# Got er' done on some canadians



## HeberHunter (Nov 13, 2014)

This is my first year waterfowl hunting. I've gone out a few times on Farmington bay and been able to get a cinnamon teal and a ton of coots (bahahahahaha). From what I hear it has been a slow year so I wasn't too concerned and was going to wait for the migration to come. Talked to a buddy with some goose decoys and we headed out on Saturday. Had a nice flock of 9 birds come in and the rest was history.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Way2go!!

any coot recipes?

.


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## HeberHunter (Nov 13, 2014)

Coots don't have much meat. Tried to put flour, salt, pepper, and garlic and then fry them in a pan with butter. Added onions and mushrooms to the mix, added water, and let simmer for a few minutes. I have never eaten waterfowl before. It isn't my favorite thing in the world but it may be an acquired taste. I was told by a ton of waterfowlers that they taste like an old leather boot. I can say it definitely didn't taste like a leather boot.


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

Try aging or brining your birds-makes a world of difference. Guys that say they don't tast good just don't know how to cook them! With your geese, just make sure you don't cook them past medium and you will be surprised at how good they are. Congratulations!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on the geese!


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## dadams41 (Jul 9, 2013)

I make jerky out of mine on the traeger and it always turns out great. I have also done Jalapeño poppers with I small like of duck and bacon and that turns out really nice too. There are ways to cook it that turns out great and some that aren't so good. This is what has worked for me though


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

HeberHunter said:


> Coots don't have much meat. Tried to put flour, salt, pepper, and garlic and then fry them in a pan with butter. Added onions and mushrooms to the mix, added water, and let simmer for a few minutes. I have never eaten waterfowl before. It isn't my favorite thing in the world but it may be an acquired taste. I was told by a ton of waterfowlers that they taste like an old leather boot. I can say it definitely didn't taste like a leather boot.


Cool, good on you. IMO coot *is* an acquired taste.

Adding to what Pumpgunner mentioned, try soaking your birds overnight in some lightly salted water or milk with a splash of vinegar.

.


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## moabxjeeper (Dec 18, 2012)

wyogoob said:


> any coot recipes?
> 
> .


My grandpa had a good recipe for ducks but it could also apply to coot. He told me to coat the duck in flour and sprinkle it with garlic and salt and pepper and put it on a board and then throw it in the oven. Leave it in the oven for a couple hours until it's really, really burnt. Then you throw the duck out and go order a pizza.

In all seriousness, the best way to cook duck is to find a Kung Pao chicken recipe and throw the duck in instead. There's so many sauces you use that it completely takes the marshy taste away. It's the only way that I've ever cooked duck that I actually enjoy.


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## HeberHunter (Nov 13, 2014)

Thanks for the tips. I'll try to soak it overnight and see if that changes things. As for the geese, I marinated it overnight then put it in a crockpot for 6 hours with a soup mix over it. When it was almost done I added some cream of mushroom soup and a gravy mix packet. It turned out really tender and juicy. Hitting the waters again on Friday and hope to have some duck (seeing canvasback, bufflehead, widgeon, and mallard on the water today) and geese (just seeing the canadians). I'll let you know how it goes. Seeing 300+ geese, 150+ ducks, and 10 swans this morning. Now, if they will just pattern the decoys and not get thrown off by our layout blinds...


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

The taste of ducks varies widely by species. Canvasback and pintails roasted whole in a hot oven for 18 minutes is about as good as eating gets. The currant jelly/shallot recipe in Hank Shaw's book is also awesome. 

Just got back from Canada last week with some geese. I plucked one and will roast the breast with the skin on. I saved the legs, too, and they're in the fridge with a spice rub(thyme, salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic, sugar, etc). I'll take them out after 48 hours, rinse them off, let them dry, then vacuum seal them with duck fat and slow cook them in 180* water for confit. If you've never had confit, give it a try. Simply delicious.

I used to just breast out my geese, but there's a lot of meat on the legs. I made confit with some pintail legs last year. Just took them out of the fridge the other day, crisped the skin in the oven. Awesome!


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

I will often save all the legs I get from my ducks in a year, then take a few hours to pick all the meat off them. I brine the leg meat for a day or two and then slow-cook them in the crockpot to make pulled BBQ duck legs-awesome on buns as a snack for Super Bowl Sunday! Pairs perfectly with an ice-cold Cutthroat or any other pale ale. My favorite goose leg recipe is to wrap them in bacon, pan-sear them, and then roast them in a hot oven for a bit-the bacon keeps them from drying out and they are delicious!

Have you guys ever watched the show Meat Eater that's on Netflix now? I have watched several episodes and I'm really impressed with what I've seen-it's the most realistic hunting show I've ever seen and they spend a lot of time on butchering and cooking game. It's awesome, check it out if you have some time! I am definitely putting in for a sandhill crane tag next year after watching that episode.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

*Meat Eater & other stuff*

I've been a big fan of the Steve Rinella show (Meat Eater) since I first saw it a couple of years ago. It's absolutely amazing what he can do with just about any fish, game, or fowl.

As to cooking waterfowl, I have many recipes that keep folks coming back for more. The most important advice I would give to anyone just starting out in preparing any game or bird is don't overcook it. Game animals and wild birds build up fat just under the skin and almost none is stored in the meat muscles themselves as is common in meat you buy in the grocery store or meat market. If you cook any of it past medium rare, you are guaranteed to get a tuff, dry, and unpalatable piece of meat.

There some folks that will absolutely not like the taste of waterfowl (ANY duck, coot, or merganser and goose) no matter how you cook it with 2 exceptions that I know of. It will 100% mask the actual taste of waterfowl such that nobody can yell what the meat is by taste or texture. Remove just the muscle meat (breast, legs, back, etc. and NO fat) from the bird and grind it up to look like hamburger meat. Put the ground meat into a frying pan and cook it until thoroughly cooked (well done). I use a non-stick pan and I don't add any oil as there is plenty of liquid in the meat (not fat) to keep it from sticking to the pan. I then use the meat in my chili and taco recipes. Nobody that likes chili or tacos (do such people actually exist?) will ever turn up their nose at either of these. And I love putting any leftover taco meat into an omelet the following morning for breakfast.

Here is one of my favorite recipes that even works well with merganser. Remove the breast meat and cut into 1" cubes. Dip pieces in a raw scrambled egg bath and then coat each piece with finely crushed Sour Cream & Onion potato chips. Place on a baking sheet and bake for exactly 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve immediately as an hor dourve with Wingers Amazing Sauce to dip them in.

Enjoy!


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