Just put the bird on the ground grab both feet/legs and pull up. You have the same effect as what you did, but much quicker. The wings stay attached as well for identification if necessary. Clean and simple, no blood and no knife needed, except for cutting off the legs.
I live in Arizona. I've read about the grouse here but I've never seen one. In a few of your videos, I've seen not only how excited you were to see one, but how reluctant you were to pass him up. I patiently wait for dove and quail season every year but I'm thinking I've been missing out on trying for grouse. Guess it's time to head up to the White Mountains! As always, we love your videos!
Randy, I used to pluck and field dress, phaesants and grouse way back when, before I became a Whitetail deerand ELK addict. I loved to keep the skin on and i grew up eating the gizzards and the heart, so I'm old fashioned. That said, I can see your method has many advantages, especially when cooking dinner while on a hunt! An old hunting buddy of mine, Bob Constant used to shoot 80 phaesants a year, and he did a similar trick when cleaning, and I got all of his legs for phaesant caciatore! Nice job!
Minnesota grouse season starts in a month, I'll be up in your old stomping grounds slaying the grouse and woodcock. Keep up with the great videos. Thank you.
Hi Randy, My wife and I sure enjoy and appreciate your helpful Hints, Tips, and hunts in the field. We drew a Cow Elk tag this year, and actually harvested a cow Elk. Coming from Alaska we had no Elk, we are amazed how excellent the Elk meat is. During the Elk hunting we harvested grouse also. Thanks again, Alaska John
A trick I learned years ago; lay the bird on ground on it's back. Stand on wings with your feet, near body. Pull up on legs gently but firmly.. you should end up with a clean carcass in hand, head/ wings/ guts on ground. First one or two might not go so well, but once you get the hang of it you can clean a grouse in seconds! Works on most small birds up to pheasants... Another trick is to cut/ rip a small slit in lower belly and hold bird by the neck, and then crack down like a whip, guts should fly out... good to cool birds off/ keep clean in field/ leave proof of species...
If you have trouble pulling on the legs like the guys below have suggested it's because you let it cool after harvesting. Works best if you do it right after the kill
Make it easier on yourself by using game shears. Your boys at Gerber should be able to give you the same ones I bought, which are only $10. Also, if you crush the leg bone, then hold the meat steady, and pull back on the foot, you'll tear out the tough tendons, leaving you with more tender leg meat. I'm grouse obsessed too. Dang things are tasty!
Well, I woke up this morning with 10 grouse sitting in camp. Shot one and let the rest go because I wanted to make sure I would eat them and not waste their life. However, I did end up very bloody in comparison and used my knife way to much. Thanks for the heads up. Next time I’ll do this.
Thankyou for this video ,Could you do a video for bear please too? if ya ever do a guided hunt Id love to join you and learn im a trad guy who recently switched to compound
I haven't had the chance to go hunting yet, and I have an honest question. Why wouldn't someone want to just pluck out all the feathers like a chicken? Is the skin bad to eat or is it simply unpractical?
Done it this way for years with all small birds. If your going to clean it in the field remember most states require to keep one feathered wing attached.
If i drew an Elk tag in Colorado do i need a separate license to shoot grouse? i was there 2 years ago and could have shot 6 grouse in 1 shot with a shot gun, they were lined up on a log staring at me but i wasn't sure if i could legally shoot them, so i didn't ,but i am going back this October and i will be ready for them this time. thanks for showing the easy way to clean them.
Thank you. We drew a bull elk tag for late October so i will add a small game tag to that. We get a fishing license with the tag but i wasn't sure about the small game tag. Thanks again
Thats the way I have always done dove with the exception of the legs .. I had to quit hunting dove.. although I loved shooting fly over doves I just never could find a way I liked them cooked
Randy Newberg, Hunter If you don't mind, next grouse season. could you send me those? I'm apart of the Navajo and Hopi tribe of Arizona, and we could use those for some of our traditional items. if you don't mind I would be willing to purchase some from you
No purchase necessary. I would gladly send them. Email me at contact@randynewberg.com and they will forward to me. Might take a while for me to find some. Happy to help.
Randy Newberg, Hunter Thank-you very much sir. I'll email you here very shortly. When will your next Trip/Hunt be in Arizona? I like watching all your videos, especially the episodes you made these past couple of weeks on your elk hunt. You're one of my role models next to Steve Rinella haha and I look up to you, keep doing what you do Randy👍. I also like how you respect some native traditions by giving back (Sheds) to the animals, and incorporate that into your style of hunting.
I loooove grouse! I do skip this process... just pull a handful of feathers from the breast,pull the skin back and filet the meat...no mess. I also occasionally prop them up on the side of the road lol....I wonder how many have been shot a second time and the victims reaction
I just picked up an OLD (1920?) British single shot .410, looking forward to using it on grouse this year. About the size/ weight of a pool cue, and folds in half to easily fit in your pack :)
I’m gutting my first ever grouse as I watch this and it wasn’t completely mess free BUT no guts, practice I guess hahaha. Still some bone but that’s ok
Looks like a mangled grouse lol I skin the whole bird so it looks just like a whole chicken from the grocery store pull the guts out clean it up and throw in crock pot taste amazing. That way your not wasting any meat at all you get the whole bird
Randy - If you ever want to do some public land pheasant hunting in Mt just let me know! My wife and I do pretty well on public land and we have watched almost every video you have put out! Lets kill some birds together!
