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View Full Version : A question to all rabbit hunters!



Daniel2009
09-24-2009, 11:59 AM
Hey i have a (??) for everyone,Yesterday i was rabbit hunting n shot 3 rabbits but why i was cleaning them i found 2 to 3 big larva around 1inch long n really fat! under the hides of the rabbits n i never seen anything like it be4 in all the years i have been rabbit hunting, anyone have a idea of what they are? after finding them i threw them away becouse im not sure if they are good or not. I sent a email to the DNR and still waiting on what they could be I just wish i kept one or took a photo first before tossing them out.

7.62 Nato
09-24-2009, 12:04 PM
Got a rabbit with my truck when I was up north. Hit the bottom of the truck so we threw it in the bed and skinned it when we got back. Had one of those in the breast area. The old guy called them "warbles". I threw it out.

Found it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warbles

Garbo
09-24-2009, 12:07 PM
didnt get a pic did ya?

protectionisamust
09-24-2009, 12:16 PM
Was it a larva of worms? I heard rabbits have worms until the first heavy frost.

sullyxlh
09-24-2009, 12:38 PM
I heard rabbits have worms until the first heavy frost.
+1
A general rule was always no hunting em till the first frost.

protectionisamust
09-24-2009, 12:41 PM
+1
A general rule was always no hunting em till the first frost.

We used the rule of thumb of no hunting rabbits until the first snow fall
because of the worms.

hillbillyinmi
09-24-2009, 12:42 PM
Bot fly larvae. Found them on squirrels and rats in Michigan. Supposedly doesn't hurt the rest of the meat, but I wouldn't trust it myself. Just not worth the risk for the small amount of meat on a rabbit.

Toledo Kid
09-24-2009, 01:15 PM
No hunting till the first frost is a Old Wives tail.

Consider this...
Insects need a live host for the blood as a food source. Once they have one they burrow in the flesh. Now if the rabbit got that cold to freeze, it would not longer be alive, neither would the insect.

wadevb1
10-01-2009, 08:44 AM
No hunting till the first frost is a Old Wives tail.

Consider this...
Insects need a live host for the blood as a food source. Once they have one they burrow in the flesh. Now if the rabbit got that cold to freeze, it would not longer be alive, neither would the insect.

Agreed. And it is the Bot larvae. My daughters ankle biter gets them, being a small dog close to the ground.

Consider it extra protein.

mikethepike
10-01-2009, 07:14 PM
And it is the Bot larvae.
Consider it extra protein.

Dip it in drakes and deep fry it... almost like a mini twnkie:scratch:

dramey82
10-01-2009, 08:18 PM
Again, same as above, must wait until the first hard frost.

knu2xs
10-01-2009, 10:29 PM
When I was a young hunter, seems like a long time ago now, a veteran hunter said something to me about rabbit worms and added that, as a general rule, you only shoot and eat rabbits during the Months that have the letter R in their name. He then went on and talked about the frost, colder weather aspect mentioned by others and how it will kill the worms.......

mechredd
10-01-2009, 10:38 PM
I've never heard of these things before. Thanks for the post, I'll be keeping a closer watch on all the critters I bag.

trigger
10-02-2009, 03:55 AM
I may be wrong but the first frost thing has to do with by then the larva have matured and left the host and also cold weather kills weak and sick animals.

Ruger
10-02-2009, 09:02 AM
Sick Rabbits = Sick Environment :shock:

Hunting and consuming rabbits when I was young 50's-60's had a educational twist to it. The Uncle that was my mentor always waited until the frost had killed just about all the green stuff and then we'd hunt rabbits! But not because of worms........because of the fleas! :-|

Toledo Kid
10-02-2009, 10:06 AM
Sick Rabbits = Sick Environment :shock:

Hunting and consuming rabbits when I was young 50's-60's had a educational twist to it. The Uncle that was my mentor always waited until the frost had killed just about all the green stuff and then we'd hunt rabbits! But not because of worms........because of the fleas! :-|Hmm...Wonder how long them boys hunting these critters in S.Flordia or Mississippi have to wait for the first frost???

