Rabbit hunting considerations?

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Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by Gun-nut » 29 Dec 2016, 7:55 pm

What are things to must be taken into account when hunting rabbits for food, I'm talking in regards to diseases (such as Myxomatosis). What other diseases should hunters be aware of, and how can we know if a certain rabbit is safe to eat (what gives away that the certain rabbit you just culled is/isn't infected with a certain disease?) If the bloody government would stop poisoning these animals and give hunters access to CAT C firearms, I suppose we wouldn't have to worry about this.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by Noisydad » 29 Dec 2016, 8:34 pm

Myxy rabbits typically have blistered eyes and look a bit manky. The blistered eyes eventually blinds them. They're pretty easy to pick. Once you've open ed the bunny, have a look at their kidneys if they look a bit spotty chuck them to your dogs. If the kidneys are normal looking the rabbits good to cook.
There's still a few of Wile. E Coyote's ideas that I haven't tried yet.
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by Michael64 » 29 Dec 2016, 8:43 pm

Noisydad wrote:Myxy rabbits typically have blistered eyes and look a bit manky. The blistered eyes eventually blinds them. They're pretty easy to pick. Once you've open ed the bunny, have a look at their kidneys if they look a bit spotty chuck them to your dogs. If the kidneys are normal looking the rabbits good to cook.



Also, look at the liver for green dots or any imperfections
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by on_one_wheel » 29 Dec 2016, 8:45 pm

Calisivirus,
RHDV damages internal organs such as the liver and intestines and may cause bleeding. Signs include fever, restlessness, lethargy. Often infected rabbits will show no signs and die suddenly.
They generally head into their burrows to die from lung hemorrhages.

Myxomatosis
The virus causes swelling and discharge from the eyes, nose and anogenital region of infected rabbits. Most rabbits die within 10-14 days of infection however highly virulent strains of the myxoma virus may cause death before the usual signs of infection have appeared.
Myxo rabbits are pretty obvious. The scabby eyes and lumps n bumps are a pretty good sign.

Once you've gutted a few rabbits you'll get a good idea of whats normal.

Sometimes you'll find lumps, bumps or discolouration inside and decide to leave it something else to eat.
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Myxo
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by happyhunter » 29 Dec 2016, 8:57 pm

Sometimes after you skin a wild bunny you might find a growth that could be anywhere on the body that looks like a sac of fluid with white bits floating in it. That means the rabbits is carrying worm larvae. I discard those bunnies, although some people just cut the infected area away because cooking kills off the worms.

Mixo is pretty obvious. In later stages the eye lids swell and puss up and the rabbit gets rickets which make it loose muscle tone. Early sign of mixo is in the guts. If you gut the rabbit the liver will be covered in white lesions.

None of these infections will harm you and Tulamaria (which is dangerous to humans ) does not exist in Australia. My practice is to gut the rabbit immediately after shooting it. Inspect the internals, like liver/lungs/kidneys for lesions. Some young bunnies have spots on their livers but they are benign and no need to throw those. It's usually older bunnies that have worms.

In summer the bunnies are covered in fleas. Those are rabbit flea, introduced by the government to carry mixo virus. If you lay the just shot and dead bunny on the ground for a minute the fleas will vacate it pretty fast.

If you just take the young healthy bunnies for the pot you can't go wrong, but either way bunnies in Australia don't carry anything that will hurt you.
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by tom604 » 29 Dec 2016, 9:11 pm

happyhunter has nailed it :thumbsup: , the young ones taste better as well,i just take the backstraps and all the rest goes to the dog, cooked and minced because the missus says so :oops: i use an old hand mincer and it does the job bones and all :thumbsup:
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by Gun-nut » 29 Dec 2016, 11:21 pm

Thanks for the replies everyone, you all answered all my questions and have been a major help. Thanks again, I appreciate it. :)
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by Gamerancher » 30 Dec 2016, 7:10 am

If you're not looking to keep the skins, my method is to cut through the skin mid way along the back. You then open it up with your fingers and then just tear the skin off.
I tear it off the back half, drop the gut out, and then cut through the body just below the ribs. The front half and gut is discarded and I keep the rest for meat. That gives you the back-straps and hind quarters, the good bits. :thumbsup:
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Re: Rabbit hunting considerations?

Post by Gun-nut » 30 Dec 2016, 11:19 am

Gamerancher wrote:If you're not looking to keep the skins, my method is to cut through the skin mid way along the back. You then open it up with your fingers and then just tear the skin off.
I tear it off the back half, drop the gut out, and then cut through the body just below the ribs. The front half and gut is discarded and I keep the rest for meat. That gives you the back-straps and hind quarters, the good bits. :thumbsup:


Thanks for the advice, that's the sort of advice I'm looking for. :drinks:
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