I hand pick them Todd. Always have, always will. You have to be very careful with grouse since the skin rips easily. Woodcock are easy and you don't have to worry about the skin ripping. Ducks and geese take some time because of the down and all but when you see them roasting in the oven with skin and legs intact, its worth the time spent. The skin helps to hold in the moisture of birds and is wonderful eating.
Picking is easier when the birds are warm but I always age my birds in my aging refrigerator with feathers intact. So they are a bit harder to pick. One thing I always do is gut my birds before they go in my pouch. This lets them cool down quicker. Quick cooling is important for any bird or big game animal. I am very particular about how I handle and cook my game. Turkeys take about a week to age properly, grouse I leave in the aging refrigerator for about three or four days. Then I freeze the ones that I can't eat within a week. I hate to freeze them but when you get a lot of birds there is no other choice. Aging comes before freezing because meat will not age in a freezer. I have found 38 degrees to be best for aging birds and venison.
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