# Chukar breasts?



## sgc (Oct 21, 2007)

Can Chukar breasts be pulled off as easily as Grouse, by standing on the wings & pulling up on the legs? Are they good to eat?


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## Firemedic (Apr 5, 2005)

There are good eating, but the wild ones are so much better. I never tried cleaning them that way. I will try it Saturday!
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## WestCoastHunter (Apr 3, 2008)

sgc said:


> Can Chukar breasts be pulled off as easily as Grouse, by standing on the wings & pulling up on the legs? Are they good to eat?


Yes and yes.


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

sgc said:


> Can Chukar breasts be pulled off as easily as Grouse, by standing on the wings & pulling up on the legs? Are they good to eat?


Sure hope that's not how you're cleaning your grouse... you waste a LOT of meat that way! Pheasants, sure whatever, but grouse meat? That stuff's pure gold! 

KW


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## dauber (Jan 11, 2010)

Chukar is very good eating. I smoked up a bunch of chukar breast last week for a gathering of fellow soil scientist and they devoured the chukar much faster than the lake trout and whitefish In my book it's not as good as ruffed grouse but better than pheasant. 

BTW I've never been able to make that pulling the legs thing work, it just make a big mess. For the chukar I usually just use some shears and cut the breast off.


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## BIGSP (Sep 16, 2004)

k9wernet said:


> Sure hope that's not how you're cleaning your grouse... you waste a LOT of meat that way! Pheasants, sure whatever, but grouse meat? That stuff's pure gold!
> 
> KW


Depends on how many you kill. I know a few guys who eat grouse weekly until the start of next season.


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

BIGSP said:


> Depends on how many you kill. I know a few guys who eat grouse weekly until the start of next season.


They must cut it into awfully small pieces:










*Bag Limits:* 
Zones 1 and 2: 5 per day, *10 possession*
Zone 3: 3 per day, *6 possession*


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## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

k9wernet said:


> but grouse meat? That stuff's pure gold!
> 
> KW


He's right. I've seen him shoot.


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

I never got the hang of the step and pull method either. It's always been shears for me also, from dove to pheasant.


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## sgc (Oct 21, 2007)

Is there a trick to using shears, versus a knife? How do you do it?
Thanks,


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

I split the skin down the middle of the breast, usually with my fingers, peel the skin back down each side as far as you can go, bend the neck and head back, slide the slim end of the shears into the neck cavity and cut between where the wing attaches to the breast. One good deep cut on both sides takes you all the way through the ribs, pull the breast off, pick any skin of that may be left, rinse. Done!


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## michgundog (Feb 22, 2008)

Mr. Botek said:


> I split the skin down the middle of the breast, usually with my fingers, peel the skin back down each side as far as you can go, bend the neck and head back, slide the slim end of the shears into the neck cavity and cut between where the wing attaches to the breast. One good deep cut on both sides takes you all the way through the ribs, pull the breast off, pick any skin of that may be left, rinse. Done!


Good idea, I do the same. I can never figure out why people dress their birds in the field, only gives the predators a nice fresh taste of whatever game bird. Come fall they have enough deer gut piles to gobble up.

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## chewy (Mar 27, 2006)

thumb them. the only way to clean a bird 


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

Please explain Chewy. I haven't heard of the thumb cleaning method.


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## dauber (Jan 11, 2010)

Not sure if this is Chewy's thumb method, but I use my thumb at the bottom of the breast lift it up and expose the guts (can get the heart and gizzard if ya want) then I take my shears and make a cut on each side where the breast meets the wing. Then you can seperate the breast from the neck. Takes about a minute and a half.


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## BIGSP (Sep 16, 2004)

k9wernet said:


> They must cut it into awfully small pieces:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So do you quite grouse hunting when you have 10 total?


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

BIGSP said:


> So do you quite grouse hunting when you have 10 total?


 I know I'm not a great grouse hunter, and I'm a big enough man to admit I've never shot 10 total in a season! But if the day ever comes, and I hope it does this year, that I do have 10 grouse in my possession, then yes I would stop hunting them until I had consumed some. 
If not, I would be BREAKING THE LAW!


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## BIGSP (Sep 16, 2004)

Mr. Botek said:


> I know I'm not a great grouse hunter, and I'm a big enough man to admit I've never shot 10 total in a season! But if the day ever comes, and I hope it does this year, that I do have 10 grouse in my possession, then yes I would stop hunting them until I had consumed some.
> If not, I would be BREAKING THE LAW!


Well, I think it's a grey area. Because the law states such if one were to go to the U.P. and kill their possession limit of 10 and then returned home to southern MI they would theoretically be illegal because the possession is only 6. Right? It think possession means on your person or in your car/cooler. Me I'm not quitting grouse hunting in Sept or Oct no matter what. I try to eat as many as I can while they are fresh.


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

You can ask in the law section Brent, but I believe the amount you count toward your possession is where you take them. No different than if you went to Ohio and got your limit of walleye, which I think is 6 but in Mi is 5. You can bring those all back with you, but it would be a good idea to be able to produce an OH license if need be. 
You don't have to stop hunting, just eat more or shoot poorly! This system has been keeping me legal for 3 decades, LOL!


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## WestCoastHunter (Apr 3, 2008)

So much for conservation...


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