A Complete Guide to Rabbit Skinning (With or Without a Knife)

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Last Updated: October 16, 2024

Score! You've just caught yourself a rabbit, but you'll need to skin it before you can get any use from the meat or hide. Thankfully, this indispensable skill is easy to learn—and we're here to show you how. We'll walk you through the simplest and easiest ways to skin a rabbit with or without a knife.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

With a Knife

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Only cut enough to get past the hide. Do not cut deeply into the skin of the rabbit; it is unnecessary and inefficient.
This will make the skinning easier in the end.

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Start pulling away some of the hide, working from the ring cut at the foot joint down to the backside or genitalia of the rabbit. The hide should come off relatively easily.
The tailbone juts out and is relatively easy to locate.
The hide will slip off very easily at this point. It should be like peeling a banana.
This may be a little tricky at first, so don't be disappointed if it takes a little extra elbow grease.^{[1]
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Pull the hide down until it rests at the base of the skull.
With it, the skin should entirely detach from the remaining meat.
Then, at the joints, sever the skin from the bone using your knife.^{[2]
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Dress and clean the animal, saving the hide as needed. Make sure the animal is clean before you eat it. If possible, check its liver to gauge the safety of the meat. Save the hide for tanning or other uses.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Without a Knife

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This takes a little bit of practice. Basically, what you're doing is pushing the knee joint in one direction and pulling the skin in the other. This will eventually separate the two cleanly.^{[4]
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This process is kind of like pulling your pants off, except your "pants" is the hide of the rabbit.
Loosen the skin from the underside entirely by pulling it off.
Take the skin and pull it off the backside until it removes entirely from the tail.
Do this with your fingers. Although it's hide, it shouldn't take you an overwhelming amount of effort to do this. Once you've done this, pull the sleeves up and away from the meat of the arms.
When you clean and dress the rabbit carcass, you can cut off the remaining head and hide with a swift stroke of a knife.
Make sure the animal is clean before you eat it. If possible, check its liver to gauge the safety of the meat. Save the hide for tanning or other uses.

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What am I looking for when checking the liver?

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Any lumps on the liver will indicate a sick liver.

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Is it legal to cook it?

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Absolutely! Lots of people cook and eat rabbits.

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Tips

If you want to keep the skin, drying should start immediately after the skin has been removed. It must cool off quickly and dry out to prevent the action of enzymes in the dermal, which attack the hair root and cause the hair to fall out.

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When pulling the skin off, pull it off as you would remove your socks from the top.

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Try to skin the rabbit as soon as possible after its death so that the meat does not spoil.

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Warnings

Take a hunter's safety class before hunting any animal.

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Be careful, as the knife should be sharp.

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