No, before any wisecracks, I don't mean with clothes!! After seeing Lloyd's post in the North Country with his hanging pheasants I thought about his statement "...ready for processing soon..." or words to that effect. That brings me to a question about WHEN is the best time to clean pheasants after harvesting. I have only been hunting pheasants since I came to New Mexico 32 years ago and I have always plucked (or simply skinned) and dressed my birds on the day I shot them. I have always carried them in my vest back to the truck and placed them in a cooler or a cool spot and cleaned and dressed them that evening after the hunt. I have never hung them up for days before doing anything to them. So, my question is if you hang them do you clean out the insides first? I realize this may sound strange to some but I am genuinely curious. Since I have never hung mine for days after shooting them, have I missed anything in the taste of texture of the birds. As I said before, I have always dressed mine the day of harvesting them and either kept them on ice or froze them after completely washing and cleaning. Help me out here?!
