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Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

The other day I shot a dove low in its body by mistake and it flew off. I actually would've been able to finish it off but my dog ran up to it and spooked it before I was able to. It really iritated because I knew that it would suffer and die slowly.

Fortunately, about a day and a half later it somehow managed to fly back into my yard and I was able to finish it off. I knew it was that same bird when I turned it over. It had been shot through the lower back and exited out its right leg. By that point, in this 90 degree heat, the wound had dried up and turned gangrenous. Maggots had even began to feed on the wound.

Now this will seem strange, but I decided to skin it to see if I could salvage the meat. I wanted to try to eat it so at least its suffering served a purpose. It seems that most of the wound had not occured in the breast tissue area, although the surface of one side of the meat had began to fester.

I was able to cut off the outer layer of that effected area and the rest of the meat looked fine. But I was wondering if it is still safe to eat an animal that had a gangrenous wound, even if you don't eat that effected portion?

I know that maggots only eat dead tissue and that the good tissue was still alive and well when it was killed. I'm just not sure if maybe it had septicemia at that point which could've pumped bad blood to even the good tissue. I know this had only occured within the last 24 hours so its not like this was bird that had been sick and wounded for a long time. Is it still safe to eat if it is thoroughly cooked?

cw · Banned

GROSS!!!

NEVER eat ANY animal that has an infection! No matter how
little time it has had it! Never eat ANY animal that you happen
upon that is wounded.

CW

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

Yeah, I was reluctant to give it up, but I shot like five other doves (with my talon), so throwing out half of one dove breast was no big deal. I didn't eat it but I think that I would've been ok even if I had. But there is certainly no reason for me to push my luck. I can imagine going to the emergency room with food poisoning and them asking me what I ate. "Nothing much Doc...I had some chinese food last night, a granola bar this morning, and oh yeah, A GANGRENOUS CARCASS!"

The only reason I even considered it is from watching Survivor Man and Man vs. Wild. I mean those guys ate the actual maggots that were feeding on the rotten carcass.

cw · Banned

I have never tried pigeon. How does it taste?

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

cw · Banned

What are they feeding on.

broommaster2000 · Moderator

cw · Banned

If they are garbage eaters, I would not eat them.

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

I've never seen mourning doves eating garbage. In fact, when you clean them, usually their gizzards will break open and you can see what they've been feeding on. It's usually a mixture of seeds, corn, and other grains.

thepaladin · Senior Member

Do you know what chickens eat? I wouldn't flinch an instant at eating a pigon that has been flying loose in the city. Nothing they take in is any worse than what is ingested by chickens or swine. (That espically applies to commerical chickens by the way, kept in pens with their own waste to eat sleep and fatten, na. No problem with a pigeon at all.

cw · Banned

That's cool, but still I can't bring myself to eat sky rat.

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

I wouldn't have eaten them either but then I found out that mourning dove is a legitimate species to hunt and eat--similar to quail. Pigeons are a lot more pigeony than are mourning doves. I wouldn't eat a pigeon for nothing.

cw · Banned

A dove is a pigeon.

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

They are related and part of the same order or whatever, but there are clear distinctions.

This is a pigeon:

This is a dove:

thepaladin · Senior Member

I've run on this before, and I understand your feelings. Pigons are known for the droppings they leave around the city and such, but a pigon and a dove are the same species. The only real difference is color. Still, no one is saying that anyone has to eat pigon, I won't go out of my way to either, still, if hard times come, they would be a good food source in urban areas. So far as food animals, to each their own.