Rabbits

[TehK1w1]

We're heading out for opening weekend tomorrow, and my brother is itching to try hunting the rabbits at our lease. However, I've had several people that they are not safe to eat around here unless there's been a hard freeze recently. It has something to do with a parasite, I think. Can anyone tell me if they are safe to eat?
This is in Edwards County, Texas.

 

[jbkebert]

I usually don't hunt rabbit unless there is snow on the ground. Given your location I don't think its going to happen. Just make sure the meat is well cooked and enjoy.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

That's the old method for trying to avoid Tularemia aka rabbit fever. It tends to be really prolific in the spring. It may be transmitted by ticks from the rabbit that get onto you, and often folks wait for the first hard frost to reduce the numbers of ticks in the woods, though such a frost does nothing to ticks already riding on a nice warm bunny. A snowfall won't stop the stuff either. If you kick up a rabbit that doesn't run off smartly, but kinda seems dazed or lethargic..., it might be infected. Dress and skin any rabbit while you're wearing rubber gloves as you can get it from rabbit blood contacting open cuts or such in your skin, and be sure you're not eating rare rabbit when you dine, and you should be fine.

In my area you have to be sure not to hunt bunnies on a sod farm, or near a park/golf course where they use weed-n-feed.

LD

 

[TheVeteran]

Here's a story, sorry if I'm a little late to this thread...

I went small game hunting (as I love to do) back in 2008 and came across a cottontail hopping with all its might away from me. I proceeded to drop a bead on it and follow through with a loud bang from my Winchester 1300 and I saw the critter recoil from shot.

Upon inspection, I saw many small fleas surfacing from animals skin.

I felt bad and wasn't sure what to do - would it hurt me to eat this animal? I did some research and eventually ate the meat with no consequence other than enjoying the meal. Personally, I've always been under the impression that if you cook the meat well enough you should be alright.

Just my story, someone please catch and correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the truth.

 

[D3bug]

Tularemia is a bacteria spread via flea and tick bites. It is supposedly generally fatal to rabbits within 8-14 days. This means that if you have low temperatures for two weeks, any live bunnies should be uninfected, as any rabbits infected before the freeze will be deceased and the freeze inhibits the spread from animal to animal.

To prevent exposure, wear bug spray when in the woods to inhibit transfer from parasites. Wear gloves when handling game in order to prevent direct contamination from infected bunnies. Infected animals may (rarely) have open sores, white spots on the liver are also indicative of tularemia infection.

If thoroughly cooked, tularemia bacteria will be killed. Signs in humans show up within 3-5 days, and it can be treated with antibiotics. Signs in humans include sores on the skin, fever, lethargy, etc.

I used to go bunny hunting with a biologist, which is why I remember most of this stuff. The wikipedia page on Tularemia is fairly comprehensive.

 

[MCgunner]

I've eaten rabbits killed from now until march/april and hever had a problem. They claim to clean 'em with rubber gloves, I never did. If the rabbit seems lethargic, won't run, that might be a warning sign. I have skinned and cleaned 'em anyway. I grew up hunting rabbit and squirrel in the creek bottom near my home in Brazoria County. I usually did more fishing in summer months, but soon as it got cooler, not freezing, just cooler, I was there.

What used to yuck me out worse than the possibility of Tularemia was the "wolf worms", subcutaneous ring worm that just looked nasty. They lose those worms in colder weather. It's the main reason I didn't hunt in summer, but I did know about Tularemia. When I was a kid, I read all the outdoor magazines, absorbing knowledge as much as I could.

 

[Birdmang]

I have hunted rabbits in the dead of winter and it was really hard and really fun....also the tularemia was gone.