Squirrels and Ticks.

[Badger Tuff]

I sent this to the PGC I hope somebody will do something: To Whom it concerns: I went squirrel hunting opening day Oct. 14, shot two squirrels and put them in my game pouch then proceeded home with my game thinking of all the good ways to cook them. When I got home I took the squirrels out of the pouch and was ready to clean them. Well to my surprise, the squirrels were covered up in ticks!!!I did not notice the ticks when I first shot them I just picked up the squirrels and put them in the game pouch. So after my wife did a complete tick check of me and I sprayed the squirrels with permethrin in a plastic bag and buried them I decided to write this letter so the PGC can give the public a damn good warning of what is in the woods on our game animals. I have never seen that many ticks on a squirrel in my life and I'm 65 years old and been hunting almost since I was able to walk. I'm going to copy this letter and post it on a few forums other hunters have a right to know just how bad the ticks are in PA.

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

Bet you were ticked off ! Aside from my lame attempt to bring a smile to your face you did the right thing.I have shot deer that were covered in ticks also and was told if they are butchered carefully not cutting ticks up into the meat and cooking well done there would be no problem.In my case I gave the meat away with that info ! I also have shot rabbits and when pulling off fur found big maggot worms burrowed into the meat,I discard them immediatley.

[bogey1]

Ive seen ticks in the middle of winter.

[thanker92]

A few years ago I was hunting on Thanksgiving week-end and happened to see a snow covered branch with a frozen solid tick on it. I cut the branch and put it in a plastic bag (standard operating procedure...I didn't have any thermite). When I got home I put the bag by kitchen window and left it. The next day, as I was showing it to my wife she said "it moved!!!" I felt like I was watching the movie "The Thing".... the tick had to have been frozen for at least a few days and it just came back to life...so, no matter what the time of year is...watch the skies...err, I mean ticks.

[Badger Tuff]

Bet you were ticked off ! Aside from my lame attempt to bring a smile to your face you did the right thing.I have shot deer that were covered in ticks also and was told if they are butchered carefully not cutting ticks up into the meat and cooking well done there would be no problem.In my case I gave the meat away with that info ! I also have shot rabbits and when pulling off fur found big maggot worms burrowed into the meat,I discard them immediatley.

Ha, just a little ticked off. What ticks me off more is the fact that suppose this was some father with his son or daughter first time hunting. How do you tell your children ok you shot two squirrels now we have to bury them. What the hell does that teach your children, other than that's the way to get rid of infested game.

[Sandcut]

Ha, just a little ticked off. What ticks me off more is the fact that suppose this was some father with his son or daughter first time hunting. How do you tell your children ok you shot two squirrels now we have to bury them. What the hell does that teach your children, other than that's the way to get rid of infested game.

It teaches them that not all wild game is safe to eat. It also teaches them how to decide which game animals are safe to eat. Just because a rabbit has a maggot beneath its fur doesn't mean the meat is unfit to eat. However, if the rabbit has ooen sores, then it could be tularemia, which is infectious, and the meat is unfit to eat and should be discarded.

There are many instances where the old addage "If you shoot it, you eat it" should be ignored.

[Berncly]

Negative experiences are often the best teachers.
People tend to learn more from failure than from success.

[wamba]

I've been lucky this year and have not found any ticks burrowed in me this year although back in August when scouting in high grass I was picking a dozen off of me every 100 yards. In the last 6 years I've had 2 that had to be cut out of me. They did not test the ticks, they just assumed the worst and put me on 3 weeks of antibiotics each time. Anyway when I was picking the ticks off of me in August I was not paying attention to anything else. I was perhaps a mile from my vehicle when I looked up and 50 feet from me was a 300 lb Black Bear. The ticks suddenly were not so important. I showed him who was king of the forest. I had nothing on me at all and I saw him before he saw me. I screamed and fortunately for me he ran away much faster than I could have. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

[wamba]

Do ticks on a harvested animal mean that it is not safe to eat ?

[streaker69]

Ha, just a little ticked off. What ticks me off more is the fact that suppose this was some father with his son or daughter first time hunting. How do you tell your children ok you shot two squirrels now we have to bury them. What the hell does that teach your children, other than that's the way to get rid of infested game.

I think the best way is to explain to the kids that it's just nature. Ticks are everywhere, and sometimes they spoil things. That's just part of life. Kinds learning to hunt should be taught that.