Dry Aging ducks

Anyone ever heard of putting a whole duck in the refrigerator for a while before processing it. Supposed to improve the taste I was told?

I heard the same thing from a Guy I know

Scrape check out this thread...

https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/8046849/1/lets-talk-eating-duck

Works well, they clean up easy.

Thanks!

Make sure you put it breast up. Yes it makes a huge difference.

When y’all say put the whole duck in the refrigerator. You mean not gutted and feathers and all? Why breast up?

Yes to your first question. You lay them breast up so gut juice does not no seep into the breast. Old school is hang your duck strap in a cold garage for days.

Sounds good

Ive never liked aging whole birds intact. They take up way more room, the lice gets all in the refrigerator, mine always seems to be wet when I put them up and a wet bird after about a week gets nasty, the sooner you can clean out any shot wounds the better, they drip more juices whole into the fridge, and I like to let the pepper do its thing on the meat for a week.

That’s interesting I never knew you could age birds.

i have a separate fridge for aging game and birds. I hang all game birds except dove. I'm getting an external thermostat that controls the temp inside that fridge more precisely then the one the fridge uses so I can cure meats. I just plucked some pheasant that were hanging for 4 days. That's probably the toughest bird to pluck for me. I always tear the skin around the neck and wings. Hang your birds, pluck them and keep the hearts, gizzards and liver.

I skin all divers and if I ever get snows I'll skin them as well. I skin puddle ducks that have orange fat. They've been eating too many critters.