Hunting On The Road

[tobobear]

One of my great-uncles, used to tell us about his favorite meal during the great depression. He and his brothers would get out thier red wagon and pull it down to the railyard. There were all these pigeons eating the spilt grain from the trains. The boys would spend hours with slingshots, load the pigeons onto the wagon, and thier mom would dress and roast them. He loved it.

So you could do it, a bunch of kids with slingshots can do it, you can to.

Supposedly during the world wars Europe had a serious shortage of "Norway Rat" the normal brown rat, seems the city dwellers were taking care of them.

Bon Appettit.

Toby

[Rodpod]

I guess pigeons and rats would work. Pigeon and rat stew. Though the rat has a lot greater chance of carrying diseases.

[riloh]

also, i hear that while pigeon isn't too bad, crow and seagull are [b:b943f3fe34]terrible.[/b:b943f3fe34]

[Dilligaf2u2]

I do carry a sling shot in my pack! You can not imagine how many times I used it to stalk and take out the unsuspecting can of tuna!

There have been very few times on the road that the opportunity to hunt has come into play!

Now I can hit an old coke can from 50 foot away, but the nourishment is often not worth the effort!

Learn to spot eatable plants! And believe me there is a lot to eat in the desert (if you are hungry enough).

Good Luck!

The Duke!

[benj]

IF YOU EAT MEAT AND HAVE THE SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE WHY WOULDN'T YOU HUNT

RABBIT IS AMAZING

PIGION -- THERE ARE HUNTING SEASONS FOR THEM

HELL YOU CAN LIVE ON MICE IF FORCED TO

[tobobear]

[quote:9146167cba="benj"]IF YOU EAT MEAT AND HAVE THE SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE WHY WOULDN'T YOU HUNT

RABBIT IS AMAZING

PIGION -- THERE ARE HUNTING SEASONS FOR THEM

HELL YOU CAN LIVE ON MICE IF FORCED TO[/quote:9146167cba]

I do not disagree with the taste benefits of fresh foods, I have had rabbit, I can see where the taste would be considered a delicacy.

There are three main factors that would discourage me to hunt on the road:

1-legal issues, if you hunt nowadays without a liscense or out of season the game warden can go totally nuts on you. They not only can confiscate anything that might have been used to hunt with, they get to issue tickets and possibly arrest you. In Minnesota they don't even have to show probable cause to search you (U.S. Supreme Court Case a few years back).

2-Time, when on the road, I want to move, spending time hunting is not worth it for the few calories I will get. I can afford to buy those calories and keep moving.

3-Image. yes, being a road fashionista is useful. having hunting equipment may help you get rides with a select group, but I want rides from the entire population. If I have any hunting equipment or blood on myself or gear, or I reek of slaughtered animal, I will have very short, few and far between rides.

Hey if you want to hunt in your free time, go ahead, but seriously consider if it will help you.

Toby

Now for those of you interested in tasting rabbit, my daughter is selling her rabbits (8 week old fryer size) for $2 a piece. The only big problem is that she sells them live and insists that they have to become pets.This is what happens when you let a capitalistic preschooler start a rabbit breeding business.

[TrippyMctwist]

[quote:12f279a74a="Lightfoot"]I read somewhere that the tannic acid in hiking boot leather will easily sustain a person for 30 days. So just slice up your hiking boots and start munching.[/quote:12f279a74a]

I've heard that you can't eat the leather from modern boots or other clothing because of the chemicals used in the tanning process of the leather. I don't recall where I heard this, but it makes sense to me so I would be leary of eating my boots, especially considering the fact that they have little if any nutritional value.

[jimsjazzz]

Here's a related thread under "vagabonding techniques" I wrote over a year ago:
http://www.digihitch.com/ftopicp-12874.html#12874

I don't think anyone would have time to hunt while on a road trip but there may be times when you'd want to take a break from the road and spend a few days in the wilderness. In fact I recommend it.

[melowanderlust]

I don't think anyone has mentioned worms. It may seem gross, but they're full of protien.

[blindluck909]

Oh boy, what a column
I'd lean towards the plants---they're simpler and most everywhere, you don't have to chase them.

if you eat your [b:6c95b4fd1b]leather[/b:6c95b4fd1b], it might fill your hole, but i promise you will cramp to all h#ll if you don't leach out the tannic acid. too many cups of coffee on an empty?---same effect, same reason.

[b:6c95b4fd1b]Protein.[/b:6c95b4fd1b] Protein keeps one feeling fuller, longer. Wild sources in the woods are critters and nuts (that sounds f#cked up).