Again this is nonsense!!!
Be sure not to eat that September deer that your young child has killed in the early season.

Oh yeah and don't eat steak on July 4th because Cows have them too...
No Chicken either!!!
Forget about those Pork Ribs!!!!

hahahaha :p :p :p

Ruger
10-02-2009, 04:09 PM
Hmm...Wonder how long them boys hunting these critters in S.Flordia or Mississippi have to wait for the first frost???

Again this is nonsense!!!
Be sure not to eat that September deer that your young child has killed in the early season.

Oh yeah and don't eat steak on July 4th because Cows have them too...
No Chicken either!!!
Forget about those Pork Ribs!!!!

hahahaha :p :p :p

I'm a Vegan! :woohoo1: I don't eat any of the above........:toss:

GREASEMONKEY
10-02-2009, 04:27 PM
I'm a Vegan! :woohoo1: I don't eat any of the above........:toss:


Sorry for your loss:bounce2:

Toledo Kid
10-02-2009, 05:56 PM
Sorry for your loss:bounce2:Hahahaha:banana:

Ruger
10-02-2009, 08:47 PM
Sorry for your loss:bounce2:

Much obliged! :mischeif:

Howard000003
10-03-2009, 12:21 AM
Hmm...Wonder how long them boys hunting these critters in S.Flordia or Mississippi have to wait for the first frost???

Again this is nonsense!!!
Be sure not to eat that September deer that your young child has killed in the early season.

Oh yeah and don't eat steak on July 4th because Cows have them too...
No Chicken either!!!
Forget about those Pork Ribs!!!!

hahahaha :p :p :p

I would agree with some of the above posts -- Frost kills off certain bugs (like the fleas and such) and although I've never heard of put this way, it makes sense that by frost time the larva of anything growing on animals has hatched on moved on. With that said, I think waiting for the frost only makes the hunter's life easier, don't have to mess with certain critters that need a host to live on.

FIRERESCUEO2
10-05-2009, 07:34 PM
Here you go ..........

Flies and their larvae (maggots) can cause several disorders in rabbits including Myiasis and Fly Strike. However, warbles is caused by a specific fly species and its larvae-the Cuterebra. Quite different from normal house flies, the Cuterebra only lay a single egg underneath the skin which takes up residence in the rabbit and begins its life cycle.

This pocket where the larva lives will have a small air hole that the larva uses to breathe. This lump under the skin is commonly found on the neck area but can be found anywhere on the rabbit's body. The larvae will grow and the breathing hole becomes larger giving the larva enough room to emerge and fall out. The larva eventually grows into an adult fly where it can again reproduce on the next unsuspecting victim.

Flies can invade a rabbit's skin from open wounds and will search out places that are unclean. Outdoor rabbits are particularly susceptible to invading flies and their larvae. Moist areas are also searched out by flies which include the rectal area of a rabbit.

Batman
10-07-2009, 07:32 AM
Dip it in drakes and deep fry it... almost like a mini twnkie:scratch::barf::hurl:

Mr. 16 gauge
10-08-2009, 07:06 AM
Toledo kid has it.....your wasting game if you throw it away. The larva are harmless....cut them out. Cooking will destroy any other eggs.
I'd be more concerned with tularemia (look for small, white dots on the liver) or tape worm cysts (look like a small pearl onion with a green pepper seed inside...you'll find them imbedded in the muscle tissue...ALL muscle tissue!) These you should toss.....You will most likely find them in rabbits that have fleas, as the fleas are an intermediate host.
....and as for fleas, why do you think they are on that rabbit to begin with? in addition to a blood meal, they are there TO KEEP WARM AND SURVIVE!!!! I've shot rabbits in Jan. and Feb. that have been infested with fleas; I just case the hides and turn 'em inside out. The fleas are contained inside the hide "bag", so I don't worry about them hitching a ride on me or the dog, and then I check the rabbit for cysts.

Toledo Kid
10-08-2009, 07:16 AM
Here is the link I put up from the DNR for the truth!!!

http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=63925