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

Last Updated: February 3, 2023

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

1
Cut the a ring around each leg of the rabbit, just above the leg joint. Only cut enough to get past the hide. Do not cut deeply into the skin of the rabbit; it is unnecessary and inefficient.
2
On each leg, make a single slice going up from the ring cut to the backside of the animal. This will make the skinning easier in the end.

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3
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.
4
Cut your way through the bone of the tail, making sure not to sever or puncture the bladder. The tailbone juts out and is relatively easy to locate.
5
With both hands, start pulling the hide from the body. The hide will slip off very easily at this point. It should be like peeling a banana.
6
Work your fingers into the sleeve of the hide where the arms are, removing the arms from the hide. 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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7
Work the hide down from the upper torso to the head. Pull the hide down until it rests at the base of the skull.
8
Sever the head from the spine. With it, the skin should entirely detach from the remaining meat.
9
With your hands, break the bones at the arm and leg joints. Then, at the joints, sever the skin from the bone using your knife.^{[2]
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10
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

1
At the rabbit's knee, push the joint out until the hide separates from the meat. 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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2
Work your fingers around the leg, until the hide is separated around the entire knee joint and surrounding meat.
3
Pull the knee joint up while pulling the skin down, removing most skin from one leg. This process is kind of like pulling your pants off, except your "pants" is the hide of the rabbit.^{[5]
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4
Repeat this same process with the other leg.
5
Beneath the genitals, work your hand under the skin and across the belly. Loosen the skin from the underside entirely by pulling it off.
6
On the rabbit's backside, right above the tail, work your hand under the skin and across the back. Take the skin and pull it off the backside until it removes entirely from the tail.^{[6]
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7
Pull the skin down with both hands until it reaches the arms of the rabbit.
8
Break through the thin skin that sits between the front arms and the head. 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.
9
Crack the spine where it meets the head. When you clean and dress the rabbit carcass, you can cut off the remaining head and hide with a swift stroke of a knife.
10
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.

Community Q&A

Question

What am I looking for when checking the liver?

Community Answer

Any lumps on the liver will indicate a sick liver.
Question

Is it legal to cook it?

Community Answer

Absolutely! Lots of people cook and eat rabbits.

Warnings

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

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Helpful 24 Not Helpful 50
Be careful, as the knife should be sharp.

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