bunny Preperation

[gamegunner 0]

Hi all just thought i would post a few basic tips for those people who love bunnies but arn't too confident in prepping the carcass this is the easiest way i find to do it and probably the quickest cheers jon.

 

p.s let me know what you all think!

 

I assume that you have your deceased bunny ungutted (I always keep them that way after bumping them off as gutting them on the field makes it too interesting for my dogs....)

Also make sure you squeeze the piss out of them by simply holding them upright and pressing the belly, pushing down to the hips with your thumbs-they tend not to taste too nice if you leave them full of urine.

Its also a good way of making sure they really are dead before you leg them and put them on your belt as if there's no piss the poor blighter's muscles haven't relaxed so he's probably still alive-so whack him over the bean!

Check for sheep ticks!-don't get bitten-nasty!

 

Hold the rabbit upside down and feel along the centre of the ribs for the loose fur/skin -pull this up away from the centre by pinching it with your finger/thumb.

The loose flap of skin can then be pulled up and slit with a good sharp knife, keep pulling the fur up and cut around each side of the belly so that it looks like you have two halves of rabbit fur-avoid puncturing the stomach/cutting into the meat otherwise you'll make a mess.

Put your knife down and put a hand in the gap between the fur and meat and tear the rabbit fur apart from side to side-pull it as far as you can down the back legs and like a pullover over the head.

You should then be able to cut off the head and front socks off the front legs, and at the back end, usually it pulls over the tail and is a struggle down the back legs.

Check for shot and bruising.

Normally I'm left with the body bare except for the tail and the lower half of the fur around the legs-cut these off and you should now have a skinned bunny.So far we have bkept ouyr hands nice and dry and clean hopefully.

Hold the rabbit over a carrier bag or similar to catch the guts, and slit open the belly from the end of the ribcage centre to just above the genitals and then simply drop the guts into the receptacle. You should check the liver for spots or any "unusual signs"-but normally there should be some nice yellow /white fat.

Push your finger through the anus from inside cleaning out the bits and remove the genitals, but after cleaning out the lungs and neck-the neck can be pushed out,

Wash thoroughtly in clean running water the carcass-check for any bits of adhering stomach parts etc cut carcass in half to fit your roasting dish or whatever and voila one rabbit for tea.

I normally soak mine overnight in salt water as it removes most bruising.

Cook as to your preference but i like mine slow roasted.

come on guys give it a go !

[DogPaddle 0]

Hey Gamegunner, nice post.

 

I like the way that you skin your rabbit. I will have to try it the next time. I usually skin my rabbits from the side, because I use the fur, but your way certainly sounds fast.

 

Personally, I like to I like to gut mine and get the hides off ASAP, because I think that the longer the hide and guts are left on the more of the death hormones soak into the meat. If I shoot the rabbit, then it is usually sitting still and all I do is take the guts out immediately as it drops dead in an instant. If I cannot get the rabbit dressed in the field, then I soak it in water and baking soda, which removes the odour. I have tried soaking it in salt, but I am not a fan of that much salt these days.

 

Thanks for the ideas, I am going to give it a go next time.

[gamegunner 0]

yeah that also sounds good dog paddle i like the idea of using the fur i woud quite like a tanned bunny hide! r u any good @ doing them i have never tanned anything in my life i would be interested if you would be willing to do one for me id sort you for your time too? let me know mate, as far as dressing them asap i agree but sometimes there is that many bunnys kicking round i can take out 10 at a time and them the best thing i find is to put them all together and sort them out after.

[dytkos 17,536]

yeah that also sounds good dog paddle i like the idea of using the fur i woud quite like a tanned bunny hide! r u any good @ doing them i have never tanned anything in my life i would be interested if you would be willing to do one for me id sort you for your time too? let me know mate, as far as dressing them asap i agree but sometimes there is that many bunnys kicking round i can take out 10 at a time and them the best thing i find is to put them all together and sort them out after.

If your gonna get quite a few, take a back pack and get the guts out soon as. An extra half pound of guts soon adds up if you've got 20 odd on your back! Cheers, D.

[ferreting1888 7]

well there great ideas.the way i do them if i shoot or ferret quite a few is slit the stomach open and hold 2 legs in each hand and jerk it down and up and it flicks all the guts out BUT

keeps the liver there for ferrets later on when [bANNED TEXT] home

[DogPaddle 0]

yeah that also sounds good dog paddle i like the idea of using the fur i woud quite like a tanned bunny hide! r u any good @ doing them i have never tanned anything in my life i would be interested if you would be willing to do one for me id sort you for your time too? let me know mate, as far as dressing them asap i agree but sometimes there is that many bunnys kicking round i can take out 10 at a time and them the best thing i find is to put them all together and sort them out after.

 

I work with fur all the time, but I would never call myself good. There are guys here that are just amazing, and I could never hold a candle to. I can prepare and tan hides and make them usable, rabbit hides make good mitten/glove liners, but that is a long way to send them. I would imagine that there would have to be some kind of export/import license to deal with, going to a different country. But if you can find a way to get it over to you, or if you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, I would be happy to fix you up!

[gamegunner 0]

top man dogpaddle funny aint it i have always wanted o go on holiday in canada and do some shooting there where abouts r u from ovr there?

[Country Life 0]

Must admit to cleaning my bunnies in the field, I then hang them in a cooler overnight, this relaxes the meat and is easier to cut.

I like to make kebabs for the barbie, this is my recipe. YOU WILL LOVE UM.

 

2 Rabbits.

4 Cloves Garlic.

1 Red Pepper.

1/2 cup Olive Oil.

