I have a duck I shot over the weekend frozen in a Ziplock freezer bag. I'm wanting to unthaw it to skin it out (first time at this). Considering normal room temp., how long will it take to thaw it out? Is there anything special I should do other than just letting it sit and thaw such as soaking it in warm water or anything like that?
Thanks for the info.
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Dont put it in water , just let it thaw out . It will take at least a day because the feathers keep it insulated . Try to keep the part where you shot it facing up because once it starts to thaw , if the shot side is down , it will bleed all over . I alway stick a piece of paper towel in the birds mouth before freezing , this soaks up the blood coming out when they thaw . rick
take it out of the plastic bag once the feathers release from the plastic, or just leave it in the plastic bag, OR open the bag to let air in?
Travis, I would remove it from the bag and lay it on a rag or old towel. I thaw ducks in a refrigerator if I'm not in a hurry but even at temps in the 60s it can take a full day or more depending on the type duck you have. Enjoy, Aaron H.
Nancy M. tells how she thaws ducks with soap and warm water. I tried it and it works the best. I would try to explain but I don't want to misquote her words. If you can't find what I am talking about let me know and I will find it in the archives. Nancy- hope it was okay to use your name. Thanks.
Just went and found it myself. Do yourself a favor and read this. Type in "Grease and Blood eater" using the search, it was posted on 11/5/2002. Should explain thawing. Trust me, if done right it works when you need to thaw, skin, and mount in the same day. Thanks again Nancy.
It's the 8th and 10th post out of 1-10. Sorry.
leaving it out overnight somewhere where it wont be freezing.. will work most definately.. but so does the warm water, I usually quick thaw a bird at the end of the day so I can skin it before I go home.
Warm water and dawn... and it's done in about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes ready to skin..
Jon