Fishing/Hunting

[Seraphim]

Last time I said something 'wasn't rocket science' here, I got jumped on from three directions *grin*<br /><br />When I get the urge, I've relatives who could actually teach me. Sounds like rabbit would be a good place to start.

 

[josephusminimus]

Last time I said something 'wasn't rocket science' here, I got jumped on from three directions *grin*<br /><br />When I get the urge, I've relatives who could actually teach me. Sounds like rabbit would be a good place to start.

<br /><br />People can have strong opinions about what's rocket science and what isn't, I reckons.&nbsp; Likely your relatives will be able to give you some good methods of cooking, getting rid of the gamey taste of wild meat, too.<br /><br />A lot of folks find the taste of wild meat objectionable.&nbsp; If you get into the western New Mexico/eastern Arizona area you might ask around where you can find hambasa.&nbsp; The Zuni use it to season meat, and it's among the best flavorings I've ever come across to change, or disguise the taste.<br /><br />It grows wild from Silver City to Gallup, at least, if it's a moist springtime.

 

[josephusminimus]

Hadn't thought about trapping...

<br /><br />DIY cable snare<br /><br /><a href="http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/Making_snare.html">http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/Making_snare.html</a><br /><br />DIY rabbit trap<br /><a href="http://www.ehow.com/way_5900545_homemade-wire-rabbit-traps.html">http://www.ehow.com/way_5900545_homemade-wire-rabbit-traps.html</a><br /><br />DIY box trap<br /><a href="http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/homemade-box-trap/">http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/homemade-box-trap/</a><br /><br />DIY survival trap<br /><a href="http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/survtrapbuckshot.htm">http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/survtrapbuckshot.htm</a><br /><br />DIY hog trap<br /><a href="http://boarmasters.com/Trapping.html">http://boarmasters.com/Trapping.html</a><br /><br /><br />DIY fish trap<br /><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-A-Cheap-Fish-Trap-DIY-For-catching-fish/">http://www.instructables.com/id/Building-A-Cheap-Fish-Trap-DIY-For-catching-fish/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/fish-trap/">http://www.instructables.com/id/fish-trap/</a><br /><br /><br />DIY survival food snare<br /><a href="http://willowhavenoutdoor.com/featu...-wire-small-game-snare-for-your-survival-kit/">http://willowhavenoutdoor.com/featu...-wire-small-game-snare-for-your-survival-kit/</a><br /><br /><br />Various Snares<br /><a href="http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/snares/index.html">http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/snares/index.html</a><br /><br />Fish and Rabbit Snares<br /><a href="http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Skills/Hunting and Snaring/Hunting and Snaring.htm">http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Skills/Hunting and Snaring/Hunting and Snaring.htm</a><br /><br />

 

[josephusminimus]

One aspect of hunting/collecting/dressing wild game rarely gets mentioned but will soon be discovered by anyone doing it:&nbsp; parasites.<br /><br />Every species of wild animal is loaded with fleas, ticks, lice and sometimes other critters making a home on them.&nbsp; Whether the game is trapped and killed on the spot, or shot and field dressed where it falls, as the carcass cools the parasites drop off and begin casting around for a new home.&nbsp; Usually the clothing, often the pets, of the hunter.<br /><br />It's worth&nbsp; some conscious heavy thinking ahead of time for the hunter.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mostly it's just a nuisance, but some ticks also carry Lyme disease and a stroke of bad luck on the part of the hunter could bring it into full swing.<br /><br />Incidently, I neglected to mention earlier about Tuleremia, rabbit fever.&nbsp; It's worth examining rabbits carefully before&nbsp;doing any cutting or tearing away the hides.&nbsp;&nbsp;If they're infected they'll have abcesses&nbsp;between the hide and the meat.&nbsp; Should you encounter this in a carcass, and you almost certainly will if you kill many rabbits, it's best to just dispose of the carcass.&nbsp; Not a thing about it worth saving.

 

[josephusminimus]

