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In trapping the one biggest problem is the animal has not blead out, I have noticed the strong taste of blood in the meat if I don't bleed it out. That could be the taste you have. That is why some people will cut the throat of an animal to let it really bleed out.
An like everyone else says, you need a frost to eat rabbit, I understand the rabbits have a bactiria that needs a frost to kill, someone else might know more about that.
Tank
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I think the concern is generally Bot Fly larva. Rabbits and squirrels can be infected but I've never seen it in either.
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Can anyone elaborate on this more? I eat rabbits year around in California, never had a problem. And I thought bot flies weren't in the US?
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I think you'll see this only in the southern U.S. although I have read that some species are found as far north as Kansas. I've never seen it in Illinois where I grew up and I skinned a bunch of rabbits as a kid.
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The area of East Texas I'm in starts squirrel season early in the fall when it's still pretty warm. I don't hunt them then. I wait till after the close of deer season (jan 1st) to hunt the little buggers till jan 31. Not many rabbits in this area. So they're not a problem. I have three large coolers that I use when hog and deer hunting. Both are put on ice as quickly as possible when taken in warmer weather. I also get either deer or hog bled out and gutted as soon as possible no matter the temp.
Oldtrap
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Why is this though? The warm months are purely for bot flies, or is there another parasite/ disease I should be aware of that blooms in the hot months? I have DFAGs wild game PDF and there's only 2 or 3 risks with rabbits and squirrels I see and only one applies to me. If I read CDC right there are only about 18 cases of plague a year. Sounds like I don't need to lose sleep over that. Definitely going to wear gloves from now on.
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The rule of thumb is only hunt for squirrels or rabbits in the months with Rs in them. September to April. The other issue is how long you keep them in your coat or where ever you place your game. The meat will spoil quicker in warmer months. On cold days I've shot rabbits in the morning, dropped them in the back of my hunting coat and hunted most of the day. The meat stayed cold and I've never had a problem.
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Oh so that rule is just so the meat doesn't spoil as quick.
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