Ethical Question

[LuciandTim]

I have to find a way to redeem myself for this one.......

I shot a bird the other day while out hunting. I cleaned it out and put it in the back of the truck like usual. Well I got home late and went to bed. A couple days have past and I have realized that I left the bird in the back of my truck. I feel awful. What a waste of a bird. Has this ever happened to you?

I wonder if I have been damned by the pheasant gods? I feel horrible for this bird. Gives me his life for food and this is how I repy him....he sits in the garbage.

maybe I should plant a tree this spring...any other ideas?

[lawdog]

If you field dressed that bird and its been cold and is not covered with road grime and everything its actually probably still edible. Not much different than hanging your deer to cool/dry for a couple days...

It can happen and it does suck. I've done it with duck before but not pheasants that I recall. I have forgot them until the next morning before, but that's no big deal since it wasn't HOT.

[CaptainMusky]

I agree, the bird was probably just fine. A little stiff, but easily could be eaten.

Ducks probably taste better full of road grime and salt!

[FOOT]

An obvious redeemtion would be to send $10 to your local Pheasant Forever Chapter. No need to explain why, just say it's a donation.

[LuciandTim]

FOOt..Like the idea. I actually just sent them a little donation as they sent me a great calendar for the new year!

[Tetz]

I wouldn't hesitate at all cleaning, freezing and eating the bird. Actually, I leave birds hang for 2-3 days before skinning and freezing them....just be sure to rinse and dry out the body cavity well before hanging...and of course don't do this during warm weather...

ENJOY.

[bigbucks]

It's happened to me before once with a couple ducks. It's happened a couple of times when I've caught just a couple sunfish early in an ice fishing outing & they were dead & they got frozen & forgotten in the portable. They'd still be okay after several days, had the portable not been in the heated garage for a couple days when I remembered it. It does frustrate you a lot, the crows have to eat too... Or as Josey Wales would say "The buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms..."

[riverrat56]

Been there done that before, only with fish and a duck once, but it does suck, and it smells sometimes to. Since you are worried about it, and feel bad, its obvious u cared about the bird so I don't think you should be to worried about it, just maybe make a donation to PF or something like that. And no I wouldn't have eaten it, yuck.

[Rost]

Two years ago this happened to me with a walleye. The livewell on my boat is enormous. I thought I had grabbed all of the fish out, but one was mistakenly left in.

Well....4 days later I opened the hatch Let's just say the walleye gods damned me!! It was bad!

[LuciandTim]

well I decided to cut off my pinky. That is my official sacrafice to the pheasant gods. We are once again square

[setterguy]

Not on your shooting hand I hope.