Rabbit Hunting Question???

[PsEbUcKmAsTeR17]

This is a question for you veteran rabbit hunters.

Today I was out shooting my bow and started thinking about rabbit hunting. I was also thinking about bow hunting and how I wished that I would of done more this year. Well tossing thoughts around and decided to take a walk out back and see if I can see some rabbits. Well I start to walk and I immediately see one sitting next to the russian olive tree. It was about 20 yards and I sunk an arrow right through the lungs. Fast forward. I am up at the house cleaning the rabbit and I see some big lump thats looks almost like fat. So I try to pull it off and about 1 inch that is half white and clear flat worms come out of this sack. I started to look at the rest of the rabbit and see there are about three or four other pockets of these worms. My question is do any of you guys know what this might be? I am sorry I dont have any pictures but it was kind of sick looking.

-Psebuckmaster17-

[bullsprig28]

male or female? i dont rabbit hunt into march cause most females are carrying young. could be what you found

[PsEbUcKmAsTeR17]

Not it was a male. I thought of that after I shot it and was glad that it was a male. I didnt think that rabbits would carring their babies yet, but then I found where one was starting to make a nest. I am done rabbit hunting for this year. It was 100% worms. They were a flat worm that was almost half clear and half white. Its head (what I am guessing is the head) is a little rounder than the rest of the body which was clear. They were about 1 inch long.

-Psebuckmaster17-

[thundrst]

Man, I've shot a lot of rabbits in my life but have never seen anything like that! Were the worms alive and moving? If they weren't is it possible that it may not have been worms, but some type of tumor? I have seen a lot of tumors, tapeworm, roundworm, fleas, & skin growths on rabbits from time to time. All of that list were more likely to be found when the rabbit population was high & less likely during the times when the population was down. You probably have a lot of rabbits around this year.

Hey NICE SHOT - 20 yards & double lunged 'em! Awesome! I've walked a lot of miles with my pellet gun this year trying to catch a cottontail sitting like that, but no luck. Congrats on your bow bunny.

[PsEbUcKmAsTeR17]

Man, I've shot a lot of rabbits in my life but have never seen anything like that! Were the worms alive and moving? If they weren't is it possible that it may not have been worms, but some type of tumor? I have seen a lot of tumors, tapeworm, roundworm, fleas, & skin growths on rabbits from time to time. All of that list were more likely to be found when the rabbit population was high & less likely during the times when the population was down. You probably have a lot of rabbits around this year.

Hey NICE SHOT - 20 yards & double lunged 'em! Awesome! I've walked a lot of miles with my pellet gun this year trying to catch a cottontail sitting like that, but no luck. Congrats on your bow bunny.


Thanks for the complement.

It is funny that you mention using a pellet gun, that is what I shot my first rabbit with. Yes we have A LOT of rabbits around here. We have about 2-4 acre of russian olives on each side of the road and alot of field grass around. Some of the worms were moving and some were not. I am not sure what this was. I was thinking about some kind of bug or something laying its eggs inside the skin of the rabbit. Not sure, maybe its something to do with the population.

-Psebuckmaster17-

[HunterHawk]

hmmmm i would say i would come over next year and help you take care of your rabbit infestation with my dog and our bows.... but yours have worms:yikes:..... tape worm?... ask freepop maybe?

[PsEbUcKmAsTeR17]

Well here is what I found this morning when I did a little searching. Not sure if this is what it was but this is the closest thing to what this thing looked like.

Cysticercus pisiformis is the cystic stage of Taenia pisiformis which occurs in dogs and rarely in cats. The larval stage develops in rodents, particularly rabbit and hare. The mature larvae are found in the peritoneal cavity and frequently in the mesentery of rabbits (Fig. 212). The cysts are the size of a pea, hence the name C. pisiformis. They are filled with clear fluid in early stages. There is formation of pus in older lesions.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0756e/T0756E215.jpg I am guessing this might be an later stage of what I saw. The only difference is that the worm above is longer and all balled up. It is also wider than what I saw. But it does say that, the "larval stage develops in rodents, particularly rabbit and hare." I dont know.

-Psebuckmaster17-

[HunterHawk]

:yikes:.... mink bait... you can keep your rabbits:D