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 Preferred plucking meathod
#5418265
11/13/14 07:02 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 397
Sooner N TX
OP
Bird Dog
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OP
Bird Dog
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 397 |
I'm sure this has been covered before, but I searched and didn't find anything.
Normally, I skin and butcher ducks. But now my wife wants to try recipes that require the skin on the bird.
How do you like to pluck birds. I would rather not use wax. Has anyone used the drill-mounted pluckers I see for homestead chicken farmers?
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418270
11/13/14 07:05 PM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 524
oilag
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 524 |
Why not wax? it works pretty dang well.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418274
11/13/14 07:06 PM
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 194
ARQuacker
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 194 |
I hand the bird to the wife and tell her to get busy. 
Alan
Green light. GO!
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: ARQuacker]
#5418293
11/13/14 07:16 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,390
john paul
Pro Tracker
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Wax works very well but the paraffin can get pretty expensive. It also takes a lot longer than you think because you have to dip each duck individually, then let them cool, the peel the wax off, sometimes the wax is too thick and it's like a rock, sometimes it's too thing and its like the feathers just got really wet. I just pluck them by hand, takes me maybe 2 minutes to pluck a teal and maybe 5 to pluck a big duck. So if you have 3 limits and everyone plucks their 6 ducks it should only take about a 45 minutes tops from beginning to end (including gutting them).
I have also used the pluckers and I hate them. Beats the [censored] out of the duck and doesn't even pluck em that well. If I was doing a mass quantity of ducks very often, I would go wax over duck plucker any day of the week. Small quantity just do it by hand.
I'm with GK because I like salty old dudes.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418303
11/13/14 07:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 20,391
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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#1 Creedmoor Fan
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Let's face it they don't taste the great. There are ways to eat them that make them taste better but I would venture to say no one hunts ducks because they taste good. There ain't a duck worth plucking is what I'm getting at.
If you want kill something that tastes good take up deer/elk hunting. Also, if you want to nip this in the bud. Bring two home and ask her to pluck one while you do....she too will come to the same conclusion. It ain't worth the effort.
Buddy of mine in LA has a plucking person they take their ducks too. I've had some and they do it will a machine that looks just like the pluckers you see that is a wheel that goes in a drill. There are feathers EVERYWHERE. They are doing thousands of birds a year and getting paid, that might be the only way plucking would make sense to me.
Good luck and sorry to be a buzz kill.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel As much as I hate to admit it, I do like my truck
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: ARQuacker]
#5418304
11/13/14 07:22 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 14,278
Fooshman
THF Celebrity
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I hand the bird to the wife and tell her to get busy. My man!
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418379
11/13/14 07:44 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 397
Sooner N TX
OP
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 397 |
Thanks for the info, John Paul. You hit the nail on the head with my thoughts on wax. I just wondered if there was a better way than by hand. As my dad would say before starting a job that sucks and there is no planning or trick or fancy tool that will make it any better: "There's nothing to it but to do it."
He would say this before such wonderful adventures as cleaning out the garage, scraping up linoleum and any plumbing project. Normally, this was said after standing, staring at said project for a few minutes accompanied by a few "Hmmm..."'s and the occasional grunt.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418395
11/13/14 07:52 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,721
Dave Speer
Extreme Tracker
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I like to pluck the breasts of canvasbacks and teal then cut them out, other birds just get filleted and thrown into the freezer for the duck sausage pile. I've plucked a couple whole ducks and about 10% of the work is the breast and 90% of the work is gutting it and plucking the rest of the bird around all the joints/crevices. Just a TON of work. Breast goes fast.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Judd]
#5418431
11/13/14 08:07 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,654
garrett
THF Celebrity
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Let's face it they don't taste the great. There are ways to eat them that make them taste better but I would venture to say no one hunts ducks because they taste good. There ain't a duck worth plucking is what I'm getting at.
If you want kill something that tastes good take up deer/elk hunting. Also, if you want to nip this in the bud. Bring two home and ask her to pluck one while you do....she too will come to the same conclusion. It ain't worth the effort.
Buddy of mine in LA has a plucking person they take their ducks too. I've had some and they do it will a machine that looks just like the pluckers you see that is a wheel that goes in a drill. There are feathers EVERYWHERE. They are doing thousands of birds a year and getting paid, that might be the only way plucking would make sense to me.
