So if you pick your gourds early, DON'T put them some place where they will not get good air flow, like in a cellar or a small room. Gourds will dry out in the weather just fine. No, it won't hurt them to get wet from rain, nor will it hurt them to freeze. Yes, a hard freeze will kill the vines and leaves, but the gourds will do just fine. Commercial growers don't pick their gourds from the fields until they are fully dry.
Gourds are dry when the seeds rattle when they are shaken.
Gourds that are left on the vine to dry, harden off much better and seem to be of much higher quality than gourds that have been picked while still green. You're only ruining your gourd, and in most cases where this is done, the gourds will soon rot. That outer skin is the protective covering for your gourds and if you remove it, then you are only inviting trouble into your gourds. This also means, don't cut ANY large holes and scrape out the insides. The gourd will soon cave in and collapse.