1 Packet button Mushrooms / Field Mushrooms.

1 Packet Cherry Tomates.

1 nob butter.

 

 

Take off the saddle meat and cut into 1inch cubes.

Pour the olive oil into a microwavable bowl.crush the Garlic and pop into the microwave with thew butter, warm gentley. Remove and add the Rabbit Cubes.

Mix well and let stand for an hour or two.

Soak the Skewars in water for about the same time.

Chop the pepper into cubes.

I then alternate between pepper, rabbit, tomatoe, mushroom on the skewars.

put them on a plate and then pour the remaining oil & garlic butter over the kebabs and to finish sprinkle with pepper corns.

place them on the Barbie and keep rotating them untill cooked, (the toms will tell you when they are done).

 

No kidding you will not be able to keep up with the demand.

 

How do you do yours...

[Guest basil46]

Hey Gamegunner, nice post.

 

I like the way that you skin your rabbit. I will have to try it the next time. I usually skin my rabbits from the side, because I use the fur, but your way certainly sounds fast.

 

Personally, I like to I like to gut mine and get the hides off ASAP, because I think that the longer the hide and guts are left on the more of the death hormones soak into the meat. If I shoot the rabbit, then it is usually sitting still and all I do is take the guts out immediately as it drops dead in an instant. If I cannot get the rabbit dressed in the field, then I soak it in water and baking soda, which removes the odour. I have tried soaking it in salt, but I am not a fan of that much salt these days.

 

Thanks for the ideas, I am going to give it a go next time.

 

What the hell are death hormones??

basil.

[Guest basil46]

I have never paunched a rabbit as soon as it`s despatched, a. it will be running with blood. b. If it`s a warmish day, early in the season it will be littered with flies eggs.

If i have a few rabbits, i`ll hang them in a tree/bush and paunched them when rigormortise has set in.

basil.

[DogPaddle 0]

top man dogpaddle funny aint it i have always wanted o go on holiday in canada and do some shooting there where abouts r u from ovr there?

 

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories is home. You are welcome to drop in anytime, although this summer I am visiting relatives in the south. Winter is really the only time to come to the north. Can't do anything, but fish and swat mosquitoes in the summer. Of course fishing is good too.

 

We need a little fisherman emoticon for this site!

[DogPaddle 0]

What the hell are death hormones??

basil.

 

Sorry, local slang. I don't know any other way to describe it so I will try to explain. I am sure everyone is aware, I don't mean to offend, but I have no idea how to explain it any other way. So here it goes...

 

When an animal is frightened, running or being chased, the flood of hormones such as adrenalin, uric acid, etc, builds up under the hide. This also happens if the shot was not well placed and the animal experiences a slow death, or struggle. The longer the hide stays on the animal, the more of the hormones that the meat will absorb. This is what gives wild game that 'livery' taste, and a strong odour, and the yellowy tinge to the meat. So I prefer to get the hide off as soon as possible, to prevent this. If the animal is dispatched with a single bullet, and is dead before it hits the ground, the hormones do not have time to flood the animal and the odour, taste, colour is much more tame, and the meat is more tender. That is what I was trying to say by death hormones.

 

Again, I appologise for the lengthy, and probably unnecessary, explanation. I probably did not do it justice.

[gamegunner 0]

CHEERS FOR ALL YOUR REPLY I THINK ITS GOOD TO SARE IDEAS AND HUNTING TIPS IT MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING TRYING OUT TECHNIQUES THAT QOU HAVE NEVER USED BEFORE OR NEVER THOUGHT OF TRYING! JON

[Funfuret 1]

Thanks for all the useful tips

 

Might try soaking in bicarb next time I get a rabbit. Anyone got a good recipe for rabbit stew?

Edited June 28, 2008 by Funfuret

[Muntjac Man 0]

Just a few extra thoughts on carcass preparation:

 

1. Make sure that you remove the scent glands near the anus. These are small grey / green in colour, kidney sahped, and about 3mm in size, one either side of the anus.

 

2. I normally use pretty much the same procedure as gammegunner started at the bginning of this thread, except that when I have removed the main guts, I turn the rabbit over, so that it is its natural way up, and make a slit either side of the tail as far as the knife will go. I then break the tail bone using poultry cutters, then pull upwards on the tail (fur still usually on the tail at this stage as previously noted) - this usually removes the scent glands, the anus / remains of lower guts and femaile genitalia, all in one move, leaving a nice clean cavity through the pelvis that you don't have to push out with your fingers.

 

On the point of tanning, I haven't tanned rabbit skins yet, but have done a deer skin, using an alum based kit from Snowdonia taxidermy. Thinks it cost about £15, and was called something like white tan kit, and can be re-used time and again. If you google Snowdonia taxidermy and ring them, they're generally very very helpful, in suggesting which kit to use, and tips and techniques.

 

Re recipes for stews etc, I have a few that we absolutely love, but would be too long to put in here, so if anyone is interested in them, send me a PM with your e mail address and I'll e mail them to you. Our three favourites are:

 

a) Norfolk rabbit - a variation of norfolk hare, cooked in red wine with onions and a few other bits and pieces.

Normandy rabbit - variation on Normany Pheasant - cook in cider, with apples, onions and other bits and pieces, then add dash of cream and calvados (or other suitable tipple from the booze cabinet) just before serving.

c) Maltese rabbit (definitely our all time favourite) - wrap the rabbit joints in bacon, and cook in a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and lemon juice - absolutely gorgeous!

 

Best wishes to all devotees of some of the best free food in the world - the humble rabbit!

 

MM