field dressing rabbits
 

How do you go about cleaning rabbits? Thanks for your help.

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

they all REAK LOL!

I skin them first, gut them, clean them out and cut them up depending on what I plan on doing with them.

I did stop shooting them though when I arrived in ak as the Hares up here taste like crap compared to the cotten tails back home in Mn....

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

I'll try to describe the method I use (works for squirrel too).

Make a small cut in the skin on the back of the neck. Ease your forefingers in, try to keep fur out--it's a real pain to remove later. Pull--the hide should just slide off. Get the hide down to the feet, chop the feet and head off, gut, and quarter it up.

Chad

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

If you soak rabbits in warm water first...you don't have that fur flying all around and sticking to everything...

LBR, have you ever skinned a squirrel by standing on the tail and pulling on the back legs?

All you do is make a cut through the squirrel's anus...till you just get through the tailbone. Then skin a little back and step on the tail and pull on the hind legs. The whole skin comes right off and you have a clean squirrel in your hands. You may have to peel a little skin off the belly, but that's all. Just gut em and cut the feet/head off and it's time for gravy...YUM!

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

very similar to the way I have seen folks do grouse. Stand on there wings, head down, pull on the feet. Just about everything comes off. Sometimes a few feathers are left, sometimes some entrails need to be pulled out the rest of the way. Once in awhile you will bust a wing if it wasnt already. Thanks for the tips on squirells...havent hunted them in a looooong time. Next time I hit Mn I am definatly paying the big bucks for a small game lisc!

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

Dang right Proline. But if you don't step on enough of the tail it'll break off...ever done that? <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> Then ya gotta cut thru the skin on the back & proceed like Chad described. For wabbits I hang em by their back legs on two nails I've driven in a tree, grab the skin around the back legs & pull it all off...wabbits skin very easily. Wow Pro, I never tried the warm water trick, but I bet I will! Fried wabbit back is dangerous food tho. If you ever miss your mouth your tongue is liable to beat your brains out! Heehee! Heeere wascawy wabbit...here wabbit wabbit wabbit! THUNK!!

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

Hey, any of you ever sent squirrel tails to Mepps in trade for fishing lures? Hmmm, wonder if they still do that.

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

Never have tried the warm water or the stepping on the tail technique--gotta remember that. Thanks for the hints!

Didn't know about the lures either--shoot, I learned a lot today!

Chad

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

Not I...being the young spunky aspiring what ever I was when I chased those tree rats I kept them and hung them on my quiver and did my room up in a line of 'trim'...the stepmom didnt like it however and it sure as heck didnt last long! I still have a fox and a black squirell I shot a loong time ago hanging on my backquiver...whats left of them anyways LOL! Take that back..I think my black sq tail has magically disapperead since I borrowed it to my last 'partner'! Still have that fox sq tail though..and the 3 beads I put on it shortly after I bought it...red white and blue!!!

RE: field dressing rabbits
 

Arrowsmit...Mepps it still doing that. I sent some off this year and got 4 lures back. I can't remember their conversion rate...but it beats throwing the tails away!