Wood Duck Skin or pluck?

one of the guys in the office is giving me as many birds as i want from is trip this weekend.

what is the best way to handle them? Skin um or pluck um?

Not sure I understand the question, are you asking how to get the feathers for tying jigs or do you want to cook them?

sorry.... best way to store the feathers for tying.

If you want to go throughout the trouble I would dry the whole skin and keep it like that, but if you don't want all that trouble just pluck it and bag it. Be sure to freeze the feathers for a few days, them let them sit out for a fay and back in the freezer for a few more days. You don't want to bring any bugs into you other stuff. It's so important to protect your materials and they can disappear fast.

Skip

pluck.....for feathers....then fillet the breasts out, marinate them in A-1, stuff them with blue cheese snd a slice of jalapeno then grill to medium rare.......you won't be disappointed on either aspect.

I pluck them put the feathers in a zip loc bag and freeze like Skip said. That will kill the bugs and fleas and most of the Bad bacteria. I then like to put a few moth balls or crystals in the bag and keep it in the freezer for at least a month. Hope that that make sense.

As far as cooking a Wood Duck. We like them baked. Garlic and thyme with rosemary. Stuff with wild rice bake till the skin is very crispy. 400 degrees for a little over a hour. The Wife will some times cut them up and do a gumbo with cajun sausage,orka, leeks, celery, peppers, onions. ham, and any thing else we have laying around. Just ate supper and now I am hungry again. DANG!!!

Have fun with the feathers they are very pretty and make some good jigs. Even better trout flies!!

Redman

you can put them in the sink was soapy water the scans with feathers and dry them put them in bags with moth balls we've been doing this for years and had no problems believe me if there's anything in that bag with moth balls they are dead some people do not like to use my balls because of the smell but I definitely use them quite a bit to make sure that I do not get a moth in them even when my story feathers or hair loose I always put moth balls around them especially if you have is much as I do in skip you deftly want to protect your inventory you can set your supplies out to air out before you use them if you do not like the smell.

If you don't want the hassle pluck them. Woody skins have a lot of oil in them, and if not treated right can rot out. Make sure and open the wing cavity and get the meat out and rub borax in the cut to dry it up. Make sure to get all the lemon colored flank feathers they're used for tying the wings of Catskill style dry flys. If you don't use them you can always trade them for other stuff, you'll have plenty of takers on them.

Fatman

Fatman, its good to see things went well. Hope your feeling better soon.
NightProwler

Yeah pretty sore and have to move real slow but I'm still kicking.

Glad to see your on the mend Fatman and hope it's a fast and good recovery!

Skip

Thanks for the suggestions all. and though I don't know what is up Fatman, hope you are feeling better as well