Dead bunny dilema

[kungaryfu]

A friend of mine at 9.30pm knocked on the door with a dead rabbit he had shot, and wondered if i might like it, as i had mentioned i would like to try some. It was wrapped in a tied up carrier bag.

Upon opening the bag a could see quite a few fleas crawling on it as it was still warm only being shot about 15 min before hand. I re-tied the bag straight away cause i dont want fleas infesting the house!

So my dilema is:

If i put it in the fridge (without gutting it) will it keep fresh till tomorrow when im home from work about 7pm? Im hoping the fleas would have died from the cold or at least gone into tauper.
Then i can prepare the bunny outside when i can see better as the sun will still be out (its dark now).

Or will i have to throw it away (which would be a real shame and a waste of a life) cause the guts will turn bad by the time i return from work. I wont have time to do anything in the morning as i have to leave at 6.30am

Or is their a way i can get rid of the fleas?

Your collective wisdom is needed

 

[Mouse040]

Gutt it and skinn it tonight do it in the garden it takes just minutes don't leave the guts in don't think of it as dirty just a nessasary evil to prepare food

And thank yourself it wasn't a deer

 

[wingstoo]

Definitely gut the wee beasty tonight, fur could wait until tomorrow but it would be easier whilst still warm.

Have you done it before?

 

[kungaryfu]

No i had never prepared a rabbit before, but now i can say i have,
Just went out in the garden with a headtorch that was running out of batteries and slowly getting dimmer and dimmer.
And skinned and gutted it. I never thought i would be able to say that i pulled an animals head off with my bear hands lol.
Just a twist and a wrench and it popped right off. The skin came off alot easier than i thought it would too.

 

[British Red]

Next time hock it and hang it on a branch to cool. The fleas will all jump ship Hocking it is making a nick between one leg tendon and the bone and pushing the other leg through to form a loop. Its worth running your thumb down the belly into the thigh joint of the rear legs too - this evacuates the bladder.

 

[kungaryfu]

Next time hock it and hang it on a branch to cool. The fleas will all jump ship Hocking it is making a nick between one leg tendon and the bone and pushing the other leg through to form a loop. Its worth running your thumb down the belly into the thigh joint of the rear legs too - this evacuates the bladder.

Its great the sort of stuff you learn on this forum
Thanks

 

[wingstoo]

Some useful info for rabbit dressing...

http://www.buildanark.net/index.php?videos/Skinning and Cutting Up Your Bunny.html

 

[Dougster]

The first one is always a pain, but you must have got your confidence as you did it alone. I have done nearly 50 in a night, but have heard of keepers doing 200. I ached like hell the next day, and my wife wouldn't be near me until after shower three.

I hate gutting rabbits and would rather do a deer any day. Well done, they are delicious with honey and mustard sauce....

 

[Elen Sentier]

Another useful thread full of tips . Agree on the honey and mustard, does anyone else stew rabbit with prunes?

 

[Mouse040]

I hate gutting rabbits and would rather do a deer any day. Well done, they are delicious with honey and mustard sauce....[/QUOTE]


Hmm honey and mustard sauce never tried that but sound like a plan


Well done kungaryfu it gets easier with every piece of game you do thumbs up to you

 

[Mouse040]

Prunes ? Now that's a way to keep regular

How many are we talking I've stuffed game with prunes and apricots before but not stewed what else is In the mix

 

[xylaria]

Next time hock it and hang it on a branch to cool. The fleas will all jump ship Hocking it is making a nick between one leg tendon and the bone and pushing the other leg through to form a loop. Its worth running your thumb down the belly into the thigh joint of the rear legs too - this evacuates the bladder.

I never manage to get the right spot to empty the bladder, or i dont squeeze hard enough. I dont know what I am doing wrong.

 

[mereside]

after doing the first you soon get the hang of them if when i shoot them i always gut in the field so i dont bring any stink back also a truck full of rabbits gets red hot so quickly go off so best to do before home.
for your next rbbit try skinning from the back end pulling the skin to the front and over the head then clever the head off and put the feet in skin and everything stays together. if you are going to use the skin get it pinned out on a board and salt to dry out in the sun .
I like frying my rabbit in quarters with seasoning and chillie but i love them done slowly with pigeon in a stew
hope you enjoy, wayne

 

[British Red]

I never manage to get the right spot to empty the bladder, or i dont squeeze hard enough. I dont know what I am doing wrong.

Hard to say - its a feel thing - of course the bladder may not be full!

 

[Andy BB]

..definitely worth emptying the bladder asap - preferably immediately after shooting. If you don't, you get what some call a gamey taste, but I prefer to think of it as urine!

If it hasn't been evacuated immediately, I seem to remember a tip in a shooting mag about a quick soak in brine - hour or two, then plenty of fresh water (like leaving a tap slowly running overnight). Probably not the best from an environmental point of view, but seeing as 25% of all treated water disappears through piping cracks before it ever reaches our taps, I can't feel too bad about it!

 

[wingstoo]

Probably not the best from an environmental point of view, but seeing as 25% of all treated water disappears through piping cracks before it ever reaches our taps, I can't feel too bad about it!

Especially if you are not on a meter...

Glad to see that two wrongs still make a right...

I try to field dress mine as soon as they are shot, if not they start to get a bit "wiffy" in an hour or two, most I did was four in a night, which was more than enough for my freezer

 

[Bushwhacker]

Anyone ever tried 'popping' a rabbit? Definitely not for the squeamish!

 

[Goatboy]

Anyone ever tried 'popping' a rabbit? Definitely not for the squeamish!

Is this some Dorset pervert thing?

 

[Bushwhacker]

Is this some Dorset pervert thing?

Haha! Let's just say that it's a bit like forcing a rectal prolapse.
The guts n'all are squeezed out of it through the back end.

 

[Goatboy]

Haha! Let's just say that it's a bit like forcing a rectal prolapse.
The guts n'all are squeezed out of it through the back end.

Hope you kill it first - or at least buy it dinner.