# Pheasant cleaning



## docpodjy

I know this has come up on this forum before, but what is the easiest and quickest way to clean a pheasant?


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## Bob Kellam

put one wing under each foot as close to the breast as possible, then grab the leggs and pull! If you want the bird whole skin or pluck it.

Bob


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## KEN W

Do you have to leave a wing on?


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## Field Hunter

Do you have the pheasant laying on it's back or front when you put your foot on the wings....or doesn't it matter.


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## Bob Kellam

On its back


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## DJRooster

snip off legs and wings. skin it and cut off head. pop the legs at the hip joint and cut them off if you want the leg and then I grab the neck and back with my fingers and pull it off the breast. This leaves you with the breast and legs. My last step is take take the heart out and feed it to DJ my dog. I think it makes for a good dog if he is raised on "heart of pheasant." He knows the work is not done until the birds are cleaned and takes his ownership of the birds very seriously. You may have to modify if you are going to transport to a place of storage. One man's opinion.


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## Dick Monson

Am old fashioned so I use a heavy pruning shears like for rose bushes. One snip at the base of the breast cuts the skin and diaphram. Tear the skin up to the crop and three snips on each side and the breast is free and clean. Leave a wing if transporting. One snip for each leg. A decent shears cost $5.


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## HNTNWGN

I like the stand on the wings method, but I put the breast down.


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## muskat

> snip off legs and wings. skin it and cut off head. pop the legs at the hip joint and cut them off if you want the leg and then I grab the neck and back with my fingers and pull it off the breast. This leaves you with the breast and legs.


I have found this to be the best (and fastest) method for cleaning. You dont really get your hands in the guts, and you get every piece of meat from the bird.


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## DJRooster

Just for the heck of it I cleaned 3 birds and timed myself and it took 4 minutes, thirty secconds or about a minute and a half per bird. I did not try to set a record or anything but just cleaned the birds. So the method I presented in an earlier post is pretty efficient. That included giving the hearts to DJ!!


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## MSG Rude

I do it a little different.

I grip the skin and feathers of the chest and rip the skin and peel it all the way back to expose breast's and leg's. Then I fillet the meat off the leg bone's and chest. Takes a minute or two per bird and the meat is perfectly cut and no bones to pick.

And yes folks, there are two breasts per bird of any kind. Don't get kinky here but each side of the breast bone is a breast.


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## Fallguy

Rude,

I do my pheasants the same way. I fillet the breasts and also fillet the theighs. Those legs have a good amount of meat on them.


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## drjongy

The legs/thighs do have a lot of meat on them. I can't believe some people don't save the legs as well. I use them for making pheasant stock for pheasant noodle soup or pheasant wild rice soup. Last night I simmered about 12 legs to make stock and ended up with 4 cups of chopped pheasant meat for the soup. The meat just falls off the bones after several hours and you can easily separate the muscle from the tendons.


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## muskat

When I smoke pheasants (no jokes here), the legs turn out to be the best tasting!!


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## zettler

There is an article with pictures on this site: http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/pheasant-cleaning-tip.php


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## always_outdoors

WHHHAATTTT??????

You guys don't leave the feathers on?? That is the most tasty part! They sear so well on the grill.

Just kidding. I cut the skin and filet out the breasts and then work on the thighs if they aren't shot up too much.


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## confusedsoul

Rip open skin at the breast and pull fairly wide. Grab the bird with your weaker hand at the neck/head. Place the thumb of your stronger arm/hand at the top of the breast under the gullet as far down as you can get it so your thumb is behind the breast. Then pull apart. The head, back, guts, and legs all come off in one svelte movement. You are left with a skinned breast and two wings. Cut off wings or leave them on for ID when transporting. If you save the thighs (you should), the legs will still be with the rest of the body on the pheasant as well as the heart and gizzard. Takes like 10 seconds or less to de-breast a pheasant this way and makes it easier to reach the heart/gizzard and get at the legs. Happy Hunting! I'll do it in South Dakota 

Confusedsoul


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## DJRooster

I used the method shown on this website to clean birds this weekend and if you have to transport birds this rocks. A good set of shears simplifies the process considerably.


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