Shear Magic

When dealing with small game, fish and fowl game shears the way to go!

With the fall hunting season winding down, the only bird hunting left is that provided on hunt club properties where planted pheasant are in abundance. There may be those who look down on such activities, but any day in the field is better than staying home and I find that my Brittany spaniel is just as enthusiastic on planted birds as she is on wild birds.   

The only thing about bird hunting that I find rather unpleasant is the necessary game care. Simply put, field dressing game birds isn’t my idea of a good time. That said, I have discovered a way to make the chore more tolerable—game shears! For many years I used a pocketknife to deal with small game, upland birds and waterfowl. While the knife worked, game care was still a messy job. Once game shears entered into the picture, every thing took a new turn. No longer were my hands and pants smeared with the byproducts of field dressing. Likewise, the game care assignment was far easier that it had ever been. The use of game shears completely altered my usual field dressing procedure for the better.

While poultry or game shears aren’t anything new, their use in the field is something new. Now, several cutlery firms are marketing their own version of what has come to be an upland and waterfowl essential edge. One such tool is the “Vital Take-A-Part Game Shears” made by the folks at Gerber. This handy gadget is nothing more than a set of heavy-duty stainless steel scissors, designed with a bone notch and a serrated edge to grasp and cut through bone, ligament and tough muscle tissue. Furthermore, the tool has oversized glass-filled and rubber over-molded handles to enhance cutting power and user comfort. A heavy-duty nylon sheath is also provided along with the tool for carrying ease. Once the field dressing assignment is finished, the game shears can easily be taken apart for cleaning. It should also be noted that the shears are dishwasher safe so cleanup is a snap!

I first used the shears on a limit of cottontail rabbits that came early in the hunting season. Snipping the hide, opening the abdominal cavity and removing the head and four paws were a simple job. Likewise, cutting the skinned and field dressed rabbit carcass into quarters for refrigerated storage was just as quick and simple. Later on I had the opportunity to once again use the shears on fish, snipping off external spines, opening the visceral cavity and removing heads and gill structures. When it came to birds, the game shears were just the ticket to sever wings and head, as well as snipping open the body cavity for removal of the entrails.

Using game shears kept my hands away from the mess associated with fish, fowl and small game field care. Furthermore, the assignment was completed quickly and with a new found ease. Should you want to try a little “shear magic” yourself, then you’ll find that the Gerber product mentioned herein is both affordable and readily available at most cutlery dealers. For more information, use your Internet browser and go to: www.gerbergear.com.–Durwood Hollis