Well rabbit seson is ALMOST here and I'm getting pumped. I'm going to some private land with my buddy Ed to pay Mr. Cottontail a visit. Wooooohoooooo!!!!!!!!!
Rabbit doesn't open up here until mid-September. That isn't a problem for me as I don't hunt them much anymore. My primary small game is feral cats, no closed season, use of lights at night allowed, and an unending supply with no limit!!! uglydog
Pigeon, How in the world do ya keep them things cooled off out there. I was in S.Cal in Nov a few years back and wore shorts the whole time. Here in Va, you better get the plumbing out pretty quick even during the winter. If you wait and carry them around for a few hours,they'll take your breath away. My son is in Idaho now with the USMC. Recently he shot a rabbit while hunting and was told not to eat it by one of his buddies. Supposedly they carry some bacteria that is harmful. Ya'll heard anything about this? Oh yeah, What kinda Dawgs do ya use out there. I've gotta pair of 3 year old beagles that have finally figured this stuff out. Now, If only I could hit em when they(the rabbits not my beagles) run by me. HA HA!
I think the deal is that there's some kinda worm they carry. If you wait until after the first hard freeze of the winter, there's no problem and you can eat them if you want. Before then, I wouldn't recommend it.
I can't remember the name of the disease you're talking about, but it shows itself on the liver in the form of white spots. If the liver looks ok, then the rabbit is ok to eat. I only eat them during the winter here when it's not so hot. During the summer, they are usually loaded with fleas and ticks. The sugar cane growers are grateful for taking a few out of the field, and the gators have to eat too.
I heard that if you cook it thoroughly, there is no problem with human consumption of a rabbit with that bug. I'd still wait until the first freeze, just to play it safe. Until the first freeze, there's always squirrels. Bunny season doesn't start until November 1st in MO. Damn. If it wasn't for squirrel season, I'd be going crazy by then.
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Archery for deer and hogs usually starts the last week of August, then there's muzzle loading, then general gun runs untill about January 10th or so. Small game season starts on the WMA's after that untill mid February. Spring turkey starts March 5th and ends April 10th this year. And if nothing else is going on, there's always rabbits! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Our A-zone archery Deer season opens July 10, hogs are year 'round and so are varmints. (Jacks, Coyotes, etc) So there!
Coyote season runs basically all year except spring turkey season. Squirrel season has to wait until about the last week of May, and then runs to Feb 15th. Missouri is a great state for hunting, but we've got enough squirrels and rabbits that they should let us pop them year-round. Legally.
Watch out for those wabbits - I hear they're vewy, vewy wascaly. And if you cook them right, they're wummy too. My daughter and I have a lot of fun sneaking up on them in the cane fields. The rows between the fields are overgrown with grass and just full of rabbits. We get in full camo, and try to get close enough to head shoot them on Stoney Point shooting sticks. She has a .22, and I have a new .17 HMR. It's an impressive little thing, but head shots only. Wow! We have even gotten a couple with bows, but I'd rather not say how many stalks it took. Hogs are considered game animals unless it's private property. Then they are the property of the landowner, and can be hunted year round, which explains all the high price hog hunts on private land in this state. I only know of one WMA where they are considered small game. I just saw the news story about the hog shot near Orlando that weighed a 1000 pounds. It was on a cattle ranch, and he grew up raiding cattle feed. This isn't the Hogzilla scam, it's a new story. Coming out of Orlando, I would suspect the Evil Empire (Disney) had something to do with it. Hmmmmm!
