Grilling the Eurasian Collared Dove

MMA honey, I just pull up the breast, stick in my poultry sissors and clip out the breast. I don’t remove the wings or anything. Works best if cdellinger is holding each wing out with the tail of the bird facing me & breast up. So you clip out the breast with the skin & feathers still on. It’s then very easy to slid your thumb from the bottom of the breast toward the top to remove feathers & skin. But the next step makes removing the meat from the bone easier. As you look at the breast from the inside & pointed part of breast down, insert your sharp knife just under the rib cage about half way up the breast. A quick slice down will basically detach the meat from the ribs. Then turn over & make the cut down both sides of the breast plate. The wing will just barely be attached at the wing area. If you made a good cut with your sissors when you cut off the wing, the breast will come off easy. Now I have a special paring knife with a 2 1/2” blade. You can find these RADA knives online. At the store in North Carolina where I bought this one, it costs $3.35. All of the RADA knives are cheap & very sharp. I’m a knife guy, own several high quality German knives but the RADAs are the ones I use. I can use the simple RADA sharpener, a steel sharpener then a ceramic “steel type” sharpener and the knife will shave when I’m through. Ask NOTIMEMAN whose on the forum. I’ll also post a pic of the knife & sharpeners. 
 
1530369580_1622605945b37962c53d682.11107620_AADE16CF-31F2-4D0B-97FE-E038C9359824.jpeg

 
You might want to try this:

Marinate in Italian dressing for at least 4 hours. I make a make-shift aluminum foil pan and place on the grill with the doves, onions, red/green/yellow peppers, and of course green chili. Be sure to add the marinade, just enough to keep things from burning on the foil. Cook medium rare. Salivating just thinking about it. Both my kids state that this is their favorite wild game meal! Wish those Dairy farms were a bit closer to Albuquerque!
 
Calbarry --=--

"I'm using Eurasians now since they are legal to shoot with an air gun in California and they are plentiful." WOW....did I miss something, when did it become legal to shoot these with an air gun? I have always read shotgun only??

"I pluck and clean them and vacuum pack them and freeze them until I get enough for the gang. I quarter them and stir fry them. I use peanut oil and cook them with sliced onions, sliced poopaki mushrooms, fresh grated ginger root and snow peas. I use a homemade hoisin sauce mixture but soy sauce or teriyaki sauce works. Serve over a plate of rice." Been doing this very thing for years like you, recipes a little different, but this is really the only way to eat dove, DEEEE-Lish!
 
Revoman, you might be thinking of mourning doves. Mourning doves are a migratory bird and can be taken with shotgun only. Eurasians are classified as an invasive species and not considered migratory, thus can can taken with an air gun. In Ca you can shoot them all year with no limit. Myself and my friends agree with you on stir frying them.