We just stand on the wings getting as close to the body as possible and pulling on the legs. I love grouse
I've found that method to be not always the easy/clean method that many TH-cam videos appear to suggest. it can really make a mess of it if it fails.
Just put the bird on the ground grab both feet/legs and pull up. You have the same effect as what you did, but much quicker. The wings stay attached as well for identification if necessary. Clean and simple, no blood and no knife needed, except for cutting off the legs.
Thank you Randy this was very informative and good tips. I really appreciate it. Keep up the good work sir!
We stand on the wings pull the legs up works 90% of the time for us and quick and easy..
I live in Arizona. I've read about the grouse here but I've never seen one. In a few of your videos, I've seen not only how excited you were to see one, but how reluctant you were to pass him up. I patiently wait for dove and quail season every year but I'm thinking I've been missing out on trying for grouse. Guess it's time to head up to the White Mountains!
As always, we love your videos!
My elk hunts are usually a grouse hunt that gets interrupted by an elk bugle. Try grouse if ever you have the chance.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video! I'll be using the info in a few weeks Lord willing. Good luck this year!
Thanks for taking the time to watch it.
Randy,
I used to pluck and field dress, phaesants and grouse way back when, before I became a Whitetail deerand ELK addict. I loved to keep the skin on and i grew up eating the gizzards and the heart, so I'm old fashioned. That said, I can see your method has many advantages, especially when cooking dinner while on a hunt! An old hunting buddy of mine, Bob Constant used to shoot 80 phaesants a year, and he did a similar trick when cleaning, and I got all of his legs for phaesant caciatore! Nice job!
Thanks for sharing that.
Minnesota grouse season starts in a month, I'll be up in your old stomping grounds slaying the grouse and woodcock. Keep up with the great videos. Thank you.
Good luck up there. Hope it is a great season. Thanks for watching.
Hi Randy, My wife and I sure enjoy and appreciate your helpful Hints, Tips, and hunts in the field.
We drew a Cow Elk tag this year, and actually harvested a cow Elk. Coming from Alaska we had no Elk, we are amazed how excellent the Elk meat is. During the Elk hunting we harvested grouse also. Thanks again, Alaska John
Elk is excellent, for sure. Hope you get more elk hunting days.
I always pluck my ducks, pheasants, grouse, doves, ect... the skin is some of the best eating and it keeps the meat from drying out in cooking.
I almost always pluck waterfowl. Upland birds, not so much.
A trick I learned years ago; lay the bird on ground on it's back. Stand on wings with your feet, near body. Pull up on legs gently but firmly.. you should end up with a clean carcass in hand, head/ wings/ guts on ground. First one or two might not go so well, but once you get the hang of it you can clean a grouse in seconds! Works on most small birds up to pheasants... Another trick is to cut/ rip a small slit in lower belly and hold bird by the neck, and then crack down like a whip, guts should fly out... good to cool birds off/ keep clean in field/ leave proof of species...
Mike Collins that's how I learned to skin pheasant, works like a charm
Thats exactly what I do! works perfectly. Randy, you should give this a try too.
Same way I use, I shot my first grouse this year during early archery, I'm gonna try Randy's way next time and see witch one I like better
That method is fast, but I only use it for preserve birds. Wild birds are too valuable to waste the legs.
That works great on huns
If you have trouble pulling on the legs like the guys below have suggested it's because you let it cool after harvesting. Works best if you do it right after the kill
Make it easier on yourself by using game shears. Your boys at Gerber should be able to give you the same ones I bought, which are only $10. Also, if you crush the leg bone, then hold the meat steady, and pull back on the foot, you'll tear out the tough tendons, leaving you with more tender leg meat. I'm grouse obsessed too. Dang things are tasty!
Good points. Thanks.
Well, I woke up this morning with 10 grouse sitting in camp. Shot one and let the rest go because I wanted to make sure I would eat them and not waste their life. However, I did end up very bloody in comparison and used my knife way to much. Thanks for the heads up. Next time I’ll do this.
If you only get 1 - 3 per day. How are you storing them for a full family meal?
Can this method be used with smaller birds like dove or quail ?
I would like to see Randy do some small game hunts.
Thankyou for this video ,Could you do a video for bear please too? if ya ever do a guided hunt Id love to join you and learn im a trad guy who recently switched to compound
I haven't had the chance to go hunting yet, and I have an honest question. Why wouldn't someone want to just pluck out all the feathers like a chicken? Is the skin bad to eat or is it simply unpractical?
Great cleaning lesson for bird hunters!
Look at those racks on his garage wall! Impressive!
will this also work with dove, pheasant, quail ect.
Zach Rogers sure does!
Yup. Works with all upland birds.
