Rabbits.

[VancouverSkiBum]

How do you carry your rabbits while your hiking, breathable bag, or will a black garbage bag do? Do you gut them on the spot, or later? best way to keep the meat fresh on an overnight-er? best way to keep the fur nice for processing later?

Cheers.

[Steelpulse]

Game bag on you jacket or pack or on a lanyard around the waste, would avoid bags as they are not breathable, for overnight wouldn't worry about cooling to much, just hang them in the shade and they will be fine can hang for days as long as temperatures are reasonable

[finngun]

or wrap yu wasky wabbit in newspaper,,not in plastic bag,,and carry in yu back back:wink:

[Rich_D]

I gut mine now before coming home. I did 8 in the kitchen one night and I was almost gagging by the time I was done. Mind you, I was using a .410 shotgun at the time and it usually punctured something in the gutsack, making it not so pleasant to clean. Not only are they easier to gut when pliable, the skin comes off easier when they are still warm.

If you want to carry them while hiking, cut a small slit in one back leg (between Achilles tendon and bone) then tuck the other foot through the slit. Makes a good carry handle or you can hang them from a rope loop on your belt.

Good luck processing wild rabbit fur. Their skin is so thin that it will rip to shreds while trying to break the hide.

I do have a few that I pickled and then dried, they are like crinkly cellophane paper but not as strong.

[VancouverSkiBum]

How long can i leave the guts in for on a warm day? When you say it can hang for days is that cleaned and skinned i would assume?

Ive taken one rabbit before and yes the skin ripped quite easy. Was just wondering if there was a trick or something.

[VancouverSkiBum]

what do you think of this method

http://youtu.be/glIst3sbbKs

[Chody]

what do you think of this method

http://youtu.be/glIst3sbbKs
would ork if u didnt already puncture its insides, either way id still cut it open to make sure no crap is left inside

[hare_assassin]

When I hunt hares, I just throw them in a plastic bag (usually two, to avoid leakage) in my back-pack. I have read all the warnings about plastic, bacteria growth, etc. but that all applies to skinned meat. Whole hares, if head-shot, do not spoil from simply being in a plastic bag for an hour or two. Once I get back to the truck with a bag full, I skin them and gut them (in that order) and then throw them into a bag and then into a cooler (with some cold packs, if weather is warm) in the back of my truck.

This is how I do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl57NFyqH70 (in fact, it is me doing it)

P.S. I've tried waist packs, vest-type "game bags", lanyards, etc. Works OK if you only get 1 or 2 hares, but let me tell you, once you get between 6 and 10 hares, there's nothing better than a back-pack.

[Steelpulse]

Yes just gutted can hang a day or 2, however eating them fresh is just as good, not like upland game, we hang our birds up to 2 weeks guts in, unless a gut shot then just dressed and hang them

[Lastcar]

"Cause their brain doesn't exist anymore" greatest line in a gutting how to video ever! :)

[Cookie1965]

This is how I field dress a hare, neat and fast, ready to cut up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LoE8RW66bw

[hare_assassin]

More than one way to skin a... rabbit. :)

[snow]

hare_assassin, do you ever call the hares, do you think it's useful? this video shows a guy calling a rabbit at 10:21 and the rabbit seems to respond.
Not sure if it would actually come out from its hiding spot, or if it's just listening in... being cautious of the sound :-)
I wonder which country he is at...hunting with a silencer :mrgreen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JHZXz9eVv4

[hare_assassin]

hare_assassin, do you ever call the hares, do you think it's useful? this video shows a guy calling a rabbit at 10:21 and the rabbit seems to respond.
Not sure if it would actually come out from its hiding spot, or if it's just listening in... being cautious of the sound :-)
I wonder which country he is at...hunting with a silencer :mrgreen:

Well, hares, unlike rabbits, do not burrow into dens/holes, so there is no real need to "call them out". Also, determining a location to do some calling would be hit and miss, I would guess. Hare calling, in BC, is probably more likely to result in a Cougar attack than bagged hares. :)

I think the differences between hunting rabbits in the UK (I suspect Wales, by his accent) and hunting snowshoe hares in BC are likely as great as the difference between hunting BC Mulies and Ontario Whitetails. His gear and style are completely different, accordingly.

In other words, if that guy could just walk slowly along and shoot them free-hand as they appear out of the landscape, he wouldn't bother calling and he wouldn't bother with a bipod or camo. :)

I question the practicality of using a sound suppressor on a supersonic round such as the .17HMR.