Eating Rabbits in the Summer

[RAU]

Theres an opinion around here (NE Pa) that you cant or shouldnt eat rabbits in the summer due to them being infested with some sort of worms. I have a feeling its not true but never ate one outside of the fall and winter hunting season. I have a few in the garden that have to go, if i'm gonna kill them i figure i may as well eat them but not if i'm gonna get sick. I know I know rabbit season isnt till october around here, but these have to go now.

[jesse cales]

when i was a kid,we'd shoot em' out of the garden and barbecue on the grill.yum,yum!

[daveycrockett]

Don't know how true it is, but my Grandma and Pa used to say eat 'em only in the months with an R in them.

[stevemfwills]

just inspect the liver,and check the meat and itll be ok

[Moon]

Don,

I live in South Texas and as you know it's pretty hot down here.  Anyway, I once I shot a rabbit (cotton-tail) in the summer time (August) and intended to eat it.  However, when I skinned it it was full of worms between the hide and muscle tissue (they were fat white ugly worms).

Needless to say I didn't have much of an appetite after seeing that.  That was the first and only time I had ever seen worms in a rabbit and I had killed and eaten plenty of rabbits.  

When I mentioned this to an older friend of mine he suggested that I only kill rabbits in the months that have the letter "R", otherwise it's too hot here and they get worms.  I followed his advice and havn't found any more worms in my rabbits.    

I guess you could kill one and check to see if it has worms.  If it doesn't, then you could eat it.

Good Luck.

[James Wrenn]

You don't have to eat the worms.

[hayslope]

Don,

I grew up in south central PA and heard the same stories.  The old timers always said they had "worbles" in them......we always shot some in the early part of the season that had them as well (Steve described the fat little buggers to a "T").  Some type of parasite.  Let's put it this way, my Mother would NEVER cook one if she had any inkling that it had one of those on it!

[Danny Rowan]

Another reason not to eat rabbits before the first freeze is that they carry "rabbit fever" and injesting them could make you sick. Least that is what I was always told and I grew up in Texas.

[LBR]

Rabbits get 'em, squirrels get 'em, even heard of deer getting them.  Dunno the real name--they are called "wolves" around here.  Some kind of parasite, looks like a big maggot of some sort.  We don't usually hunt squirrel or rabbits until after a frost because of them.  No idea if they would hurt you--probably not, as long as the meat is cooked done and they stay just below the skin anyway--but they sure look nasty.

[Stone Knife]

I never shoot them till after the first freeze in the fall.

[Looper]

They're called Botflys.  

They're pretty high in protein, and they add a nice buttery flavor.  


Just kidding. I think it's a good idea to wait to fall, too.

[K. Mogensen]

Months with an R is how I was taught. I've seen some nasty lookin critters in the summer. Rabbit fever was the scary thing round here. Supposedly you could tell if they had it cause they would only run a little ways before they stopped, too sick to go very far. Not sure if it's true though. If you do kill one, wear gloves. I've heard you can get it through cuts on your hands and what not.

[LBR]

According to this, there's no worry about humans getting infected.

 http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/slansky/botfly/abotfly/overview.htm

[Paul Collins]

Never again, not after seeing one of those fat grub looking things crawling across the counter when I started to clean the rabbit.

[Ssamac]

Tumelaria is what they call it here and it's a sickness beyond worms. If they survive the first hard frost, they don't have it. If they have it  it will make you sick and cooking may not help it.
I'd follow the old wisdom. Not worth the chance.
If they gotta go, then shoot them and bury them

Not worth the risk.

Sam

[L82HUNT]

When you shoot one during the warmer months you can feel around the neck area for them when you first shoot them.  If it has the worms you can usely feel them moving around.  Or just shoot the little ones they dont have um.

[mrgreenhead]

why couldnt u just freeze the bunny whole and kill the worms and thaw out and clean  and cook. O what the heck just put the thing in a dutch oven and it will eat just fine.

[Stone Knife]

Take a look at this link    Rabbit fever

[18thcentman]

I don't know about you folks, but the thought of parasites gives me the willys!!!! I shot a rabbit that had worbels under the skin. Made me about half sick. I get shivers every time I think about it.

[Coonbait]

I don't know anything about the worms, but on the western side of Pa we have a rabbit season that starts in the fall. Might be different on the other side of the state though.
GLENN