Aging birds

[Blktail16]

How long do you age your birds for before butchering, talked to some old timers that would hang their birds for over a week.

 

[LongWayAround]

Clean them and throw them in the freezer.

If I'm "aging" them i.e: left them on garage floor, it's because I'm tired and it's cold.

They're so much easier to work with when the body is still warm.

 

[Tod osier]

I'm not aging to improve flavor or texture, as said above, I'm just doing it to put it off or accumulate more. I keep them on their backs on the garage floor (moving closer or farther from the door to keep temp about 40) or in fridge in a meat tote.

I try to get to them within a week, but even 10 days is fine. I've never had a problem with spoilage or gut contamination with ducks or pheasants. Grouse (mountain and especially sage grouse) seem to get gut contaminated really easily, so I try to get to them asap. I think for sage grouse gutting them in the field is the way to go to ensure quality.

 

[KurtR]

Clean them right when i get home