How do you hang?

pullandbang

A bit out of season but I've been game shooting for years and I eat everything I shoot. Last weekend during a converstion about shooting, someone made a comment about hanging game etc. They said you hang duck by the legs and pheasants by the neck.

Now I've always hung everything by the neck. In fact I even have a fridge in my utility room dedicated to hanging game (or beer in the summer).
I'd never heard that apparently ducks were supposed to hang by the legs because they are fowl and pheasants by the neck because they are game.

Anyone else ever come across this?

foxshooter243

pullandbang wrote: »

A bit out of season but I've been game shooting for years and I eat everything I shoot. Last weekend during a converstion about shooting, someone made a comment about hanging game etc. They said you hang duck by the legs and pheasants by the neck.

Now I've always hung everything by the neck. In fact I even have a fridge in my utility room dedicated to hanging game (or beer in the summer).
I'd never heard that apparently ducks were supposed to hang by the legs because they are fowl and pheasants by the neck because they are game.

Anyone else ever come across this?

ive always hung by the head myself...never seen it done any different

jimmyzx

I also hang both by the neck, most people I know do the same. But like you Pullandbang I have heard peolpe say that they should be hung different. I can't imagine it making any odds which way their hung, but maybe I'm wrong!:D
Is it a taste thing? or is it just an old tradition?

riflehunter77

foxshooter243 wrote: »

ive always hung by the head myself...never seen it done any different

Same here, always by the head/ neck.. I could be wrong doe ...

J.R.

http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2005/nov/ed_3/

worth a read if interested in history & reason for hanging game

http://members.cox.net/azwildlife/index.html

this discusses the care of wild meat / game U.S. style


A friend of mine (excellent cook) rekons there is no need to hang game - dates back to pre freezer days ....he says.

He freezes the game as soon as it has been cleaned. After 2/3 months he thaws it slowly in fridge which he maintains increases the tenderness.

Anything he ever cooked in game department was always delicious & tender!!

pestshooter7

The freezer buisness is true alright!
Few days in that and its very tender!
But we (family thing) hang all pheasants for 2 weeks and ducks for only a day or so!
Duck are always tender anyways, its not a tough meat usually.

meathstevie

I'm with J.R.'s friend. Skinning cleaning and plucking when fresh ( max 2 days ) as a daisy. I don't believe in the fact that the carcass has to be half decomposed before it's alright to eat . If you let stuff hanging in my opinion you should gut it as soon as possible anyway. Look at maturing of beef carcasses for example. The going rate there would be 21 days, that is in halfs or in quarters with not a trace of skin or organs around.

Genghiz Cohen

J.R. wrote: »

http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2005/nov/ed_3/

worth a read if interested in history & reason for hanging game

That was worth a read, thanks J.R.!

chem

To the left mostly:D sorry couldnt hold myself back from posting this. Chem do not press that big red button:o

pullandbang

chem wrote: »

To the left mostly:D sorry couldnt hold myself back from posting this.

Surprised it took so long for this post

I was going to title the thread "Which way do you hang?"

I must try the freezer method - sounds good.

I've eaten pheasant that's been shot the previous day and some that's been hung for two weeks and they were both delicious. Think I'll stick to hanging by the neck.

It wasn't me!

How cool are the places you hang game in? Do you do anything to keep the air dry or anything?

pullandbang

It wasn't me! wrote: »

How cool are the places you hang game in? Do you do anything to keep the air dry or anything?

I have a spare 5ft high fridge with all the racks removed (except the top one). I hang everything from the top rack with a piece of string tied around the neck. The fridge is turned down to it's lowest (warmest) setting so it's not really cold. Last season I left two pheasants and two woodcock hanging in it for 13 days and they were perfect!

I suppose I get the best value out of it in September when the weather is still very mild and I have a few ducks. I've seen more spoiled ducks in September with people hanging them in garden sheds etc. Rotten within a day or two and then wasted.:mad:

It wasn't me!

Thanks for that, just wondering what sort of set-up to get sorted for autumn. I suppose a good, cool, dry utility type room would do reasonably well too then? Assuming it's only being hung for a few days, max, before plucking and such for freezing?

kowloon

Not gamebirds, but why are you supposed to treat rabbit and hare differently?