Smoking ducks

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anyone on the board ever smoked ducks? What did you find worked best for you to keep them from drying out?

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I haven't but I've been wanting to give it a go. I imagine like all other birds they would benefit from sitting in a brine for a while before cooking

Assuming you mean wild ducks. They have almost zero intramuscular fat, so they will dry out long before they become tender. I’d smoke at 225 just until 165 internal and then braise them in stock or broth (or just in your gumbo) until tender.

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I heard boiling for a few minutes before smoking is pretty successful.

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People often pierce the skin of domestic farmed ducks and dunk them in boiling water to render out some of their thick layer of fat before cooking.

Wild ducks have almost no fat, so not sure how boiling would help them.