Rabbit Hunting this fall

[Cougartail]

Hi Guys,   
I was thinking about going over to eastern Washington this fall to hunt some rabbits (cottontail).
Anyone here have any advice where to go?  I have no dog, I'll be doing some walking.
JC   

We are at the cyclic high for rabbits in my area. Walk old sagebrush 4x4 roads and you should do well.

[W_Ellison2011]

Always heard to look at the liver  and if it has black spots don't eat it . Any insight on this ?

I would assume any abnormailities would be a good sign to not eat it. Most stuff will cook out but better safe than sorry imo. I have shot a few out of my parents property with a pellet rifle that had lumps all over their bodies. Never checked to see if it was tumors or something else. Hit a chipmunk last year with my truck, by accident, went back to check on him and he had large bumps all over with openings. Put on gloves and squeezed one and a HUGE larva came out. Looked like a botfly larva I have seen on youtube videos but I can't confirm. Made me rethink cleaning rabbit and grouse with my bare hands.

[jackelope]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

Did you ever see any health issues with your domestic meat rabbits?

[jdb]

Hi Guys,   
I was thinking about going over to eastern Washington this fall to hunt some rabbits (cottontail).
Anyone here have any advice where to go?  I have no dog, I'll be doing some walking.
JC   

We are at the cyclic high for rabbits in my area. Walk old sagebrush 4x4 roads and you should do well.

for sure. I see probably 10 every morning. I had 6 in my yards a couple nights ago

[KFhunter]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

Did you ever see any health issues with your domestic meat rabbits?

Nope, all was clean and I disinfected the hutch every so often with bleach solution then pressure washed it out.  I had a bunch of cages I could hold the rabbits in while doing so. 
Any new rabbits were quarantined away from the main hutch, plus I didn't get a lot of outside interaction with rabbits as you would in the show world, so I never seen any pasturella. 

Lost a buck to heat, was on the sunnier side of the hutch.

[jackelope]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

Did you ever see any health issues with your domestic meat rabbits?

Nope, all was clean and I disinfected the hutch every so often with bleach solution then pressure washed it out.  I had a bunch of cages I could hold the rabbits in while doing so. 
Any new rabbits were quarantined away from the main hutch, plus I didn't get a lot of outside interaction with rabbits as you would in the show world, so I never seen any pasturella. 

Lost a buck to heat, was on the sunnier side of the hutch.

That's great. So far we're disease free here 3+years now. Starting to help a buddy with raising meat rabbits recently. They're beasts. I see more issues with disease from folks who let their rabbits run around in the grass. They pick up all kinds of stuff from that.

[Gobble Doc]

A lot of the rabbits by our place start to thin out by hunting season it seems. I think it's the yotes.

[W_Ellison2011]

A lot of the rabbits by our place start to thin out by hunting season it seems. I think it's the yotes.

I know a quick way to fix that issue lol! We started clearing coyotes out of my parents place and the rabbits have come back pretty strong. 8 coyotes in a little over a year off the property just from my father looking into the pasture and catching one moving through. Mossberg mvp varmin in .223/5.56 topped with a 3-9 scope and 55 gr bullets take care of them really quick!

[brokentrail]

I've grown up running rabbits with beagles and still do.  I start hunting when season opens in September and eat every rabbit I kill.  I can assume the frost comment is related to warbles which I have seen on rabbits and squirrels in my past but never here in Washington State.  They were prevalent in Tennessee, West Virginia, Missouri and Illinois when I was a kid though and I was always told the same thing, only hunt after the first hard frost.

I only hunt rabbits on the West Side so I can't comment on warbles or other parasites on the East Side.

Andy

[Crow]

Been trying to find myself these little critters for the last two years with no luck. Both times out by Soap Lake. I want to head out there again this year, this time after the snow falls.

If anyone would care to join me, wouldn't mind having a companion (especially if they know what they're doing).

Relatively new to hunting and trying to gain knowledge.

[WaHunter]

Never gutted a rabbit, but I believe you want to watch for white spots on the liver for both tularemia and coccidiosis. Although, I imagine black spots on a liver shouldn't be ignored either. I would stay away from anything with a sick looking liver.

I'm looking to get into rabbit hunting, too. Anyone have any luck spotting rabbits in the southern half of region 4?