ORIGINAL: scottr
Thanks SwampCollie. This will likely be my start at plucking going forward. I pluck all my upland game but most of my ducks have been small (teal etc) and didn't seem worth it.
I am getting more into waterfowling vs upland and I am starting to get into larger birds including geese.
Do you pluck by hand or use one of those nubby mechanical ones I've seen in Cabelas? I was looking at the one that can go on a drill as a limit of birds could take a while by hand.
I do it by hand. You get pretty quick at it the more you do it. I just use my thumb and swipe with the grain. Once you get a good patch out, you can litterally just wipe the rest away. I start at the neck on the breast side, holding the bird head towards me in my right hand and use my left to pluck from neck to tail. Next I go under the birds right wing and roll down the back. I don't go too far up the wing, but leave a little on so I don't take out any brest meat. I bust the wing bone with kitchen shears and then cut the skin with a fillet knife. Those small birding knives work well too, but fillet knives are ubiquitous around my camp. I lop off the head and feet and cut out the guts...ta-da. I don't worry about every little speck of blood or anything like that. Doesn't have to be perfect...doesn't have to be FDA approved. Nothing in a wild bird that will hurt you...no hormones or pesticides...100% free range organic!