# Eating Pigeons?



## WoodsRunner (Feb 26, 2012)

I was thinking about going pigeon and dove hunting this weekend and was wondering how they taste. Are they safe to eat? Are they worth a steel bearing?


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## LBurnett (Feb 21, 2012)

Hi

I have ate pigeon and they are tasty! As for doves I am not sure.









Cheers Luke


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## orcrender (Sep 11, 2010)

Doves are close relatives of pigeons.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

The term "squab" is just another name for pigeon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squab_(food)

I have eaten a lot of dove in my younger days. It needs to be cooked right, or it turns out pretty tough. There are lots of dove recipes available on the net ... just do a Google search.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## JLS:Survival (Dec 8, 2011)

what about snakes, has anyone eaten snakes before? I have a lot of grass snakes in my area, wouls that type of snle be good to eat?


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

doves are mostly seed eaters so they taste really good. pigeons on the other hand, stay away from city pigeons, supposedly they dont taste good, or so ive been told- ive never eaten a pigeon .


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## LBurnett (Feb 21, 2012)

yeah don't eat city pigeons! make sure there relatively healthy!


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## XxDollarBillxX (Apr 28, 2011)

pigeons are good eating, had a dove so long ago, havent had since so it cant have been that amazing i guess


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## Jim Williams (Jul 6, 2011)

Like people say, avoid feral pigeons but wood pigeon and dove are great eating. Snake I have never eaten but I have heard they taste like chicken


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## KennyCannon (Aug 24, 2011)

Dove is pretty good if cooked right. I do them on the BBQ but you need quite a few to make a meal. My grandfather and I shared one not too long ago and it was basically one bite each. I've never eaten or shot a pigeon.


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## LBurnett (Feb 21, 2012)

I would say rabbit tastes more like chicken than pigeon. Pigeon is a bit tougher and has a strong flavour


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## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

pigeon is beatidful if it is cooked right and when trying to shoot them try not to damage the breast meat.


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## Xidoo (Aug 14, 2010)

I do not eat a feral pegeon because of their habit to eat and drink whathever. They are nasty pest to me. Saludos







.


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## Sharkman (Jan 15, 2012)

JLS:Survival said:


> what about snakes, has anyone eaten snakes before? I have a lot of grass snakes in my area, wouls that type of snle be good to eat?


Yes. And no they do not taste like chicken. Kind of a bony combination of seafood and chicken maybe. I guess I'd have to say that they taste like snake.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

I hunt a lot and have thought a lot about sick or unhealthy animals, I do know that there are diseases that can be transmited through under cooked meat such as tularemia, brucellosis and trichinosis among other things. Also some diseases can be transmitted by contact with body fluids during the cleaning process such as lyme disease. However with just a bit of care I don't think that it is any thing at all to worry about and I don't. If an animal looks or acts odd I don't eat it, if when cleaning something doesn't look right, discolored, spots on the meat or that sort of thing I don't eat it.

I am 45 years old and have been eating game all of life as well as the rest of my family and a lot of my friends I have seen zero incidences of anyone getting sick or catching a disease from eating game. IMO when animals get sick they don't take themselves to the vet they either recover or die, so most of the animals that you see, even city pigeons are perfectly healthy and I have no problem at all eating them as long as they meet the criteria I talked about before. Chris


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

Most Pigeons are safe, but there are some citys that poison pigeons with a poison that is very toxic to humans. It is not done as often as it was in the past though, just because of humans eating them. It might be a good irea to do a research locally before eating city pigeons. I have also eaten them on occasion without a ptoblem. -- Tex


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Good point Tex, I didn't know that. Chris


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

LBurnett said:


> yeah don't eat city pigeons! make sure there relatively healthy!


Yes, city pigeons are nasty disease ridden vermin, typically feeding on human refuse as that is the easiest thing for them to find and can even contract fun things such as syphilis. Explain that one to the wife!


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## LBurnett (Feb 21, 2012)

Hahaha!


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

JLS:Survival said:


> what about snakes, has anyone eaten snakes before? I have a lot of grass snakes in my area, wouls that type of snle be good to eat?


Any snake can be eaten as long as you remove the poison glands below the head (just cut the head off a bit below the neck) of poisonous species. Rattlesnake is quite good.

Regarding tularemia look for spots on the liver. If present, dump it right there and thoroughly wash your hands, likely you'll be fine. With rabbits this is far more common in warm months.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

Mr Joel and I have a history of disagreeing with each other and I am not going to take the bait this time I will pass on these links and then leave it alone. I can not find anything at all about pigeons transfering syphilis to humans, we are still talking about eating them aren't we?

http://www.techlette...onsdisease.html

Eating any animal is not completely safe and there is risk involved in eating meat period. I am fairly sure that more people have died from cattle than any other one animal used for food, but they are not considered disease ridden vermin.

http://pubs.ext.vt.e...60/400-460.html


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Nobody said you had to buy what I'm selling. Assuming I was right, yes, if thoroughly cooked you would not get syphilis obviously. Notice they don't sell pigeon commercially as a food product (gee, why is that?), so comparing beef isn't really valid. You do as you like, but I won't eat them, and I've eaten cockroaches in a pinch.

