A fun, spirited conversation with Lori McCarthy of Cod Sounds in Newfoundland, and Wade Truong of Elevated Wild in Virginia, all about cooking small game -- birds, rabbits, squirrels, and yep, we stray into big game, too. You asked for it, an all-cooking episode, and here it is! 

In this episode we chase the desert quail of the American Southwest: Gambel's, Mearns (Montezuma) and scaled quail. I talk with hunter-biologist Kirby Bristow all about how to hunt these birds, and I share some cooking and cleaning tips at the end. 

To many, the ruffed grouse is the king of all gamebirds. In this episode, I talk with hunter-biologists Rocky Gutierrez and Heather Shaw all about this amazing game bird, which ranges all the way from California to the Canadian Maritimes. 

This episode concentrates on hunting wild turkeys in the fall, just in time for Thanksgiving. I talk with turkey hunting expert Tony Caggiano of World Slam Adventures not only about hunting turkeys all over North America, but also how to target autumn birds -- and then how to cook them. 

I talk with the renowned game bird biologist Rocky Gutierrez about mountain quail and a whole lot more. Rocky is arguably the Yoda of game bird biology, with 175+ peer reviewed articles going back 45 years. He is a deep well of knowledge and also happens to be one of the leading experts on mountain quail, which is the ostensible topic of our talk -- but we go into a whole lot more. 

Pheasants are by far the most popular upland game bird hunted in North America, and in this episode, Bob St. Pierre of Pheasants Forever, outdoor writer Chris Niskanen and I dig deep into the ditch parrot's biology, conservation status, hunting strategies -- both with and without a dog -- as well as gear and dog tips, and of course a lengthy discussion on how to cook these birds. 

In this episode we talk woodcock... yes, juvenile jokes aside, this game bird is an icon of the Northeast as well as the Upper Midwest, and is both challenging and tasty. Project Upland's A.J. DeRosa and Covey Rise magazine's Matt Soberg join me for an in-depth discussion. 

Scaled quail are a special species of quail that favors dry, dusty, grassy deserts dotted with yuccas. They are most common in west Texas and New Mexico, and I talk with biologist Ryan O'Shaughnessy of West Texas Outfitters -- yes, he's a PhD and an outfitter! -- about these birds. 

The band-tailed pigeon is the last huntable native pigeon in the United States, and it is the closest relative to the extinct passenger pigeon. I talk with US Fish & Wildlife biologist Mark Seamans all about this iconic bird, from conservation to biology to hunting and cooking tips. 

This episode of Hunt Gather Talk is all about spruce grouse, the grouse of the boreal forest. Joining me are biologist Bailey Petersen of the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources and filmmaker Kevin Kossowan of the Canadian TV show From the Wild.