Many people are fond of hunting rabbits. Rabbiting, also called, cottontail hunting, is a great sport. There are various techniques used to hunt rabbits. For instance. It involves shooting the rabbit and then trapping it. Hunters also use ferrets and dogs to track down or chase down the rabbit.

Many countries have regulations regarding rabbit hunting and then skinning it. So, it is important to check those regulations before you play such a sport. Meanwhile, the important is that how to skin a rabbit. In the U.S, some states require people to get licenses and follow the rules on the hunting technique and skinning the rabbit. Read on!

How to skin a rabbit? Step by Step Procedure

For some people, it is not easy to skin a rabbit. However, when you follow the steps given below, you can easily skin the rabbit. Here the steps on how to skin a rabbit.

1. Rabbiting

To skin a rabbit, it is important to hunt it first. On the other hand, if you are raising them for their meat, then there is no need for hunting them. You need to ensure that hunting or butchering the rabbit means getting its meat and skin. How do you do that? Well, you can break the rabbit’s neck swiftly or use a sharp knife to slit its throat. Make sure the rabbit does not suffer so you have to use the knife in the right way.

2. Slice the skin

The second step is slicing the skin of the rabbit. First, you need to place it on the cutting board. You can also place it on a solid flat surface. Experts, however, recommend a cutting board is more efficient for skinning the rabbit, which means you should use it.

Make sure you have enough space for working on before you slice the skin of the rabbit. Pinch its skin at the back part, which is near the neck of the rabbit. Again, you must use a sharp knife to do it. Once done, the next step is to turn the edge of the knife facing upward and hen cutting the stomach skin to the neck of the rabbit.

It is important to slowly cut the skin. You have to make sure to avoid piercing the rabbit’s stomach. If you do that, you may get in trouble as the stomach, intestines, and the content present in it can come out. Thus, this material will contaminate the meat and it is pointless to use such meat even if you wash it thoroughly.

3. Take the fur off

The third step is taking the rabbit’s fur off. After cutting, it is important to create an opening. You can do this by using your index and middle finger. Keep your hand firm and steady on the skin while peeling it off.

While peeling the skin off, you need to use your other hand’s middle and index finger to hold the rabbit’s head. Use your other hand to hold the body of the rabbit. This is easy when it comes to peeling off the skin.

The important thing is breaking its skin and you can do this easily pulling and twisting. Besides, it is quite easy to remove its skin from the meat, particularly, if it is fresh. Many people prefer starting from the legs down to the head to skin a rabbit. Some people start from the stomach and go sideways until they reach the rabbit’s back.

4. Remove skin from the legs and neck

The next step is to tear off the skin or fur from the legs of the rabbit. This involves you to make a sharp tug and then pull off the fur shoes of the rabbit of its rear side. Also, you must pull off the skin from the head to the neck.

This requires you to slowly pull off the skin starting from the neck of the rabbit and continuing up to the skull. If you are unable to do that, the easiest alternative way is to cut off the head. Also, you can cut off the rabbit’s tail if you think it is hard for you to come off the fur.

5. Cut off the feet

In this step, you need to cut off the feet of the rabbit. You need to start from the ankles and snap off the feet of the rabbit one-by-one. Next, you should use a sharp knife to cut off the muscles, tendons, and other parts.

Once done, you need to remove the skin completely, and to do this, you must release the body of the rabbit from its coat. To do this, simply hold down the fur and at the same time, pop the skin off by the rabbit’s shoulders. The skin of the rabbit can be used to make different things such as socks. If you follow the aforementioned steps, you will be able to remove the skin easily.

Why do you need to skin a rabbit?

Now that you have come to know how to the skin of a rabbit, the next thing you need to understand is about the benefits of skinning it. You may not know but in the 8th century, people would use to hunt rabbits. It was a great sport in medieval times.

Today, people either raise rabbits on farms or hunt them down. The purpose is to get its fur and tasty meat. If you have ever tasted the rabbit’s meat, you must have found it delicious, but do you know it is a rich source of proteins and essential minerals like phosphorous and potassium? Well, yes, it is. Moreover, the rabbit’s meat contains low calories and a good amount of fatty acids.

Along with the meat, most people hunt and skin rabbits for their fur. Then, they sell the fur to companies that use it to manufacture the lining for the coat to give it some warmth. Likewise, the fur is used as dressing to gloves, hats, and shoes. Lastly, to skin a rabbit, make sure you follow the steps given above.