Not a bow-kill but...

[HatchA]

I was working on my osage stave this evening and filed a few self nocks in several tonkin cane shafts up at my friend's workshop.  I packed up and headed home and about a mile from his house, a hare ran out of the hedging and I ran him over.  I stopped, reversed, confirmed it was/is dead and put it in a box in the boot (trunk) of my car.  I just got home and have bagged it in plastic and put it in the fridge for working on over the weekend.

Bear in mind I've only ever worked on deer hides that were given to me before so this is a bit of an ambitious project, to say the least   I plan on skinning, gutting, cleaning and cooking it (assuming it's edible? - it's a hare not a rabbit, so not sure about the difference in meat). 

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice for any of the stages?  Should I gut before skinning or peel off the skin first?  I've heard of rabbit skins being easy to just peel off in a fluid motion, if started properly?  I plan on salting and tanning the skin with the hair on so want to use a blade as little as possible in removing it. 

Nothing like jumping in at the deep end with both feet, eh?   Now all I gotta do is to get a few more with some home made arrows

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

[mullet]

 If you want to keep it simple and eat it; just make a small slice across the back about mid-way. Thin stick your fingers of both hands in the hole and pull till you pull the skin off in both directions.  Kinda like taking the pants and shirt off. Then cut the little hams, front shoulders, and the little muscle running down the back. If you want to gut it, there are also the real little tenderloins inside the hip area.

Or just skin it, gut it, and cook and eat. It is really good if you boil it a little, batter it with Flour and spices and frie it.  Enjoy.  Save the hide and make string silencers.

[Justin Snyder]

If it has any bruising I would throw it out. Roadkill is usually so bloodshot it isn't all that good. I would hate to see you decide it tastes bad and not hunt and eat them in the future because you had a bad experience with bloodshot meat.

[HatchA]

Thanks Mullet, you make it sound so simple  

If it has any bruising I would throw it out. Roadkill is usually so bloodshot it isn't all that good. I would hate to see you decide it tastes bad and not hunt and eat them in the future because you had a bad experience with bloodshot meat.

Justin, I was wondering the same thing.  I hit him pretty hard so I'd say there's a very high chance of bruising.  If it affects the flavour of the meat (and doesn't just tenderise it ) then maybe I'll save the skin and not eat the meat.  Would like to maybe do something for my dogs but I hear rabbits (and by association maybe hares too) are full of little bones.  Bearing in mind I probably shattered a few dozen, I don't want to risk my dogs choking on a splinter/bone.

Thanks for the comments guys.  I'll just get to it and see what I end up with.  I didn't want to leave it in the middle of the road to get ground up by more passing traffic.

[Diligence]

Just another way to skin it, similar to what Mullet said, but cut around each rear leg (full circumference around the leg) just above the paw pad, slice down the hare's inseam to join the cuts you made around the legs.

Then peel the skin off.  You end up with a tube of rabbit skin that ends at the neck.  The rabbit will be wearing "socks" on it's hind legs with this method.

J

[aero86]

look on youtube for videos.  ive watched a few.  guys just cut off the legs at the knee and then the head. 

[AncientArcher76]

If u really want to be primitive u can make a bowstring from the hide itself u can scrape the fur off dry the hide out then cut a small spiral from the center and work ur way out.  Then pull and twist. it also works with a squirrel believe it or not.  This would be a second choice to making a bow string or cordage in a survival aspect.  Just another alternative for you.

AA