Cool Doves Quickly to Keep Meat from Spoiling in Hot Weather

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NGPC news release, 8/20/08:

Nebraska Outdoor Notebook by Tom Keith

Dove hunting season opens Sept. 1, and daytime temperatures are still plenty warm across Nebraska, which means hunters should prepare to cool the birds they take as quickly as possible after the shot.

To accomplish that quick cooling, many hunters take a small ice chest with them into the field and put the birds on ice after field dressing.

Quick and easy field care is all that is required to preserve the high quality meat. The only two tools needed to clean doves, as well as other game birds and waterfowl, are a sharp pocket knife and an inexpensive pair of pruning shears for severing bones.

Opening the body cavity and removing the entrails allows the meat to cool and helps eliminate the chance that viscera punctured by shot will fill the body cavity with blood and digestive fluids that can taint the meat.

Mourning doves, like quail, are especially easy to field dress. Many hunters save only the breasts. If that is the case, simply part the skin with your fingers exposing the breast, clip the wings away with the pruning shears and pull the breast free, put it in a plastic sandwich bag and store it in the cooler.

If you want to use the entire bird, cut it from vent to the bottom of the sternum and remove the innards. A small second cut at the base of the neck allows you to remove the crop and finishes the job.

Always carry a small plastic garbage bag for the unwanted parts. Handi-wipes are ideal for removing blood and feathers in the field, or carry thin plastic gloves to wear when cleaning the birds.

Plucking, skinning and final cleaning are best completed at home where water, a flat surface and freezer wrap are also available.

To ensure quick cooling of the meat, many hunters take a small ice chest with them into the field and put the birds on ice after field dressing.

If you are looking for a delicious recipe for preparing your doves, try this one for Smothered Doves that will serve two or three people.

8 to 10 whole doves
½ cup flour
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups upland game bird stock or chicken broth

Pat doves dry. In large plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add the doves and shake until they are coated. Remove the doves and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and discard the rest.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the doves, browning each on both sides. Add 3/4 cup of the stock to the skillet. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the birds are tender, about 34 to 45 minutes.

Transfer the birds to a heated platter. Set aside and keep warm. Blend the reserved flour into the remaining. Blend with the drippings in skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Serve over the birds.

“Smothered Doves” is just one of a multitude of mouth-watering recipes found in the NEBRASKAland Magazine Wild Game Cookbook. Intended to be used in the kitchen and at the campsite, there are recipes for dozens of fish and game species, along with valuable tips from NEBRASKAland experts on field care, aging game, enhancing the flavors and selecting the right cookware.

The cookbook is available from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for only $2 plus shipping and sales tax applicable at the subscriber’s address. To order, go to the Commission’s Web site at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Homepage, or call the NEBRASKAland toll-free hotline at 1-800-742-0056, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.