Gutting game is the process of removing the skin and separating the internal organs of an animal in order to preserve the meat for consumption. Rabbits are small game animals that are very easy and quick to gut, making them ideal for teaching not only beginners but also experienced hunters. If you want to know where your meat comes from, this will require some skill. Go to the first step to learn how to gut a rabbit.
Hunt rabbits as humanely as possible
Hunt rabbits as humanely as possible. Whether you are going to butcher a rabbit you killed while hunting or you want to track down a rabbit on a farm, you should make sure that it dies painlessly and as quickly as possible.
If you have shot a rabbit, hold it firmly by both hind legs and use your hunting knife to sever the spinal cord with a quick cut. At this stage, you can either completely sever the head to allow the blood to drain out, or you can wait until you start skinning it.
If you are hunting a farm rabbit, a blunt object such as a rolling pin, broomstick, or other tool is usually used to strike the animal at the base of the skull, or you can dislocate its neck with your hands. Breaking the neck is easier, as it eliminates the possibility of missing the blow, which is natural for beginners. Holding the rabbit by its hind legs with one hand, squeeze the animal’s head with the other hand and make a sharp movement with your hands, turning the head back to break the neck. If you do everything correctly, the animal will immediately lose consciousness.
Hang the rabbit to drain the blood
Hang the rabbit to drain the blood. Before cutting up the rabbit, the head is usually cut off with a large knife, placed on a flat cutting surface, and the knife is plunged into the base of the skull where it meets the neck. Cut it off with a strong blow of the knife. Hang the rabbit by the back of the knee tendon so that the blood drains into a bucket.
You can pierce the rabbit’s hind leg through the Achilles tendon to hang it upside down, just below the knee tendon (most of the hind leg, i.e., the thigh bone).
Opinions differ on whether it is necessary to wait for the blood to drain from a rabbit that is going to be eaten. Since rabbits bleed profusely, some hunters skip this step and remove the head during the skinning process. However, after removing the blood, the meat looks “cleaner” and in some cases tastes more tender if the blood is drained from the rabbit immediately after killing it.
Cut up the rabbit as soon as you get a chance
Cut up the rabbit as soon as you get a chance. You can cut up the rabbit right away or a little later after killing it, but since it’s usually easier to skin it while it’s still warm, it’s best to cut it up as soon as possible. If you don’t do this until you get home, it’s not a big deal, although it will be more difficult to handle the rabbit once it becomes cold and stiff. The whole process will only take a few minutes.
Since rabbit hunting season usually occurs during cold weather, there is no need to rush and worry about the meat spoiling. Since it will most likely be cold, nothing will happen to your rabbit carcasses until you get home. You may want to consider doing this in the field so that you leave all the dirt outside your home.