<p>The issue of cutting tools for dressing game hasn't come up here, and for the new, inexperienced, novice hunter/trapper it's an issue in and of itself.&nbsp; The survival knife industry has flooded Christiandom with every knife configuration imaginable over the past couple of decades.<br /><br />For dressing game, I'm fond of having three knives around, carbon steel and a steel for sharpening.&nbsp; A ripper, a skinner and a boner.&nbsp; For smaller game just a pocket knife serves.&nbsp; But larger game, a ripper is handy for shallow cuts through the hide, making the incisions to remove the skin.&nbsp; But trying to skin with it would be a nightmare reserved for the time when it's the only cutting tool around.<br /><br />A skinner is just a curved blade with almost no point.&nbsp; I've skinned large animals with a 2 inch long skinning blade, but the hair tends to dull it quickly on big game, and a person might want something a few inches long.<br /><br />The boner isn't necessary at all on small game, but it handy enough to justify it with larger ones.<br /><br />None of these has any similarity to a Bowie knife, a fighting knife, a throwing knife, Ninja Throw Stars, Samurai swords, bayonets, or, unfortunately, most configurations of the Swiss Army Knife.<br /><br />And none have a compass on the handle.<br /><br />Edit:&nbsp; I went through a phase in my life where I was doing a lot of dressing out of game during the early 1970s.&nbsp; Bought blade blanks from the Russell Green River folks and put handles on them.&nbsp; They're still around here, still in good shape.<br /><br />Similar carbon steel blanks are still available, still comparatively inexpensive [compared to all the fancy ones survivalists tend to spend a lot of money on].&nbsp; The company where I bought mine's been out of business a long time, but the blanks available now appear to be identical:<br /><br />4" Ripper<br /><br /><img src="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/graphics/gallery/5426-020-400_250x250.jpg" alt="" /><br /><a href="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/mercha...de=5426-020-400&amp;Category_Code=841-200-010">http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/mercha...de=5426-020-400&amp;Category_Code=841-200-010</a><br /><br />5" Skinner<br /><br /><img src="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/graphics/gallery/5426-040-500_250x250.jpg" alt="" /><br /><a href="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/mercha...de=5426-040-500&amp;Category_Code=841-200-010">http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/mercha...de=5426-040-500&amp;Category_Code=841-200-010</a><br /><br /><br />This appears to be near-identical to the boning blades I have around here:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/graphics/5426-100-700-350x350.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />I'm not certain I'd buy one at that price.&nbsp; Might settle for a shorter paring blade without the romance.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/mercha...de=5426-100-700&amp;Category_Code=841-200-010">http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/mercha...de=5426-100-700&amp;Category_Code=841-200-010</a><br /><br />These links are probably not the only source for the Russell Green River blanks and you might find a better deal on EBay, websearching, whatever.<br /><br />Or you might just grind your own blades and to do an equally good job if you're equipped to do it.</p>

 

[damian63]

im native american my tribe is the umatilla so im allowed to fish with out a liscense on parts of the columbia river and hunt without a license&nbsp;in the blue mountains of oregon its pretty cool i use to build traps in woodshop and catch mainly squirrels -_- since my traps werent built big enough(i used box traps)

 

[sl1966]

i use to build traps in woodshop and catch mainly squirrels

<br /><br />For food or catch and release?<br /><br />

 

[Seraphim]

No ompass in the handle, huh? Aw shucks.

Thanks for all the good information.

 

[Rollin]

Incidently, I neglected to mention earlier about Tuleremia, rabbit fever. &nbsp;It's worth examining rabbits carefully before doing any cutting or tearing away the hides. &nbsp;If they're infected they'll have abcesses between the hide and the meat. &nbsp;Should you encounter this in a carcass, and you almost certainly will if you kill many rabbits, it's best to just dispose of the carcass. &nbsp;Not a thing about it worth saving.&nbsp;

<br /><br />Not sure if this is the same thing or not but when I was growing up I hunted&nbsp;rabbits&nbsp;and was always told to wait&nbsp;until&nbsp;the first frost (to hunt/trap)as it (frost/freeze)would kill off the sick.&nbsp;Something&nbsp;passed down to me not sure if it's true or not?<br /><br />BTW...Freshly killed game still warm from life and cooked over a open fire is some of the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

 

[Rollin]

<div>&nbsp;</div><div>Need to find an instructor around here to learn about field prepping a carcass and cooking it: small game.</div>

<br /><br />Well I&nbsp;wouldn't&nbsp;consider myself an instructor but I have gutted and skinned many&nbsp;animales. I started hunting around 11 or 12 years old alone. I never&nbsp;field&nbsp;dressed small game in the field. I always did it when I got home. I had never been shown how my first time and I did fine. Use I sharp knife&nbsp;that's&nbsp;all you need. Take your time around the gut as you&nbsp;don't&nbsp;want to cut into the bladder,&nbsp;stomach/&nbsp;intestine. Once you get in there it all becomes pretty&nbsp;obvious.&nbsp;

 

[josephusminimus]

Incidently, I neglected to mention earlier about Tuleremia, rabbit fever. &nbsp;It's worth examining rabbits carefully before doing any cutting or tearing away the hides. &nbsp;If they're infected they'll have abcesses between the hide and the meat. &nbsp;Should you encounter this in a carcass, and you almost certainly will if you kill many rabbits, it's best to just dispose of the carcass. &nbsp;Not a thing about it worth saving.&nbsp;

<br /><br />Not sure if this is the same thing or not but when I was growing up I hunted&nbsp;rabbits&nbsp;and was always told to wait&nbsp;until&nbsp;the first frost (to hunt/trap)as it (frost/freeze)would kill off the sick.&nbsp;Something&nbsp;passed down to me not sure if it's true or not?<br /><br />BTW...Freshly killed game still warm from life and cooked over a open fire is some of the best tasting food I have ever eaten.

