Wild Desert Rabbits, Safe to Eat or NO

[ChaoticL0gic]

OK, I know I am going to get a good deal of "newbies" Jabs on this but here goes. I have been told that the wild rabbits here in the desert (Southern NV) are not safe to eat even if cooked well. I was told be a local women whom has lived in this area for a number of years and comes from a family of hunters, other places perhaps but not here. Not just tularemia but other bacteria is the issue. The research I have done on the net seems rather weak. Even the books I have found on the subject seem to skirt the issue. So I ask ZS for the final judgment. Mind you if it goods, next backpacking trip I'll be testing it out.
Thanks
CL

PS Good Field Recipes area always welcome.

[eatatjoz]

I'm not in your area, but as a general rule of thumb for me is... if it had parents, you can eat it.
How someone decided to boil polk salad three times before it's safe, is beyond me, but a wild hare gets eaten with out a second thought.

[Gigas]

Try eating small amounts of it then waiting, if you feel something isn't right then don't but if all goes well slowly increase the amount you eat, and just keep seeing how you feel. Much like the strategies used to eat wild plants.

[shrapnel]

Err, don't bacteria have an incubation period where you feel fine until there are too many of them in your system? Ask your game commission or health department or a local university about it, would be my suggestion.

[Regulator]

What kinda rabbits you got down there? Here in KS the only thing we worry about is the fleas that come with rabbits (cottontails and jacks). After shooting one, we just gut it and hang it in a tree for a few minutes. Fleas will vacate a cooling body quickly. If you throw the rabbit in your pouch or across your back right after shooting it, the fleas will move to your warm body.

Flea bites can carry disease I guess, uncomfortable at the least, never heard not to eat the rabbit. Ate quite a few actually, tastes like chicken, only tougher.

[Biggin]

What kinda rabbits you got down there? Here in KS the only thing we worry about is the fleas that come with rabbits (cottontails and jacks). After shooting one, we just gut it and hang it in a tree for a few minutes. Fleas will vacate a cooling body quickly. If you throw the rabbit in your pouch or across your back right after shooting it, the fleas will move to your warm body.

Flea bites can carry disease I guess, uncomfortable at the least, never heard not to eat the rabbit. Ate quite a few actually, tastes like chicken, only tougher.

+1 Fleas started the Bubonic Plague.

As far as I know rabbits are perfectly fine to eat. Just during the summer they have a huge parasitic worm under their skin which makes for a big mess when skinning and preparing them.

[nateted4]

Err, don't bacteria have an incubation period where you feel fine until there are too many of them in your system? Ask your game commission or health department or a local university about it, would be my suggestion.

I'd ask the Dept of Fish and Wildlife for the definitive answer.

[ChaoticL0gic]

What kinda rabbits you got down there?

Mostly Cotton tails and Jack rabbits.

From what I hear the worms are the big issue. Apparently they are rampant in this area.
Everything I have read seems to come down to two major points. Cook well done and wear gloves when butchering, unless worms are present, then toss it.
Any thoughts?

[CitizenZ]

There are a variety of diseases that can be caught from the fur of animals as well as the meat. Do your research, contact the local dept of wildlife.
If the animal apears healthy I'm sure there must be a safe way to handle and consume it. You dont' see dead coyotes and eagles lying around who ate the rabbits do you?

Follow the handling instructions carefully. Enjoy with a garlic and white wine sauce.

[ChaoticL0gic]

[quote="CitizenZ"]

Follow the handling instructions carefully. Enjoy with a garlic and white wine sauce.[/quote

mmm, perhaps some chanterelles and red potatoes. Yummy. Now where talking my kind of surviving

[Gun_Nut_2k1]

Try eating small amounts of it then waiting, if you feel something isn't right then don't but if all goes well slowly increase the amount you eat, and just keep seeing how you feel. Much like the strategies used to eat wild plants.

My technique differs a bit. I cook the rabbit and serve it to my least favorite team member.. Just kiddin. I boil the rabbit for 5-6 hours for Jacks and 3-4 for Bunnies. After that I BBQ, Saute, bake, boil and add flavor to it. Then put it on a bed of white rice with gravy and man o man do you have a meal. The worms just under the skin, I have been told by a Game Warden, are just a parasite akin to ticks. Its the spotted liver you need to worry about.

[ChaoticL0gic]

The worms just under the skin, I have been told by a Game Warden, are just a parasite akin to ticks. Its the spotted liver you need to worry about.

See now here is where I get confused, because I have been told that the spotted liver it's a issue as long as you wear gloves and cook them well.

[bark-eater]

I read that throwing the rabbit in a plastic bag and giving it a spray of bug repellent takes care of the fleas. There a is a series of stone-age survival books that go into depth the pros and cons of rodent eating. I'll post later it if i can
remember/google the title. I believe that tularemia, worms and other parasites are more prevalent in the summer months, and was warned to stop eating the rabbits in Florida after May. It seems like if a food source is requires a little know how and care to prepare, the local opinion will hold that, only the poor and or darker of complexion will eat them. I like most rodents roasted in foil with veggies and bacon, steadily basted with beer.

[bowman]

From what I hear the worms are the big issue. Apparently they are rampant in this area.

I've heard the rule of thumb as being don't hunt rabbit until after the first hard freeze. If it doesn't often get below freezing in your area, that may be the reason for the advice mentioned in the original post.

