legs, and the beak and feet will still be pliable. Fresh game can only be bought in season unless frozen, whereas farmed game is not subject to the seasons and can often be bought year-round. Farmed game is more tender and less gamey in flavor than from the wild; which to choose is down to personal preference. Hanging Game Birds and animals caught in the wild have a tendency to be dry and tough and the way to counteract this is to hang them. Hanging tenderizes the meat and allows flavor to develop. The test of when a bird or animal had been hung sufficiently used to be waiting until the head and tail feathers fell off, or maggots appeared in the gut is no longer used -- thank goodness. Ripeness is now judged by the smell. A high bird will smell powerfully gamey; a bird that is rotten smells bad, as any meat that has gone off. Pheasant, partridge and grouse should be hung by the neck, wildfowl including geese by the feet. This helps the meat to mature slowly and retain moisture -- very important to avoid the game being dry when cooked.