I've mounted my fair share of ducks and upland game and just took in my first goose. My question is, what is the best way to get all the fat from the neck area. Do I make a cut from the vent to the skull as I've seen done before or do I do it like a duck head and invert the neck and flesh it the best I can. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks
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in the skining techniques for me, just a bigger bird - however, I never cut from the vent to the skull. My ventral cuts are made from the top of the breast along the breast bone to just in front of the vent. The neck skin will roll over the neck just as other birds. If I am going to re-use the skull (and I almost never do anymore) one would roll the skin down as much as possible then sever the neck close to the skull. I make about a 1.5 inch cut under the skull and invert the skull through the hole leaving the rest of the neck skin intact. If you opt to use an artificial head, you skin the goose head out in the same way as you would any other bird by cutting around the bill and skinning back toward the body - then no cut is required in the neck. You can also remove the skull as if you were going to use an artificial head and re-use the original skull if you want to go that way. With regard to fleshing, the neck is fleshed as any other bird. If you have removed the skull the entire neck can be inverted, if the skull is left on the neck skin the rest can still be inverted. It is important to remove all the meat and fat from the neck skin to get a full appearance. I use a soft wire wheel. Generally, geese have a lot of fat. Spend the time it takes to get all of it off. Good Luck