No R in the month

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

When I retired and moved from S. Fla to Oklahoma, my friends told me it was necessary to only harvest (i.e., KILL) rabbits after the first frost. The reason? The rabbits had WARBLES!
Had never heard of the warble things, so, like a tourist or something, I asked. Turns out warbles are the bot fly larvae growing under the skin. Apparently, even inside a nice, warm, soft rabbit fur jacket, the first frost killed the bot fly larvae.

In the Navy at Lemoore NAS, S. of Fresno, CA, several times a year the local farmers would rig a large V-shaped net, and get us Navy guys to chase the jack rabbits into the V, and thus into a square fence about 100' x 100' - where we clubbed them! Since they paid us $0.50 for each jack rabbit, there was never a lack of sailors to handle the chore.
Depending on the size of the field, there could be as many as 1,000 or more in the trap.

 

[Henry Miles]

Warbles hatch out before the first frost. It's not the frost that gets rid of them✌

 

[ML48]

I was raised in towns and cities where the only rabbits I ever saw were in pet stores.

The owners take a very dim view of people going into their stores and shooting their bunnies.

Well now....you take them outside the store and shoot them, this way you pacify the store keep

 

[ML48]

You just can't take the R out of the month, the months just don't sound right:
Januay
Febuay
Mach
Apil
Septembe
Octobe
Novembe
Decembe

 

[erhunter]

You just can't take the R out of the month, the months just don't sound right:
Januay
Febuay
Mach
Apil
Septembe
Octobe
Novembe
Decembe

Sounds like Walmart when I used to shop there.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Henry, that is about what I thought, regardless of what the locals believed.
I was a wetlands and wildlife biologist/environmentalist for most of my working life. Worked from Virginia south to Argentina, many stops in between. I was aware of the bot fly, indeed even had a compatriot or two who had them under their skin. Never did any study or research on them, so I appreciate the information.

 

[toot]

Another image, tea break at corn cutting time from my collection of old photos .
Feltwad

View attachment 75655

are you sure that it is a tea break?

 

[59sharps]

Takes a good frost before I will eat a rabbit in Missouri, then I eye ball the muscle tissue and liver for defects.

I’m in NY. growing up had the same rule no eating rabbit until after the first heavy frost. Which was ok because season opens oct 15 back then. And frost had already hit weeks before

 

[59sharps]

Why? Tastes like chicken....and I'd bet a dollar to a dime tastes better than your ears
And you definitely wouldn't like SE Asian cuisine

My grandmothers rabbit cacciatore was the best. We had it on weekends during rabbit season. I was a young pup then hunted w my dad grandfather and dads friends normally about 8 of us and 3 dogs . Lord I miss them hunts.

 

[SOLANCO]

Well now....you take them outside the store and shoot them, this way you pacify the store keep

Pay for them first.

 

[SOLANCO]

My grandmothers rabbit cacciatore was the best. We had it on weekends during rabbit season. I was a young pup then hunted w my dad grandfather and dads friends normally about 8 of us and 3 dogs . Lord I miss them hunts.

Rabbit "in the style of the hunter" is a lot more authentic than chicken cacciatore.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

are you sure that it is a tea break?

Mor 'an loikly a Zider break. Note the yung 'os in trainin. No collar or traces. OLD DOG..

 

[bud in pa]

Rabbit "in the style of the hunter" is a lot more authentic than chicken cacciatore.

Growing up everything could go into caccitore.

 

[nhmoose]

are you sure that it is a tea break?

Sure looks like one to me.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Heard the "R" rule for Oysters, but not for rabbits. Guess, I grew up so accustomed to fall and winter hunting seasons, that taking them any other time never occurred to me.

 

[hanshi]

And there I always thought "catch-a-tory" was an expression left over from the Revolution.

 

[ML48]

And there I always thought "catch-a-tory" was an expression left over from the Revolution.

Lay off the schnapps Hanshi...

 

[Crow-Feather]

Here in the UK the old folk law system was not to eat rabbit if there is no R in the month. I for one observe this but a majority do not .The reason been that most rabbits are heavy with young or feeding young which is known has a milky doe Rabbits are classed has ground game but also a pest some will breed all the year round if weather conditions are right but the months of May , June, July, and August are the main breeding months
Feltwad

I am not an expert, but I have heard that rabbits are more prone to get worms etc, in the summer months in the US.

 

[ML48]

I am not an expert, but I have heard that rabbits are more prone to get worms etc, in the summer months in the US.

You'll also find them infested with flees in the hot summer months.