Good luck and sorry to be a buzz kill. Judd your over your head here...I had 2 gray ducks and a canvasback that I plucked (just the breast) and cooked on the smoker last night. it was so good that if you put it on top of your head your tongue would beat you to death trying to get to it. I bet if Jason Aldean had a song about duck breasts on dirt roads you'd like it.
Attention rickym, this is not a troll post, just a good hearted fun type of post
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: garrett]
#5418450
11/13/14 08:15 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 397
Sooner N TX
OP
Bird Dog
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OP
Bird Dog
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 397 |
it was so good that if you put it on top of your head your tongue would beat you to death trying to get to it. I bet if Jason Aldean had a song about duck breasts on dirt roads you'd like it. Made me laugh. Out loud. Best two sentences I have read today! You, sir, win the interwebs today.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418458
11/13/14 08:18 PM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 8,591
BradyBuck
THF Trophy Hunter
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HRCH Washita's Kimber Locked N Loaded
GRHRCH Firefly's Rally The Troops MH
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418469
11/13/14 08:21 PM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,075
cabosandinh
Veteran Tracker
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you pluck it while it's still warm the down comes out very easy
the method that most folks use is dip the duck in hot scalding water,
that semi cook the skin , makes it tougher and causes the follicle area to stiffen
making it easy to pull/pluck
I got lazy last year and just pluck the down and other bodily feathers
I cut the wings off (not any meat there worth picking )
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418488
11/13/14 08:29 PM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,426
DuckCoach1985
Pro Tracker
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it was so good that if you put it on top of your head your tongue would beat you to death trying to get to it. I bet if Jason Aldean had a song about duck breasts on dirt roads you'd like it. Made me laugh. Out loud. Best two sentences I have read today! You, sir, win the interwebs today. X2!!! 
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418525
11/13/14 08:50 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,833
wal1809
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
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A pickin house a t 3 bucks a bird.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418532
11/13/14 08:53 PM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 294
trapperben
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 294 |
My Granny growing up would not trust anyone else to pluck them which was great for me. She would as someone above said dip them in boiling water before plucking and then set some paper on fire and singe any remaining feathers off.
I had to laugh at the breast on head and tonque line- hers roasted with a cornbread stuffing were almost that good.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418574
11/13/14 09:07 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 313
wfhunter
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 313 |
I have some Albanian friends that would rather eat a duck than the best beef tenderloin you can buy. They want the whole duck. They come pick them up. They pluck all of them. They use the hot water method to dip and scald the birds. When I was young I had to help my grandparents butcher hundreds of chickens at butcher time every year. My job was always catching the chickens so my uncles could chop their heads off. Once that was done everyone had to pluck. We used a big black cast iron pot setting on top of a wood fire, same when butchering hogs to get the hair off. It does work a lot better than dry plucking. As for me you could not pay me to pluck another bird the rest of my life, or clean a stinking pig! LOL!
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418578
11/13/14 09:08 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,390
john paul
Pro Tracker
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Thanks for the info, John Paul. You hit the nail on the head with my thoughts on wax. I just wondered if there was a better way than by hand. With all that being said, unless I am smoking them or doing ducks and gravy, I usually just pluck the breast and filet from the side up and over the breast bone and then down the other side. This leaves the breasts connected with the skin. Then you can just stick a jalapeno and onion in the middle of them, toothpick and throw on the grill.. No need for bacon as the fat and skin act as the bacon.
I'm with GK because I like salty old dudes.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: garrett]
#5418584
11/13/14 09:10 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,390
john paul
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
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Let's face it they don't taste the great. There are ways to eat them that make them taste better but I would venture to say no one hunts ducks because they taste good. There ain't a duck worth plucking is what I'm getting at.
If you want kill something that tastes good take up deer/elk hunting. Also, if you want to nip this in the bud. Bring two home and ask her to pluck one while you do....she too will come to the same conclusion. It ain't worth the effort.
Buddy of mine in LA has a plucking person they take their ducks too. I've had some and they do it will a machine that looks just like the pluckers you see that is a wheel that goes in a drill. There are feathers EVERYWHERE. They are doing thousands of birds a year and getting paid, that might be the only way plucking would make sense to me.
