George, with that being true, that they are "inedible", I've lost all interest in them. And, indeed, I would wonder why, that being the case, they are legal to be hunted anywhere.
confused confused:
Without beer Doves are pretty much inedible and we shoot them off buckets....
Doves might border on inedible the way a lot of people fix them, but they are a feast if properly prepared. Doves might be my favorite meal; it's certainly top 5. But my enjoyment of them goes back to when I was growing up in the 60s, and I understand that most people today are just not gonna get it. My mother always rationed the store bought meat; I could have 2 pieces of chicken and that was it. The only time I could eat as much as I wanted was when we had fish or game, and doves weren't rationed unless we just hadn't shot enough.
We always plucked doves, and left the legs attached, and then fried them. My wife was out of town a few weeks ago, so I cooked myself 8 of what I killed the previous Saturday. I got them nice and dry and seasoned with salt, pepper, and some chicken seasoning, then ran them through a mix of egg, oil, and milk. Then they got coated with flour and dropped into 350 degree cooking oil breast down for about 8 minutes. Then I flipped them on their back for about 5 minutes and they were perfectly brown and no hint of grease.
I ate them with rice and peas. You gotta start by removing the legs and eating all the meat off them. Then break the wings off and eat them, saving the breast for last. Then it's time for #2 and so on. Took about an hour to eat them all, but I don't ever feel stuffed because there is a lot of work involved. It's sort of like eating blue crabs in that you burn more calories than you get. Eating quail is more efficient. They can be cooked the same way as the doves and it only takes 4 of them to make a meal.
Need a good western on TV while you eat this meal, and it's best to eat alone. Can't talk and enjoy this correctly.
It's not for everyone.
I don't know anything about a Chachalaca, but I wouldn't care to hunt them if they aren't edible. I wouldn't try to fool myself into believing that hunting is a cost efficient means of acquiring food, but eating the kill has to be part of it.