Field Dressing and To The Freezer

I know that there are several ways of field dressing your birds. I thought I'd tell you how I take care of mine.

Most days I am in the blind or walking before shooting hours, and don't get back to where it is I am staying until late morning or early afternoon. This means that the birds I have shot, may spend up to 6 hours in my game vest before I start processing them. In all my years of bird hunting I have yet to have any ill effects from this. I am sure some of you are raising your brows at that lenght of time before the birds are dressed. True, I enjoy the cleaning process more when the birds are warm instead of sub freezing, yet its just not possible all the time.

Usually when I get done hunting I am really hungry and looking forward to a hot meal and some good strong coffee. It's also nice to get out of wet clothes or clammy waders and just relax a spell. Then once my belly is full I am able to concentrate again, and ready to start processing my birds.

So, I grab a comfortable seat outside (a log round) and commence to plucking the wings first. I pluck out to the the first joint, both top and bottom. Then I continue plucking the breast, back and legs. I continue to repeat this for each bird til all plucking is done. The only time I consider "breasting out" a bird is if it is immature and full of pin feathers. Even then I will also cut the legs off at the body (hip joint). After I finish plucking, I cut the wings off at the first joint and cut the feet off at the knee. I leave the head on for transport and identification. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife requires that either, a wing or head must remain attached while in transit.

Then I cut the ducks butt off and make a small slit on its belly side up to the cavity opening. This makes it easier to get my hand inside the cavity and remove all entrails. The intestines, gizzard and heart come out easily compared to the other parts. I like to remove as much of the lungs as possible, also trachea and poop shoot too. These take a little bit of work and are the last parts to be removed. After that I give them all a good rinsing inside and out with a hose. Then I hang them(by their necks) in the shed. If it is warm I will use a sheet to cover them so no flies can lay eggs on them. Usually it is cold enough that I seldom need to cover them. Yet this year has been very warm and I have covered them.

I have kept ducks and geese like this for up to 5 to 7 days if conditions are cold enough. Typically they will freeze within a day or two and are just fine. Then once I get home I will remove their heads and give them a final going over in the kitchen sink. Making sure I got all the insides out and pluck any remaining stubborn feathers or "pins" if needed.


Then I wrap them in clear polyvinyl plastic (Costco lifetime roll) making sure to get out as much air as I can. Next, I wrap them in butcher paper that is waxed on the inside. I bought a roll that is 18" wide and have found that size works great for all my wild game wrapping. I use a good quality freezer tape and make sure no air can get to the meat, and then into the freezer they go. I tried using the Food Saver for birds but found that the plastic was not durable enough. Especially when I start rummaging around in the freezer. If there was a bird with a broken wing it punctured the plastic. With the freezer paper I can throw a tape patch over the sharp broken bones and found that to be a good solution. I typically will have birds frozen for up to a year and without any signs of freezer burn doing it this way.

Before going in the freezer I use a sharpie and write on the package; date harvested, location, species, gender and condition of bird. That last note consist of either a star for a perfect unblemished breast (meaning no shot holes) and will make a beautiful display for a roasted presentation, all the way down the scale to a note that reads "best for Parmesan Nuggets, a bit shot up" or "really shot up".

So there you have it, that is what I do with my birds. I am a bit old school and a traditionalist. For me I feel best plucking the entire bird and not breasting it out. For me I sleep better doing it the way that I was taught by my dad, even though it takes a bit longer.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Looks Can Be Deceiving

It seems that each year I get a few ducks that aren't quite what they appear to be once I have them in hand. This hen Mallard is just one of those.