Done it this way for years with all small birds. If your going to clean it in the field remember most states require to keep one feathered wing attached.
Good point.
what about the heart and liver?
If i drew an Elk tag in Colorado do i need a separate license to shoot grouse? i was there 2 years ago and could have shot 6 grouse in 1 shot with a shot gun, they were lined up on a log staring at me but i wasn't sure if i could legally shoot them, so i didn't ,but i am going back this October and i will be ready for them this time. thanks for showing the easy way to clean them.
I would ask Parks and Wildlife. I'm not sure. Good luck.
promaster185 you need a small game licence in CO and grouse doesn't open till Sept 1.
Thank you. We drew a bull elk tag for late October so i will add a small game tag to that. We get a fishing license with the tag but i wasn't sure about the small game tag. Thanks again
Thanks for the video Randy I appreciate it
Thanks for watching.
Great info as usual Randy.. I am like you, I can't pass up a grouse on any hunt.. lol... I usually do what you do with the whole bird.
Passing grouse is a sure way to divorce at my house.
haha
Randy, what kind of bird hunting arrow tip do you use?
Do you know what brand or type, so I can get a couple?
Any small game tip, judo point, or similar.
Thats the way I have always done dove with the exception of the legs .. I had to quit hunting dove.. although I loved shooting fly over doves I just never could find a way I liked them cooked
Dang. I'm a dove junkie. I've tried doves many ways and found them to be very good if not over cooked.
when you get a chance share a recipe ..thanks
I've posted a simple one below.
What is your go to seasoning for grouse?
Simple. Flour, small bit of salt, and doses of black and lemon pepper.
Randy.. suggestions on how to cook them?
Tons of ideas. Simple is best. Quick fry after breading with flour, small pinch of salt, and doses of black and lemon pepper.
Randy Newberg, Hunter sounds great thank you!
For a guy from LFBF area of MN, I can't believe you don't use the step on wings and pull legs method! Gday!
Hello Randy. May I ask what do you do with the Tails and wings?
I used to keep them for dog training. Now my dogs have passed, so I toss them.
Randy Newberg, Hunter If you don't mind, next grouse season. could you send me those? I'm apart of the Navajo and Hopi tribe of Arizona, and we could use those for some of our traditional items. if you don't mind I would be willing to purchase some from you
No purchase necessary. I would gladly send them. Email me at contact@randynewberg.com and they will forward to me. Might take a while for me to find some. Happy to help.
Randy Newberg, Hunter
Thank-you very much sir. I'll email you here very shortly. When will your next Trip/Hunt be in Arizona? I like watching all your videos, especially the episodes you made these past couple of weeks on your elk hunt. You're one of my role models next to Steve Rinella haha and I look up to you, keep doing what you do Randy👍. I also like how you respect some native traditions by giving back (Sheds) to the animals, and incorporate that into your style of hunting.
This is great. It just occurred to me that if I get to the gym more this could work on a turkey. Maybe.
Let me know how it works.
I loooove grouse! I do skip this process... just pull a handful of feathers from the breast,pull the skin back and filet the meat...no mess. I also occasionally prop them up on the side of the road lol....I wonder how many have been shot a second time and the victims reaction
should come to sask Canada you will eat like a king brother
Newbie here :) Thanks for the video :)
I'm the same way though I see grouse what ever I'm hunting stops and it becomes a grouse hunt
Hehe when I first read the title, I first thought it was going to be a rant video on shooting a bird on the ground or in a tree. ...hehe.
My biggest joy is grouse hunting with my single shot .410. I have been grouse hunting for 2 years and I enjoy it immensely. I have yet to kill one.
I still have my .410 from when I was 8 years old. Shot a grouse with it in 2015.
I just picked up an OLD (1920?) British single shot .410, looking forward to using it on grouse this year. About the size/ weight of a pool cue, and folds in half to easily fit in your pack :)
Muskrat or grouse Randy?!? Like I have to ask.... Good stuff!
Grouse, all the way.
hello
Thank you, just what I needed! One just flew into my window and killed itself. Would have been a shame to let it go to waste :)
I’m gutting my first ever grouse as I watch this and it wasn’t completely mess free BUT no guts, practice I guess hahaha. Still some bone but that’s ok
The heart is very tasty fried in butter. Fried bird hearts are a tasty tradition in my family! Way better than deer and elk heart(yuk!)
Good to know. I love deer and elk heart, so I suspect I'd like bird hearts.
Tasty Bird
I love the grouse heart haha
I've thought about it many times but I don't think I've ever tried it.
Looks like a mangled grouse lol I skin the whole bird so it looks just like a whole chicken from the grocery store pull the guts out clean it up and throw in crock pot taste amazing. That way your not wasting any meat at all you get the whole bird
Why killing a bird?
To eat it.
@@Fresh_Tracks good. Keep killing.
Randy - If you ever want to do some public land pheasant hunting in Mt just let me know! My wife and I do pretty well on public land and we have watched almost every video you have put out! Lets kill some birds together!
life long grouse hunter? and he doesnt eat the insides...
3 words: DAMN..GOOD..EATING!
AMEN!