Snack stick question on blooming and paper bag

While reading snack stick threads I am a little confused on what to do once the sticks come out of the smoker. I'm going to be using colleges casings and cure in my next batch. Do I let them rest/bloom for a couple of hours at room temp once I take them out of the smoker? When do I put them into a paper bag and what is the reason for putting them into the paper bag? Once they go in the bag do they still stay unrefrigerated or is there a time frame they stay in the bag before going in the fridge? Thanks in advance.