Tularemia: The Hazard Every Rabbit Hunter Must Know
Assumes the Hunting Primer. New here? Start there first.
Your objective
By the end, you'll be able to explain what tularemia is, how hunters are exposed, which warning signs in a harvested rabbit mean you should discard it, and what symptoms require a doctor visit.
You’ve just picked up a cottontail at the end of a great circle. Your beagle is still celebrating. But before that knife comes out, there is one thing you need to know — because rabbit is nearly the only common small game animal that carries a disease you can catch just from handling it. Two minutes of reading right now can keep you out of the hospital this season.
Quick recall
Quick recall from the module intro — what makes rabbit different from most small game animals when it comes to handling?
What tularemia actually is
Tularemia is caused by Francisella tularensis, a hardy bacterium. It infects small mammals — especially rabbits, hares, and rodents — and can survive in the environment in cold, moist conditions. In the United States, naturally occurring cases have been reported in every state except Hawaii.
Hunters and trappers who handle rabbits are among the most commonly exposed groups. The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirms tularemia is present in the state and lists rabbit hunters among higher-risk groups.
The why How dangerous is tularemia really?
Untreated tularemia can be fatal, but with prompt antibiotic treatment — most often streptomycin, gentamicin, or doxycycline — the vast majority of patients recover fully. The key word is prompt: if you’ve handled rabbits and develop sudden fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes within two weeks, tell your doctor immediately. Treatment works; delayed treatment doesn’t. There is currently no licensed tularemia vaccine available in the United States.
How hunters catch it — the four routes
Knowing the routes tells you exactly where the gloves and eye protection matter:
- Direct skin contact — bacteria enter through small cuts, abrasions, or intact skin at thin areas (around the fingernails, eyes). This is the most common route for rabbit hunters.
- Eye or mouth splash — blood or body fluid hitting a mucous membrane. One of the reasons eye protection is worth wearing.
- Tick and deer fly bites — ticks on a fresh carcass are still feeding and still infectious. Remove them with forceps, not bare fingers.
- Inhalation — rare in normal field dressing, but possible if you blow on or inhale near a carcass. Not a concern with routine glove-and-tool dressing.
Person-to-person transmission does not occur. You cannot give tularemia to another person.
The two field warning signs
Before you start dressing any rabbit, two seconds of inspection can tell you whether to proceed or discard the animal.
Symptoms — what to watch for after the hunt
Tularemia symptoms appear 3–5 days after exposure, though the window can extend to 14 days. You won’t get sick the moment you handle a rabbit; the delay means hunters sometimes forget the connection.
Watch for any combination of:
- Sudden high fever (up to 104°F / 40°C) with chills
- Severe headache and muscle aches
- A sore or ulcer at the point of skin entry (often on a finger)
- Swollen, tender lymph nodes near the entry point
- A dry, persistent cough (a sign of more serious pulmonary involvement)
If you develop any of these within two weeks of handling rabbits, see a doctor the same day and tell them you’ve been handling rabbits. Tularemia is easily treatable with standard antibiotics — but only if the doctor knows to test for it.
Knowledge check
You pick up a cottontail and when you open the carcass you find pale yellow spots scattered across the liver. What do you do?
Knowledge check
Six days after a rabbit hunt you develop sudden fever, chills, and a tender lump in your armpit. What's the right move?
Take it to the woods
Before you field dress any rabbit — every time
Sources
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — About Tularemia: https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/about/index.html
- South Carolina Department of Public Health — Tularemia: https://dph.sc.gov/health-wellness/health-safety/risks-and-hazards/tularemia
- Pennsylvania Game Commission — Tularemia Wildlife Disease: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pgc/wildlife/wildlife-health/wildlife-diseases/tularemia
- Cornell Wildlife Health Lab — Tularemia: https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/resource/tularemia
- Wisconsin DNR — Tularemia (Rabbit Fever): https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/disease/Tularemia
- Bass Pro Shops 1Source — Steps to Prevent Rabbit Fever: https://1source.basspro.com/news-tips/small-game/4946/steps-prevent-rabbit-fever
If you remember nothing else
- Tularemia is caused by Francisella tularensis — a real, potentially life-threatening bacterium found in cottontails across the eastern US, including South Carolina.
- Always wear rubber or latex gloves when field dressing any rabbit; protect your eyes from blood splatter.
- Discard any rabbit that was sluggish or easy to catch before the shot, or whose liver shows pale white or yellow spots.
- Symptoms appear 3–5 days after exposure — sudden fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes — see a doctor immediately and tell them you handled rabbits.
- Cooking rabbit to 160°F internal temperature kills the bacteria; properly cooked rabbit is safe to eat.
- Ticks and deer flies on harvested rabbits can also transmit tularemia; remove them carefully and use repellent.
How ready do you feel?
How ready are you to handle a harvested rabbit safely — inspecting it for warning signs and using the right gear — every time you're in the field?
Before you go — a quick look back
Distributed practice: one fast recall from an earlier lesson keeps it from fading.
Quick recall
From Prolific & Short-Lived — roughly what percentage of cottontails do not survive from one year to the next?
Done with this lesson?
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