IT IS EDIBLE AND GOOD!!! Turns out they get to the size of 40 to 50lbs. This one weighed about 10 to 12 lbs. I picked all of the pedals off with just a little bit of stalk. I guess the stalks are tough. I have a pic of all of the picked off stuff. I have shrooms for quite a while. In the recipe stuff I read they say that they are best cooked like button caps. I smelled them and they have a REALLY nice button cap smell. Not that funky mushroom smell like I smelled on some that I know are not good to eat. (Like for instance while squirrel hunting last week I found those REALLY poisonous mushrooms with the little skirt looking thing under the white cap. Those stunk and I left them. (Won't eat a shroom unless I know 100% for sure what it is.) Those turned out to be poisonous. I looked them up online and I guess those funky buggers will kill you within 7 days after eating them.:SHOCKED:Turns out you can freeze or dry these to save them too. I'll freeze them after I clean them. I'm eating some with my steaks tonignt though. I may even throw some in with the squirrels I killed on the same day.:evil::corkysm55 Thank you for your help.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Oldgrandman said:


> Nice. That is a hen I am quite sure, probably a kind of off white underneath and when cut to brown in color on the upper part? Looks to have been out a couple days or so. The color in the picture didn't show up real well. I have a few pics of them both in my photos. Click the little camera icon on the upper right if you wanna see them
> They sure came on around here this week and the Honeys just in the last couple days.


 Yeah, the dark color is right. It's dark, but smells really good and isn't dried out. The color on the cell phone pic didn't help much. Those seem to always be a little off.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Well, I cooked some up with the steaks. IT'S ALL GONE....DELICOUS!!!!:corkysm55:corkysm55:corkysm55 (The large handful that I grabbed. I've got alot left...LOL!!!)


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)




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## Bachflock (Jul 3, 2007)

I'd say hen. I'm not experienced enough to offer more than that without closer inspection. Every chicken I've seen is MUCH brighter in coloration.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

We did all eat it several hours ago and VERY TASTY!!!!!! I think it was because it was an older one. No side effects and very good though. Turns out they can be grey when older.


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## Roosevelt (Sep 21, 2007)

Nice lookin hen.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Roosevelt said:


> Nice lookin hen.


THANK YOU!!!


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## hardwaterfan (Feb 13, 2004)

it looks like a beautiful hen! congratulations on your first.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Yeah the colors vary, I seen them kinda greyish too. Seems like the dryer ones have that color like a couple I found this year. I like them coated in flour. 
That is a huge one you got there, so far they been small for me this year probably caued we only have .75 inches of rain this month. One more good rain and I hope to get a great big one off the trees that have not produced yet. Only a few left that havent produced though. Keep checking daily now that they started.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Oldgrandman said:


> Yeah the colors vary, I seen them kinda greyish too. Seems like the dryer ones have that color like a couple I found this year. I like them coated in flour.
> That is a huge one you got there, so far they been small for me this year probably caued we only have .75 inches of rain this month. One more good rain and I hope to get a great big one off the trees that have not produced yet. Only a few left that havent produced though. Keep checking daily now that they started.


 Yeah, it tasted pretty good. I sauteed some up to go with the steaks at my future mother-in-laws house. The little bit that I cooked went very quick. I just washed them off and heated a pan with fresh garlic and olive oil. Then I just sauteed it with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. It was VERY good. I read that they freeze well. So I put the rest in ziplock bags and threw it in the freezer for future use. I will be looking for some more most definitely. Good stuff and you get alot off of the bigger ones. I'll look again when I head out squirrel hunting this weekend. Good luck and thank you.


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## fasthunter (Sep 15, 2006)

Oldgrandman said:


> Yeah the colors vary, I seen them kinda greyish too. Seems like the dryer ones have that color like a couple I found this year. I like them coated in flour.
> That is a huge one you got there, so far they been small for me this year probably caued we only have .75 inches of rain this month. One more good rain and I hope to get a great big one off the trees that have not produced yet. Only a few left that havent produced though. Keep checking daily now that they started.


 So do you deep fry them? That could be tasty too.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Have not tried them deep fried yet. I cook them in butter and a couple drops of olive oil, actually drakes is good besides flour if I have it on hand. Gonna have some more tonite. I tried drying some, see how that goes down the road.
I tried honeys coated with drakes and deep fried and didn't care for them. Have to try the hens that way though. I get another fresh one and maybe I will with some beer battered walleye :corkysm55.


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