Today I thought I would share with you guys a little step by step photo story of how to clean a Hare, This method can be applied to rabbit and other small game such as squirrel and in extreme survival situations when the world has gone to pot it will work on next doors cat!
I would like to point out there is "more than one way to skin a cat" there are certainly faster methods, cleaner methods for neat freaks and messier, more brutal method for those of you who do not care about the pelt.
I choose this method for roadkill for a few reasons- Firstly I always save the pelts for making fur items at home, Secondly because the longer the carcass has been sitting at the side of the road the tougher the skin become to remove (some people disagree, until I remind them I'm a small girl not a 6'5'' foot lumberjack). Third, I used the 'cut n pull' method on a pretty bashed up hare which resulted in guts everwhere, You cant always tell what the damage is like until you open them up. The fourth reason is I think handling an animal with care shows a more respect than some of the brutal methods I've witness.
When ever I clean a rabbit or a hare I'm taken back to my childhood, standing in a wheel barrow so I was tall enough to see my dad teaching me how to clean a rabbit on the dustbin ''first you take his shoes off, Then you take his socks off, Then we take his hat off, then we unzip his trousers, then we take his jumper off, then we see what he had for breakfast'' It sounds absurd but I never forgot so his teaching method worked!
Before you begin you will need a good sharp knife, a bowl of clean water to wash your hare once its jointed, i chopping board if possible and a couple of carrier bags.
Also I would like to note if you shot the Hare you would more than likely gut and jug it in the field/at the roadside
When ever I clean a rabbit or a hare I'm taken back to my childhood, standing in a wheel barrow so I was tall enough to see my dad teaching me how to clean a rabbit on the dustbin ''first you take his shoes off, Then you take his socks off, Then we take his hat off, then we unzip his trousers, then we take his jumper off, then we see what he had for breakfast'' It sounds absurd but I never forgot so his teaching method worked!
Before you begin you will need a good sharp knife, a bowl of clean water to wash your hare once its jointed, i chopping board if possible and a couple of carrier bags.
Also I would like to note if you shot the Hare you would more than likely gut and jug it in the field/at the roadside
Above you can see the hare in full, This is a road kill animal and shows considerable damage to the head.
The first step is to make sure the rabbit has no urine left in its bladder but squeezing the bladder.
I start by snapping the front and back legs, bending them over and cutting through the fur. And then remove the head.
If you have a sharp hatchet or meat cleaver you can chop the feet off in one clean swoop.
Put the legs in a bag to one side these can be use later on in traps, used as dog chews or you can even make a key ring if your that way inclined!
Gently pinch the tummy fur and lift, this will separate the fur from the stomach and allow you to pierce through the skin without cutting the abdomen.
As displayed in the three photographs below, being by cutting the fur along the tummy and across each leg to the ankle.
Use your fingers to lift the fur away from the meat until the back end of the hare is skinned, you may need to cut around the tail or cut the tail off.
Grab hold of the hares feet with one hand and with the other hand grab hold of the fur and pull the fur clean off like removing a jumper.
Very carefully lift the layer of tissue that keeps the guts in place and cut the stomach open, making sure you do not cut the bowls or organs.
If you haven't already done so, cut the tail off now (pictured below)
Drop the guts into a bag and use your hands to clean the side of the hare, put the edible organs (Liver, Kidneys and Heart) to one side for cooking, and the intestines can be used in your traps
Slice underneath the 'armpit' to remove the front legs on both sides
and do the same from the inside of the back leg joint.
Summer
Email- tzsfb@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter- @zombiefoodbible
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Comment Below
Just like the way my dad does it! Great Blog, Summer! Keep up the good work! :) x
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