Crops and their Contents

[Nameless Range]

So far in 2023 I have hiked and hunted the least amount I have ever hunted as an adult. Work, extracurriculars, kids and their sports, things....everything seems to be escalating. That said, last night I was on the hook to get Thing 3 to Soccer and Thing 1 to volleyball. Thing 3's coaches came down with Covid and Thing 1 is mildly self sufficient, so I went for a walk with my shotgun on a local mountain.


I have never opened the crop up on a bird and not been fascinated. I wish I had taken pictures of them all over the years, but here's a few.

Last night's Blue - Kinnikinic Berries and a few bugs




A September sharpie where sage and stubble collide



Another October Blue crop -this one from about 9k feet - huckle or juniper berries (can't recall) and bugs



These crops are in many ways the colors of autumn - themes unto themselves - and in person (not in my pictures) seem to me sorts of organic works of art. Got any of your own?

 

[Gut Shot]

I cut open a turkey's gizzard one spring. Inside I was surprised to find that, instead of stones for grinding up his breakfast, he had a couple of hickory nuts.

 

[.270Rem]

One of the first things I do after shooting a dove is to start plucking the breast and opening the crop up to see what the bird had fed on. Lots to be learned by taking this step and nice pics. Make the most of that free time I say.

 

[Wild Bill]

I always love checking the crops. Until a killing frost occurs, all the Prairie Chickens I shoot are loaded with grasshoppers. Pheasants are always stuffed with corn, maybe soybeans, and sorghum. I've shot a handful of Easterns that are stuffed full of acorns. Most the Merriams I shoot are full of fresh green sprouts and wildflowers, maybe a couple bugs.

Cutting open a walleye or pike stomach is a good time as well.

Need to start snapping pictures of some of the more interesting ones.

 

[Birdbander]

I didn't take pictures of the crops of the blues I recently killed in CO, but did check each. Each bird throughout the week had the same contents: either empty or only greens that appeared like clover leaves.

Here's some ruffed grouse crops from years past in central lower Michigan.Beech nuts, Christmas Day bird
A little bit of acorn meat as well
Dogwood berries

 

[TheGreek]

I love opening crops as well. I didn’t photograph any of the crops from duskys in NW CO this fall thus far but an interesting mix of berries in some and green leaves in others. Here are some crops from ruffed grouse in N WI from the past few years.
Fall 2022

Fall 2021

 

[Addicting]

I love opening crops as well. I didn’t photograph any of the crops from duskys in NW CO this fall thus far but an interesting mix of berries in some and green leaves in others. Here are some crops from ruffed grouse in N WI from the past few years.
Fall 2022
View attachment 295476
Fall 2021
View attachment 295479

What are those two yellow pieces in the first pic? I can’t believe it didn’t choke to death eating them.

 

[TheGreek]

What are those two yellow pieces in the first pic? I can’t believe it didn’t choke to death eating them.

I can’t remember what kind of nut it was but I remember thinking the exact same thing.

 

[kansasdad]

Years ago fall Kansas turkey:


On opening, it smelled like spring rain and fresh grass (winter wheat seeds and first shoots predominate)

 

[Wild Bill]

Big male sharpie with some nice colors.

 

[Gus Chiggins]

I don’t have photos but have had blues’ crops full of larch needles.

 

[Wild Bill]

Typical boring pheasant. No need to open for further investigation.

 

[Birdbander]

The crops from today's grouse in North Maine Woods.
Maple seeds, a little mushroom, greens.
Tag alder catkins, maple seeds, greens.
Maple seeds.
Clover.

 

[Nameless Range]

The crops from today's grouse in North Maine Woods.
Maple seeds, a little mushroom, greens.
Tag alder catkins, maple seeds, greens.
Maple seeds.
Clover.

Very cool!

 

[Walkathon]

Great pics everyone. Thanks for sharing. I started opening up ruffed grouse crops because I'm not from the area where I hunt them. It has really helped me figure out where to look for them.

 

[kgriff2424]

Dusky

 

[802flyfish]

 

[sapperJ24]

Ruffed; mostly kinnikinnick and a few snowberries.

 

[Birdbander]

North Maine Woods ruffed grouse today. One was all mushrooms and the other two were high bush cranberries.

 

[nastynate]

When I was a kid, I remember opening an early season rooster crop stuffed full of grasshoppers. From my reading (of hunting books) I was under the impression they pretty much ate ag crops and seeds. I was amazed.

I had lots of acorns in ruffle crops this year so far.