I've met US citizens who've moved to Guatemala. The domestic animals there tend to not get treated for parasites so seeing an animal get butchered is a really disgusting experience. Reportedly people there eat the animals, visible parasites and all, without falling over dead.

I'd think any parasite would die if you cooked the meat well enough. I'd still rather at least try to pick off the visible parasites but I'm squeamish. If its the end of the world and I were hungry, wild desert rabbit would be on the menu. If I've got a choice today, I'd pass until winter wabbit season.

[Wildeman_13]

Second hand info warning:
A buddy of mine regularly hunts and eats bunnies and jacks in AZ. He told me he actually contracted Bubonic Plague from a Jack. I can't verify that personally tho. The above advice is the best course to keep yourself safe but the obvious way is to not eat them unless you have to.

Basics:
Wear gloves when handling (especially Jacks)
Skin in an open area and do not keep the hide unless you know how to treat it fully (Keeps flea exposure to a minimum)
Check for skin parasites and remove them (choice is yours if you keep the meat or toss it/use it as Coyote bait)
Boil the meat thoroughly then cook fully.
Enjoy your tasty bunnies.
Timing is everything, summer is worst time to hunt bunnies and jacks.

[Richter]

I saw a news article a few years ago here in my city that people had been getting sick from eating jackrabbits they hunted. Someone (not sure who, it was like 5 years ago) did a test and 6 out of 8 rabbits were infected with someone. Again, I'm not sure what it was but hopefully it helps you some.

here's an article I found after a little web browsing:
Article

Tularemia is a disease which occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere and can be found in many mammals including hares, rabbits and rodents common in Utah! The disease is also called rabbit fever, fly fever and Ohara's disease. It has a particular affinity for cottontail rabbits. Tularemia is caused by the bacteria (Francisella tularensis). Tularemia can be transmitted to man either by the bite of an infected tick or deer fly, direct contact through the skin via dressing an infected animal, eating of contaminated flesh, or inhalation of dust that is carrying the bacteria.

After entering the rabbit's body, via the bite of an infected parasite, the bacteria quickly multiplies and invades different organs such as the liver and spleen. If while dressing your rabbits, you notice one in which the liver, lungs or spleen are covered with tiny, whitish miniature discolorations or one in which the liver and spleen are swollen, it is probable that the rabbit has tularemia. Immediately wash your hands with strong soap and hot water and rinse in disinfectant and discard the carcass.

Tularemia is a serious disease, if left unchecked. But don't panic! Based on statistics from around the United States, chances of catching Tularemia are slight!

Symptoms in man

After infection has occurred, the bacteria incubate for approximately 5 days. The resulting symptoms appear suddenly and include chills, fever, nausea, vomiting and sweating. If you suspect that you have been in contact with an infected animal and may have contracted Tularemia, consult your physician immediately! The recovery rate from the disease is good

that is just from a bit of reading and it is in Utah so take it for what it's worth. Read the whole article, it's pretty interesting. Hope that helped.

[AZMedic]

Err, don't bacteria have an incubation period where you feel fine until there are too many of them in your system? Ask your game commission or health department or a local university about it, would be my suggestion.

Some food poisoning doesn't set in for 48 hours. The most common is within the first few hours then less than a day but some rare cases its 48 hours.

[donjulio]

When I lived in Lake Havasu City, AZ, I ate a lot of desert jackrabbits and cottontails. My rule was, if it is in season, it is ok to eat. I always made sure that the meat was well cooked and kept an eye out for any abnormalities while cleaning the animal. I never had an adverse reaction to it.

ETA - I like to cook the rabbit and pull all the meat of the bones. I then fry the shredded meat with a little oil and tapatio. Put it on roasted corn tortillas with a little cheese (I like pepperjack). I'll make tacos out of anything though.....

[doctor patches]

i might have to take to trapping a few rabbits up here in reno and seeing what i find.

FOR SCIENCE! i will eat wild animals for science.

btw, LOVE the recipes, absolutely keep 'em coming

[bookshop]

Just make sure you eat something else too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

[tommyboy4090]

Yes if rabbit is the only meat you eat you can die of "starvation".I think its the lack of protein. I live in Florida and what i learned from my parents and grandparents is you don't eat squirrels or rabbits in any month that doesn't have an r in it. If you look at a calender or just say the months the months that are usually the hottest don't have an r in them and that is when the parasites and fleas are the worst on any animal.

[Civilian Scout]

Yes if rabbit is the only meat you eat you can die of "starvation".I think its the lack of protein.

It's too much protein, and not enough fat.

[tommyboy4090]

Yes if rabbit is the only meat you eat you can die of "starvation".I think its the lack of protein.

It's too much protein, and not enough fat.

Thanks for correcting me. Been so long since I was taught that, that, well slipped my mind so to say.

[donjulio]

Yes if rabbit is the only meat you eat you can die of "starvation".I think its the lack of protein.

It's too much protein, and not enough fat.

Thanks for correcting me. Been so long since I was taught that, that, well slipped my mind so to say.

I was told that it was a poor ratio of energy expenditure/calories taken in. So, eating rabbit can be good as long as you do not expend too much energy catching it. By this logic, tending a nearby set of traps (snares, deadfalls, etc.) would be better than hiking all day looking for a rabbit to shoot.

I'm not saying this is right, it's just what I have heard.