Ribeye of the sky!

[npaden]

My son and I got to go out crane hunting this morning and ended up doing alright! It is strictly pass shooting where we get to go so it can be pretty hit or miss, today was a dead solid hit!

Seeing that first bird drop out of the sky for my son’s first ever crane was worth the price of admission! (Which happened to be free thanks to a friend).

He ended up running out of shells for his 20 gauge and still had a bird to go for his limit (3) and so he shot my 12 gauge for the first time ever and knocked one down with his second shot with it.

We walked about 1/2 mile out into an old CRP field that had some brush and scrub cedar where the birds just seem to like flying over and it was for sure worth the hike.



That is a load of birds to carry back to the truck though!






Just got done cleaning them and we will be having ribeye of the sky for supper tonight.

Another memory that I didn’t get a picture of was him carrying that last crane out by himself with his shotgun.

It has been an amazing season for me watching my son growing up right before my eyes.

 

[noharleyyet]

Happens fast Nathan.

 

[SaskHunter]

Nice haul! They sure are fun to shoot, congrats!

 

[Buschy]

Congratulations! You and your son did amazing to pass shoot a limit. I have been fortunate to be on many great crane shoots, over decoys, in ND. Watching those big birds commit and cup their wings is quite a sight. Very well done!!

 

[OntarioHunter]

He is definitely big enough boy for a twelve gauge. I think I smell another gun debate coming.

 

[ImBillT]

I should have taken that last picture for you!

Your son is quite the shot!

 

[Nick87]

Time well spent with your boy! Looks like you had a blast!

 

[David58]

I like hearing that he got two with his 20 - my wife and I hope to put ours to work next year with ours.

 

[Huntmt28]

That is awesome!! Got to experience that a few years ago, the meat is delicious, salt and pepper on the BBQ!!! Congrats

 

[fallfreak]

Wow! Congrats. Sandhill cranes are on my list of things I want to hunt one day.

 

[CPAjeff]

Congrats on the cranes and the memories made! Super cool!

 

[ashersdad]

Lifetime memories right there! Looks like fun.

 

[520 Road Sow]

I loved hunting those things they're so cool. Awesome adventure!

 

[brockel]

Something I’ve always wanted to do and eat. Nice work

 

[fishing4sanity]

Congrats on the quality father-and-son time and the birds! I'd like to hunt and eat one of those someday.

 

[npaden]

It was good! 5 hours in the sous vide and finished on the sear station on the grill.

Only thing to remember for the future or that I need to figure out is how to get pellets out of the breasts. I ended up with a couple in the one I ate. That is 2/3rds of one side of a breast on my plate.

With Dove they are small enough that you can feel any pellets when you do the boneless breasts. I guess I should have worked a little harder on checking these for exit holes.

 

[Buffs35]

Love it. Congrats on the great hunt.

 

[ImBillT]

View attachment 168629

It was good! 5 hours in the sous vide and finished on the sear station on the grill.

Only thing to remember for the future or that I need to figure out is how to get pellets out of the breasts. I ended up with a couple in the one I ate. That is 2/3rds of one side of a breast on my plate.

With Dove they are small enough that you can feel any pellets when you do the boneless breasts. I guess I should have worked a little harder on checking these for exit holes.

I peel/fillet the silverskin off the outside, cut the clump of vessels and clump of silverskin from the inside, then place my hand on top and fillet the breast in half, making the breast half it’s original thickness. Between the breast being half thickness, 1s or 2s being easier to find or feel, and the larger hole that 1s and 2s make, I don’t find pellets in the end product as often.

If you’re grilling instead of doing sous vide, the thinner breast is easier to handle than full thickness.

 

[Four22]

What do they taste like?

 

[Djfan]

Congrats! I hope to hit them some day.