Thread: 1st duck hunt
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Old October 30, 2001, 02:15 PM   #3
USAFNoDak
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Join Date: August 21, 2000
Location: Minnesota, Twin Cities
Posts: 1,076
I just got back from a duck hunting trip in North Dakota. Man was it cold. They had an early snow storm that dumped 12 inches in the Lakota area we were hunting in. Then it got down to 15 above on Saturday morning, Oct. 27th. Everything was frozen except the big water (Devil's Lake, Lake Ashtabula, Stump Lake), but we hadn't planned on hunting big water so we were not equipped to do so. We did get a few on Friday, mostly Bluebills, some green wing teal.

As far as dressing them, if we have the time and they are good ducks like mallards, woodies, etc, we like to pluck them first, cut off the feet and outer portions of the wings, then dip them in a pot of boiling water with paraffin in it, effectively making candles out of them (dip them fast so you don't start cooking the meat). You immediately dip in cold water to harden the wax, and repeat several times until you have a nice layer of wax. Peal the wax and you get rid of all but the largest pin feathers, which you still must pull with your fingers or a tweezers.

Then we cut off the head and gut them, saving the heart, gizzard, and liver which we grind up to put in the stuffing mix. Stuff them like you would a turkey, and roast in a roasting pan basting often to keep them moist. MMM, MMM!

This takes a little more time, but it is worth it. The fat in the skin helps to keep the meat moist, vs. cutting out the breast meat. We do that if we don't have time to pluck and wax.
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