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Old 09-09-2008, 06:47 PM   #4
Heretic
Avalon Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Now
Posts: 371
Default Re: How to Learn Survival

Foraging, Trapping, and Survival Eating

Healthy Granola Bars or other sealed type bars

Glycogen (sugars) which is used primarily by the brain needs replenishment and can be found in hard candy at the smallest degree

Many wilderness foraging doesn’t even replace the calories burned in obtaining foraged food

Foraging for smaller animals, insects, or larvae, it is a boon when you come across areas that have been previously searched by other large game, because if they were spending time looking in the area, it is likely that you will find something for yourself as well

Foil in a fire = oven, covered fire with a deep back recess = oven and can be made with rocks, the top rock can also be used, if hot enough, as a heating element

White eyeballs on a smaller cooking fish = fish done

Best food gathering equipment consist of firearms, archery, and fishing gear, or a makeshift spear using a stick and knife

Try to use foliage and foraged plants as a supplement only, and make meat your staple

When spear fishing, try to have barbs o0r more than one sharp end to increase chance of aim and always try to pin the fish to the bottom of the stream

A 4 deadfall trap consist of three sticks with notches and groove to make a 4 like looking trap with a dead fall object like a big rock to strike and or capture your prey

To make a proper noose, wrap wire around a small gauge stick several times, and anti wrap once, twist end wires together, and break the stick leaving a healthy lasso loop

Marmots are the staple of north western trapping

Common noose snares need to have the path toward them made so they must go through the trap area and become snared by the noose which is attached to a tree o fixed object

Trap only near animal routes or trails, and try to let the animal come to you, as even the most seasoned hunter will rarely come across prey that didn’t hear or smell you coming

Staying downwind of a target area is important, always use cover like trees or brush, aim for an animal in the head, unless you’re a good shot, then directly past the first shoulder for the heart

Animals usually visit watering places at dawn or dusk, smells such as cigarette smoke, or aftershave, and even underarm deodorant (basically use nothing smelly)

The two main styles of traps: holding traps, which restrain the animal and has no moving parts, such as the noose or snare traps, and machine traps; and machine traps have moving parts like crushing traps, lifting traps, pit traps etc

All traps use two mechanism, the power like dropping something, a counter weight etc; and then you have the trigger mechanism, these vary from trap to trap, but all utilize power and trigger. Even the snare uses the power of the animal to maintain its grip

There are three basic engines that make up machine traps:
Spring Pole – a fairly solid but pliable branch can be fastened to a tree and the work comes from the springing back of the branch dangling the prey, Spring poles can also be a built in branch

The counter balance trap uses a rock or weight for work also dangling your prey
Both type of spring traps are fastened to an anchor using three loops of rope in the cord used for setting the trap. One loop on the spring wire, and two on the anchor wire, use a small stick as a trigger and connect the two ropes by wrapping the 2 main loops around stick, and then like the deadfall trap the last loops secures the stick and when disturmed, it triggers the trap

Use the cold river or springs as a fridge for your meats

Use fire coals for cooking and not the direct flame

Rotisserie is great for big game but impracticable for small game, pan frying and then boiling in a stew or fricassee with herbs or other flora, bullion can be use to enhance flavor

Caution Tips for Trapping:
-Be cautious setting them up as they can hut you as well
-Don’t set up traps near people traffic, or close to camp, and mark your trap area with marker tape so it can be found easily
-Never leave any material behind once a trap is cleared
-Never leave a trap unsprung and move on to a different area
-Check your traps frequently so the catch is still fresh and safe to eat
-Be careful of live wild game, even in you trap as they can injure you and even kill you
-Traps are indiscriminate and you may catch something you don’t want to be around, approach traps with caution
-Some wild game can be ill and thus eating it can make you ill, know your game and be able to spot various ailments by inspection, take no chances, cook meat thoroughly
- Hunting is not a very effective way of getting food, as romantic as it seems, trapping is the best option especially when alone and unable to use multiple hunter techniques, traps hunt 24 hours a day while you rest, sleep, or other necessary activities
- Roughly 25% of your traps will yield something if placed right, so the more traps set, and the better yield
- Fashion your trap in camp and not in the target area to decrease human detection
- Place traps in high animal traffic areas or near dens and use the terrain to you advantage by using your trap to focus the animals trail
- Marmot snare traps should be about 5 fingers in diameter and 2 fingers off the ground surface

try to use every bit of the animal carcass, if you kill it “need it”
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