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Squirrel Wolves

cruff10

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Joined
Aug 26, 2004
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Location
Wartburg, TN (Morgan Co)
When you shoot a squirrel with a wolve, do you still clean it, throw it away or give it to the dawgs?



Growing up squirrel hunting my papaw/dad always told me to throw them away, they are no good.

I question this last year. Last year I skinned one to find the meat was unharmed! the wolve only goes skin deep. does not effect the meat....
 
It is a fly larve that hosts on the squirrel until it matures, then it leaves the squirrel. What type of insect....I don't know. I don't think it is any different than nasal worms in deer. They are harmless to the meat.
 
Bot flies (Order Diptera, Family Cuterebridae) are large, stout bodied, hairy flies that resemble bumblebees. The botfly egg is deposited by a mosquito or sometimes by another insect. The larva grows in the host's body until it is fairly large. The botfly larva can easily be killed by taking away its air supply -- by putting vaseline or similar on the skin where the lump is, but then you still have to extract the larva. Adult botflies have nonfunctional mouthparts and do not feed. Larvae of this species parasitize wild and domestic rabbits. Females deposit their eggs in or near the entrance of their host's burrow. Bot fly larvae penetrate their host through the skin or natural body openings after hatching. The larvae form a tumor (called a warble) in the subdermal zones of their host and remain at this location until larval development is complete. Larval development varies among species, ranging from 20 to 60 days. Before pupating, the larvae leave the host's skin and drop to the soil.

Generally, the host is not severely damaged by this parasite. The majority of the injury occurs when the larvae exit the host through the warble. Parasitism by the botfly does not affect the edibility of the rabbit (assuming you eat rabbit), generally the area adjacent to the warble is trimmed away, and the rest of the rabbit is suitable to eat.

Is there such a thing as a human bot fly? Yes, we're sorry to say there is. Called the torsalo, Dermatobia hominis, occurs in Mexico and Central America. Fortunately, getting one is an extremely unlikely occurrence for the average visitor.
 
I always just waited till a heavy frost before I started rabbit hunting to avoid them.
Never actually seen but a couple in squirrels.
Have to admit, I chunked 'em.
 
Info man you just never siece to amaze the even the shrewdess of poets with those big long distinguished tantalizing rants. You shoulda been a politician I think you could get elected.
 
I use to do quite a bit of cottontail hunting before my dog died on me. But I just couldn't make myself dress one with wolves, em things are nasty.
 
RUGER said:
I always just waited till a heavy frost before I started rabbit hunting to avoid them.
Never actually seen but a couple in squirrels.
Have to admit, I chunked 'em.
thats exactly what i do i just dont like the thought of them wolfs
 

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