Who here still eats rabbit?

[CoRoMo]

There are a ton of rabbits around here; a few cottontails and a billion jackrabbits. I keep thinking that I should start shooting them and maybe adding them to the grocery rotation. I ate a few rabbits when I was little, but that was decades ago. I saw wankerjake's thread and that was it for me, I gotta know how many of you guys are still cooking up rabbits and/or hares that you shoot, and how often. Like I mentioned earlier, most all of the ones I see are jackrabbits, but a few cottontails are around. I might just have to start packing them away in the freezer if they are worth it.

Here's another tangent though: Whether they are worth eating or not is one thing... but would you guys shoot all jackrabbits on sight if you had land that was crawling with them? Are they on the same 'pest level' of feral hogs, prairie dogs, mice, rats, and coyotes?

If cottontails are better eating, I'd imagine that wiping out the jacks would give the cottontails room to expand.

 

[56hawk]

I love rabbit. It's like chicken with flavor. Haven't got any recently, but for a while I was eating a couple a week.

 

[italy4nra]

Yummy. Nice poll.
To be honest, we cannot hunt them anymore, but the grocery stores always have them.
Chicken has become rubber and rabbit has become chicken.

 

[Asherdan]

When July 1st comes I'll be able to start box trapping Peter again. Mostly I do it to keep the little buggers from eating my place down to the root nubs but any that check healthy get cleaned out for the slow-cooker. The wife has a goulash recipe for rabbit that works out great, that is mostly what happens to the ones I freeze. When I scout for deer season later this summer, I always take my .22 rifle in case of rabbit.

If I didn't eat them I would still discourage their population because of damage and the predators they draw. I try to make coyotes real uncomfortable around here but a jillion little snack bags hopping around is a real temptation for them.

 

[Sky]

Hummmm have eaten rabbit in the long ago past and some was prepared rather well. I was told when young that Jacks were not worth eating so I never tried to eat one. There are certain times of the year (if I remember right) they (rabbits) should not be eaten; prolly just an old farmers tale?

We used to make piles ( 40 or 50 to a pile) of the jacks for yote bait. Several years ago in West Tx, when they were over breeding, every field we went to had close to a hundred jacks. I guess the cycle is starting again in your area?

 

[wankerjake]

I shoot 'em when I can, but I really don't shoot many. They are basically targets of opportunity, when I happen to see one when I'm bird hunting or out messing around. I rarely shoot them with a shotgun anymore because it never fails you get some into the guts and you have to worry about shot when you eat them. I think rabbit is good, but it's not my favorite. It's a white meat, usually mild flavored. Some people like it a lot more than I do. I'd say whack one or two and try it a few different ways. Try cottontails first, if you like those, try a jack.

Cottontails are generally considered better eating than jackrabbits. The only advice I got growing up was that nobody eats jacks because they taste bad. He said he was always curious and killed one once, and it stunk so bad while cleaning it that he chucked it.

Well, I'm a curious fellow too. My brother and I shot one one time. It smelled like a rabbit while cleaning it so we cooked it up. Sucker barely fit in the crockpot, they are so much bigger than cottontails. Anyway it was good, it's dark meat instead of white and tasted about like cottontail. I pretty much preferred it. The other thing I consider is the jack we shot down by Tucson was an antelope jackrabbit with a big white arse. The kind we have around Flagstaff are the black tailed variety. So maybe a combination of the different species and diet make the northern blacktailed jackrabbit taste bad. Certainly possible, I will find out one of these days.

but would you guys shoot all jackrabbits on sight if you had land that was crawling with them? Are they on the same 'pest level' of feral hogs, prairie dogs, mice, rats, and coyotes?

I've drilled a few jacks for fun, the desert around Tucson was crawling with them. Literally an infestation in some places. My predator hunting partner would kill a lot more than I did, he hated them. It is good practice I think. I know cattle ranchers down there would invite people to shoot them sometimes because they dig big holes that cattle can twist an ankle in. They dig a lot. I remember seeing a pic one time of a pile of like 15 jackrabbits, all shot the same morning and the shooters didn't move from their spot. On a cattle ranch.

 

[GCBurner]

Don't really need to hunt them anymore, since they're available in the freezer section at the grocery store already cleaned and cut up for cooking. And at a cost less than a hunting license, gas, ammunition, and time to scrounge up some wild ones. I still know how, though, if necessary.

 

[CoRoMo]

My wife is an artist with a slow cooker. I guess it's certainly worth a try. I just realized that I can't even vote in my own poll; I've eaten them in the past, but I'm not entirely sure I'll get back into it.

Oh well, I'll give it a try and I'll vote afterward.

I was told when young that Jacks were not worth eating... There are certain times of the year (if I remember right) they (rabbits) should not be eaten; prolly just an old farmers tale?

I've heard the same things. I've also heard that these beliefs aren't true, so who knows. I've read a bit on the disease end of it all too. A guy on TFL claims that his grandpa almost died after eating rabbit meat.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

I'm fond of rabbit, younger ones just fry as chicken, older ones need parboil first.
I don't hunt like I used to but I'd go afield for cottontails very likely if was assured of bagging some

 

[drsfmd]

I chose "whenever possible" because there wasn't an "occasionally" option. During the season when I can hunt rabbits, I'd rather hunt waterfowl. By the time waterfowling seasion is over, there's usually too much snow for me to easily hunt rabbits.