<br /><br />I always heard that, also.&nbsp; Don't know whether it's true, or isn't.

 

[sl1966]

I always heard that, also. Don't know whether it's true, or isn't.

<br /><br />It is true. Basically the rabbits have fattened up nicely for the coming winter months, and the cold has driven the parasites (fleas/ticks) to dormancy. <br /><br />The rabbits can still be diseased with Tularemia or Myxomatosis despite the weather. Any infected with either are best disposed of. However, they are fit for canine consumption providing your cook them long enough. When there are no telltale signs on the outside, you can check the liver for spots or an unhealthy color. If you find either, get rid of it. Rabbits infected with Myxi are blatantly obvious because they have scabbing around the head, eyes, or genital areas.&nbsp;<br /><br />

 

[gojo]

I have wild hog problem, big time. I have a small farm and those ***** hogs are tearing up my land. You can't hardly drive without hitting a big hole. I set a wild live Moultrie camera near my deer feeder and I had well over 100 pictures of wild hogs on it&nbsp; (about 15 hogs). The time on the pictures show different times of the day and mostly late night. So they would be hard to hunt.&nbsp; Couple a weeks ago I built, by welded a hog trap out of a old windmill frame with 4"- 4'X8' panels. Now I have a hog trap and they haven't been around. They usually come around about every couple of months or so. Guess they make their routes. Hope they're around during deer season, then I can make some sausage.

 

[gojo]

I believe I put this message in the wrong place. Sorry if I did....

 

[Justajester]

Well I posted the original topic about hunting wild hogs more or less so if you are offering up a spot i would call this the right place! lol

 

[Justajester]

Where are you located in Texas? Any chance I can stop by the farm and do some archery hunting? If nothing else maybe get some rabbits? email me [email protected]

 

[gojo]

I use to let people hunt here, but not anymore, why, because somebody shot my neighbor's red angus bull in the testicles. And that put a stop to it. I live only a few mile from town and try to get along with all my neighbors. I wish there were more stricter hunting courses for hunter that don't know much about guns. I been around guns all my life. When I went to Nam I qualified for a sniper, I could shoot a 50 cent peace out of the air with a bb gun. <br /><br />You shouldn't have a problem finding a hunting place in Texas. I don't know about free hunting.<br /><br />BTW: There's buyers all over Texas, buying live wild hogs, heard they're shipping em over seas.

 

[josephusminimus]

I have wild hog problem, big time. I have a small farm and those ***** hogs are tearing up my land. You can't hardly drive without hitting a big hole. I set a wild live Moultrie camera near my deer feeder and I had well over 100 pictures of wild hogs on it&nbsp; (about 15 hogs). The time on the pictures show different times of the day and mostly late night. So they would be hard to hunt.&nbsp; Couple a weeks ago I built, by welded a hog trap out of a old windmill frame with 4"- 4'X8' panels. Now I have a hog trap and they haven't been around. They usually come around about every couple of months or so. Guess they make their routes. Hope they're around during deer season, then I can make some sausage.

<br /><br />You might try opening a box of flavored jello into the back of the trap for bait.&nbsp; They can smell it from a long distance and can't resist.

 

[joey]

One aspect of hunting/collecting/dressing wild game rarely gets mentioned but will soon be discovered by anyone doing it:&nbsp; parasites.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Every species of wild animal is loaded with fleas, ticks, lice and sometimes other critters making a home on them.&nbsp; Whether the game is trapped and killed on the spot, or shot and field dressed where it falls, as the carcass cools the parasites drop off and begin casting around for a new home.&nbsp; Usually the clothing, often the pets, of the hunter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's worth&nbsp; some conscious heavy thinking ahead of time for the hunter.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mostly it's just a nuisance, but some ticks also carry Lyme disease and a stroke of bad luck on the part of the hunter could bring it into full swing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Incidently, I neglected to mention earlier about Tuleremia, rabbit fever.&nbsp; It's worth examining rabbits carefully before&nbsp;doing any cutting or tearing away the hides.&nbsp;&nbsp;If they're infected they'll have abcesses&nbsp;between the hide and the meat.&nbsp; Should you encounter this in a carcass, and you almost certainly will if you kill many rabbits, it's best to just dispose of the carcass.&nbsp; Not a thing about it worth saving.

I have eaten wild rabbits all my life so I was intrigued by this.I found this on WIKI and thought I should share. In Jan 2011, researchers searching for brucellosis among feral hog populations in Texas discovered widespread Tularemia infection or evidence of past infection in feral hog populations of at least 2 Texas counties, even though tularemia is not normally associated with pigs at all. Precautions were recommended for those who hunt, dress, or prepare feral hogs. Since feral hogs roam over large distances, there is concern that tularemia may spread or already be present in feral hogs over a very wide geographic area.

 

[joey]

I also started a new thread in cooking about "foraging for food". I was wondering the same thing about supplementing your food supply with wild game/edible plants.