Duck cleaning question

[mrmoskillz]

So if I shoot a duck and keep it on ice how long will it stay good without out being gutted?  I know it should be done right away but will a duck still be good if it is kept whole on ice for a day or 2?

[Widgeondeke]

I've waited til the 2nd day of a weekend hunt to clean birds before.  All good. I know in Alaska they will leave the birds hanging for weeks: yes it is subzero.

[steeleywhopper]

I usually hang em on the front porch for a week before I clean em.

[duckmen1]

I won't let mine sit for more than a few hours, just my preference though.

[wrangler]

I've waited till the 2nd day of a hunt also, usually when out of town on a trip. I always pluck the breasts asap tho, even on a day hunt. again, as someone said, personal preference. some say it matters, some say it dont. my pepperoni always tastes best tho!   

[NW-GSP]

As long as you get the temp below 35 it will be fine, justake sure to cook to the right temp

[JLS]

I've gone up to a week with pheasants and never had an issue.  If it's warm I throw them in the fridge.  If it's 40 or below I hang them in the garage.  I just cleaned a pile of ducks that hung for 48 hours and they are fine.  If you're planning on plucking them, I wouldn't go much longer than that.

[xdog]

So if I shoot a duck and keep it on ice how long will it stay good without out being gutted?  I know it should be done right away but will a duck still be good if it is kept whole on ice for a day or 2?

Yes.

My preference is that they get cleaned in the first twelve hours, but I have cleaned and eaten ducks with good results 1-7 days later.  The temperatures that they are kept at will dictate how long they keep for good table results. 

Bon Appetit.

[ducksdogsdownriggers]

Here's a link to an article/blog written by a wild game chef on aging birds (like you age beef).  Bottom line, for ducks he suggests 1-3 days of aging, which is what I typically follow as well.  This is an excellent read: http://honest-food.net/2012/10/20/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

[mrmoskillz]

Great info thanks guys

[Tealer]

A long weekend is fine.

[Tight Spin]

I let mine go at least 3 days for both Ducks and Pheasants. The guy that got me hunting back in the 70's would not even think about cleaning his birds for at least 4 days. He had told me back then that the worst birds that he had even eaten were the birds that were cleaned the same day of kill

[KevinClimbs]

Here's a link to an article/blog written by a wild game chef on aging birds (like you age beef).  Bottom line, for ducks he suggests 1-3 days of aging, which is what I typically follow as well.  This is an excellent read: http://honest-food.net/2012/10/20/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

I second this.

I have been reading this blog for a number of years and have met Hank (the author) in person. His information has been extremely reliable for me. That site also has some great instructional resources for plucking, skinning and cooking waterfowl.   

[fisheral87]

Good info.

[WSU]

I often wait a day or two.  I will say that you are better off cleaning birds right away if the birds are shot up.  I've found that the meat around the damaged tissue gets nasty if left with a lot of blood, stomach juice, etc. on it.  I clean those birds ASAP.

[WCTaxidermy]

As a bird Taxidermist, I can assure you that you want to at least get the gut's out of the bird as soon as you possibly can.  If you think about it, especially on ducks and geese, they have very heavy downy feathers, so dense that it keeps them dry in the water.  If you shoot one and let it sit, for any length of time, even if it's 0 degrees out, the gut's and inside of the bird are going to stay hot (about 100-105 degrees internal temp for a bird)  for a long period of time, and guess what happens?

I totally agree with the concept of wet and dry aging meat.  I wet age my brisket before I BBQ it for 30 days, but it is a clean piece of meat and sealed in Cryovac.(sp?)  I have hunted since I was old enough to carry a shotgun, and my Dad taught way back then to get the birds gutted so they can air cool and as soon a possible.  I guarantee your duck and goose meat will taste a lot better.

Now I know a lot of you won't agree with me and that is fine, but I have one question in closing.  Do all of you that don't clean your birds for hours or days do the same with your deer and elk you shoot?   

[Tealer]

Ducks and geese are not deer and elk.

[bobcat]

I agree with WC. When I used to hunt ducks, I would get the guts out ASAP. It's common sense, really. Like he said, would you wait a few days before gutting a deer?

[WCTaxidermy]

Ducks and geese are not deer and elk.

I understand that Ducks and Geese are not Deer and Elk.  The meat in Ducks and Geese is wild game meat, just like Deer and Elk.  It needs to be cooled off quickly just like Deer and Elk meat.  Just my opinion, that's all.

[singleshot12]

We used to hang them by the necks with guts still in for two weeks in cool weather, and boy were they tender and tasty

[bobcat]

We used to hang them by the necks with guts still in for two weeks in cool weather, and boy were they tender and tasty

 

[singleshot12]

You should try it sometime , the meat ages and is actually much better than day old kill

[LeftCoastLoren]

When gutting/ cleaning birds at the end of the hunting day the insides MAY be SLIGHTLY warmer than the rest of the bird ( in my experiences) its not like they stay at 105 degrees for days on the inside.

[LeftCoastLoren]

BUT if you plan on eating the heart....I'd get that out of the cavity ASAP!! 

[Squatch200]

I clean mine as soon as I get home from hunting. I've also cleaned them two days later and couldnt tell the difference except they are harder to clean the longer you wait.

[JLS]

I agree with WC. When I used to hunt ducks, I would get the guts out ASAP. It's common sense, really. Like he said, would you wait a few days before gutting a deer?

A deer has a little bigger body to cool down than a pheasant or a duck.

And yes, I do hang my deer and elk for a week if I can.  I skin them, but we're comparing apples and oranges here trying to equate deer/elk and ducks/pheasants.

[fisheral87]

Seems like there is more than one way to age a duck.

[MP123]

I've heard of guys aging upland birds by hanging them up by the neck until the head falls off after a couple weeks.  Never tried it myself...

[mrmoskillz]

Thanks guys.  The reason I asked the question was because the wife and I were filming a reality TV show and they wanted me to shoot a duck on camera and have it cleaned the next day.  I said as long as the bird would not be wasted that would be fine.  Turns out I shot a coot and had it cleaned the next day and it was fine.  I always clean my birds as soon as I get them home so they sit for 4-5hrs at most.

[Practical Approach]

Why would anyone want to eat a duck???

[92xj]

I forgot about the show!!!!!!!!!!
And a coot?! On air. 
Is it weird having "a different" one in the house?

[mrmoskillz]

Yea it was weird.  I cant say to much about it on here but 92xj if you want to pm me I can tell you more.  I can say I had the "new wife"  clean a goose we shot the day she got there.  I knew I would catch heck from you guys for shooting a coot but I needed a kill on camera lol

[92xj]

That's awesome.  I knew you couldnt talk much.... I've done good keeping it on the downlow, because I forgot about it 
Goodluck with everything!

[bobcat]

I hope you let the "new wife" eat the coot.

[mrmoskillz]

Thank you 92xj and I wish I had more notice I would have loved to invite you over for poker night they filmed but only had a little time to get the fellas over and I know you live clear across the state.  When it is closer to airing I will put a post on here so everyone can watch it.  It should air between early Feb-early summer.