Ruffed Grouse smell
So I was out hunting deer this morning and I had a chance at a ruffed grouse, so I took it. It was a clean head shot with the 270, no meat or gut damage at all. Since I was in the middle of a deer hunt, I decided just to put the bird in my bag and dress it when I got home. Got home, stepped on the wings, gave the feet a pull, and right away it was apparent that this bird smelled more strongly than the other grouse I've taken. I cut the legs off and breasted it, and noticed that even the meat itself has this odour, which I associate with punctured grouse guts. Vaguely "piney" but also a bit foul. Even after rinsing. I've never had a grouse that smelled so strongly. The meat has always been basically odourless when I butchered it. Is this just a function of what they're eating this time of year, or where this one lived? Or did the bird spoil between when I killed it and when I got home (a period of 4 or 5 hours)? I figured, since there are people who actually hang their birds for a few days with the guts in, that it would be ok to wait a bit before gutting. Was I wrong?
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