ORIGINAL: vaslugger
Hey guys I need some information on squirrels.When shooting early season squirrels sometimes they have wolves in them which they say is a parasite in them.Most people say it takes a frost to kill them before you can eat the squirrel.I dont want to shoot my squirrels and not eat them so what do you guys do when you kill a squirrel with wolves in them.Do you just cut that part out or do you toss the squirrel out.I just dont want to eat something that will make me sick but neither do I want to waste it.Going out some next week and need any information you have that might help me decide what to do.Thanks Alot! Mike
Theparasites 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/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26354--,00.html