Pigeons in a rural area however, are a different matter entirely. I don't mean that syphilis is that prolific among pigeons, but it does happen. Chlamydia has been known to occur as well, again not so commonly, but does happen and adds an ewww factor. Anything that has feathers and dumpster dives is a magnet for pathogens. The key word here is feathers: they do seem to pick up the bacteria. I won't go for bugs in an urban area either.

Edit: perhaps I was wrong, it seems this lady handles thousands of them with no bad effect. It would appear I have succumbed to believing an urban legend. Hey, I'm not above admitting it when I'm wrong! I've certainly thought about it, that is the one bird around (well, there's doves in the desert) this city. Something to possibly shoot and eat anyways. I wonder if it's haraam (forbidden)? Heck, everything else is!

http://www.pigeons.b...ases-26937.html

Maybe I'll give them a go after all. You learn something new every day!


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

I'll tell ya what pilgrim: if I do shoot one I'll show the whole thing including roasting it over the fire and eating it with pics.
My equivalent of eating crow -except this instance a pigeon.


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## August West (Jan 21, 2012)

No probs Mr Joel, it happens to the best of us. Speaking of eating crow I have no joke heard of people eating crow for real. That is one I would never eat, I have seen them eating rotting possum on the road too many times. HAHAHA Chris


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Pigeons are basically grain eaters. Pigeon meat is sold in European countries ... commonly called squab:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squab_(food)

Even in the city, they are basically grain eaters ... including bread and similar human cast-offs. As indicated, they can of course pick up pathenogens from foraging in dumpsters and similar places, but the danger there would be in handling, rather than eating the bird. Probably the most common vector for histoplasmosis is the domestic cat. You are more likely to get it from a cat than from a pigeon. In either case, just avoid the feces and wash your hands well after handling the beast.

Frankly, I would not hesitate to eat a domestic pigeon. The problem is killing one without witnesses raising a hue and cry.

Crows are more omnivorous ... in the wild they are basically carrion eaters, though they will take worms and insects. I am wary of any bird that typically eats carrion. If I were starving I would eat a crow, but otherwise I would take smaller vegetarian birds.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

I thought crow pie was a dish in old rural England?


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Black bird pie was a not uncommon dish. There are lots of old drawings of shooting rooks (black birds) with stone bows. But rooks are not the same as carrion crows.

http://www.exmoorian.co.uk/blackbird-pie.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rook_(bird)

There is a long history of regarding crows as unsuitable for food.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow_pie

Cheers ..... Charles


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Right, my bad. Thanks for delineating that.


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## Sst der Kleine Steinschlag (Dec 5, 2011)

folks, leave the crows alone ! try muskrats, i eat them regularly since a friends dad lives by a creek and traps them during season. it takes two or three to make up a meal and they have a strong game taste but they´re vegetarian and i´d prefer a muskrat to an old hare. our local fishing club has a long waiting list for muskrat stew evening so i tried it at home.


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Rats are fine eating-minus the urban varieties.


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## zamarion (Mar 22, 2012)

by experience of myself and people i know i can say you can eat big city pidgeons safely like once every 2 weeks but if eaten more commenly you can get pretty sick


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

_Oh how about the habits of a chicken? They are a nasty bitd, but I like fried chicken. -- Tex_


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## mr.joel (Dec 21, 2009)

Tex-Shooter said:


> _Oh how about the habits of a chicken? They are a nasty bitd, but I like fried chicken. -- Tex_


That is too true...often grown in most unsavory conditions.


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## Susi (Mar 3, 2013)

My hubby's dove recipie..

Dip gutted beheaded birds in boiling water a few seconds to loosen feathers, pluck, wash inside and out.

Remove wings and legs (no meat). The breast is the only meat and two bites per bird

.

Dredge birds in mix of red wine and steak sauce.

Place 10 or 12 birds in a well oiled baking pan.

Using a basting brush, baste with melted butter so dusting will stick.

Dust lightly with powdered oregano and powdered sage, salt and pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil so the foil doesn't touch the meat.

Alternative..use a covered baking pan or pyrex casserole with lid instead of aluminum foil.

Bake for 1 hour at 225 F.

Don't over season. Dove is delicious wild game and shouldn't be overpowered with too many spices.


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## AK Rick (Jan 11, 2013)

I will never understand how someone can turn up there nose at wild game with a mouth full of chicken! Cannibalistic dumb as dirt nasty ass things!


