Aging/Hanging Ducks
Corey Mulhair at SPLIT REED
Presented by onX Hunt
There is usually quite a bit of work that must be done in order to load up a tailgate or strap with ducks. So much so that sometimes the thought of getting home and having to deal with a limit of birds can be a weight you’d rather not bear until the following day or so. This might not apply to those who only are interested in breasting birds, but for those with a taste for plucked and whole cooked ducks- it can be a pain in the ass.
That is why what I’m about to recommend may seem like a pretty sweet idea regarding the care of the dark meat waterfowl we so enjoy to shoot out of the skies and ag fields of our select favorite flyways.
Mallards, Pintail and Wigeon are all great table-fare ducks in nearly every habitat you can find them in; but are especially so when you’re hunting them in cut cornfields!
Why do we hang/age waterfowl? Texture and Flavor. As time passes, natural enzymes break down the tissue and tenderize as well as add a savory and desirable flavor to the flesh! The optimal temperature for this IMO is between 35 and 45 degrees (though some will say 35-50!). Above 44 degrees and depending on the time of the year, the worry of undesirable bacterial growth, as well as flies and other bugs, is something to take into account. Between 35-40 degrees, bacterial growth is essentially slowed enough to limit any need of worry or basically stopped. Also, within that temperature range, most insects aren’t active enough to bother your birds. I like a 3-5 day aging timeframe, but some will go as long as 7-10 days depending on the birds and the aging conditions. Plucking goes better too, after a few days of aging and allowing the fat/skin to release the tension on the feathers.
So benefits of aging a duck are now:
No need to get back to work after getting back from a hunt.
Flavor profile improvement. The breakdown of what makes duck flesh so dark is the key to a highly desirable flavor in waterfowl.
The texture of older tougher birds is improved by again.
Easier plucking.
In considering my method of aging/hanging ducks, flavor and texture are paramount in the decisions I am making. For instance, if you have a bird with holes through the chest there’s a good chance the meat will degrade around the wounds (bloodshot), and that the innards will be damaged by pellet trauma (gutshot). These birds should be handled after the hunt as the wound channels need to be cleaned and the intestines being shot up do nothing good for flavor, and likely will make you wish you had at least breasted it before it got funky.
If a bird is shot in the head and or only a couple of holes in the top of its torso, this is a good bird to hang/age. Living in the Dakotas and the Front Range of Colorado I’ve always just hung the birds outside when the temps are right for it, or hung in the garage. If need be (think early season) I will stick the birds in the fridge (though you may get yelled at if you aren’t a happy bachelor living alone like myself!).
If I am hanging birds, I like to hang them by the head/neck to allow fluids to drain to the cavity and away from the meat, tho for a short aging process (teal or wigeon take 1-3 days) hanging by the feet is fine.
Two hen mallards, fronts plucked to show an external view of pellet trauma. Bird on the left is high hit and will be aged. Bird on the right is hit high and low on both sides of the breastplate, with definite pellet damage to the lower digestive tract on the right side of the bird (from photo view) by the leg.
There are a few ways to go about ‘aging’ and hanging ducks. I mix up my methods depending on the suspected damage to the birds.
Left Whole
High hit birds (head/upper torso) are often left whole. Aged 3-5 days outside or in the garage and are hung by the head. They are then plucked entirely or just the front half for halved ducks (leg and thigh and breast, all with skin and fat on, pulled off breastplate/carcass). Even if a head and neck are bloody you should still check the bird to make sure it isn’t also gutshot!
Front Plucked
Front plucked birds are pretty common for me. I feel the need to know if intestinal damage has occurred, as after an aging period birds who are gutshot will likely not be tasty if fluids leach from the cavity into the meat. I like to front pluck to explore the damage, and if not badly hit, will hang and age and then treat them as a whole bird to be either totally plucked or cut the duck halves out of them.
Gutted and Hung
Gutting the birds isn’t necessary (unless pellet trauma to the lower cavity has occurred) but many folks feel the need to do so. No problem! Go ahead and make an incision under the breastplate (and even all the way around if that’s how you do it- that’s how I do it) and remove the intestines, heart, liver, and scrape the lungs out while you’re in there. From there you can hang for a few days. The added exposure of the flesh will hasten the drying period, and a short brine before cooking may help with moisture issues.
Plucked and Gutted
This essentially goes against the ‘take it easy’ after the hunt mantra, but if you’re up for a little extra work get to it! Pluck the bird (front or whole) and then remove the insides and hang, or age in the fridge. This is a fine method for any duck shot anywhere.
A front plucked wigeon, with no damage to the torso, will be hung and aged outside for 3-5 days. The duck halves next to it are from mallards who were shot in the torso and will be aged in the ‘fridge for a few days once the wound channels are cleaned of bloodshot and debris.
Ideally, you’ll shoot a duck in the head and then allow it to age for a few days in temperatures between 34 and 44 degrees. The added benefits make it a no brainer! The enhanced flavor, ease of management, and tender flesh will have you hanging every duck once you give it a try.
For more Split Reed Recipes, Tips, and other Content, click here!
Click on Corey to find him on Instagram