Proper care of waterfowl after the hunt

[ICEMAN]

Lets talk proper care of waterfowl.

I have always felt that ducks and geese should atleast be iced down over night if you intend to clean your birds the next day.  I keep ducks in the shade and out of the sun, even on cold days.

Other cultures hang ducks for a couple of days, some even longer. Not sure I appreciate this strategy.

I do not breast out waterfowl, and prefer to harvest as much meat out as possible. Because of this, I do not want gut shot duck laying around too long. I try to clean all my birds day of kill, sometimes the next day if I ice them down.

What say you? How do you care for your waterfowl?

[duckmen1]

I don't cook ducks whole but debone all my meat as soon as I get home and grind it into summer sausage with 50 percent mix of elk.

[irishevox]

i usually just brest them out when i get home, don;t know how else to clean them

[ICEMAN]

I don't cook ducks whole but debone all my meat as soon as I get home and grind it into summer sausage with 50 percent mix of elk.

Here is a fun way to cook some up, shishkabob them up with some elk chunks, some onion, mushrooms... We do deer/elk/bear and duck shishkabobs!

[KopperBuck]

If I'm grinding or jerky than immediately when I get home. If I'm roasting - hang for at least 3 days if the temps are good.

[h2ofowlr]

I usually lay them on the concrete floor always breast up, so the blood doesn't settle in the breast.  I try to clean them that day, if not it is the following day.  I clean them and let them soak for a day or two and frequently change the water.

[REHJWA]

I bone them out the same day unless its freezing out. As long as it is frozen out a will let them hang a day or so, particularly my divers. If I want a nice fat bird to roast I will pull the innards out before I leave the field. 

[ICEMAN]

i usually just brest them out when i get home, don;t know how else to clean them

Irishevox, check out this link. This is how I clean my birds and get all the meat from them. Even the tiniest of chunks make great shishkabob, tender little cutlets for the skillet etc...

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,33461.msg397034.html#msg397034

[irishevox]

Thanks

[REHJWA]

i usually just brest them out when i get home, don;t know how else to clean them

Irishevox, check out this link. This is how I clean my birds and get all the meat from them. Even the tiniest of chunks make great shishkabob, tender little cutlets for the skillet etc...

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,33461.msg397034.html#msg397034

I'll have to give it a try but getting a duck to flip its skin isn't nearly as easy as it is for a grouse.

[ICEMAN]

Agreed. Their back skin can stick like glue sometimes...

[REHJWA]

So do you just cut that off with the back bone?

[aaronoto]

For the guys that hang them a couple days do you notice a big difference in the meat?  I've heard of being done on birds, but mainly pheasant.

[redfish]

For the guys that hang them a couple days do you notice a big difference in the meat?  I've heard of being done on birds, but mainly pheasant.

I notice a huge difference when I hang waterfowl for 4 days or so.  Meat has zero gamey (liver) flavor.  Night and day difference. 

[Brad Harshman]

I've left them in fridge for 4 days, breast up, with no problem.  So far I only make jerky out of them, and I haven't noticed any bad.  But then again, I make jerky.  And I only breast them out.

[Spuddieselwwu]

Hang em til their heads fall off... Then breast them out.

[johnsc6]

Hang em til their heads fall off... Then breast them out.

Thats what my grandpa used to say, "hang  em by thier feet, till thier heads fall off". Never got that extreme, but do hang them for up to 4 days, mostly out of convieniece (lazyness) to do them all at onece after the weekend.

[ducksdogsdownriggers]

Good topic.  I usually hang for a day or two.  Gut-shot birds are cleaned same day.  The current DU issue has an article on the topic:  http://www.ducks.org/hunting/recipes/cooking-dry-aging-versus-brining

The best site for outdoorsman who like to cook, addresses hanging Pheasants but also mentions ducks, geese, and other game birds: http://honest-food.net/2012/10/20/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

Over the years I’ve come to these conclusions on hang time:

    Pheasants, grouse, partridges and geese I will hang 3 to 7 days, depending on how old they were.
    Pen-raised pheasants, all quail, woodcock, snipe and ducks I only age 1 to 3 days, again, depending on size and age. The smaller the bird and the younger the bird, the shorter the hang time.

[vandeman17]

I usually lay them on the concrete floor always breast up, so the blood doesn't settle in the breast.  I try to clean them that day, if not it is the following day.  I clean them and let them soak for a day or two and frequently change the water.

I do the same. I lay them breast up on the concrete floor in my garage and will clean within a day or two. I generally grill my duck and have found that I get the best flavor with a two day wait. (If shot saturday I will clean monday)

[Patarero]

Depends on temps, few days in the garage. 

Depends on the duck, but usually pluck dabblers, cut the back out then slow cook on the grill or in a dutch oven.  I like leaving the skin on, feel like it keeps them from drying out.

[pd]

Tag

[ElkBOW79]

Ok....i guess ill chime in with How we clean our birds..if cold enough we place the birds breast up in the garage for 6-8 days....(i have to admit the first time i saw done i thiught they were crazy... but  now im a convert)..then put them in salt water for 2 days then we put them in a ziplock bag with olive oil in the fridge for 3 days...it turns out super tender and less greasy!   A definite must try!!!

[Bunny Thumper]

Could you just clean them or breast them out and age the meat in the refrigerator like deer or elk, or is there a reason you don't  clean them for a few days?

[hntrspud]

I debone the meat when I get home. However after reading about hanging the ducks, I may just have to give that a try.

[ICEMAN]

For the guys who hang ducks, what temps do you limit yourselves too? What is too warm to safely hang the meat?

[aaronoto]

For the guys who hang ducks, what temps do you limit yourselves too? What is too warm to safely hang the meat?

This is what I worry about with hanging.  A little too long at too warm a temperature and it could spell trouble...

[ducksdogsdownriggers]

For the guys who hang ducks, what temps do you limit yourselves too? What is too warm to safely hang the meat?

This is what I worry about with hanging.  A little too long at too warm a temperature and it could spell trouble...

Everything you needed to know on hanging birds and more right here, duck/goose info toward the bottom:  http://honest-food.net/2012/10/20/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

[270Shooter]

For the guys who hang ducks, what temps do you limit yourselves too? What is too warm to safely hang the meat?

This is what I worry about with hanging.  A little too long at too warm a temperature and it could spell trouble...

i pluck the breast of the duck and I'll let then hang a day or two if temps do not exceed 40 and I always keep them in the shade out of direct sunlight

[RailRob]

I just breast them out when I get home. I soak them in ice cold water with a little salt in it to bring the blood out. Usually for a 5 or 6 hours or overnight, depending when I get in

[sakoshooter]

I normally breast mine when I get home. I also wash the breast halves vigorously between my hands like I'm washing my own hands with clean, cold water, working out all bloodshot areas, feathers and pellets.