From her initial jump when Jet and I crested the top of the dike she seemed a strong healthy bird. It was after we returned to the cabin and had brunch when I began processing (cleaning) my mornings harvest. I typically begin plucking the wings out to the first joint and then pluck the body. Well as you can see from the picture this duck had a golf ball size tumor on her upper left breast. It was very firm and not mobile at all. There were no signs of a previous wound, no gang green and from all appearances seemed to be an internal issue. I was reluctant to finish dressing her out and decided best to leave her in the field. I don't like not being able to eat what I kill, yet this time it seemed to be the prudent decision. I thought about taking her to Fish and Game on my way home, but I forgot to put her in the freezer and by the next day, it was to late. She was not an overly robust hen Mallard like some are with a nice fat layer under a corn colored skin. I suspect she was last years hatch since she is void of pin feathers(2007) and just didn't have the ability to bulk up like some Mallards can and do. So she went to the Magpies in the end and I was sorry to have seen her end up that way. It wasn't my first choice that's for sure. Not knowing what the tumor was, it was not worth the risk to my own health.

Over the years I have shot ducks and geese that had been previously shot and showed a greenish tint or color to their skin around the wound. Definitely gangrene and in most of those cases I have cut out the affected area and eaten the birds with no ill affects what so ever. This was just not one of those cases.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Welcome Women Huntresses

This story is of a young woman's first duck. It was in my "in box" when I returned home from my recent deer hunt. I was so thrilled to read her waterfowl hunting story that I asked her if I could share it with the rest of my readers and she agreed.

It is for young upcoming women huntresses (like Tiffany Robertson) that I started the Women's Hunting Journal blog, offering encouragement, support and sharing my 30-plus years of bird hunting experience with other women hunters. Tiffany already understands that hunting is about being present in those wild places. As a woman huntress she feels the magic of being an active participant in her environment.

Reading her correspondence I can't help but reflect back to my early years hunting: Feeling the chill of a cold frosty Autumn morning; glistening frost covered leaves, cattails and marsh grasses. A thin layer of ice covering the flooded fields as my dad and I walked along the dike edge to our blind. The ground was white with frost as we layed our gear down and settled in. Soon the sun would rise enough to take the chill away. We watched the frost turn to water dripping off the cattails, the small Marsh Wrens finding a sunny stalk to sit on and glean a bit of warmth, singing joyously to all that listened. These are just a few of my fond memories of being a young woman huntress. I am fortunate to be able to participate in hunting and be in wild places. Thank goodness hunting season is finally here again!

Please welcome a new woman hunter to the duck blind. Enjoy and keep the magic alive!
______________________________________
My First Duck Hunt!
by Tiffany Robertson

I live in North Dakota and the opportunities to hunt waterfowl are awesome here. My boyfriend has been hunting for years now and I begged to have to have him take me out. First, I went to the gun range to get a little last minute practice.

We then left for my first waterfowl adventure on Sunday, October 5th, 2008. After 2 hours in the truck,we arrived at a field full of ducks feeding (at least 1000). With our gear, decoys, and dog, we walked alongside the field over a hill to a nearby slough where the ducks would come to sleep that evening. The weather was windy and rainy, perfect conditions for duck hunting.

We carefully placed our decoys in the slough and got into ready position. As my boyfriend called them in, I took a shot at my first drake overhead. He came down beautifully and Dakota (our golden) went to retrieve it. Never before had I seen something so beautiful. The drake was about 2 years old with 2 curls on his tail. After this moment, I didn't even care if I shot another duck. We did an evening hunt from 5-7 pm. Although a few got away, I still managed to shoot my limit of 4 mallard drakes and 1 mallard hen. My boyfriend couldn't have been more proud of his little hunter. This was my first hunt but definitely not my last. At the end of the evening, I cleaned and debreasted all the ducks myself. Memories I will never forget."




_____________________________________
Thank you Tiffany for sharing your story and I trust it will inspire more women to give hunting a try. Best of luck to you during your first season of waterfowling. Keep the stories coming.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Field Journal: Lowlands Group

Here's a group photo with some of my friends after a morning "diver" hunt on the Klamath River in Southern Oregon. Next comes processing birds while a couple others get brunch underway. Waterfowl hunting can be fast and furious in the Klamath basin in Southern Oregon. Producing wonderful table fare and tired dogs as well as tired hunters.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt