Author Topic: ferrel chicken hunting! (Read 1320 times)

a4beltfed2000 · « **on:** October 26, 2009, 08:44:40 AM »

Guys,

had a interesting hunting experience this weekend! a buddy of mine has recently purchased his grandparents farm about 30 miles north of me here in wisconsin. old home, several barns and out building, app. 40 acres of land that had over the years been neglected. His grandfather past eariler this year and his grandmother has recently relocated to live with one of her daughters in madison. He purchased the place, and is currently doing some remodeling and then is planning on moving there with his family, he mentioned on 2 occassions that there were alot of chickens that were not at all use to humans, as his grandmother had not been able to care for them properly. ferrel is the only way that I can describe it.

two weeks ago, he commented that the chickens needed to go, as some were nesting the in the barn and had (messed) on the old tractor and in general were a pain in the back side.

I mentioned that I could give him a hand with that if he wanted. So yesterday morning, I loaded a couple of guns up (.22 bolt action rifle and H&R .410) and we headed up there.

HOLY CRAP! is the only way to describe what we found, ALOT of chickens was the understatement of the year! They were living everywhere, under the buildings in the barns, coop, corn crib, and porch, if a bird could get under there they did....

We pulled up outside the house and there were probably 30-40 chickens in the grass and gravel drive, running as we arrived, I cannot tell you the exact number of chickens that were on the property there has to be aleast 100 , it was like nothing I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sat on the porch and shot 13 of them from there. After that we moved to the barn and knocked off another 9 from the rafters with .22 shorts. we then made our way through grass, brush and debris and believe it or not them little birds can move when properly motivated. we killed around another dozen there.In two hours I shot through a whole box of .410 shells and ran out of .22 shorts (close to a full box).

I brought home 20 chickens yesterday afternoon and me, wife and kids cleaned them and froze em.

I think the chickens were a little better off than me, cuz the wife sure gave me the cold shoulder for the the rest of the night.....

BTW dont tell the wife that I bought 3 more boxes of shorts and 2 more boxs of .410 shells today at wally world, cuz I know where I am head next weekend......

BOY if she was ticked last night, wait till she finds out were having chicken for dinner tonight

Next weekend I will bring the camera and snap some pics....

Davemuzz · « **Reply #1 on:** October 26, 2009, 01:47:15 PM »

I can tell you from personal experience.....and don't ask why or where.....that old chickens can be as tough as an old boot the Greybeard himself has worn since he was in his 30's. I don't care how you cook 'em. Maybe if you use 'em for soup......but even then the bigger chunks are gonna be like chewin on an old Goodyear tire.....or even a new Goodyear Tire.

If you were to invite me along (and I would decline as it's too far from Pa.) I would just bring a 44 magnum handgun, 200 rounds of lead ammo, and have at it. Dig a big hole and it would all be over.

Chewy chicken just ain't my thing.

Dave

hillbill · « **Reply #2 on:** October 26, 2009, 02:01:47 PM »

boil the crap out of them, the older they are the tastier the stock is.bone them out and then make sum chicken and noodles.i like to skin them to hurry things along a bit. wish i had 20 OLD chickens in the freezer.

a4beltfed2000 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 26, 2009, 02:08:03 PM »

wife makes some of the best chicken noodle soup. She makes the noodles by hand and adds celery and carrots. She made about 2 gals tonight from two of the birds that I boiled down....

torpedoman · « **Reply #4 on:** October 26, 2009, 03:13:58 PM »

tough old birds = chicken and dumplins

Oldshooter · « **Reply #5 on:** October 26, 2009, 03:21:29 PM »

Old Chickens is what you make gumbo out of! All old laying hens have always been used to make gumbo when they quit laying in these parts! If gumbo aint a word you comprehend then I suppose you eat dumplins with the old girls but i assure they were never wasted in the past, nor present on this place!

Davemuzz · « **Reply #6 on:** October 26, 2009, 03:56:16 PM »

Ok. Let's get real here about chicken soup 'n noodles. If your wife is makin it with home made noodles......you could put road kill possum in it....and with home made noodles it will taste like a dream!!!

LunaticFringeInc · « **Reply #7 on:** October 26, 2009, 07:08:43 PM »

Quote

tough old birds = chicken and dumplins

Exactly what I was thinking! I know thats what we used to do with the old hens and any roosters that thought they were going to give me a good floggin'. When BIOT turned us loose on the protected "ferrel" chickens thats exactly the first thing I did after chasin' down a few! The fellas at the barracks couldnt get enough of that down south cookin'. Had no problem getting my room cleaned, boots shined or dress uniforms pressed for inspection.

PHATINJUN · « **Reply #8 on:** October 27, 2009, 04:06:18 AM »

The other thing that gets real tasty after ya get tired of the soup and dumplin's and gumbo is to get the grinder out and make chicken salad samachis'. Kurt

BA_Colt · « **Reply #9 on:** October 27, 2009, 04:55:28 AM »

Here is a recipe and an article about cooking old chickens. It is good eating.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2001/nov/25/foodanddrink.shopping

Casull · « **Reply #10 on:** October 27, 2009, 06:46:33 AM »

Quote

I can tell you from personal experience.....and don't ask why or where.....that old chickens can be as tough as an old boot the Greybeard himself has worn since he was in his 30's. I don't care how you cook 'em. Maybe if you use 'em for soup......but even then the bigger chunks are gonna be like chewin on an old Goodyear tire.....or even a new Goodyear Tire.

Dave, the answer is to get yourself a pressure cooker. I have yet to find a cut of meat that won't melt in your mouth with 18 minutes or less time in a pressure cooker (once the pot is "whistlin"). I guarantee you that 15 or 16 minutes will have an old chicken falling off the bones. Fifteen minutes and beef shanks melt like butter on your tongue. Try a presssure cooker and you WILL be a believer.

45-70.gov · « **Reply #11 on:** October 27, 2009, 06:58:50 AM »

has any one just stocked the woods with chickens

i live in ''suberbs'' best way to discribe it

intermitant sections of woods nearby

thought about stocking those woods near by tho hunting would be air rifle only

cb 22 or some of my quiet 38 rifle loads maybe

as a boy we had killed some ferrel chickens on some barrier islands near savanah ga

will chickens thrive on barrier islands in florida?

PHATINJUN · « **Reply #12 on:** October 27, 2009, 08:53:19 AM »

You are so right about the pressure cooker I don't grind any venison anymore unless I am making sausage. It all gets canned my wife also takes and buys the real cheap bulk bag chicken breasts and cans them no need to grind for chicken salad if its canned or open a jar of venison and squirt with sweet baby rays for bbq's.Kurt

Lazermule · « **Reply #13 on:** October 27, 2009, 04:59:33 PM »

Now for some reason I have the Zac Brown song "Sic'em on a Chicken" in my head....

maglvr44 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 27, 2009, 09:46:17 PM »

Chinese restaurant in your area??? cha-CHING$$$ cha-CHING$$$

anweis · « **Reply #15 on:** November 06, 2009, 02:07:25 AM »

They will be tough, don't try to fry them or bake them. Instead, portion them and do soups - and no, don't throw the water off the chicken, that is the soup, or better yet, stews with vegetables in a pressure cooker. Just check Hungarian goulash on the web.

anweis · « **Reply #16 on:** November 06, 2009, 02:09:52 AM »

Quote from: 45-70.gov on October 27, 2009, 06:58:50 AM

has any one just stocked the woods with chickens

I think that we have introduced sufficient species to this country.

Lazermule · « **Reply #17 on:** November 06, 2009, 04:44:22 AM »

The locals around my cabin have threatened to let a bunch of hogs go in the wild. The DNR has reintroduced wolves and have in many peoples eyes "over protected" them and they have desecrated the deer herd in the area. They feel thet the hogs will be more resilient to the wolves. Pretty crazy....

Markus · « **Reply #18 on:** November 06, 2009, 05:01:23 AM »

I'm pretty sure it is not legal to turn out livestock like that. I'm sure the hogs would be much better at dealing with the wolves though.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #19 on:** November 06, 2009, 05:10:41 AM »

My dad tells a story that when he was 9 or so he had an uncle that had chickens that got out and would no go back in the hen house . He told my grandfather he could have them and to come shoot them . My dad and grandfather walked over to the uncles farm and shot 5 for sunday lunch . They were only going to shoot them as they could eat them as it was back in the 30's and no freg. The next sat they go to get 5 more and all the chickens are in the hen house , seems after the shooting they all went in the house and had not come back out .

bobg · « **Reply #20 on:** November 06, 2009, 06:17:14 AM »

I killed three one morning back in the sixties. This was back when there was more pheasants than anything else. My dog and i were hunting a small corn field near my parents house. My dog kicked out a bird. When it cleared the top of the corn i could see color so i shot it. The dog brought it back and it was a banty rooster. By the time i reached the end of the corn i shot two more. Man those little suckers can fly. I think i know how they got there but that is a different story.

Don't know how my mother cooked them but they were good.
bobg

securitysix · « **Reply #21 on:** November 07, 2009, 12:37:37 AM »

Quote from: Markus on November 06, 2009, 05:01:23 AM

I'm pretty sure it is not legal to turn out livestock like that. I'm sure the hogs would be much better at dealing with the wolves though.

And if not, maybe the wolves will eat the hogs and leave the deer alone, at least.

a4beltfed2000 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 07, 2009, 02:26:52 AM »

Ferrel hogs are definately more resistant than anything else to wolves, in fact in our area hogs have been known to run wolves out of dens and take them over. Chickens were at one time a native bird (prairie chickens) in our area, and they can do well in the wild just like turkeys and other game birds. In fact one of the types of chickens that I have been shooting is the english game chicken. They are small like a grouse and don't really look like a chicken except for the comb on their head. they are very tasty!!!

Lazermule · « **Reply #23 on:** November 07, 2009, 04:47:18 AM »

So I hear that the hogs are hard on the deer habitat, but if you have no deer then who cares???

ECVMatt · « **Reply #24 on:** November 19, 2009, 06:25:50 PM »

You just made my night...I am laughing so hard I can hardly stay in my seat.

Good Luck with future chicken missions.

Matt