Hunting & Fishing First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

[Jayne]

First rabbit hunt for me (ever) and first time I got to use my .17 hmr against anything but paper.

Shots all 30-50 yards off standing sticks. One of them I called the 'dumb bunny' because the first .17 round hit a twig in front of him and vaporized. Then I missed <span style="font-style: italic">twice</span> more trying to figure out how to shoot around that stick and hit him in the head and he just sat there waiting for me to do it.

Rifle is a Savage 93 with a coat of krylon, springfield government scope left over from another project, TIS sling stolen from my .308 for the day.

Guide showed me how to skin them and now they're in the freezer waiting for inspiration to hit on how I want to cook 'em up.

 

[SingleShot85]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

nice, might i suggest enchiladas. Dad made some out of Jack Rabbits pretty tasty for range rats.

 

[SledDog]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

Soak them in salt water overnight before you cook. Gets all the blood out and smooths out some of the game flavor a rabbit can get. Love rabbits, both for hunting and eating. We have to watch out in Or. because there are a couple varieties on the protected list though.

 

[Tip em over]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

Try them in a slow cooker with Creme of Mushroom Soup served with mash potato's, bisquits and gravy!

 

[Engine 22]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

Slow cook in the crock pot for a few hours or until done. Pull the meat off of the bones and then place the meat back in to the crock pot with some of your favorite BBQ sauce for about an hour. Place on some buns and enjoy! Much like pulled pork. Good Shooting.

 

[Lineman711]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

I love rabbits slow cooked in the crock pot. I also occasionally make a rabbit casserole. Just put rabbit in place of chicken, it's pretty good and easy to make.

 

[Gordon Nettleton]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SINGLE.SHOT</div><div class="ubbcode-body">nice, might i suggest enchiladas. Dad made some out of Jack Rabbits pretty tasty for range rats.</div></div>

Holy shit that sounds good, but anything does on 500 calories a day

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

I call that fasting..... Haha ... 500 calories a day.... I think my breakfast bust that limit....SmokeRolls

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

You said your guide showed you how to skin them. I hope he didn't charge you much.. Congrats though.. I have been growing a herd of rabbits on my farm, waiting for them to fatten up.. I brought my 17hmr out and was going to bean one.. But my wife pleaded in a soothing tone to not kill it.....I listened but only because I will plan a harvest day and arm my oldest girl with the 17 and me with a CZ 452 22LR and gather the herd into the freezer....I have atleast 30+rabbits within 150 yards from my house.. and they are getting fat...They look like large fat cats out munching on the greens.... Gosh it's tempting when you see a plump cotton tail....It's not as big as Jack Rabbits in Nevada but these will fill the dinner plate and taste great doing it.......SmokeRolls

 

[264win]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

ihave to say the bunnies look better than the ones i shot when i had an hmr . little to no head was the norm . what is your secret ?

 

[Jayne]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

The wife is still very upset about the rabbits so it's unlikely I can cook them like any normal meat. So... what about jerky? Anyone made any out of rabbit? If I grind it up and form it into strips (which is what I do with beef) it comes out pretty good, but I have no idea how the rabbit will hold up to that. Read that you treat it just like beef, but it seems more like chicken looking at it on the carcass.

 

[Jayne]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 264win</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ihave to say the bunnies look better than the ones i shot when i had an hmr . little to no head was the norm . what is your secret ? </div></div>

Trick photography.

The one on top is actually missing a big section of it's side, so we put that side down on the log so you don't see the innards. (it wasn't a good shot on my part) The guy in the middle is missing his lower jaw/skull area but you can't see it in the photo the way the head is turned. The one on the bottom wasn't hit in the head at all, I actually hit him at the base of the head/neck as he turned away. The bullet never came out of the chest area, we even found the little plastic tip inside him along with fragments of the bullet.

These were all with the 17 gr hornady red tip rounds.

 

[pj68]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

Guys,
Let me ask you. How do you skin your rabbits?
A buddy showed me how a number of years ago. No need for a knife either.
Grab it by the neck.Spin it up over your head a few times. Like a softball pitcher. for lack of better description. Then when you are bringing the rabbit forward past your leg. Snap it. The innards end up in the stomach cavity. Remove the head. Place your finger in the hole where the head was. Run your finger down the belly. Guts removed. Then just peel the skin off. Easy DIY.

SOTA

 

[SmokeRolls]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

Sota: Thats cool, actually funny.. I think I will try it for the fun factor. It's dead anyway...And I'm gonna eat it anyway... So what if I practice playing softball with a dead bunny....Call it the "Dead bunny gut buncher pitch".....Hahahaha..SmokeRolls

 

[pj68]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

SmokeRolls,
As funny as it sounds. It works. I saw it first time i went rabbit hunting. He told me you shot it you skin it. It was my first never having skinned a rabbit. I did like anyone else in my shoes woulda done. Stood there with a stupid look on my face. So, he showed me this little trick. Worked well. Hard to describe without it sounding funny though.

SOTA

 

[Jayne]

Re: First rabbit hunt with my 17hmr

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sota</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How do you skin your rabbits? </div></div>

I didn't get the pitching lesson version. He showed me how to cut the pelvis to get the 'hole' out, then a big slit up the middle to expose the guts. The fur came off really easy, hardly had to use a knife at all just worked it off slowly by hand.