If it's been a good year of hunting, your freezer is probably getting full by now.

Those neatly wrapped packages there on the left, those are what's left of that elk from the Laramie Peak Range. And let's see, a few blue grouse from the Big Horns, last week's pheasants from Glendo, some ducks from the river and … what's this one? Hmm, looks like mystery meat. No wait, that's 15 pounds of walleye fillets from Boysen Reservoir.

Then there's that mule deer you got this fall. And, hey wait a minute, looks like there's still some antelope left…

Well, now you've gone and bagged a few geese and wouldn't ya know it? There's nowhere to put 'em. Time to clean out the huntin' freezer and invite some friends over for a feast.

But if your friends aren't used to eating wild meat, don't just throw your wild game in the oven and cook it like domestic beef or chicken. If you do, you're sure to hear gripes about the meal's "gameyness" or tough texture.

A few careful steps can take the game out of your game meat without taking away its natural, zesty flavor.

Assuming you kept your game cool and dry from field to freezer, it's now time to thaw it out.

Don't use the microwave - that's the "cardinal sin," says John McGannon, founder of Wildeats Enterprises and cooking columnist for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's "Bugle" magazine. "Allow it to defrost nice and slow in the refrigerator. It'll take about three days."

In a pinch, run cold water over the meat to thaw.

The next step is to get rid of the blood. The muscles of wild animals have much more blood than domestic ones. Comparing a cow or pig to a wild animal is like "comparing a couch potato to an Olympic athlete," McGannon says. "That excess blood is really good for the duck or the goose but it's what gives the meat the so-called mud or liver flavor."

The easiest way to reduce the blood is to soak the meat in the refrigerator overnight in a brine mixture of water and kosher salt. The salt draws out the blood. Dump out and replace the brine periodically. When you're ready to cook, rinse the meat off and pat it dry.

Another method, which requires more time and planning, is dry aging.

"Dry aging is hanging meat to dry in a refrigerated environment at about 38 degrees," McGannon says. For small pieces of meat you can put them on a rack uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a few days. Then trim off any excessively darkened meat. The process evaporates the blood and tenderizes the meat. Cut the meat into steaks no more than an inch thick across the grain.

Another important step is to trim off all visible fat, silver skin, gristle and bone from your steaks, chops and roasts.

"Those are parts your body doesn't process. They don't smell good and they don't taste good. So there are three good reasons to cut them out," says "The Sporting Chef," Scott Leysath, co-host of the cable TV show HuntFishCook and weekly featured chef on Ducks Unlimited TV.

A common mistake people make with waterfowl is roasting a duck or goose whole, Leysath says. If you do, the breast meat may come out perfect but the legs will be tougher than bootstraps.

"Look around the table. Nobody's eating the legs," he says, so cook the breasts and legs separately. "If you cook them in parts the legs are so much better suited for slow-cooking or some kind of liquid braising."

When you clean your ducks and geese, put the legs and thighs in one bag for freezing or refrigeration, and store the breasts in another bag. Roast, fry or pan-sear the breasts. Slow-cook legs and thighs for soups and stews. Use the rest of the carcass for making soup stocks.

Another common mistake with wild game is overcooking. Medium rare is the most you want to cook it, Leysath says. If the pink or red color of the meat might make your guests uneasy, smother it in a tasty sauce. Sssh … they won't notice the difference.