How to Pluck a Goose

Prepping Your Plucking Area

Get a large chopping block. To pluck a goose can be a bit of a bloody mess, so it would help to do this on a piece of old plywood, or even the tailgate of your truck. Have paper towels and a garbage bag handy. This will make the whole cleanup process much easier if you work to contain it ahead of time. Get your area ready before you start plucking the geese so that you know where everything is and are prepared for your work once you start plucking. In order to minimize the potential mess, it’s probably a good idea to complete the goose plucking process in an easily cleanable outdoor space like a garage or a shed.

Gather all the necessary supplies. You’ll need some tools to finish plucking a goose. Gather all of the supplies ahead of time so you don’t have to search for something while you are in the middle of plucking. You’ll need branch cutters, a sharp knife, a lighter, a couple trash bags, and a roll or two of paper towels.

Find some dead geese. You can hunt for the geese yourself or try to purchase some from a hunter in your area. Some local farmers may also have geese available for purchase. But before you start the plucking process, make sure the geese are dead.

Plucking the Feathers

Pick the large feathers off of the goose. This is the longest part of the process. When you pick the feathers off, don't grab a handful of feathers and just yank them out because you might rip the skin on the goose. To pick the feathers off, grip them like you would a piece of paper that you are about to rip. Then pull the feathers toward the bottom of the goose. Pick the feathers all the way around the goose, up to the neck, and down past the legs. Make sure you pluck all the feathers before you gut the bird.

Use a knife to get off the down feathers. Take a knife and gently scrape the skin of the goose to remove the rest of the down feathers. These tiny down feathers are hard to remove, especially with your bare hands. They are too small to grip properly – and it would be too time consuming to try this method. Imagine that you are scraping the paint flakes off of an old piece of wood before sanding it. After you’ve removed what you can with a knife, get the rest of the down feathers off by singing them with fire. You can use a long lighter or light some rolled up newspaper on fire to burn off the remaining feathers.

Cut off the wings. You can either get a set of strong branch cutters and chomp the wings off, or you can use a knife. To use a knife to take the wings off, first cut from the top of the wing downward to the bone. Flip the knife over so its blunt side is facing the cut you made. Then smash the bone with the blunt side of the knife till the bones are broken completely. Then flip the knife so the sharp side is toward the cut and then cut through the rest of the wing. If you use the branch cutters, simply position them at the base of the wings (where they intersect with the body) and squeeze the handles until the bones break and the wings separate from the body.

Readying the Goose Body for Cooking

Remove the neck and feet. This part may be a bit bloody, and you’ll need to use the branch cutters again. First cut the neck off at the top of the breast then cut the feet off. Then cut the bottom off. Start just below the legs and cut all the way across to underneath the other leg – right through the bones and guts. If you don't have or don't want to use some branch cutters, use the knife the same way you used it on the wings cut to the bone flip the knife smash the bone in pieces, then cut through the rest of the way. On the feet you can skip cutting first, just snap the leg then cut through.

Remove the innards. Reach in the hole at the bottom of the goose pull out all of the innards. You’ll need to make sure you get all of it – heart, gizzard, wind pipe, liver, stomach, and the rest of the lot until the goose is completely hollow. This part can be very messy, so you may want to consider wearing gloves to keep your hands clean and sanitary.

Wash the goose. Run some cold water through the middle and wash all of the blood off. While you're there, get some of the feathers that you may have missed. Make sure you rinse off any remaining blood or debris. You don’t want to leave any remnants of the innards because it can make the carcass smell much worse than it needs to.

Work logically. If you have more than one goose to pluck, do similar steps at the same time. First, pluck the feathers from all of the carcasses, then remove all the wings, then clean the body and remove the innards from all of the geese at one time. This will make your work easier as you can complete all stages at the same time.