# Wild Rabbit Fever and other Wild Game No-No!!



## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

Recently (today) I learned not to hunt wild rabbits in the summer due to "Rabbit Fever". Now I am an old guy (urbanized) but I had never heard of this problem. 

So now I wonder how many other hunting related issues urban folks may not know about? In a SHTF situation, the very last thing you need is to get exposed to Tularemia (Rabbit Fever). So are there other critters we should or should not hunt/ capture or consume during certain time periods or maybe never? 

So would all you wonderful wood craftman / ranchers/ farmers/ medical professionals or any other group please help teach us lowly urban folks. 

My first question to start this topic off: How cold does the temperature have to get (winter /fall) to make hunting rabbits safe? 

I live in a desert climate and it rarely get below freezing and if it does it does not last very long (hour, not days). So is it safe to hunt / consume wild rabbits during the winter?

Topic open for other questions or information.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

I wouldn't trust rabbits in your area. The only other animal I've been warned about is hogs. You have to cook them well because of Trichinosis. Which is another worm issue. And ticks. Watch for those little buggers!!


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

When we lived in the foothills of the Colorado mountains we heard frequent warnings of bone fever from wild rabbits, the warnings stated that when dressing rabbits out that you should use good rubber gloves so as not to get cut by broken sharp bones. There were also warnings of wild squirrels carrying bubonic plague, usually from fleas. Here in Southern Oregon we get warnings of deer and elk having wasting disease. Then there is an old guideline for some of the riskier wildlife harvesting which also covers shellfish and small game such as squirrels and rabbits and that is to avoid harvesting during months with an R in their name, I know as a kid when I was digging clams or getting crabs and even some bottom fish that those months that had r in their names were more likely to have red tides and fish would have more worms in them and some clams would develop toxins in them from the red tides. Anyhow, now days we leave small game, other than quail and grouse, for last resort use, then who knows what will become edible when nothing else can be found. :dunno:


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

With many animals you have to be careful about eating the internal organs. Many ungulates (like the deer family) get worms in many organs (though fully cooking them kills everything).
Many prairie dogs carry the Plague.
Rats and mice can give you Hantavirus from their droppings.


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

Caribou said:


> Any filter feeders like clams, oysters, or muscles are prone to red tide as mentioned previously. I wouldn't fish for a shallow or mid column fish in an area that I had seen red tide in. Never heard of anyone getting sick but just for an abundance of caution.
> 
> I would always get a kick when the rooster tail behind my boat turned red.
> 
> My buddy shot a caribou (no relation) on a hunting trip. It had a seriously infected cut on one leg. We judged it too dangerous to eat and just faced it east and left it. We also check the liver and such for obvious signs of disease when we butcher game.


Caribou:We judged it too dangerous to eat and just faced it east and left it.

Okay,why face it east? I understood the other precautions but facing it east? :dunno:
So much for a simple Lizard to learn.They did not teach us these things in Lizard school, shows what public education is worth.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Liver flukes are common here so butchers even slice beef liver to check for them, I always check deer and elk liver, from what I've heard the carriers of flukes are snails and there are a lot of them around. A number of deer I've harvested over the years have had some worms, even my goats have had them, a book I have on raising goats mentioned that if goats didn't have some parasites, they were not really healthy, seems that having some parasites makes their immune system work better. Anyway, seeing worms while gutting never really bothered me, flukes, that's another story that I have not run across, thankfully.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Tularemia is a Liver Disease that Rabbits sometimes get, it occurs both in the Summer and Winter, but does not render a properly cooked Rabbit unsafe to eat. Temperature, hot or cold Weather, has nothing to do with the Disease. I have Hunted and eaten both Rabbits and Squirrels all Year round for most of my Life with no adverse results, and I know for a fact that some of the Rabbits I killed and ate had Tularemia because they had White Spots on the Liver, just don't eat the Liver. As far as wearing Rubber Gloves, I never did, but I can see the wisdom in doing so especially if you have any Cuts or Sores on your Hands. All Wild Animals and Birds are Plagued with Fleas, Ticks and Mites but again I have never had a Problem, however in a shtf situation or in Camp throw the Rabbit or Squirrel in the Fire and singe the Hair off, scrape the residue off and Field Dress as usual. Saves Skinning and preserves the layer of Fat under the Skin which is important in a Survival Camp.


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## AmishHeart (Jun 10, 2016)

I wear rubber gloves whenever I'm butchering anything. Always inspect the organs. We had a very slow moving meat chicken I thought was just too fat. It's organs looked a little hinky, so the bird was tossed. Our son raises meat rabbits, so we eat those. There are plenty of wild rabbits around our place, but they're flea and tick ridden, so no one bothers.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Good advice so far. We eat rabbits all year long. Look the liver over on all butchered animals. Cook all meat completely. Got sick once from a hamburger that wasn't cooked enough. Only once in 50+ years did I get sick but it was one of the most miserable 36 hours in my life. Another time was from grapes purchased at the store. Thought I'd have a few on the way home ... never again! All "fresh" food gets thoroughly rinsed before eating it.


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