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## AhnkoChee (Mar 27, 2013)

I used to have an extermination permit at a local dairy- all the doves and pigeons I could shoot no limit, no closed season. Most guys on the permit list just let them drop and left for the mongoose to eat. They are feeding on the grain based dairy cattle feed eating literally tons of the stuff each week. I kept every dove and pigeon I shot the doves being Asian Ringneck doves, and the the pigeon just your average feral one aka Rock Doves. They tasted fine to me. I only kept the breast mest though, did not bother to pluck. Just skinned them enough to remove the breast meat quickly. I had several freezer bags of breast meat. I liked wrapping the breasts in bacon and throwing on the BBQ. I'd also remove the two fillets of meat from the breast bone, and stir-fry with veggies or throw in a pot for stew. These were rural grain eating pigeons so no fear or hesitation. City pigeons I'd have to think twice if not more.


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## iBeef (Jun 15, 2013)

My dad was a pest controller for many years. I've spoken to him about this numerous times. As far as I'm aware, wood pigeons are fine to eat, however it is believed city pigeons carry almost as many diseases as rats. They will eat anything, sick, waste like mentioned above. I've been told to avoid feral pigeons at all costs. I've heard a nice juicy wood pigeon tastes glorious though


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## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

*I have heard that dove is also very good*


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Berkshire bred said:


> *I have heard that dove is also very good*


I have eaten a lot of mourning dove, and I can testify that they are tasty when properly prepared.

Cheers ....... Charles


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## studer1972 (Mar 17, 2013)

Researching Minnesota's small game hunting laws last week, I found that pigeons are open season year round with no license required and no rules for harvest as long as you're not shooting at night, using lights (shining), poisoning, or hunting from a motor vehicle. I have to admit, I'm surprised. Nannysota doesn't usually let a guy do much without regulating it.

Oddly enough, the same rules apply to birds that don't even live in Minnesota, like monk parakeets (Florida), chukka partridge (the south west), eurasian ring necked dove (southern USA), and non-bobwhite quail (we only have bobwhites in MN). I wonder why the hunting regs specify birds that are not native to MN?


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

studer1972 said:


> Researching Minnesota's small game hunting laws last week, I found that pigeons are open season year round with no license required and no rules for harvest as long as you're not shooting at night, using lights (shining), poisoning, or hunting from a motor vehicle. I have to admit, I'm surprised. Nannysota doesn't usually let a guy do much without regulating it.
> 
> Oddly enough, the same rules apply to birds that don't even live in Minnesota, like monk parakeets (Florida), chukka partridge (the south west), eurasian ring necked dove (southern USA), and non-bobwhite quail (we only have bobwhites in MN). I wonder why the hunting regs specify birds that are not native to MN?


Probably just trying to protect native species from encroachment.

Cheers .... Charles


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## studer1972 (Mar 17, 2013)

Charles, that seems logical, but MN is on the other side of the country from those ranges. You go any further north than Minnesota, you're in Canada. In the continental US, Minnesota is as north as north gets. It'd be like Minnesota issuing warnings about killer bees and fire ants. They just can't survive our winters and don't come north of the Mason-Dixon line. That would also be accusing the Minnesota DNR of being logical or reasonable.


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## JasonStonier (Jun 17, 2013)

August West said:


> I am 45 years old and have been eating game all of life as well as the rest of my family and a lot of my friends..


You eat your family and friends?


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

studer1972 said:


> Charles, that seems logical, but MN is on the other side of the country from those ranges. You go any further north than Minnesota, you're in Canada. In the continental US, Minnesota is as north as north gets. It'd be like Minnesota issuing warnings about killer bees and fire ants. They just can't survive our winters and don't come north of the Mason-Dixon line. That would also be accusing the Minnesota DNR of being logical or reasonable.


Most birds migrate south to warmer climes in the winter time, so your cold winters would not be a deterrent. With the effects of global climate change we are seeing a lot of birds and other wild life showing up where they did not used to be ... certainly we are seeing that here in Victoria.

There is also the possibility that some folks have been purposely planting animals in Minnesota without regard to the impact on native species. We have had that problem here. Someone planted bass in some of the local lakes, and they are wreaking havoc on local fish populations. Someone also planted bull frogs in some local lakes, and they are decimating the indigenous frog species, as well as taking a heavy toll on some fish species. Someone released cotton tail rabbits here on southern Vancouver Island, and they have become a serious garden and farm pest is some areas. Many, many years ago, several old-style shooting preserves were set up on Vancouver Island. As a result, I used to commonly see ring necked pheasant around my farm some 15 years ago.

But of course I take your point about the improbability of attributions of rationality to any government department.

Cheers ..... Charles


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