Get some Gerber game shears....they are great for dressing birds. What I do with pheasant and quail is to cut off the head, legs, wings, and tail/butt. Then I skin it. Then I'll take the game shears and cut on both sides of the back bone and remove it....you don't have to pick around all the vertabrae when eating it. Then I remove the insides and it's ready for the crock pot. Just to be safe, you might want to check your local laws...some require a head or wing to still be attached when transporting/storing wild birds.