Squeemish

[Slipster]

I thought it worth the question because i bet im not alone!!

 

My problem is :- I love to hunt and shoot but when it comes to skinning Plucking and gutting I just cant bring myself to do it Dont get me wrong if things have to be disposed of humanely im the first in the que but its the thought of little bunny running around then the next thing he's on your plate.

Any tips would be greatly recd.

[kirky640]

get youre head round it or give up shooting /hunting mate dont be a soft woose

or if youre rich pay someone to do it for you. is short get alife

[Slipster]

get youre head round it or give up shooting /hunting mate dont be  a soft woose

or if youre rich pay someone to do it for you. is short get alife

Hmmm Many thanx for your understanding

 

 

You wasnt my old headmaster by any chance was you??

 

Oh by the way

wuss Show phonetics

noun [C] SLANG a coward:

It's not hot! God, Damian, you're such a wuss!

 

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

 

woose was not found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Edited February 19, 2006 by Slipster

[kirky640]

its easy mate allyou need is a sharp knife

[Slipster]

GULP May have to ask missus to unlock the Knife draw

[henry d]

It`s icky,it`s sticky and smelly,but when you cook it right it`s superb.

Most people,nowerdays,would find it a bit YEUGH first few times but then it becomes a joy and an accepted part of the ritual from field to plate.

It was to all intents and purposes a wild and free ranging animal that fed from largely pesticide free food and you have to convert it to a stunning meal.

To cut down on any chance of nasty pongs wait til the animal is cold,ie next day,unless it is a shot gunned rabbit.Skin or pluck it and marvel at the fact that you have provided a meal that did not suffer and lived wild and free.

Lastly don`t worry you will get the hang of it

[Hunter]

The first thing I did, when I was a kid.. I had got 2 rabbits, and I didnt want to waste them.. so I got my dad, and we simply did the skinning/gutting on them together. It took about 5 mins for each of them, but it was fine..

On your own, its more difficult. If you go hunting with somone, or gut/skin them, and talk to eachouther etc, it will be fine. Try to do it with somone who has skinned them before, so they can teach you how to do it mess free

 

Youl be fine.. you just have to go for it, and dont turn back. Its natrual to feel alittle odd sometimes, but if you never go for it, then you will always have to leave them for foxy.

[beatingisbest]

the thing to do is imagine it is just a piece of chicken or other meats you buy, that way you will have no problem with 'dealing' with it!

[Devilishdave]

Some good constructive answres and some not so good.

 

You have PM

 

Dave

[dunganick]

i think everyone has felt this at some point. i know when it came to gutting my first rabbit (must have been about 10) i was completely freaked out, it was still warm and nothing like the rabbits you see in the super market.

 

however i got on and did it (best to do it when the rabbit is warm and you are cold, i find it dosent stink so much) the first one took me ages, but once the novelty wore of you get sick and tired of doing it, you get much quicker at it and can have one gutted in seconds,

 

pigeons are a good one to start on, by far the easiest birds to prepare (if your breasting them out) they hardly smell, and there isnt normally much blood.

 

if you really have a problem with it then try starting by using a few bits of the animal (legs etc...) then move onto preparing the whole animal once you have got used to it.

[Axe]

As with all things its the unknown, so this is what you have to battle with. Get it right in your head and your done. When I first started I couldnt bare it, but forced myself by telling myself I had no place taking it if I couldnt handle it. The more you do it the more you will get used to it.

 

As Nick says, try and get someone experienced to show you the ropes. At least then you know what to do. As far as the mind set is concrened, put on your favorite CD or DVD to take your mind off it.

 

The other thing is the smell. If your not used to it you'll end up associating it with the task ahead. Try rubbing some Vicks under your nose, until you have got your head round it.

 

Practice makes perfect, the more you try the easier it gets. Happy hunting.

[Slipster]

Guys Many Many thanks I truly mean it I knew i wasn't a "woose"

 

I feel ten times better allready, I know i can do it like you say its just getting your head round it.

 

Been out earlier on today Ferreting Didn't get one :( So wont be having ago today, ah well theres always next weekend

[henry d]

Good attitude mate well done,any probs & post again.

