Achieving safe and tasty table fare begins the moment you shoot the bird.

In this section:
Prepare your bird

Putting a good meal on the table begins the moment you shoot the duck (pheasant, goose, etc).

Plucking your Bird

Most people just breast ducks and other game birds, as this uses most of the edible meat. But it’s not a bad idea to know how to breast should you need to. That way you can select your prime drakes and pluck them for special recipes.

Breast your Bird

An alternative to plucking the whole bird is to ‘breast’ the bird to take most of the usable meat for casseroles, stir-fry, or other flash dishes.

Gutting your Bird

Now comes the fun part, gutting the bird, drawing the bird, eviscerating it, whatever you want to call it.

Cooking your bird

Game birds are lean and with very low fat content, so they shouldn't be cooked like commercial chicken (they are also much better for you!). The trick is to cook all game birds slowly.