The History

Since 1969

Ed & Bill are the 4th owner/builder of what old-time bird hunters will tell you is the best game/bird picker ever made. It began in Raleigh F. Lane’s garage in Nashville in 1969.  He and his architect friend designed and built the first “The Duck Plucker” as he named it. Their first prototype was made out of a large mailbox.  Then in 1976 Lee Perkins owner of the Orvis company, saw it at a southern quail farm and purchased the business from Raleigh.

In 1990, the Prictchett brothers of Virginia made the plucker for Orvis till their death in 2003.   Bill & Ed resurrected it in 2011 as “The FowlPlucker” and it remains much the same as R. F. Lane built in 1969.

Ed & Bill are producing something very important in the waterfowl world and are proud to continue R. F. Lane’s legacy with the FowlPlucker. Because of the perfect finger design for duck feather, down, and eye feather removal, the FowlPlucker is 99% efficient on ducks and 99% efficient on feather flow into your shop vac.

Ed & Bill

These two old duck hunters met in 1964 and now have 120 years of combined waterfowl experience since ages 15 when they started out in the public refuge system in California with their dads. Not ones for fashion fads, new guns and speedy shot, they both relish what has lasted and endured over time. Ed has been plucking with his Fowl Plucker for 38 years.

Passing down the old leather duck strap and the FowlPlucker to a grandson is important to these hunters. Eating whole roasted ducks with the skin on is their passion.

We old timers want to see the best duck plucker ever made continue on in the history book.

Bill and Ed with ducks to pluck from a Federal Refuge public lottery.

Keeps on  Plucking! Testimonials

Technology and the Internet have brought the Fowl Plucker to the Eskimo and First Nations of Canada. The Cree and Algonquin bands of Eastern Canada are some of the best hunters and gatherers in the world. They have been hand plucking geese and ducks for generations but no more!…

Hello there Ed! Been wanting to tell you how much I enjoyed using my new plucker this past spring. “Works like a gem”, as they say. I am certainly quite happy with it. You have a very good product. Thanks again.”
– Chief Gordon Blackned, The Crees of the Waskaganish First Nation, Waskaganish, Quebec, Canada

I plucked over a 100 long-necked geese last week with the plucker, changing the finger set when I was at about 70 geese.  The fingers can also be turned around in order to distribute the wear and extend their life before changing them.  Plucking works better when the feathers are dry. I plucked my geese right after my hunt and worked great. For some geese with soft skin and too much fat, it is best to cool them off before plucking.

I used to hate hand plucking the neck, wings and the legs but now with the plucker, I love plucking these areas.  The plucker works awesome and saves a lot of time.  I used to hand pluck my geese until late at night.  Used to be all tired for the next days hunt.  Now with the plucker, I’m done plucking and cleaning my geese in no time.  I get a good nights rest.  Ready to do it all over again in the morning. 

I can say, “I enjoy plucking as much as I enjoy hunting.” Now I don’t have to worry what time I will be done plucking my kill. 

HAPPY PLUCKING!! HAPPY HUNTING!!”
– Bradley Georgekish, Gastineau, Quebec, Canada

Last year our Southern California Duck Club purchased the FowlPlucker. It was my decision, which some members thought wrong, about the purchase. Everyone agrees that it is by far the best plucker they have ever used. The birds are truly ready for the grill or oven in a few minutes. It’s a great machine!”
– Stan Perry, Southern California

I began going to a private hunting camp in SW Louisiana while still in high school as a friend of the proprietors and helping around the camp.  As the young “cub”, I often was in charge of cleaning the ducks.  We had a plucking shed with two of the “fowl pluckers”…they worked GREAT! And we used them for 30 years until in 2005 Hurricane Rita washed away the camp, along with the pluckers.  We soon rebuilt the camp and I have searched the world over for the plucking machines we had, and never found anything even close or no information on the old pluckers.  Low and behold there it was in the DU magazine. Now an owner of the camp, I finally get my old plucker back and can teach the new “cubs” how to use it! Thanks for bringing it back and love knowing the history behind it!”
– Scott Wilkinson, Louisiana

We love it. We have been duck hunting in northern South Dakota and the whole gang appreciates the speed at which we can now pluck our mallard ducks!”
– Rosé Van Nieuwenhuyzen, Chandler, MN

This past fall I decided to purchased a FowlPlucker due to the fact of eider ducks being a tough chore to get ’em plucked. Boy, I made the right decision. Plucking these large sea ducks is now a breeze thanks to the FowlPlucker. Plucking puddle ducks and fresh water diving ducks are twice as fast and easy. Large geese, no problem. And best of all, the birds are super clean and oven ready. Thanks for a excellent tool. I would advise every duck hunter to get their hands on one of these!”
– Paul Osmond – Cape Ray, Newfoundland

Ed you are correct. Plucked a goose in less that a minute. Very easy on ducks also plucked 18 ducks, mallards, widgeon, blacks, teal, gadwall and was no time at all doing it. I’m a very happy customer.”
– Mark Kiewel, Zimmerman, MN

