Skinning your game

Skinning is by no means easy and but if you start small and make your way up you are able to learn. Everyone has their own preferences on skinning so by no means take this as the only way.

Small Ground Game

This includes rabbits, hares and squirrels

You start by making an incision up the inside of the back leg all the way to the knee. Cut the skin all the way around the knee so you are able to pull it back towards the body. With these smaller animals the skin comes away from the body relatively easily and so you can just pull the skin all the way up over the head at which point you can just cut the head off. The rabbit and hare might need a bit of encouragement with the use of your knife.

Large Ground Game

This includes all six types of deer species within the UK

You can follow the same principle as the smaller game but the skin is far more attached to the body and has to be continuously cut away from the body. As with many things practise will make perfect and it will never be perfect on the first go. Skinning a deer does take time and patience but the rewards are absolutely worth it once the job is done. Some more pictures will become available soon to walk you through the whole process.

There are many butchery schools and master-classes that can take you through the process and we highly recommend a lesson before truly getting involved.