Hunting & Fishing Freaking BOT FLY in my squirrel!

JelloStorm

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 23, 2010
1,409
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43
Northeast Pennsylvania
Gents,

Today I took two squirrels in the few hours I had to hunt and one of them had this giant lump that came to a brown head. I thought maybe it was an infection so I poked at it with my knife and the goddamn thing started moving!!

I called PA Game Commission and they said it's most likely safe to eat, however they wouldn't advise it. I did read online that it is safe since it's only in the skin and doesn't affect meat.

I'll see if I can get the pictures off my phone. PAGC wants me to email them some pictures.
 
This was after pissing around with it trying to get it out.

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Video:

[video]http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/bryanruckle/media/20131019_120221_zps841321db.mp4.html?sort=3&o=2[/video]
 
Nasty. Unless you're starving, there's no way I'd eat that. God, the last time I saw bot flies was when my buddy brought some back from Kenya. Absolutely disgusting, but nothing a scalpel, forceps, and some rubbing alcohol couldn't cure.
 
just googled for some bot fly info...that's some weird stuff right there.

i've shot hundreds of greys over the years, never seen something like that. maybe that's a partial explaination of why squirrels seem rather scarce / down on population in our area over the last few years?
 
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I've seen bot fly larvae in squirrels I've shot many times over the years. Always heard them called "wolves" here in TN. They tend to disappear after the first good frost. I've always refused to clean a squirrel with one on it. Hate to shoot something and not eat it, but wolves are pretty disgusting.
 
yep wolves here i the bama area also. This is where the old saying don't squirrel or rabbit hunt before the first frost. I had a pet wild rabbit my dad brought home from work and it had one in it we just took the rabbit back to the woods and turned it loose. I won't eat the meat but have also heard that it is ok. I don't do any small game hunting until after a frost or two.
 
I shot a few chipmunks in PA that had them. The first time I saw one of them I did the same thing poked it and it recoiled into the skin. SHUDDER. One of the very next chipmunks I shot had two. After years of shooting chipmunks by the wheelbarrow full I seemed to be into a thicket of those massive disgusting maggots. SKIN CRAWLING just thinking about it, even worse than ticks and that's saying something.
 
They're called warbles folks. I think some of you may have just started hunting...

This is the reason a lot of the older generation won't start squirrle hunting until after the first frost or late October.

If you come aross them you can either trash the squirrle or skin them and flick the warble out of your way. However if you see a jelly like substance on the meat of the animal (butchers jelly) trash the meat.
 
I've seen bot fly larvae in squirrels I've shot many times over the years. Always heard them called "wolves" here in TN. They tend to disappear after the first good frost. I've always refused to clean a squirrel with one on it. Hate to shoot something and not eat it, but wolves are pretty disgusting.

You guys are too squeamish; it won't hurt the meat.

And, do you guys who "hate to shoot something and not eat it" eat the coyotes you shoot? If so, please share your recipie.

Just kidding.

This is why I'm a vegetarian.
 
I live in Southern Illinois and I've never seen anything like that in small game, (knock on wood) but Ive seen the ones in the nasal passages of deer. Pretty nasty looking little buggers but the meat was still fine.
 
I usually don't eat the nose, heard its pretty good as long as it doesn't have big ass worms in it. You never know till you try it. Seriously though, they're pretty common. You spend enough time shooting critters before it gets cold out, you'll see plenty.