pidgeon/rockdove for food? - The Firearms Forum

john riley · 12-13-2006, 08:54 PM

was flipping through a bird book and read that common pidgeons (rockdoves) were originally bread in europe for food. now I definitely would not eat any of the city pidgeons by me but there are quite a few around the barns at my mom's place..... pidgeons are considered varmints and have no season here was wondering if anyone had any experiences cooking or eating them as I am considering trying it...anything (health risks) I should be worried about in attempting to harvest rural pidgeons??

Crpdeth · 12-13-2006, 09:35 PM

John

Thanks for the memories...

When we were kids one of the local farmers had a huge barn with a loft with the big windows on each end, the barn would fill up with pidgeons so we somehow managed to close the windows with the birds inside and walked in with our C02 powered pellet pistols and basicly took all we wanted and let the rest out.

As young kids who had not yet been dove hunting we really didn't know how to undress them but surprisengly we learned how to get to the breast and clean them up, a few charcoal briquetts and some salt and pepper and we were all set.

I believe the count was 13 pidgeons between three boys, so we scarfed down 8 or 9 pieces each like it was filet minon, I remember standing around the BBQ grill, filthy as heck, pokeing and flipping our kill feeling like we really did something. I guess the bottom line though, was that none of us ever got sick...Not sure about the taste as to whether we ate it all because it was good or because we killed it and grilled it ourselves, but I'd eat pidgeon again with no worries...I'm sure I'd maritate it for a few hours first this time though.

Crpdeth

southernshooter · 12-13-2006, 09:44 PM

As far as rural animals I have ate plenty of rural possums and racoons and haven't died from it. Come to think of it I eat oysters year round and it ain't killed me yet.

armedandsafe · 12-17-2006, 12:57 AM

We used to get to hunt on a farm only if we went to the barn, before AND after, to thin out the pigeons. Lady downstairs used to make pigeon-pot-pie or pigeons'n'dumplins for us. OHHHH MY!

Where I live now, I get pigeons off the grain silos next door (1/2 mile away.) Still just as good as in the mid-'50s.

Pops

358 winchester · 12-21-2006, 03:16 AM

Pigeons are fine food, I have eaten them many times and always like them.
Sometimes I have even taken the feathers off and guts out

Ron

HiSpeed · 12-21-2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 358 winchester

Pigeons are fine food, I have eaten them many times and always like them.
Sometimes I have even taken the feathers off and guts out

Ron

Check http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=ut...for%20%20squab for squab receipes. When I was growing up we got the squabs from the nests in the pigion house. My dad raised pigions and had a large pigion house mounted on two telephone poles. Best I remember the squabs were tasty and remind me of doves.

RimfireRat · 12-24-2006, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 358 winchester

Pigeons are fine food, I have eaten them many times and always like them.
Sometimes I have even taken the feathers off and guts out

Ron

Spoken just like a 19 yr old

Why would there be anything different eating a pidgeon than a dove ??? all the same if they are wild. Shoot!! I eat Groundhogs ,,and don't laugh if ya never tried 'em . so good eating. they eat the same stuff as Rabbits

Yea Ron If ya don't take the guts out they expode on the grill sometimes. Now that ruins your meal

--JMJ--

teacherboy · 01-01-2007, 11:56 PM

Pidgeons are excellent eating. Been a while since I have had them but remember them well. Tough hunt when taken on the wing. Very fast and fun. You're making me jealous!

AL MOUNT · 01-02-2007, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 358 winchester

Sometimes I have even taken the feathers off and guts out

Ron

"HIP BOOT ALERT"......put em on.....it's gettin deep.......

Did ya ever look at your "Chicken whatever" in an Oriental Restaurant...

and think to yerself......hmmmm....wonder where on the chicken this piece came from.....

Now ya know.....

I love Oriental food.....hell.... I (unknowingly) ate dog one time in Vietnam....

But I only order "Shrimp" dishes.......

Ain't nothing looks like a shrimp....but a shrimp.....

12-13-2006, 08:54 PM	#1
john riley V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 98	pidgeon/rockdove for food? was flipping through a bird book and read that common pidgeons (rockdoves) were originally bread in europe for food. now I definitely would not eat any of the city pidgeons by me but there are quite a few around the barns at my mom's place..... pidgeons are considered varmints and have no season here was wondering if anyone had any experiences cooking or eating them as I am considering trying it...anything (health risks) I should be worried about in attempting to harvest rural pidgeons?? __________________ "Like a midget at a urinal.....we need to stay on our toes" -->

12-13-2006, 09:35 PM	#2
Crpdeth Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Location: Location Contributor Posts: 8,247	Re: pidgeon/rockdove for food? John Thanks for the memories... When we were kids one of the local farmers had a huge barn with a loft with the big windows on each end, the barn would fill up with pidgeons so we somehow managed to close the windows with the birds inside and walked in with our C02 powered pellet pistols and basicly took all we wanted and let the rest out. As young kids who had not yet been dove hunting we really didn't know how to undress them but surprisengly we learned how to get to the breast and clean them up, a few charcoal briquetts and some salt and pepper and we were all set. I believe the count was 13 pidgeons between three boys, so we scarfed down 8 or 9 pieces each like it was filet minon, I remember standing around the BBQ grill, filthy as heck, pokeing and flipping our kill feeling like we really did something. I guess the bottom line though, was that none of us ever got sick...Not sure about the taste as to whether we ate it all because it was good or because we killed it and grilled it ourselves, but I'd eat pidgeon again with no worries...I'm sure I'd maritate it for a few hours first this time though. Crpdeth __________________ Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there. ~Eric Hoffer

12-13-2006, 09:44 PM	#3
southernshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Deep South Mississippi Posts: 5,943	Re: pidgeon/rockdove for food? As far as rural animals I have ate plenty of rural possums and racoons and haven't died from it. Come to think of it I eat oysters year round and it ain't killed me yet. __________________ Only you can see this

12-17-2006, 12:57 AM	#4
armedandsafe Former Guest Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Moses Lake, WA Posts: 10,344	Re: pidgeon/rockdove for food? We used to get to hunt on a farm only if we went to the barn, before AND after, to thin out the pigeons. Lady downstairs used to make pigeon-pot-pie or pigeons'n'dumplins for us. OHHHH MY! Where I live now, I get pigeons off the grain silos next door (1/2 mile away.) Still just as good as in the mid-'50s. Pops

12-21-2006, 03:16 AM	#5
358 winchester TFF Admin Staff Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Pensacola Fl. area Posts: 7,335	Re: pidgeon/rockdove for food? Pigeons are fine food, I have eaten them many times and always like them. Sometimes I have even taken the feathers off and guts out Ron __________________ Administrator & Owner RangeDay.com Proud, White, Heterosexual, Gun Owning, Southern American, Christian. Any question about where I stand?

01-01-2007, 11:56 PM	#8
teacherboy Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 27	Re: pidgeon/rockdove for food? Pidgeons are excellent eating. Been a while since I have had them but remember them well. Tough hunt when taken on the wing. Very fast and fun. You're making me jealous!