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I've always cleaned grouse by stepping on the wings and pulling the feet to leave a skinless breast with the wings attached. I was just curious how many people take the legs of grouse home as well. I've heard it is hardly worth the effort as they have little meat due to the fact that the grouse spend so much time on the ground running around that the legs are all sinewy.
What about ducks? Who plucks them and who just bones out the breast?
when you stand on the wings of the grouse try and do a 3/4 pull. if you keep pulling untill the legs and guts break away you can get a little bile spray drip on the meat. i do a 3/4 pull approx. 5 inches. just before all the tubes break/burst i then pick up the bird and tear the gut down and away from the meat and i don't get any poontang juice on my clean breast meat.
as per ducks the smaller teal and widgeon i just breast them out. late season fat northern mallards and pintails must be plucked as i love a good roast duck dinner.:D
*if you soak your cleaned/dressed ducks in a sink full of cold salt water over night the salt water draws out blood and takes the some of the wild out of it. i have tried duck in many dishes however i find it to taste like rotten liver unless roasted for some reason?