Rabbits - Gutted in the field or not?

[Ratel]

Quote from a Keeper grandfather. "****,.paunch and hock as soon as you can, if you leave guts in they're carrion after four hours".

 

[Miki]

Gut mine in the field, skin and wash at home (that day/night) and drop in a bowl/bucket of salted water overnight prior to individually bagging and freezing.

A few years ago I was taking 10 or more in a night but realised that next year there were none around.
Now they are back I tend to pick a few and keep the numbers low but available ... still not as many as there was 10 or so years ago mind.

 

[Bowland blades]

Guts out of Rabbits straight off , if they are for humans or dogs ! The meat greens up fast, it is was real cold i might leave them an hour or so but that's about it
well prepared rabbit meat is very nice , not so well prepared Rabbit meat is terrible .

 

[User00035]

I always empty rabbits ASAP after they're shot and then skin them at home. If you're going to leave them hanging from a tree to collect on the way back be sure to 'Hang 'Em High'. I managed to bag a couple one time with my air rifle after a very long belly-wriggle stalk through all sorts of muck and stingers. Paunched them and hung them up to collect on my way back.
On my return I was just in time to see Charlie wandering off with the both of them while all I could do was stand there helpless holding a sub 12ft/lb air rifle.

I used to shoot rabbits in the field behind my house with a .22 lr and NV. As I could shoot them from just behind the garden fence I didn't bother to pick up until I'd finished when I'd return the gun to its cabinet and retrieve on foot.
A fox cottoned on to what I was doing. I saw him a couple of times making off with a carcass in his mouth as I went round picking up with a head torch.
But then he got smarter. He must have worked out that the pop of the rifle meant a free dinner and he was ready and waiting. It got to where I'd be scoping a small group of rabbits, looking for a presentable shot. I'd select a candidate, put the crosshairs on its napper and drop it and the instant it hit the deck the fox darted into shot and grabbed it while it was still kicking. He must have spotted the rabbits and lain in wait just feet away for me to do the hard work for him. He did this twice the cheeky swine.

 

[Qwertyzmate]

I used to shoot rabbits in the field behind my house with a .22 lr and NV. As I could shoot them from just behind the garden fence I didn't bother to pick up until I'd finished when I'd return the gun to its cabinet and retrieve on foot.
A fox cottoned on to what I was doing. I saw him a couple of times making off with a carcass in his mouth as I went round picking up with a head torch.
But then he got smarter. He must have worked out that the pop of the rifle meant a free dinner and he was ready and waiting. It got to where I'd be scoping a small group of rabbits, looking for a presentable shot. I'd select a candidate, put the crosshairs on its napper and drop it and the instant it hit the deck the fox darted into shot and grabbed it while it was still kicking. He must have spotted the rabbits and lain in wait just feet away for me to do the hard work for him. He did this twice the cheeky swine.

 

[muddy42]

I used to shoot rabbits in the field behind my house with a .22 lr and NV. As I could shoot them from just behind the garden fence I didn't bother to pick up until I'd finished when I'd return the gun to its cabinet and retrieve on foot.
A fox cottoned on to what I was doing. I saw him a couple of times making off with a carcass in his mouth as I went round picking up with a head torch.
But then he got smarter. He must have worked out that the pop of the rifle meant a free dinner and he was ready and waiting. It got to where I'd be scoping a small group of rabbits, looking for a presentable shot. I'd select a candidate, put the crosshairs on its napper and drop it and the instant it hit the deck the fox darted into shot and grabbed it while it was still kicking. He must have spotted the rabbits and lain in wait just feet away for me to do the hard work for him. He did this twice the cheeky swine.

....and so presumably you got a mate to join you and be ready with the 243?

 

[Ruby Tuesday 2]

I always empty rabbits ASAP after they're shot and then skin them at home. If you're going to leave them hanging from a tree to collect on the way back be sure to 'Hang 'Em High'. I managed to bag a couple one time with my air rifle after a very long belly-wriggle stalk through all sorts of muck and stingers. Paunched them and hung them up to collect on my way back.
On my return I was just in time to see Charlie wandering off with the both of them while all I could do was stand there helpless holding a sub 12ft/lb air rifle.

I once shot a large dog mink that I found hanging by his teeth to a rabbit I'd hung to cool after shooting it ,must have jumped about three foot to reach it.

 

[User00035]

....and so presumably you got a mate to join you and be ready with the 243?

I had a .243 of my own but CFs were out of the question that close to neighbours.
I'd have dropped him with the .22 but didn't get the opportunity. TBH I had to admire his nerve.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I simply shoot them with a 35g V-Max and let the buzzards do the larder work.

K

 

[Zetter]

I gut when I get home and then bin the guts. I would do in the field but on my rabbit permission the farmers spaniel is a bloodhound for rabbit guts and it got messy a couple of times after he found some.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Gut as soon as possible.
Current game dealer wants kidneys and heart/lungs left in.

 

[Benelli m2]

The .25 Hades gut them for me

 

[Friendly Boar]

Always ASAP

 

[shakey jake]

i dealt with a dealer that wanted the guts left in. if im eating gut out but if some one want left in im not fussed

 

[Cyres]

 Shoot and gut ASAP. I leave kidneys in. Keep liver and lungs and freeze for bait. Once paunched hang up in big plastic box in back of truck.
D