Safe time of year for rabbit harvesting

I was always taught the same due to the rabbit wolves worm. I've seen them and they are a big gross parasite, but I'm not sure if it's an old wives tale on the eating part or medical truth. Of course if you are in Texas, you might just be able to chunk the rabbit and eat the worm. I understand everything's bigger there! Haha

"Willie14228"I'm going to be honest I've had rabbit but I was fairly young.
around here in Texas I was always told that the only safe time to harvest rabbit for eating is during the winter because of the parasites, both in and out.

Is there anything to be concerned about

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I am in the same boat as you. Upon extensive research, I was "told" that they could only be eaten in the months that end in BER. So:

September
October
November
December

Not sure how accurate this is however. Good luck!!!

WARNING: SOME PICTURES IN THE ARTICLES ARE GRAPHIC IN NATURE.
Here is a link that might help clear up some of the confusion. Just to add another view on harvesting rabbits, I too was taught not to take rabbits unless the month ended in "ber" so tales do get around. It has since come to my attention the reason for this is the possible contraction of "rabbit fever". Basically a bacteria that can be present on the fur of many animals including rabbits of course. I sense have made it a point to always clean my rabbits and squirrels with latex gloves and to check for fleas that might also bite me as well. It is my understanding the rabbit fever is very treatable in humans but left untreated can lead to dire consequences. But here is the link, that you might find helpful.

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/disease_emergence/Chapter5.pdf

Also here is an article on Bot fly larvae "wolf" worms that might help as well.
http://www.outdoorhub.com/how-to/2012/10/30/squirrel-bot-flies-fact-versus-fiction/

Happy hunting!

What we check for are bumps on the back of the rabbit and also spots in the liver. If you see either of those discard of the rabbit. Wear gloves while cleaning the rabbit just as an added precaution. The "BER" theory in general is a good rule of thumb for not having fleas all over your clothes! During the colder months the rabbits have a lot less chance to have Tularemia. Another possible disease is Myxomatosis. The way to check for it is in the eyes and reproductive parts. In the eyes, there will be a white goo coating the eye and around it. The genitals will have white goo out and surrounding it. Rabbits don't really have a lot of things to get sick from just check for those things and your rabbit is SAFE to eat!

I just got back on a rabbit hunt at my in-laws. I was able to get three cotton tails. When I started preparing the first bunny, I noticed clear bags of clear fluid on the liver. I immediately stop and put everything in a bag and trashed it. Tularemia is always on the back of my mind when I go out hunting. I looked up images of signs of tularemia but none of the pictures looked exactly the same as what I saw. Something was definitely growing on this bunny's liver. Has anyone ever come across tularemia?

I normally don't shoot them before the first freeze, simply to avoid fleas. If I do shoot one I make sure it's eyes are clear, and that it looks healthy. If I do ever see anything that looks suspicious/nit healthy I will just use the whole bunny for bait on my trap line. I've only ever shot one rabbit that I used on the trap line, and when I went to pick it up and squeeze the pee out of it to put it in the game bag it was pretty milky and grainy looking.

I just got off the phone with my wife. My wife is a veterinarian and when I described to her what I saw on the liver, she said it sounded like the rabbit had some kind of parasite but not tularemia. She said when a mammal is infected with a parasite(s), the parasite(s) will migrate to the liver and populate on the liver. She said if the liver is infected, the muscles will also be infected too. She said it might still be ok to eat it if you cook the meat thoroughly but you could still be at risk of getting infected because some parasites can withstand high temperatures and you don't really know what the rabbit has without lab tests.

Are you sure it wasn't just the gull bladder? More rabbits and squirrels are wasted because folks mistake a green or clear colored cyst like sack as being a parasite or infection when it's just the gull bladder.

It couldn't have been the gull bladder. I wish I could've taken a picture of it but my rubber gloves were covered in blood and my phone was in my pocket. It looked like small sacks of liquid on top one another sitting inside a crater on the liver. Like soap bubbles with clear liquid inside the bubbles.

"wyshadow"It couldn't have been the gull bladder. I wish I could've taken a picture of it but my rubber gloves were covered in blood and my phone was in my pocket. It looked like small sacks of liquid on top one another sitting inside a crater on the liver. Like soap bubbles with clear liquid inside the bubbles.

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Hydatids. Don't eat that one. The eggs from the worm can infect you and it can be long term nasty.
You can also get it from dogs, sheep and other animals. ... Harry in OZ.

Harry, that's exactly what I thought it to be, have to admit I haven't seen hydatids in rabbits for awhile now. I believe it is good idea to wash your hands after handling an infected animal before doing anything else also.

poop, reading all this makes one wonder if eating rabbits at all is worth it.....

"Foweis"

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1967; I pretty much paid for my first VW Kombi shooting rabbits for a mobile freezer for export.

I was just one of perhaps hundreds of shooters in my state NSW. So there must have been a lot of satisfied customers. Millions were exported each year.

Had to be head shot, mostly under 50 yards; skins left on; gutted but lungs, heart, liver and kidneys left in place for inspection.
Many long cold nights but the shooting skills stay with you like riding a bike does. 100+ a night 3 nights a week gives a lot of practice shooting and gutting !

I used a Brno semi auto and RWS sub-sonics; if it were today I have airguns that would do as well and more cheaply. ... Just inspect your bunnies for cysts of any kind in the abdomen and thorax. Myxo is obvious in the eyes and won't hurt you or the dog; VHD calicivirus is nasty but kills fairly fast and only affects rabbits. I don't think it is in USA yet but will probably be soon as it is in Mexico and it travels FAST. http://www.rabbit.org/care/vhd.html . Inspect and enjoy your rabbits. ... Kind regards, Harry.

I usually try to take my first rabbits of the year as soon as the season opens. It opens October 1st here. Freezes don't generally happen nearly that early here.

As others have said and as with any animal you should check the health. I think time of year is MUCH less important than animals health. I have shot squirrels I. The summertime with bot flies but I have never shot a rabbit with anything.

"Yrrah"

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"I don't think it is in USA yet ... "
 I was wrong there, there have been minor outbreaks in USA but it seems your wild rabbits and hares are not of the family that is susceptible:
Ref: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergingissues/impactworksheets/iw_2005_files/domestic/rhdindiana061505.htm

" ...Rabbits of the genus Oryctolagus are susceptible to RHD. This includes most show, pet, and laboratory rabbits. Wild rabbits in the US , such as the cottontail and jack rabbit, are not of the genus Oryctolagus and are not susceptible to RHD. An exception to this is a population of rabbits of the genus Oryctolagus that live on the San Juan Islands, Washington. European rabbits that have escaped into the wild in the US can also be susceptible. Humans and other mammals are not affected by RHD." End quote.

Sorry about that . ...... RHD is regularly released in Australia to control the wild rabbit population here. Our rabbits came from Europe. We don't have an indigenous population.
Regards, Harry.

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