Thanks much Ed. And thanks very much for providing options for those of us who are inclined to DIY. So many other vendors both in woodworking and in small urban farming limit you to buying the whole shabang. I raise jumbo coturnix quail and chickens. The quail are the main reason I bought this head to go on one of my existing 1750 motors. Thanks again for your great site and super fast shipping.”
– Bill Kinard, Greenville, SC

Ed, I used the plucker this weekend and changed the way we will eat duck now and forever….no more of those tasty legs will be discarded for want of just ‘breasting’ the duck to save time. We will use and enjoy this tool. Thanks and best wishes for the New Years”
– Timothy Donnelly, Newport Beach, CA

We shot geese and ducks in Maryland, doves and ducks in St. Louis, Missouri. We use the plucker all year long. I’m against breasting anything — I’m a chef. The whole point is that a dressed whole picked duck has a hundred times more flavor than stripped out breasts.”
– Chef Larry Condie of Saint Albans, Missouri writes that he purchased one of the early Orvis pluckers (now the FowlPlucker) 40 years ago.

I recently received my plucker and got to try it out following a successful early season Teal/Wood Duck hunt. All I can say is WOW! What a great product. Well-designed and built – works better than advertised! This will pay for itself this season and turns a chore into a pleasure. Thank you!”
– Michael Petruzzello, Washington D.C.

I bought the do-it-yourself kit and put it on a 79cc motor. I wanted to try it out but it was not duck season yet so I went into my Muscovy duck pen and killed four big males. Now if you know anything about Muscovy ducks you know they are the hardest duck to pluck so I figured if the plucker plucked them, it would pluck anything. I cranked the motor and in 5 to 10 minuets I was done, now that is impressive. A lot of other pluckers say you have to hand pluck the big feathers then use the plucker. Not the fowl plucker, you do not have to hand pluck anything. The plucker is unbelievable and I will always have one and recommend it to everyone who likes to hunt birds or raises birds.
– Dusty Fontenot, Louisiana

I would like to thank, the test results is excellent, puller materials arrived.”
– Ruhi Yilmaz, Sakarya, Turkey

Thank you for all the help with ordering the Fowl Plucker! We did close to 1000 birds and 90% were plucked whole.  We are so extremely happy with our Fowl Plucker and saved hours and hours of time with it.  Had zero issues and only used two sets of fingers.  It was simple to use and extremely clean, hardly any feathers escape from the shop vac. Did not have any complaints about how the plucked birds turned out, all happy customers. My partner and I also were extremely happy with how Ed did business with us, we had many questions about pluckers and Ed helped with everything. We researched quite a few pluckers but none compared to the Fowl Plucker.   We would like to thank you Ed for all the help and the great product! We definitely will be purchasing another Fowl Plucker for our Operation for next season!”
– Dakota Game Cleaning, Watertown, SD

Ed, love the Fowl Plucker. Please send me another one ASAP. I’ve cleaned 200 ducks so far at an average of a duck a minute. Today I plucked and cleaned 76 ducks in 60 min.”
– Tom Hebert, Lafayette, Louisiana

I just love the Fowl Plucker that I got from you two years ago. In more ways than one! First and for most, makes picking the birds a pure joy. Chukar, Ducks, Geese it’s great. Secondly, my son’s friends have now decided my place is the place to come to pick birds. What a blast! Laughing, stories, good memories keep a coming. THANK YOU!”
– Dean Fumasi, Orland, CA

Homemade sheet metal shroud for a DIY kit Ed purchased in 1992.

Mr. Mallard looking good after 2 minutes with a 1999 plucker.

An Inupiat Eskimo goose hunter of Kaktovik, Alaska, with his snowmobile mounted DIY Fowl Plucker on a gas motor (above) in May for a spring hunt. (The Spam can came in handy as a makeshift muffler after a mishap!) His four wheeler (below) also acts as a mobile plucker during a June coastal eider and goose hunt. His favorite lunch on a hunt is fresh goose over an open fire. Caribou and whale added to waterfowl make up his yearly meat supply. His village sits on less than a square mile of land surrounded by ocean waters with a population of 239. Spring Subsistence hunting brings fat grain fed birds from the US compared to the lean tundra birds that migrate through in the fall. These birds are as important culturally as the salmon are to our Northwest Indians.

This portable plucking shack was built from an old airport utility trailer. Pluck your birds where and when you want to. Hang ’em, go home or go to work, wild birds can cool out and wait for the FowlPlucker for days. No pressure, no rush my friend, you worked hard and the bird processing can wait. The fact is the birds will improve with ageing just as elk deer and beef do (store in a cool dark place if possible). Our FowlPlucker owners in South Carolina place their birds in a 38-degree refrigerator, perfect!

Billy Cobb of Winnsboro, LA. attached his Fowl Plucker to a 4hp Grainger Vac Head mounted on a 55-gallon barrel. Note the steel bench he made for his plucker and his comfortable chair. Billy is typical of those devoted Louisiana waterfowlers who consume every bite of whatever is the game of the day.