I haven't duck hunted in a couple of years and I've never gone for more than one day. But tomorrow, my father-in-law and I are going on a camping/hunting trip to Kaw lake in NE Oklahoma. When I have bagged ducks before, I just skinned them and gutted them on the spot. But this time, I want to keep the skins on them so I can inject some marinade. I was curious, do I need to gut the ducks right away, or can it wait until I get home? Should I boil them for a while to get the feathers off? What's a good way to get the feathers off without cooking the bird? Just sit there and rip them out? Thanks for any advice! Matt

if it is cold ....which i would think it would be ..... dont worry bout pluckin em til ya get back to camp ..... just pluck the birds .... break or cut the wings and legs (at the second joint of both) and cut right below the thigh of the bird ... from thigh to thigh .... then pull out the entrails .... sum talk bout cuttin thru the ribs from the back but i have never tried it .... if ya need for me to get more specific just messag me or sumthin .... good luck

Most of the cleaning can probably wait until you get home as long as it is cold out. I would definately gut them out ASAP though. It's quick to do and will keep the meat from going bad sooner. I would also recommend picking up some latex gloves, makes gutting a much cleaner experience. Couldn't advise you on plucking though, I pretty much breast everything out.

Be careful of any field dressing. It is illegal in Oklahoma to field dress a migratory bird (other than dove) without leaving the head or a wing attached. A buddy and I just reviewed the regs concerning this today. Also, you are considered 'in the field' until you reach one's home or commercial facility.

Even though it has warmed up here considerably, you will be all right with them unless you are going to stay all day. Then you might think about a cooler. If you leave @ noon or before, don't worry about them.


EDIT: I just saw that you posted this last night. Hope you didn't see any trouble.

I find that it is easyer to pluck warm fresh ducks.
Yes gutt them right away.
If you do pluck the ducks ,remember to leave a fully feathered wing for identafation.
Don't want you to be ticketed if you are checked by the DNR.