Picked a good pheasant yesterday

[rayo]

As usual after a days beating we always get to take a brace of birds  I hit Lucky picking this one no damage to the breast meat 

[snarepeg]

Hens anytime.😊

[London Best]

2 hours ago, snarepeg said:

Hens anytime.😊

Hens every time!

[Scully]

Flew into a tree? 🙂

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, London Best said:

Hens every time!

Not sure if that is correct LB, maybe some of the time but not all of the time , would you say an ole hen bird is better than a young coxk bird , I pick a brace out with short spurs , both wings and legs in good order with no damage shown , hard frosty ground can make a difference with bruising, along with hanging them up for to long in mild conditions , they used to say a week in October , two weeks in November then as long as you like in December onwards , when this was first told the Winters must had been a lot colder then than it is now , unless it is freezing I find about a week is plenty long enough .   MM

[PeterHenry]

Those look perfect - what are you going to make with them?

I've been going through a phase of pheasant schnitzels / cutlets recently

[London Best]

11 hours ago, marsh man said:

Not sure if that is correct LB, maybe some of the time but not all of the time , would you say an ole hen bird is better than a young coxk bird , I pick a brace out with short spurs , both wings and legs in good order with no damage shown , hard frosty ground can make a difference with bruising, along with hanging them up for to long in mild conditions , they used to say a week in October , two weeks in November then as long as you like in December onwards , when this was first told the Winters must had been a lot colder then than it is now , unless it is freezing I find about a week is plenty long enough .   MM

You are right in what you say that a young (very young!) cock can eat better than a really old hen. 
But I rarely have the chance to obtain any pheasants before mid November  and by then I think the “young cocks” are not so good.  
Hens are fairly reliable through the season I find, but if you get a last year’s bird of any sex it is only good for the stewpot. 
These days I no longer hang my game for very long. We don’t really like the ‘well hung’ flavour. Partridges I generally prep the next day or day after. Pheasants I usually allow two days, and I don’t  leave even a cock bird a week even if it is hanging in the chiller. 
Also, I think pheasants don’t keep so well in the freezer as partridges, and certainly not as long as duck or venison.

[Fil]

11 hours ago, PeterHenry said:

Those look perfect - what are you going to make with them?

I've been going through a phase of pheasant schnitzels / cutlets recently

That looks amazing! I must give it a go.

[Scully]

11 hours ago, PeterHenry said:

Those look perfect - what are you going to make with them?

I've been going through a phase of pheasant schnitzels / cutlets recently

Looks fab’! There’s a bloke in another syndicate I beat and sometimes shoot on as a guest who curries pheasant and brings them in wraps on shoot days. Scrumptious! 

[PeterHenry]

5 hours ago, Fil said:

That looks amazing! I must give it a go.

Easiest thing in the world -

Remove the mini fillet, bash the pheasant breast / mini fillet with a tenderiser / mallet and then dredge them with seasoned flour. Dip in beaten egg, then coat in seasoned and finely ground dry bread crumbs. Fry in a good amount of oil untill each side is golden - makeing sure to move them gently a little from time to time so that they don't stick, but not so often that the breadcrumbs start to come off.

Remove from pan and pat each side with kitchen paper to remove excess oil - garnish with chopped parsley and a slice of lemon.

4 hours ago, Scully said:

Looks fab’! There’s a bloke in another syndicate I beat and sometimes shoot on as a guest who curries pheasant and brings them in wraps on shoot days. Scrumptious! 

👍 lots of pheasant curry eaten in my house - I'd go as far as saying it's about my favourite thing to make a curry with. 

[Scully]

30 minutes ago, PeterHenry said:

 

👍 lots of pheasant curry eaten in my house - I'd go as far as saying it's about my favourite thing to make a curry with. 

Indeed. Without exception ( not including the bits the ferret gets ) all pheasant in this house is curried. 

[PeterHenry]

11 minutes ago, Scully said:

Indeed. Without exception ( not including the bits the ferret gets ) all pheasant in this house is curried. 

👍

[London Best]

Pheasant certainly makes a good curry. 
Or a casserole. 
Or goujons. 
Or roast. 
I think the best of the lot is a roast pheasant eaten cold the next day with bread sauce. 
Actually, my favourite is whatever way it is being served on that day!