 

[jrdolall]

We stage 2-3 rabbit hunts every year on my farm and an adjoining piece of property. I have a buddy in GA that has beagles and he brings them down for the weekend hunts. We ususally have 15-20 hunters and walk about 1,000 miles each weekend but we shoot, or miss, a lot of bunnies each trip.
Great eating but MAN do they stink!

 

[1KPerDay]

I'm paranoid about jacks around here (utah). I've heard horror stories about disease, etc. I'm not smart enough to sort fact from fiction.

 

[Asherdan]

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that humans can get by contact, during summer months (because fleas and ticks carry it) I look at the general health of the animal and when skinning and gutting I'll be careful of skin contact on an iffy animal until I check the liver for a normal appearance. Healthy and no spots, generally it's OK.

 

[OurSafeHome.net]

I'm paranoid about jacks around here (utah). I've heard horror stories about disease, etc. I'm not smart enough to sort fact from fiction.

Here is what The One who made the rabbits had to say:

"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals: any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud - these animals you may eat.

 

[Sky]

Originally Posted by 1KPerDay
I'm paranoid about jacks around here (utah). I've heard horror stories about disease, etc. I'm not smart enough to sort fact from fiction.

Here is what The One who made the rabbits had to say:

Quote:
"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals: any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud - these animals you may eat.

So much for chicken, duck, fish and a few other things I like. Speaking of fish, Blue fin Tuna is off my eating list now.

Interesting comment by those who have eaten jack rabbit. If I needed to I would try just about anything except nutria....Cajun friend who eats everything even said they were a no-go; I will take his word for it!

 

[dogrunner]

And quite obviously 'He who made the rabbits' never heard of mad cow disease!

 

[1KPerDay]

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that humans can get by contact, during summer months (because fleas and ticks carry it) I look at the general health of the animal and when skinning and gutting I'll be careful of skin contact on an iffy animal until I check the liver for a normal appearance. Healthy and no spots, generally it's OK.

How do you check the liver without having skin contact? Just curious. thanks for the info.

 

[wankerjake]

How do you check the liver without having skin contact? Just curious. thanks for the info.

Bit tricky, ain't it? The recommendation is to wear gloves while cleaning, and the liver of an infected rabbit will have white spots. I have seen spots on occasion, only once though did it look like I would imagine an infected liver though. Lots of white spots. I did not eat that one. I was not wearing gloves. Sometimes I'll see a liver with maybe one small white or yellowish spot. I see it on squirrels too though, so I'm not sure if it's normal or not. I've never worn gloves and I've never been sick. I sometimes remember to get gloves from work and stuff them in my truck, pack etc but it seems every time I go to use them they have deteriorated so that I cannot use them. They seem to not hold up to conditions outside of an air conditioned room.

In AZ the season is year round, and I cannot find anywhere a recommendation (from G&F) to not hunt them in the summer. I remember reading on the Game and Fish website years ago (I have not since been able to find the article) that they encourage hunting them all year round. Which is why the season is year round.The article recommended hunting them all season, and to not handle rabbits if they appear sick. I always check for a white spotted liver (this one had none). It said to go ahead and hunt them, when they contract the disease it makes them feel sick and kills them quickly. The advice was that if a rabbit runs from you and looks healthy enough, it probably is. I wish I could find the article again.


Here is a decent article from G&F, not the same one I remember and with less information:
http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/pubs/CottontailHunting.shtml

The cottontail season in Arizona is year-round. However, few cottontails are taken during the summer months due to hunter concerns regarding disease and parasites. Many myths exist among hunters (especially hunters from back East) concerning the “edibility” of summer rabbits. Cottontails (and the larger jackrabbits) are host to internal and external parasites (all year long, by the way). Hunters who improperly handle sick rabbits can be exposed to tularemia and the plague. This causes many hunters to look to other species as potential prey, particularly during the warmer months.

Since cottontails are abundant and very tasty, I don’t let these concerns stop me from hunting summer rabbits. My strategy is this: Wear rubber gloves when dressing the beast; let the rabbit cool (to help reduce external parasites) before carrying it on your person; wash your hands following handling and cleaning; and cook the rabbit thoroughly. You can also skin and dress the cottontail immediately during the hunt, reducing the chance an external parasite will switch hosts.

The moniker is to only eat rabbits in months that end in "R". The reason is that supposedly they have no fleas/ticks (how the disease in transmitted) when the freeze sets in. The thing is, it's not really hotter now than it is in September (at least here in Northern AZ). Early October isn't usually cold. January and February are good and cold but they don't end in "R". So the "month that ends in 'R'" thing has never made sense to me. I find fleas on them in December. So the take home message, in my opinion, is to know what to look for and be careful. If an animals has a lot of fleas, I may not mess with it.

