FWIW...
I've hunted rabbits my entire life. The science does not back up the "season" to shoot/eat rabbits. It's a very rare disease that is no more prevalent in the summer than in the winter. One should always (regardless of the time of year) wear rubber gloves while cleaning any game. On rabbits, the first order of business should be an incision to inspect the liver. If white spots are on the rabbit's liver, seal up the carcass and bury it as white spots on the liver are the indication that the rabbit MAY have tularemia. Only a medical test will prove it being infected.
I've killed so many Cottontails I've no way to count...but in 42 years of hounds and hopper hunting I've only had ONE rabbit with white spots on it's liver.
Other parasites common to all types of rodents and other warm blooded mammals (including deer) do not make the meat bad or diseased. Just remove the worms, leach, ticks etc. and clean the rabbit as usual. Do you discard a deer because it has ticks? Ticks carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
The "don't eat warm season rabbits" comes from the theory that diseased rabbits will die with the first hard frost. In the old days, this was the "approved method" to eliminate the "bad" rabbits. Just remember to cook all game completely.
Kansas has year-round rabbit season and no one seems to be dieing as a result of rabbit tularemia. Just wear gloves and eat them if you like or wait until winter. It's a personal choice, but it's not scientific.
Bob
