Meat handling while traveling

[HS Strut]

Probably been covered before but I can’t find it...

What do you all do with the birds that have a wing attached when traveling across state lines?
Do you remove the wing when you get home before freezing?
We typically keep them on ice till we get home (9-12 hours) sometimes I cut the wings off and clean them up before freezing them. But I’m usually dead ass tired and just wanna go to bed. If you freeze them with a wing they always look nasty when you thaw them out later.

What do the rest of you do with them?

 

[airmedic1]

In the states that I hunt you can leave the foot with spur attached. That provides sex identification.
I do a good job cleaning them up, put them individually in a high quality ziplock and then submerge the ziplock in water to get the excess air out of the bag and then freeze them. I break the joint above the foot so it folds flat.

 

[benelli-banger]

I normally have a fridge available, I chill birds whole, untouched, and bring home in a cooler and clean them when I’m home. I like the aging that occurs, I think it tenderizes them. Once the season has advanced, it’s colder out, my pheasants are placed on a 4’ x 8’ piece of raised plywood in a garage…they cool nicely and I transport home in a cooler, whole and untouched. Have done thousands that way when group #’s are included. Works well for me.

 

[HS Strut]

I normally have a fridge available, I chill birds whole, untouched, and bring home in a cooler and clean them when I’m home. I like the aging that occurs, I think it tenderizes them. Once the season has advanced, it’s colder out, my pheasants are placed on a 4’ x 8’ piece of raised plywood on in a garage…they cool nicely and I transport home in a cooler, whole and untouched. Have done thousands that way when group #’s are included. Works well for me.

I agree with the aging and when I’m by myself thats how I do it. The rest of my buddies look at me like I just ate one raw when I tell them about aging them whole

 

[dawgs14]

We clean birds at the end of each day, leave whole with leg intact, and ice. We transport home, wash birds thoroughly, cut off leg, and vacuum seal for freezing.

https://www.cabelas.com/p/cabelas-12-commercial-grade-vacuum-sealer?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CPMax%7CProprietary%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CGoogle%7CNMT&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19584965424&gclid=Cj0KCQjw58PGBhCkARIsADbDilybWVrqhaFWbD2LcqRIGQV63ypn22aW9lc9ctDqEgjGoDNEvpcp8OAaAgDiEALw_wcB

 

[John Singer]

I used to clean pheasants after a day of hunting. I dreaded that chore at the end of a long day of hunting.

I do not do that anymore, unless I plan to eat pheasant on the trip, I leave the birds whole as long as I can keep them below about 40 degrees.

I clean the birds after I get home. If temps are right, I too age them on the work bench in the garage.

I no longer dread a chore at the end of each day's hunt. I do not have to package meat with a wing or foot attached.

 

[GladHunter]

I have aged my pheasants the last couple years and not being a connoisseur myself I cant say I can tell a difference, but not having to clean birds after getting back from a hunt is very freeing.
I'll be travelling to ND next month and I'm hoping to have a mixed bag, Does anyone know if you can age Sharpies and Huns the same way?

 

[benelli-banger]

I have aged my pheasants the last couple years and not being a connoisseur myself I cant say I can tell a difference, but not having to clean birds after getting back from a hunt is very freeing.
I'll be travelling to ND next month and I'm hoping to have a mixed bag, Does anyone know if you can age Sharpies and Huns the same way?

Yes, did it last week, and for many years prior…