Maine Partridge numbers way up! (live, coastal, close to)

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

So, does it taste somewhat like Cornish Game Hen? I bought some of those from the frozen section once. I thought that tasted very gamey. We cooked those birds to perfection, and DH and I ended up throwing them both away only a fraction eaten.

Try this one:

2 Cornish Game hens halved lengthwise backbones removed
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano,
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 350 Season birds with basil, oregano salt and pepper
In a large frying pan cook hens in olive oil and butter 4 minutes per side or until brown over moderately high heat.
Transfer to small baking dish.
Add shallots to pan and reduce heat to low,saute 2 minutes or until soft add wine and bring to boil scraping brown bits from pan- pour over hens.
Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes basting with pan juices once or twice. Remove foil and raise temp to 425 for five minutes until skin crisps up.

This is an excellent way to cook cornish game hens. If you buy them frozen ask the meat man to run them through the meat saw length wise.

You will love this and NO gamey flavor!

[ptakja]

Can't say the partridge numbers were really up up in the Rangeley area but during the past Moose week hunt in October we hit the trails for some woods chicken. We bagged a few but the numbers were definintley down.

As far as the comments about gamey tasting critters I've been able to do Partridge over the years in a lightly sauced Marsala.... YUM. Round out the meal with some mashed garlic potatoes and carrots and string beans and hot buttermilk biscuits and your in heaven.
Heading back up Thanksgiving week for some more birds. Maybe the colder weather will bring the birds out near the road sides for some gravel now that all the leaves have gotten a good frosting. For all you Grouseaholics I'll keep you posted.

J.

[ProdigalLobster]

Hahaha... this post reminds me of a goofy story from my childhood. My dad has never been a hunter, but one day the 3 of us were out driving around (probably looking at leaves) & hit a partridge with the car. I guess it wasn't really "run over", just sorta bumped into with the car. Against mom's protests, dad threw the bird in the trunk & brought it home. Our next-door neighbor came over to help clean the bird, & we had partridge stew for supper. I was only 5 or 6, but it was a memorable bit of excitement that day, LOL!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by ptakja

Can't say the partridge numbers were really up up in the Rangeley area but during the past Moose week hunt in October we hit the trails for some woods chicken. We bagged a few but the numbers were definintley down.

As far as the comments about gamey tasting critters I've been able to do Partridge over the years in a lightly sauced Marsala.... YUM. Round out the meal with some mashed garlic potatoes and carrots and string beans and hot buttermilk biscuits and your in heaven.
Heading back up Thanksgiving week for some more birds. Maybe the colder weather will bring the birds out near the road sides for some gravel now that all the leaves have gotten a good frosting. For all you Grouseaholics I'll keep you posted.

J.

Seems that the Rangely region is just about the only place in the state where partridge numbers are not up.
We got over 30 birds in 4 days between 4 guys with no dogs! That's good hunting!

[Maine Writer]

Every fall my grandparents took me to Frost Farm in Herman or Corinth, don't remember exactly what town. We were close to the old Bangor Humane Society when Grampy spotted a pheasant. Swerrrrrrrrrve to the left, THUMP went the pheasant and feathers flew. Grampy slammed on the brakes, picked up the pheasant it threw it on the floor of the back seat...with me. I was six or seven years old. And with that, we were on our way again.

"Grampy, the bird moved!" I was horrified.

"It's ok Robbie, that's what happens when you kill birds. It's dead," said Grampy. He had a few beers and whiskey under his belt and it was still early morning. I suppose under those conditions everything's ok.

I remember staring at the bird. I knew it was moving and I was scared. I tried not to look but you know how hard it is not to. The last time I looked over it was looking back at me. I screamed and startled the bird and my grandparents. The bird started beating its wings and I screamed some more. "Red! Red! Stop this car right now! That damned bird's alive. Red!" Nana was screaming at Grampy and I was screaming those terror screams only a petrified little girl can hurl from her lungs.

Grampy slammed on the brakes again, didn't even bother to get out of the road this time, flung open the door, grabbed the bird and wrung its neck. Nana made him put it in the truck this time. I wanted to go home! No pumpkin was worth this but Grampy was determined to make it up to me. I could get two pumpkins. I think I probably still wanted to go home.

We arrived at Frost's and I got distracted by kittens, forgetting about the birds. I picked out pumpkins while Nana got her winter squash. When it was time to load the trunk Grampy remembered his pheasant. He waved Mr. Frost over to see it, opened the trunk and the damned bird was still alive!! Barely, but still alive. Mr. Frost took it from Grampy and killed it.

