A buck for the table

My uncle recently asked me to get him a rabbit. While preparing it, I noticed that under each rear leg near the tail there was a waxy-looking block. I don’t skin many rabbits but I have recently sold a few so have been paying a bit more attention. What are these and should I remove them in future?

What you have seen are scent glands. These are found on the male (buck) rabbit in the pelvic area on the inside of each rear leg. They are usually removed when you are skinning and cleaning the carcase as they do nothing for the taste of the meat. Many simply ignore them.

You might have noticed that your buck rabbit was a little bit tougher to skin than a doe. Many people will not eat an older buck rabbit due to the robustness of its meat. The scent glands from a big old buck will be a little stronger if left on and may spoil your uncle’s enjoyment of this fine free-range meat. SW