[Hunter]

Try read a few guides on how to do it aswell, as it took me about 5-10 mins the first time because I had no experiance

And make sure you dont leave the bunny for hours in a cold place, as its more difficult to skin because they get stiff and a tad wiffy

[Slipster]

Thats what my missus keeps saying :(

 

Found lots of good pics on Forum

[lurcherboy]

I puked the first time I breasted a pigeon Slipster.

 

You will become aclimatised with time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LB

[beatingisbest]

you just have to get your head around it

[Ferret Master]

:thumbs:

[Slipster]

Guys I have loved reading all the coments and stories

 

I am just waiting for next weekend and hopefullly we shall have bunny on the table :thumbs:

 

 

PS Bought myself a new knife, the funny thing is my kids cant wait!!

The innocence of youth

 

Thanks again for all your support

 

Slipster

[wixit]

some may find it a bit hard but my grandfather was a butcher so its in the family, neverthe less, i can remember the first time i did it, and it wasnt good,but the one thing that helped me was the fact that you or someone else killed a living being, and the best thing in the world is to show it some respect by cooking it well and enjoying it so it didnt die and get wasted. my dad told me that took me untill i was 20 before realising what he meant,,,,,,,,,,,, ps helps when you have a good recipe try minced rabbit and breadcrumbs 1 egg yolk 1 ts mixed herbs salt and pepper leave if poss overnight,put in to burger shape and put in a bun mmmmmmmmmmmm gotta love bunnie burgers

:thumbs:

[Lancs Lad]

Make sure when you do your bunny that you cut a V in the tail area to ENSURE that you get the last part of the ANUS out...

 

You will ALWAYS find the you have cleaned the rabbit out, but if you dont do the V and get that last bit of **** out, then you have cooked your bunny with at least 3 terds left inside it...

 

MAJOR POINT.

 

Dont stick your knife into the guts, knick the skin of the rabbit around the rib cage area and back legs, silde your knife in keeping it below the skin. Turn it and grab front and back legs and give it a "Shake", most of the "bits" will come out, then get your hand in (I use a pair of latex gloves when im out in the field) and pull the rest out, cut up into the diaphram and remove the lungs.

 

Skin it, Job done...

 

Pigeons, feathers off the breast, pair of kitchen scissors down the sides of the ribs, Pull off the breast with the bone. Keep the carcass for the magpies.

[Country_est]

With Rabbits I always "****" them when retrieved by the dog and gut them at the and of the drive, next safe stop.

 

 

To "****" the you just squeeze your thumb dowm the belly to empty the bladder, and gutted in the field doesnt allow for the smell to linger.

 

Then when it comes skinning there is nothing left to smell so all is OK.

 

 

Birds are done different, and they can smell a bit but taste great if done right.

[woodyfirst]

Yep, I always **** rabbits as soon as I get hold of them, when ferreting, shooting, or with the dogs.

 

Then I gut them pretty much straight away, and all the smelly stuff is done.

 

Its just a case of getting used to it really; when I was younger, dad was always bringing home road kill deer and rabbits for the dogs (he's not a shooting man), and he always made me help (that means watch) while he skinned them and stuff.

 

Now I just do it as second nature.

 

Good luck with it mate, you'll get the hang of it!

[Zapp]

I have a useful trick which was passed on to me personally by the late great John Darling (writer of The Hunter column in airgunner) which will help you with gutting rabbits if you are unwilling to get your hands right in there to start with (also good if shot or knife has punctured the gut or stomach).

 

Make your incision in the stomach, and then extend it as high as the ribcage and as low as the pelvis. Now take hold of the rabbit with front legs in one hand and back legs in the other. Now begin to swing the beast, in one fast movement out to the side. When you are about halfway through the swing, let go of the front legs and "snap" the wrist of the hand holding the back ones. The guts should detatch and fly clear of the rabbit.

 

Just be careful you dont time it (as I have done on a couple of occasions) so that your shooting buddy gets a face full of guts!

 

Other than that, sorry friend but you are going to have to get used to getting a bit mucky, or switch to clays!

 

Hope this helps you, good luck!

 

Pete

[lurcherboy]

Slipster, no one has mentioned the anal gland on a rabbit. This is a greyish lump either side of the anus. Make sure you cut it out completely or it will 'scent' the kitchen for you.

 

 

 

 

LB