When Nana and Grampy took me home I stomped in the house (picture a little blue eyed, long blond haired girl with her Irish temper), slammed the door, locked Grampy out and yelled that I was NEVER going wth my grandparents again. NEVER! It's funny now but I was furious for years!

[tcrackly]

Partridge numbers are way down in southern ME due to the wet spring/summers, habitat destruction, and maybe the high numbers of predators. When we got the dog nearly 9 years ago you could flush 2-6 birds at a time in the best covers...then it would peeter out towards the end of hunting season.
Now we're lucky to see a bird or two in any given area.

[CoastalMaine]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Every fall my grandparents took me to Frost Farm in Herman or Corinth, don't remember exactly what town. We were close to the old Bangor Humane Society when Grampy spotted a pheasant. Swerrrrrrrrrve to the left, THUMP went the pheasant and feathers flew. Grampy slammed on the brakes, picked up the pheasant it threw it on the floor of the back seat...with me. I was six or seven years old. And with that, we were on our way again.

"Grampy, the bird moved!" I was horrified.

"It's ok Robbie, that's what happens when you kill birds. It's dead," said Grampy. He had a few beers and whiskey under his belt and it was still early morning. I suppose under those conditions everything's ok.

I remember staring at the bird. I knew it was moving and I was scared. I tried not to look but you know how hard it is not to. The last time I looked over it was looking back at me. I screamed and startled the bird and my grandparents. The bird started beating its wings and I screamed some more. "Red! Red! Stop this car right now! That damned bird's alive. Red!" Nana was screaming at Grampy and I was screaming those terror screams only a petrified little girl can hurl from her lungs.

Grampy slammed on the brakes again, didn't even bother to get out of the road this time, flung open the door, grabbed the bird and wrung its neck. Nana made him put it in the truck this time. I wanted to go home! No pumpkin was worth this but Grampy was determined to make it up to me. I could get two pumpkins. I think I probably still wanted to go home.

We arrived at Frost's and I got distracted by kittens, forgetting about the birds. I picked out pumpkins while Nana got her winter squash. When it was time to load the trunk Grampy remembered his pheasant. He waved Mr. Frost over to see it, opened the trunk and the damned bird was still alive!! Barely, but still alive. Mr. Frost took it from Grampy and killed it.

When Nana and Grampy took me home I stomped in the house (picture a little blue eyed, long blond haired girl with her Irish temper), slammed the door, locked Grampy out and yelled that I was NEVER going wth my grandparents again. NEVER! It's funny now but I was furious for years!

I have been violently ill for 4 days and finally feel tonight like I might live after all... and I finally made my way to this thread... between Maineah's 'Cheney's', El's catfish, and your story above, I am sitting on the couch LMAO out loud. The dogs can't figure out why mama is sitting around for days with fleece pants, socks, ugg slippers and a Maine sweatshirt -WITH the hoodie on tyvm, and laughing so hard she's almost crying.

FREAKING hilarious thread, ALL of you!!!

Ranger, congrats on a fun and successful week! The combinations of foods with the birds sound really intriguing! I'm game! haha Pun not intentional!

[ptakja]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

Partridge numbers are way down in southern ME due to the wet spring/summers, habitat destruction, and maybe the high numbers of predators. When we got the dog nearly 9 years ago you could flush 2-6 birds at a time in the best covers...then it would peeter out towards the end of hunting season.
Now we're lucky to see a bird or two in any given area.

I feel your pain. All of the reasons for not so good bird hunting in your post lead me to believe the partridge hunting is definitely out of wack. I used to hunt with my black lab Rockey years gone by and he was a once in a life time dog as they say. He's gone now for 3 years and if I can sell this house here in NY and get to Maine full time I'll probably get another one.
Given the logging road areas to hunt a field flush isn't typical to the hunting areas up in Rangeley. HOWEVER..... Retrieving a partridge thats been shot and does a little flying before dying a good nose dog does produce better results.
Heading up tomorrow for Thanksgiving week and will be hunting with my neighbor there and his Springer Spanial. Another great bird dog. Birds or not the dogs young and we should have some fun should we get some to shoot.

Jan

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

Partridge numbers are way down in southern ME due to the wet spring/summers, habitat destruction, and maybe the high numbers of predators. When we got the dog nearly 9 years ago you could flush 2-6 birds at a time in the best covers...then it would peeter out towards the end of hunting season.
Now we're lucky to see a bird or two in any given area.

We flushed more partridge here in Freeport without a dog than any year we can remember back even twenty years or so. We were seeing them on the sides of the road again in Pownal!. Sorry you have not seen alot of them around!

[tcrackly]

Seems the coastal habitats have been nicer to the birds. My BIL reports goodly numbers Downeast. I hope to get a chance to check it out.