Good luck and sorry to be a buzz kill. Judd your over your head here...I had 2 gray ducks and a canvasback that I plucked (just the breast) and cooked on the smoker last night. it was so good that if you put it on top of your head your tongue would beat you to death trying to get to it. I bet if Jason Aldean had a song about duck breasts on dirt roads you'd like it. We pan seared some teal, wigeon, and a spoonie with the skin on last night and I think the spoonie was easily as good, if not better than the other 2.
I'm with GK because I like salty old dudes.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: trapperben]
#5418593
11/13/14 09:14 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 313
wfhunter
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 313 |
My Granny growing up would not trust anyone else to pluck them which was great for me. She would as someone above said dip them in boiling water before plucking and then set some paper on fire and singe any remaining feathers off.
I had to laugh at the breast on head and tonque line- hers roasted with a cornbread stuffing were almost that good. My Grandma's duck was probably the best I ever had for duck, same as yours. She would roast the duck and then shred the meat off of the bone. She would mix the meat in with the dressing and all the juices and cook it in the roasting pan. You ate the whole thing as one meal.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418618
11/13/14 09:26 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 20,391
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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#1 Creedmoor Fan
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 20,391 |
it was so good that if you put it on top of your head your tongue would beat you to death trying to get to it. I bet if Jason Aldean had a song about duck breasts on dirt roads you'd like it. Made me laugh. Out loud. Best two sentences I have read today! You, sir, win the interwebs today. He's still a DB in real life though... I've smoked them and they aren't bad...but being not bad and great eating are two different things.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel As much as I hate to admit it, I do like my truck
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418649
11/13/14 09:39 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228
Jeff Elder
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228 |
Judd you have to kill some ducks before you can make ( ducks taste bad ) statements.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: trapperben]
#5418781
11/13/14 10:36 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,840
dogcatcher
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,840 |
My Granny growing up would not trust anyone else to pluck them which was great for me. She would as someone above said dip them in boiling water before plucking and then set some paper on fire and singe any remaining feathers off.
I had to laugh at the breast on head and tonque line- hers roasted with a cornbread stuffing were almost that good. My grandma did the same except she used an alcohol burner to get the pin feathers. No helpers, if you entered her kitchen when she was cleaning ducks or chickens, you were sent packing.
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back.
_____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________![[Linked Image]](https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/pics/usergals/2018/09/full-3152-162968-charge_air_assault.jpg)
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418891
11/13/14 11:39 PM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,943
Ben Lilly
Veteran Tracker
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I use paraffin wax to pluck after I let them set in my garage fridge for a week or so, they taste great.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Sooner N TX]
#5418975
11/14/14 12:27 AM
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 294
trapperben
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 294 |
Got me remembering, funny I was not a DU person then and put ducks into three categories; big ones were mallards, little ones were wood ducks even if they were teals and were off limits and there were coots. Wood duck populations were in bad shape in the 60s even though our creek bottom seemed full of them back in NE Oklahoma. I am not sure how many ducks I jump shot as a teen off our farm ponds but I guess it is a safe bet they were not all mallards. They all tasted great to me. Once way out of season a coot got lost and we found it on our pond, my cousin shot it and made the mistake of showing it to my grandmother. Her rule was simple, unless it is a predator you kill t you eat it and she cooked it. We all had to take a bite. I had to go outside and spit mine out and our farm dogs would do the same. Coots were very safe after that.
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Re: Preferred plucking meathod
[Re: Judd]
#5418980
11/14/14 12:27 AM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,654
garrett
THF Celebrity
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,654 |
it was so good that if you put it on top of your head your tongue would beat you to death trying to get to it. I bet if Jason Aldean had a song about duck breasts on dirt roads you'd like it. Made me laugh. Out loud. Best two sentences I have read today! You, sir, win the interwebs today. He's still a DB in real life though... I've smoked them and they aren't bad...but being not bad and great eating are two different things. That's it, I was gonna invite you and ducknbass down to hunt, but now you've ruined it for both of y'all.
Attention rickym, this is not a troll post, just a good hearted fun type of post
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