Backyard Bird Hunting, Dress and Prep?

[pewpewfever]

I’m trying to learn some survival skills, and local public land designated for hunting varmints requires me to use a shotgun. I think I can use an airgun in my backyard to hunt birds over bait. I’m in north Texas, and we have a pretty wide variety of birds. I’m thinking of putting out a bird feeder, taking some photos, and asking which birds are decent for eating, then googling how to dress and prep them. Is there a better way to go about it?

 

[pewpewfever]

Texas allows hunting of unprotected birds on private land as follows:

Unprotected Birds

Birds not protected by any state or federal law include European starlings, English sparrows (house sparrow), feral rock doves (common pigeon), Egyptian geese, Muscovy ducks (only outside Rio Grande Valley counties) and Eurasian collared-doves; these species may be killed at any time, their nests or eggs destroyed, and their feathers possessed.

Yellow-headed, red-winged, or Brewer's blackbirds and all grackles, cowbirds, crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredation on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner, that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance (Federal Regulation 50 CFR 21.43).

 

[Bob_O]

Most birds that will frequent a feeder will be off limits.

 

[pewpewfever]

I think I got a lot of European starlings and grackles at my feeder last time I had it out. Are those birds inedible for some reason?

 

[Bander124]

I know wild pigeons eat a lot of “trash” foods taste like what they eat. When I was a kid my game warden told me not to mess with starlings and stuff had lots of diease. And one friend in college ate a crow he made this face said it was no duck haha 

 

[survivor45]

I have made an effort to identify all the birds that frequent my yard. I search the internet and save photos on my phone. Noting the good ones and the bad ones. Even went out and got a bird book. I have no desire shoot the native birds that visit and live in my yard. 
But like Bob_O says. The invasive ones won’t come into my yard. I can’t get the starlings or English sparrows to come to my yard. Yet I can go a block from my house and they are everywhere. Lol 

 

[Rich_B]

If you can get the Eurasian doves, they’ll be good to eat. We get a lot of them when we feed the ducks their corn outside from spring through fall. Usually our cats get them before I do.

 

[ND4OM]

There is a channel on YouTube called the Scott Rea Project, Scott is a butcher by trade and some kind of chef, here is one of his pigeon recipes.

https://youtu.be/Ud8BbmKEiIc

Here is another 

https://youtu.be/PPH5U6goHDw

Here Scott cooks up the game I'm trying for here in Southern California, the hare in the UK but our jackrabbit

https://youtu.be/fIhiK-fq5Bo

And yes Scott also cooks crow

https://youtu.be/Jen1thTH7f4

https://youtu.be/FG2lwLZVR5c

Enjoy