Skinning a rabbit?

[deafdave3]

Does anyone their own favorite way of skinning a rabbit? If so, educate me!

 

[SGT_Kramer]

Make a hole center of back stick your fingers in and tear is apart. It's almost like taking off tight clothes and you doesn't really even need a knife. take out guts either cut or break off feet and neck and your done!

 

[CrkdLtr]

Make a hole center of back stick your fingers in and tear is apart. It's almost like taking off tight clothes and you doesn't really even need a knife. take out guts either cut or break off feet and neck and your done!

What SGT said. Much easier than skinning squirrels. However, to keep some of the fur off the meat, you may want to soak them in cold water for a couple of seconds to wet the fur. Cut the feet off at the last joint, cut the skin down the back and around the neck and start undressing the rabbit.

 

[highstandard40]

I have tried the center of the back method but always got too much hair on the meat that way. That part of the rabbit has the thickest, longest hair and a lot comes loose doing it that way.
I now hang them by the back legs and start skinning at the ankles....less hair and shorter hair. You should not need a knife to do this. Pull the skin all the way down, over the head and front feet. The beauty part of this method as opposed to the center back approach is that you are not holding and supporting a "clean" rabbit with hands that are covered in rabbit hair. Once skinned, you can rinse your hands before gutting. The rabbit stays far cleaner and hair free that way.

I clean squirrels a similar way but start between the tail and anus.You do need a knife for them...much tougher skin.

 

[Hitman]

Like this. ALWAYS easier when they are still WARM!

 

[bearfutedninja]

compressor basketball needle. insert between skin and meat give it a few blows usuallly seperates the skin from the meat.

 

[oleheat]

I have tried the center of the back method but always got too much hair on the meat that way. That part of the rabbit has the thickest, longest hair and a lot comes loose doing it that way.
I now hang them by the back legs and start skinning at the ankles....less hair and shorter hair. You should not need a knife to do this. Pull the skin all the way down, over the head and front feet. The beauty part of this method as opposed to the center back approach is that you are not holding and supporting a "clean" rabbit with hands that are covered in rabbit hair. Once skinned, you can rinse your hands before gutting. The rabbit stays far cleaner and hair free that way.

I clean squirrels a similar way but start between the tail and anus.You do need a knife for them...much tougher skin.

Agreed.

Be extra careful when gutting them, also.....You don't want to get rabbit sheet on the meat- it doesn't wash off well.

 

[Bayou Boy]

I used to rabbit hunt with beagles ALOT. We would field dress them in the woods without ever opening them up.

Kinda gross but bear with me. If you'll start from about the neck and squeeze as hard as you can with both hands and work your way all the way down to its hips, the guts will come out his rear end. Be careful of the direction of the rear end, btw!!! Once that's done, you are not nearly in such a rush to get them cleaned.

 

[returningliberty]

We grow rabbits, and Im usually the one thats corraled into skinning them. How I do it is basically exactly the same as I skin squirrels and any other dead 4 legged Im skinning.

I have a nail in a post, and string the back legs up looped over the nail. then I get a SMALL knife and cut the ankles. you can pretty much go straight to the bone without any bleeding. then slit down the legs and basically peel him right up to the tail. seperate tailbones, cut around anus. from there you have enough skin you can basically just peel the skin right off him, seperating skin from tissue where needed. Leave the front feet furred, but I generally just cut the head (can use a big buck knife, but i prefer bolt cutters :P) when i get there.
By that time you have a fully skinned rabbit hanging from a post. Flip him over, tie the string to his front feet, and proceed to gut. Once I have removed the organs I spray him out with the hose lol, and bring him inside for the women folk to cut up.

 

[deafdave3]

Kinda gross but bear with me. If you'll start from about the neck and squeeze as hard as you can with both hands and work your way all the way down to its hips, the guts will come out his rear end. Be careful of the direction of the rear end, btw!!! Once that's done, you are not nearly in such a rush to get them cleaned.

You're full of ****.

 

[barbarossa]

You're full of ****.

 

[deafdave3]

It was a joke! The whole point in saying, "you're full of ****" is because gutting in that manner involves the anus!

Geez. Some people have NO sense of humor.

 

[whitsend]

I used to rabbit hunt with beagles ALOT. We would field dress them in the woods without ever opening them up.

Kinda gross but bear with me. If you'll start from about the neck and squeeze as hard as you can with both hands and work your way all the way down to its hips, the guts will come out his rear end. Be careful of the direction of the rear end, btw!!! Once that's done, you are not nearly in such a rush to get them cleaned.

You're full of ****.

But the rabbit's not.

 

[rcm192]

+1 on the shirt n pants technique.

 

[PrairieCajun]

Dave, I have always had a sharp knife and started with a quick shave or pluck and a slit above the tail on the back side just down to the bone and worked my fingers under the skin until I turned all of the skin inside out and then cut the four feet at the ankles and the head at the neck and tossed the inverted skin and fur in with the entrails. Never tried any other way. But I am intrigued by some of the methods mentioned.

 

[Bayou Boy]

I used to rabbit hunt with beagles ALOT. We would field dress them in the woods without ever opening them up.

Kinda gross but bear with me. If you'll start from about the neck and squeeze as hard as you can with both hands and work your way all the way down to its hips, the guts will come out his rear end. Be careful of the direction of the rear end, btw!!! Once that's done, you are not nearly in such a rush to get them cleaned.

I also found, if you don't get to that rabbit after you shoot him, the dogs would have him inside out and stretched THIN when you get there!!

 

[bayouteche85]

Easy way to clean them, very similar to some others posted her. Post two nails about 6 inches apart on a tree/fence/back of a shop. Soak the rabbit with some cold water to remove the loose fur/parasites. Make a small slit in the rear heels between the bone and the tendon and hang the rabbit on the nails. From there, peel down being careful not to rip the abdomen, until you get to the head and front feet. Cut the neck and feet with bone snips. Then slit the abdomen and empty the guts into a bucket. Rinse it well with the hose.

EDIT: Also have some friends who slit the skin on the front of the neck and stick a hose nozzle in and seperate the skin from the meat that way. Never done it myself but it probably works well.

 

[sandman7925]

Make a hole center of back stick your fingers in and tear is apart. It's almost like taking off tight clothes and you doesn't really even need a knife. take out guts either cut or break off feet and neck and your done!

This is good but to gut them have somebody hold them up by their back feet. With 2 fingers grab some skin on it's stomach and pull out and just cut it off. make a small cut through the meat grab the rabbit by the skin on it's back and sling it downward and the guts should fly out. You can also gut a rabbit by grabbing it with bot hand and squezing hard. It will all come out it's ass. But you will break some ribs doing that.

 

[outdrsmn82]

i use the "shirt and pants" one myself. its the same with squirrels as well. so nice.