 

[Sky]

Here is a decent article from G&F, not the same one I remember and with less information:
http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/pubs/CottontailHunting.shtml


Quote:
The cottontail season in Arizona is year-round. However, few cottontails are taken during the summer months due to hunter concerns regarding disease and parasites. Many myths exist among hunters (especially hunters from back East) concerning the “edibility” of summer rabbits. Cottontails (and the larger jackrabbits) are host to internal and external parasites (all year long, by the way). Hunters who improperly handle sick rabbits can be exposed to tularemia and the plague. This causes many hunters to look to other species as potential prey, particularly during the warmer months.

Since cottontails are abundant and very tasty, I don’t let these concerns stop me from hunting summer rabbits. My strategy is this: Wear rubber gloves when dressing the beast; let the rabbit cool (to help reduce external parasites) before carrying it on your person; wash your hands following handling and cleaning; and cook the rabbit thoroughly. You can also skin and dress the cottontail immediately during the hunt, reducing the chance an external parasite will switch hosts.

The moniker is to only eat rabbits in months that end in "R". The reason is that supposedly they have no fleas/ticks (how the disease in transmitted) when the freeze sets in. The thing is, it's not really hotter now than it is in September (at least here in Northern AZ). Early October isn't usually cold. January and February are good and cold but they don't end in "R". So the "month that ends in 'R'" thing has never made sense to me. I find fleas on them in December. So the take home message, in my opinion, is to know what to look for and be careful. If an animals has a lot of fleas, I may not mess with it.

Great Post ^

Some of the most fun hunts I ever went on when I was a kid were with my crippled uncle ( shot in the back when young by a .22 and the the doc screwed up and Uncle was a crip for the next 50 years) Tom the Uncle still drove a jeep with levers for break, clutch and gas. Mostly night hunts because of the day time heat. Like I said at the peak of the marauding JR horde I remember we having to shut the op down just to let the rifles cool off. mostly .22s Then one night in a strange field we had not hunted on (this particular ranch) we were doing about 30 or 40 mph when we flew over a rise to land in a rather large shallow body of water!! Stuff flew everywhere; lucky the jeep was 4 wd and we made it out of there or who knows we might still be stuck?! Tom's wife had the raised eye brow when we finally got back to his house and was kind enough to wash my clothes before I had to face mom.....whew that was close. Also if I remember correctly some rabbits were afflicted with some kind of rather large worm which could be detected with an experienced hand? That could be a bad dream on my part but I seem to remember trying to detect their presence on a fresh kill that I had been told, "the rabbit had the worm"? hahahahah bringing back some rather old memories; thanks I still get a chuckle.

 

[wankerjake]

Also if I remember correctly some rabbits were afflicted with some kind of rather large worm which could be detected with an experienced hand?

Around Tucson, most of the jacks had a big worn burrowed in between the skin and hide, usually on the hind end. I threw away a couple before I found out that it was bot fly or warble fly larvae and that it's external, cut around it and eat the rabbit. Never seen it on a Northern AZ rabbit but found one once on a northern AZ tree squirrel. They look disgusting, I think I chucked a few even after I knew it was ok to cut around.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botfly

 

[Sky]

Quote:
Also if I remember correctly some rabbits were afflicted with some kind of rather large worm which could be detected with an experienced hand?

Around Tucson, most of the jacks had a big worn burrowed in between the skin and hide, usually on the hind end. I threw away a couple before I found out that it was bot fly or warble fly larvae and that it's external, cut around it and eat the rabbit. Never seen it on a Northern AZ rabbit but found one once on a northern AZ tree squirrel. They look disgusting, I think I chucked a few even after I knew it was ok to cut around.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botfly

Wow a lot of wasted meat back then!! But again the old farmers tale that Jacks were not good eating had a lot to do with it; also we were wanting the yotes but used the Jacks as bait. The Jacks were everywhere and rarely did a cotton tail appear; neither did the yotes......

 

[1KPerDay]

You guys aren't really helping... the frickin' plague!??!? LOL

 

[zxcvbob]

I shoot (with an air rifle) rabbits in my garden, and usually bury them for fertilizer or throw them over the fence for the birds, raccoons, or coyotes to eat. But last year the Idea Fairy told me I should learn to skin and clean them. I was planning to cook it for the dogs. The real plan was to learn how in case I need to cook them for *me* someday.

So I looked up online how to clean a rabbit. I got it skinned OK, but it stunk pretty bad (probably cuz I gut-shot it) and I threw it over the fence. They disappear pretty fast; something must like them.

 

[MCgunner]

Never eaten a jack rabbit, heard they're stringy and tough. I love me some fried cottontail, though.

 

[Sky]

You guys aren't really helping... the frickin' plague!??!? LOL

Before everyone started saying "don't" we did everything. People who worked and stayed outside with constant contact with animals very rarely if ever came down with anything. On a cold hunt with only a dog for company warmth was on occasion provided doggy style; horses are hard to snuggle with but have slept bare back before. Fleas, bugs, spiders, and whatever don't usually eat to much. I remember George Carlin speaking about swimming in heavily polluted ponds and rivers when a youth. His take was that his immune system was so strong it just dared any bug to try something. LOL