Aging Birds?

[saltwaterhillbilly]

id like to ask a question or get a idea of what the rest of us waterfowl hunters hang your birds at for aging and at what temp before processing them for freezer, jerky or consumption

[mburrows]

id like to ask a question or get a idea of what the rest of us waterfowl hunters hang your birds at for aging and at what temp before processing them for freezer, jerky or consumption

Ive never met anybody that hangs their waterfowl. We process or freeze as soon as we clean the birds.

[Brad Harshman]

I'll leave my birds in the bottom of my beer fridge breast side up for up to 5 days.  Mostly when I hunt Sundays and don't have time to process them immediately.
Can't say is helps the meat any, but it doesn't appear to make it worse.

[viva_che1363]

I dont have any real world experience with waterfowl hunting or even most game birds, but my understanding as explained to me when i was a kid is that its an old world /mainly english tradition that is supposed to make the meat more tender and flavor full - much like dry aging beef. this is according to an uncle of my that was originally from England and apparently came from a hunting family.

[metlhead]

I suppose you could call it aging. My birds just sit in the boat for a day or two, and I usually get around to cleaning everything Monday after work. Lice are usually gone too!

[Bigshooter]

IF I want to cook and eat a goose or duck I let them hang for 3 or 4 days.  If I am going to make pepperoni or jerky I don't hang them.

[fastdam]

Age cheese and wine.  Eat dead animals right off the bat or process them for long term storage ASAP

[Commando]

I clean my birds at the end of every day. Than straight into the fridge or freezer

[Spuddieselwwu]

My grandpa used to hang them by the head til the body fell off the head. I clean them the same day I shoot them.

[CP]

Dry aging bird improves their flavor -

http://www.outdoornews.com/February-2014/Waterfowl-Dry-AgingG/

[LipRipper!]

I remember a similar discussion last season.  There were quite a few hunters who left their ducks, either in the fridge or outside(if it was cold enough) for a couple days up to a week or more.  The key topic seemed to be leaving them breast side up, in order to drain the blood from the breast meat.  I tried it for a few days last year and the meat was great.  Whether or not it made it better than cleaning them right away, I couldn't tell too much difference.  If your just doing pepperoni or something similar, you might as well just clean them right away.  But, if time is the issue, it's not going to hurt if you wait a few days.