PIGEONS



I can't think of another wild bird that is as abundant, and has as much food value, as the common feral pigeon, or rock dove. This Eurasian immigrant is literally everywhere, but is especially important for those living in cities. Don't turn up your nose at them; after all, they were originally bred for food.

Pigeons are usually skinned, rather than plucked. using a pocket knife and game shears, I can skin and dress out a pigeon in about a minute.

Start by removing the head with game shears. Remove the wings with game shears also, being careful of the sharp bones which can stab your hand. Remove the bottom portion of the legs with the shears, at the joint where the feathers and shin join.

Now hold the carcass with the tail pointing away from you. Grasp the belly skin and pull upward toward the head. Continue pulling away the skin and eathers; the skin will come off easily.

Remove the crop, then make an incision across the belly just under the breast bone. bend the breast bone back until you can reach in and pull the entrails down toward the vent. Then make a 45-degree cut down each side of the tailpiece to remove the entrails, tailpiece, and vent all in one section.

Pigeons can also be "breasted." This is even easier, but it wastes some food. Insert your fingertips below the breastbone and pull upward. Use game shears to clip the breast from the wing bones and backbone. A small patch of skin and feathers will come off with the breast; simply pull off and discard.

The hard part, of course, is getting the pigeons in the first place. If you have the money, you can invest in a trap such as this .

They can be taken quietly with a high-powered air rifle. I can easily pick them off when they gather under my bird feeder to scrounge for dropped seed.

I've never tried it, but I'm told they can be jacklighted and pulled from their roosts at night with a catch pole. I would think birds roosting under bridges and overpasses could easily be taken this way, but don't risk getting caught.

One method I have tried, and works, is longlining. Use several #6 or #8 fish hooks attached to 30-pound fish line, and bait with kernels of corn or wheat. Scatter some other bait around to attract the birds. The bait I've found that seems to work the best is canned whole corn. When I've tried this, I've caught one or two birds a day with a dozen hooks. I'm certain that using more hooks and trapping in more than one location would yield more birds. (HINT: Sharpen your hooks with a fine-grain Arkansas stone.)

Various snare set-ups can also be used. I've only caught an occasional bird with them, but I never really tried this seriously. A little more experimentation probably wouldn't hurt. Fashion the snares from a few strands of copper appliance wire.

Next up, a few recipes.

Onward and upward,
airforce