Rules of thumb. Do different species require different field and storage treatments? BirdsVS.rabbits Just basic rules of thumb across the board. I appreciate your input. JB
Rules of Thumb
- Thread starter Hoshua1
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Generally, the sooner you skin small game, the easier the hide comes off. Ditto for feathers. Small game and birds don't need to be hung or aged like good beef. It is best to get the innards out soonest too. Aids in cooling. Other than that you don't need to do anything differently for either.
ditto on getting rid of the inerds this is good because it makes cleaning them easirer we do this with all of our deer and rabbits and also squrriels we feild dress them almost instantly
How much water
...Do you carry in the field besides for yourself. A good rinse after cleaning out the guts is recommended right? As for transporting the game, I don't plan to track anything I can't carry. Ok to just leave the guts lying about or is there some sort of protocol I should know about?
...Do you carry in the field besides for yourself. A good rinse after cleaning out the guts is recommended right? As for transporting the game, I don't plan to track anything I can't carry. Ok to just leave the guts lying about or is there some sort of protocol I should know about?
leave the guts lay. they'll disappear before the sun comes back up.
i usually carry 20 ounces of water for rinsing game, hands, and knife.
i usually carry 20 ounces of water for rinsing game, hands, and knife.
With birds like ducks, doves, even snow geese, I don't waste my time pickin'. I just breast the things out. The breast is the only decent meat on the bird anyway. I'll pick a crane, they have drum sticks. I've only picked one turkey. I don't do a lot of quail hunting, though I have shot 'em and I've never hunted pheasant or partridge or grouse or anything like that. It'd like to do that, we just don't have any down here. Don't do much turkey huntin'. Squirrels and rabbits are easy to clean in the field if you have an ice chest to put 'em in.
I shot a nice 8 point one year out west of Langtry, Texas on a lease one year. I gutted him in the dry wash where he fell. Next morning I came back and sat at that same spot and watched a bobcat goin' for the guts.
That was kinda cool. I didn't shoot him, just watched. He didn't like going in the open, but the temptation was too great. Lucky for him, he was too pretty to shoot and I didn't want to mount him. Bob cat make pretty rugs, but I just wasn't in the mood.Sportsmanship
A fella on another forum said the gun for me is not a rifle but a shot gun and at least recommended a savage 24 combo. Maybe I got my game wrong but I want a rifle. Is hunting rabbit and small animals with a rifle inhumane. I'm interested in marksmanship and repetitions before i hunt larger game.
A fella on another forum said the gun for me is not a rifle but a shot gun and at least recommended a savage 24 combo. Maybe I got my game wrong but I want a rifle. Is hunting rabbit and small animals with a rifle inhumane. I'm interested in marksmanship and repetitions before i hunt larger game.
Hunting rabbits and squirrels with a rifle is an excellent test of marksmanship, and patience. It's great fun, too. It will definitely help with the discipline necessary to kill bigger game. Inhumane? No way. Also, with good head shots, the field dressing is much less messy than with critters killed with a shotgun.
I've used a .22 rifle since I was about 10 to shoot critters like squirrel or rabbit. Like birddog said, it's an excellent way to hone your skills for larger game someday. Plus, you can't go wrong with a .22 rifle for your first gun (if it will be your first gun). They're great for small game hunting or if you just want to go to the range. You can shoot all day long for cheap with a .22.
Since my state law says I have to leave the game birds in tact untill I get home, I just toss em in a cooler with ice. I clean them as soon as I get home, never had one spoil although I did have a fish come back to live when I ploped into the sink full of water.
now the reason i prefer a shotgun when hunting squriels is a .22 will go along way away from where you are at. i have shot a fer with 12 gauges and never had any problem with them the pellets size 7 1/2 ussaly jsut stick right under the skin peel it away and the pellets fall out but still best to take head shots
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