Rabbit Cleaning and Safety?

[fido dog]

I shot a bunch of Texas rabbits a long time ago with pistol and rifle. We were cleaning the bunnys and they had worms. They were discarded.

I'd like to walk in the pastures this spring with my bow and maybe get a rabbit or seven. Is there a good tutorial on cleaning?

If you're frying, do the worms matter? Don't most get worms?

[Hardhed]

That's a good question.

[ryped]

This is the best way I've seen.

 http://www.mucc.org/mood/rabbit/rabbitclean.wmv

[fido dog]

Originally posted by ryped:
This is the best way I've seen.

  http://www.mucc.org/mood/rabbit/rabbitclean.wmv  

I bet with a bit of practice I could get that down.

[mwmwmb]

as far as the worms go. I dont know if it is a wives tail but when i was a kid we didnt eat em till after the first frost and quit when it got warm.

[bayoulongbowman]

ditto...after the first good frost

[Robhood23]

So where do you store all the worms until the first frost? lol

[McDave]

Isn't there something you should look for on the liver, like spots or something?

[heartshoth]

rabbits can get intestinal tapeworms which is not a problem for us humans who don't eat the intestines...they also get cuterebra, which is a fly larvae that matures in the subcutaneous tissue which gets removed when you skin them and also is not a problem for us humans...that is all that i'm aware of...i eat them whenever they are legal to shoot...

heartshot (full time bowhunter part-time vet)

[razorback]

I have a friend who cleans pheasants in a similar way, very cool.

[ratgunner]

When I was in junior high,back when we rode horses because there were no cars,     bet that dont happen much anymore.

[bretto]

The Farmer's almanac says You can eat a Rabbit during any month that has a " R " in it.

Personally I don't eat them til we've had a good hard freeze.

[Renaissance Man]

When I have hunted them in warm weather areas I saw many times what you are referring to, up here during warm weather they are often filled with them.
Once it gets cold outside I have rarely seen them.

Love that way of dressing them but did I miss something, was that rabbit already dressed out before he did that? It was right, I did not see guts go flying!!

[Renaissance Man]

I am going to try that but what I always have done, as taught to me many years ago, I pull the fur apart on the back(split it) and pull it down and over everything like you were taking off a shirt, but you still have to dress them out, I do it after to keep any hair ticks or debris from getting in the cavity

[acolobowhunter]

Always heard to only shoot rabbits in a month that ended with an "R"  The cold weather months.  

I always wear rubber gloves when dressing out ANY animal.  There was a good article a few years ago about Tripto....  not sure about the spelling.  I talked to a old time vet and he said the same thing.  Never dress an animal without wearing rubber gloves.  There are to many things that can affect a person.  He said you are a fool if you don't wear gloves.  In the article I read the person got really sick and was in the hospital.  Couldn't find the problem so they released him.  A few weeks later he got really sick again.  His liver was shutting down.  The doctor by chance asked if he had been hunting.  He had dresses out either a deer of elk.  Problem solved, the doctor then knew what to treat him for.  
Bottom line, he nearly died, but had a doctor that was also a hunter and knew the questions to ask.  

[fido dog]

Very good guys. I thank you for all the info!

[va]

You guys are talking about Tularemia.  It can be passed from infected rabbits to humans and it is not a good thing.  Disposable gloves are the way to go.