HUNTINGsmart! USA Knowledge Base

Like with other game, birds should be gutted as soon as possible with a clean, sharp knife and with latex gloves. You can gut a bird one of the two following ways:

Method 1 (best if eating the bird):

1. Put on your gloves.
2. Use your knife to cut through the belly skin, along the base of the breast.
3. Bend the bird backwards—this maneuver opens up the incision making the entrails visible and easy to pull out.
4. Pull the guts out and discard them.
5. Pluck or skin the bird.
6. Place the meat in a freezer.

Method 2 (best if mounting the bird):

1. Put on your gloves.
2. Use a small, clean knife to enlarge the anus hole.
3. Pull the guts out through the anus hole and discard them.
4. Freeze the bird until it can be delivered to the taxidermist.