How to skin your dinner?

B

billy_cee

Joined
Nov 12, 2005
Messages
130
Well I'm working on improving my skills and I want to try some trapping, which means, if it works, I'm going to have to skin and prepare what I catch (I guess/hope rabbit).

I'm okay with fish, being doing that for years, never done anything wither fur or feathers.

Any links or tips?

Thanks.
 
there are acouple of ways to skin any animal, for most animals you can just unzip the legs, cut down the middle of the chest and belly to link up all the cuts, the start to pull and peel the hide off from top to bottom. for rabbits you can split them across the back and just pull in oposit directions the hide will come off like a suit.

alex
 
I got a copy of "Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game" by Mettler. It explains a lot of good things about caring for meat. Not so much a hide care book, but it makes a decent addition to an outdoors library. Here is what the publisher says:

This is the book for anyone who hunts, farms, or buys large quantities of meat. The author takes the mystery out of slaughtering and butchering everything from beef and veal, to venison, pork, and lamb. The text is clear and easy-to-follow. Combined with 130 detailed illustrations by Elayne Sears, the reader is provided with complete, step-by-step instructions.

Here is everything you need to know:
— At what age to butcher an animal
— How to kill, skin, slaughter, and butcher
— How to dress out game in a field
— Salting, smoking, and preserving
— Tools, equipment, the setup
— More than thirty recipes using all kinds of meat

An Outdoor Life Book Club Selection

"Provides clear, concise, and step-by-step information for people who want to slaughter their own meat." (Mother Earth News)

Author Biography: John J. Mettler, Jr., D.V.M., is a retired large-animal veterinarian in upstate New York and has written several books on animals, including Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game and Horse Sense. An avid sportsman, his appreciation of the noble turkey was the inspiration for his most recent book, Wild Turkeys.

John has written on a broad range of veterinary topics for various magazines and has written a veterinary column for American Agriculturist for over 20 years. He has professional memberships that include the New York State Veterinary Medical Society (past chairman), the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the Society for Theriogenology, and the American Veterinary Medical Association. John lives in Copake Falls, New York, with his wife, Elinor.
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Source and link to Barnes and Noble:

http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&btob=Y&pwb=1&ean=9780882663913

Scott
 
Rabbit and Squirrel are very ez. Pinch some skin on its back and cut it off. Put your toe index fingers in the hole and pull in opposite direction of each other untill his shirt is around his shoulders and his pants are around his knees. Some times I have to make a small cut on the stomach if it doesn't tear. Next use your fingers to work the shirt up around his wrists and neck and his pants down to his ankles and tail. Cut all of that off and gut it if you haven't already.
 
Thanks for the info so far. Guess I'm going to have to jump in a give it a go.

Apart from skinning, what about other prep work on the animal before it's ready for eating? I guess I mean, how to butcher it.
 
One thing that might help is if you can be sure and start skinning the animal when it is warm. That way the skin comes off a lot easier. Also you mentioned birds, and a friend showed me how to gut a grouse really easy. Lay it on its back, step on its wings, and pull its feet with a steady pressure. The breast will pull right out with the wings still attached. No plucking or gutting. Fast food in the wild! :)
 
A rabbits skin is like tissue paper. They are easy to do. For small game like rabbit and squirrel, it's best not to gut them first. Skin them, then remove the entrails. Squirrel hide is tough and can be a pain in the ass. I find it easier to skin them with a scapel or razor blade. If you do decide to gut a rabbit before skinning, a quick way is to grab it around the neck and squeeze with both hands down toward the tail. The guts will come out it's ass.
Scott
 
sirjason_20 said:
One thing that might help is if you can be sure and start skinning the animal when it is warm. That way the skin comes off a lot easier. Also you mentioned birds, and a friend showed me how to gut a grouse really easy. Lay it on its back, step on its wings, and pull its feet with a steady pressure. The breast will pull right out with the wings still attached. No plucking or gutting. Fast food in the wild! :)
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YOu waste all the fat and skin, important for someone in survival mode. Plucking is better though it takes more time but the result is a moist bird because the fat and skin keep it from drying out.;)

Skam
 
Skinning rabbits is very easy if you are not trying to save the hide. I gut them first immediately when they are still warm. If you are trying to save the hide, you cut around each foot, slice up from the back legs toward the tail and then work the skin off slowly. With the head, you just work your way up pulling the hide with little cuts where the hide meets the meat. This is essentially the same process to skin any furbearing animal when you are trying to save the hide.

For rabbits, I generally just start ripping after I get a finger hold as long as you are not saving the hide.
 
That is funny. Years ago when I trapped, I used to skin muskrats and I averaged about 60 seconds per rat without making any mistakes like putting holes in the hide and so forth.
 
What's the easy way to do it if you want to preserve the pelt? I tried squirrel a few years ago with a razor, and it was like cutting chainmail.
 
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