Why does everybody say not to hunt rabbit until after the first freeze?

Question

First of all I live in Iowa and everybody I talk to says you don't hunt any small game until after a frost. But the season is open and my kids want to go hunting.

Answer 1

In the case of rabbits, they are subject to worm infestation in their flesh due to a particular insect laying eggs under their skin. If the meat is thoroughly cooked, the worms will not hurt you but are not pleasing to look at when they pop out of the meat when it is cooking. After a freeze, the insects are much less of a problem to the rabbits and you are less likely to find the worms in the meat. When you shoot a rabbit, carefully run your fingers over the back and feel for little lumps under the skin. If you find several of these, you can bet that the meat has worms in it. The worms are inside these little cysts. Some peole refer to these worm infestations as "weals" because of the lumps under the skin. I don't know if eating the undercooked meat can result in the worms infesting the person who eats it or if they are simply digested. They do not infest the gut of the rabbit so I don't know if a human can become a host for them. People have been eating rabbits for years so just be careful and have a good time with the kids. Thanks for taking the time to teach your kids about the great out of doors and the fun of hunting.

Answer 2

Because of tularemia. Tularemia can kill you. It mimics the black plague in how it infects you. What fun...open pustulating, oozing sores.

Tularemia is a BACTERIA, not a worm. You can contract it simply by touching, and most especially skinning a rabbit.

If you still want to go hunting though, go for it. With antibiotics, there is a 90% cure rate for tularemia. That means only a 10% chance you will die from it, if you contract it.

However if you are concerned about tularemia, you need to wait for the first really hard, crunchy frost, not just a light frost. Then the rabbits are safe to handle.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years


P.S. Both Russia & the U.S.A. have tularemia as a biological weapon, because it's that effective.

Answer 3

I was always told rabbits have lots of lice and ticks during the summer months. We only hunt rabbits in months ending in the letter R. Usually that is after the first freeze in Colorado. I am sure that is why you were told not to hunt until after the first freeze.

Answer 4

No real reason not to let them hunt. The first frost usually kills any mites or ticks on Rabbits. There aren't any diseases going around, so I would go ahead and take them. If you are really concerned still, give your local DNR or Fish & Wildlife Service a call and verify there isn't anything you might not have heard about in regards to Wild Rabbits..Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Answer 5

I didn't know there was a rabbit season. Where I live, it's all year long. Anyway, the first frost is supposed to kill all of the "sick" rabbits, at least that's what I was always told.

Answer 6

The freeze limits the parasites and limits the risk of tularemia. Take the kids hunting, and just check the lymph nodes when you clean the rabbits.

Answer 7

Botflies or "wolves" can inhabit the rabbit until the first frost. They are kind of disgusting to look at.

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

Here is what they look like on squirrels.

Answer 8

Don't believe everything you hear or are told.* Enjoy hunting with your family.* Happy Trails & Great Hunting.* Cook your harvested rabbits well done.*

Answer 9

In the south, many old timers feel you must wait until after the 1st frost because they think it kills/rids the game of parasites.

Answer 10

worms and parasites