Is it true you have to hunt in the winter?

[johnnyHunts]

I've always heard that you can't eat game you kill when it is warm or hotbecause they may have "bugs." I know that sounds funny. It does to me too, but is it true? Is it true there are small insects that Rabbits and Squirrels (and deer) that can hurt you if you eat the animal.

Thank you.

[coorsdrifter1]

You can hunt anytime you want,if the squirrel/rabbit you kill looks like it might have problems don't eat it(sores,large lumps,etc).
I have always heard that rabbits should be cooked completely through for the same reason you do pork(trichinosis)?
I find it more enjoyable to hunt after the 1st good frost just because it is more comfortable to be in the woods then.

[defenbaugh]

If its warm out and you dont clean the animal soon enough. then maybe. but I'd say that that is far from true.

[johnnyHunts]

How fast do you have to clean it and put it on ice? How long does the process take?

[x-mountie]

Small game (rabbits and squirrels ) can be gutted in the field. I do this, mainly to save on the weight factor. If they are cleaned and skinned after the hunt, you should have no problems.

[4 Buck]

I've always been told to wait til after the first real good freeze to eat any rabbits or tree rats. Dont know how true it is though???

[skb2706]

I always been told to follow the small game hunting regulations of your particular state. That will determine when you can hunt. There is an inherent risk of small game animals having various ticks, mites and 'bugs' regardless of season. You should check them out 'anytime' you kill them.

[Lanse couche couche]

Depends on the small game. Dove season generally starts in one of the warmest months of the year. never had any problem with eating them. Ditto for squirrels taken in August and September.

[jrbsr]

ORIGINAL: johnnyHunts

I've always heard that you can't eat game you kill when it is warm or hotbecause they may have "bugs." I know that sounds funny. It does to me too, but is it true? Is it true there are small insects that Rabbits and Squirrels (and deer) that can hurt you if you eat the animal.

Thank you.

The bugs are called warbles.
They usely come out after the first frost.


Description and Distribution
Warbles are the larval stage of the botfly, which characteristically infect rodents and rabbits. They are found under the skin, usually around the legs and neck. They have also been reported from deer, cattle, cats, dogs, hogs, mules, mink, foxes and man. The adult botflies are large (20 mm or more in length) and dark blue or black with fine, dense hairs on the face, genae and thorax.
Only one genus, Cuterebra, is currently recognized from North America. Twenty-six species are known to occur in the U.S. and Canada. They are also found in Mexico and the neotropical regions. The taxonomy is poorly defined, and existing keys are for the most part inadequate for separation of the species.
In Michigan, warbles have been found in cottontail rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, house mice and white-footed mice. Undoubtedly, other mammals are infected as well. The parasites are usually not seen by the rabbit hunter since most of the warbles have dropped off before hunting season.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7...6354--,00.html

[Roadkillwarrior]

Tularemia, which is a bacterial disease, often affects rabbits and dies off after the first good freeze. I wouldn't worry about it unless you kill somthing that seems sickly or ill, then I wouldnt trust it.