Off-the-wall skills question about Peacocks

[Kyle85]

Hello everyone, I have a weird one for you - I'm in Hawaii where the bird season just opened up and we have some peacocks that we can hunt in a few areas.  However, I can find very little information about hunting them as I suppose it's quite a rare thing for people to pursue.  Specifically, I am trying to figure out if and how males respond to calling as I have a Primos peacock call coming in the mail today.  I know they call, but do the males move when they hear a male vs female peacock call?  Would calling like a male excite another male to defend it's territory or make it move off to find new ground?  What time of day do they respond best? 

Just trying to find any tips I can - Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Saturday is probably my last, best bet to put something colorful on the table!  -Kyle

[blacktailbob]

Well, let us know it went.

Got a lot of peacocks in FLorida. Not protected and not indigenous. I suspect younger ones would be quite tasty. Pheasant family.

[FLHNTR]

I’m in for the info as well. From what I’ve observed, they seem to call the mose in the late afternoon to early evening. They don’t really seem to respond to calling at all, and most don’t seem very weary of humans. I’m talking specifically about city birds, but I would think bagging one would be quite easy. Set up on the ground in an area they frequent, 25-35#’s draw weight, 10-15 yard shot with a 1.5” cut 2 blade should do the trick. I was thinking of a larger cut mechanical Turkey head, but that would require purchasing some and testing them out first. I don’t know if size of the bird would even make a difference, if anything I’d probably aim for a larger hen to start with. Theoretically, anyway..

[Kyle85]

OK folks I got one!  But I did cheat and use a boom-stick.  So to follow the house rules I cannot share the story here, but if you want to hear how it went, you can read the story here:  https://timetogowild.com/stories/peacocks-in-paradise . 

You can rest assured though that if and when I do catch up to one with a bow, I will gladly tell you all about it here, but it will have to be when the next season opens in November :-/

In the meantime archery opens up for goats in my area, so if I don't fall off a cliff to my doom and neither does the arrowed goat I may have another story for you 'ere long.  -Kyle

[FLHNTR]

Great article, but what kind of gun did you use (pertaining to gauge)? What number shot? How far were your first two shots, and how close was the kill shot? Did you have a choke in the barrel? Asking because I’m trying to figure out how tough the birds are. Well done! Hope you get an amazing mount!

[Kyle85]

FLHNTR, I used a 12ga. 2 3/4" 1 1/8oz Lead No. 4 with a modified choke.  Earlier in the day I shot a Francolin (grouse -sized bird) at between 20 and 25  yards, and that flattened him pretty good.  The first two shots at the peacock were at the same distance, and I didn't see any damage in the breast or thighs afterwards, the last shot I led him well and got head and neck from maybe 15 yards so... did I miss the first two shots or did the shot bounce off his feathers at that distance?  Not sure, but I think I'd go No. 2 or BB for a general body shot.  Head and neck I guess you have more options but I wasn't calling him in for a slow, aimed shot like you do with a Tom turkey, I was taking whatever shot I could from the ground really fast before he disappeared into the brush.  Overall He was probably a 10lb bird counting feathers and all.  His bone-in skinned breast was 2lb 11oz. 

You have some of them out there you can hunt?  I still think the males are call-able, but I hear they call more in late afternoons and early evenings, so that may be a good method for locating them.  Good luck!

[FLHNTR]

Thanks for the info!! Yes, we have a bunch of Peacock in SW Florida. Most of the ones I see are in the city/suburban areas, but my buddy who owns a ranch east of Tampa says he has a bunch on his property as well. They’re not something I have ever thought of specifically targeting, but I saw the thread you started, and then I started thinking about how cool of a wall mount one of those would make, and my brain started churning with the possibilities lol. FL classifies them as an invasive species, so there’s no bag limit or seasonal restriction, but if I had the opportunity I’d probably only harvest 1 or 2. They definitely carry a majestic quality to their appearance, but nature also has a sense of humor, and typically the beautiful majestic creatures are also delicious…

Can you share any information on the breast meat you butchered? Like how did you prepare it, what was the flavor like, what is it similar to? I would imagine it to be a dark red lean meat, similar to duck and this easy to over cook, but throw it in some marinade and serve it over a fresh spring mix salad with some balsamic and sliced fruit, I could see them being super tasty!

[Kyle85]

I cooked the legs using a Mexican Posole recipe and would do that again. The breast was white but did not remind me of turkey in flavor. It was a mild flavor but easy to get dry, so I'd highly recommend brining overnight no matter what you do next. I think either a very slow cook or slice, smash, and breadcrumbs for some semblance of schnitzel would treat you well. I salted mine on the surface overnight and cooked for 2.5 hours on low heat with onions in the Dutch oven, but was still slightly dry. Good flavor but I'd baby it more or fry it next time.

[Kyle85]

Good eats overall.

[Shootrj2003]

They must similar to turkeys as one here in ny hung out with the local turkeys for a couple years til he disappeared , I miss him!

[Kyle85]

OK I have an update after bagging a couple of them. 
1. The Primos Peacock Call is designed to shock gobble Turkeys and... that's what it's best suited for.  I've only occasionally gotten a reply from a male peacock using it, and on average they shut up and seem to go away - I think it's off an octave or two and doesn't seem to provoke the male-on-male aggression I'd like.

2. Find a place with low ground cover and especially good forbs so they have good food and room to strut.  After mating season you can find strutting grounds and roosting sites by finding where all the fresh feathers have been shed. 

3. You can hide and hope or make a move - making a move may work best.  I got my two Peacocks on the move. They have exceptional vision and are very touchy, so you can only get them on the move if you have the right terrain to move through silently and that gives you the opportunity to pop-around corners or over hills.  I got one popping around a boulder in a very rocky creek bottom and another by following the sound of competing males to where I knew there was a meadow and popped up quickly and caught two males facing off over a female and got one before he could figure out what I was. 

The other way to move in on them is to find their roosts which you can do by intuition (find big trees with good fields of view), finding feathers, or listening for their calls.  I've had multiple opportunities to shoot them in trees but I passed them up for either being out-of-season, being females (legal, but non-target for me) or for being spotted and spooking them, but usually they seem to feel safe in the trees. 

They taste great and look even better!

Well that's the update for now, if anyone wants to give them a try I'll be your guide in Hawaii - season runs NOV-JAN.  Happy Hunting!  -Kyle