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.