[b:6c95b4fd1b]Acorns[/b:6c95b4fd1b]: these all require a leaching in boiling water to remove the tannins. cover with water, boil, change water and boil again till the water is 90% clear unless you have a tough gut. [b:6c95b4fd1b]White oaks [/b:6c95b4fd1b](Quercus alba) only take one change or so, Reds, blacks, Pin, and many others will take several leachings. potash (potassium salt) thrown in (from your fire), speeds up the process.

for [b:6c95b4fd1b]squirrels,[/b:6c95b4fd1b] [b:6c95b4fd1b]rabbits, etc[/b:6c95b4fd1b]. youll need a bait (peanut butter, wild tubers/veggies,sunflower seeds or what have you) and you'll need to set at [i:6c95b4fd1b]least[/i:6c95b4fd1b] two snares (don't bet all on one). practice making them when your bored someday, w/o the bait, just so you get the noose and 'snap' right. I find old guitar strings to work quite well. Poach in herb broth, or they get too tough. rub salt on corpse to extract excess blood and impurities and general gaminess before cooking. try to use everything. (tail, bones?---fishing tackle)

[b:6c95b4fd1b]birds?[/b:6c95b4fd1b] someone enlighten me. traps? Spears?---yeah....sure.

[b:6c95b4fd1b]fish[/b:6c95b4fd1b]? 1st choice if you got a water hole. You can make a primitive rod in a pinch if you got line. good luck spearing ([i:6c95b4fd1b]practice[/i:6c95b4fd1b]), and bear in mind the optical effects of refraction...aim a bit "above" the fish. a flexible rod will help, like yew, osage orange, sumac, red osier dogwood, etc...better yet, if your going to the deep bush, pick up a backpackers rod/reel combo for less than $35. you can max out at about 100yards of 6lb test line. with respectable, minimal taclke, it weighs in at a few pounds, and has runners for strap built in. you can dig up worms, find bugs, toads, etc. wine corks make good bobbers. remember to scale (hence your trusty knife) and again, poach, with wild leeks (Allium sp.) [ tasty and antifungal/antibacterial like garlic and onion, which means better health], etc. to maximize output. leeks tend to hardwood areas and have green, basal, smooth margined, lanceolot, sometimes whitish mottled leaves and a distinct smell. they are about 6" tall at most.

Then there's the plant kingdom at large. [b:6c95b4fd1b]cattails[/b:6c95b4fd1b](Typha spp.)have many uses, but the [i:6c95b4fd1b]best[/i:6c95b4fd1b] food element results from one grasping the stalk and following it to its base underwater. get a grip and give a good yank, you will get a clean pop and see a whitish stump. from the base, one can eat as high up until it becomes too fibrous (which you tell by bending)---peel off the outer grubby layer. it's kinda like a cucumber.

[b:6c95b4fd1b]Polar regions[/b:6c95b4fd1b]?----what are you doing hitchiking here?!

[b:6c95b4fd1b]Desert[/b:6c95b4fd1b]?---well, you better have a fairly good sized knife to gut them cacti and the means of a fire to singe off the [b:6c95b4fd1b]ultra[/b:6c95b4fd1b] fine hairs on many of the same. it is truly a b#tch having a hundred of these no-see-ums stuck in your mouth, waiting to dislodge (which would require very warm water and any available topical "expectorants") I suppose water is the main concern here which is another forum, but i can't resist, so: learn about solar stills (this is where a tarp would come in very handy [plastic bags in general]), and don't forget, you can distill your urine as one element w-in this still...a jar or two will come in very handy here...

I could go on to the point of tedium...so...i'd recommend at least one hands on [b:6c95b4fd1b]american indian ethnobotany [/b:6c95b4fd1b]course (or a study of the relevant idigenous/folk peoples approach). if not? find a tutor, or research yourself and practice a few things [i:6c95b4fd1b]beforehand[/i:6c95b4fd1b].

Remember your vitamin C. tea of [b:6c95b4fd1b]white pine [/b:6c95b4fd1b](Pinus strobus) needles is an excellent source. [b:6c95b4fd1b]Smooth/Staghorn Sumac berry [/b:6c95b4fd1b]tea (Rhus spp.) tastes great, best when vibrant red, earlier in the season, otherwise more bugs.They look distinctly different from [i:6c95b4fd1b]poison[/i:6c95b4fd1b] sumac (Toxicodendron spp.)who likes its feet wet. In [i:6c95b4fd1b]general[/i:6c95b4fd1b], berries. Remember what happened to all those sailors and colonists so many years ago?

[b:6c95b4fd1b]poisons[/b:6c95b4fd1b] tend toward the very bitter ends. for unknowns, in dire straits, eat in small doses, wait a few hours, and try to standardize who's trying what in your group, so you're not (worst case) all squirming on the ground. You might even test skin/muscous membrane reactions first....

[b:6c95b4fd1b]Mushrooms [/b:6c95b4fd1b]are far more deceptive. The ghostly white [b:6c95b4fd1b]Killing Angel [/b:6c95b4fd1b](Amanita sp.) might take up to half the day before it makes you sick, then , ultimately, kills you in excruciating G.I. pain. Then there are the [b:6c95b4fd1b]white puffballs [/b:6c95b4fd1b](Calvatia and Lycoperdon spp.), delicious fried in butter. Note: [i:6c95b4fd1b]extremely[/i:6c95b4fd1b] high doses or eaten when interior is NOT a firm, even white, have been known to cause auditory hallucinations. An ex from Kentucky can attest to this....maybe it was Kentucky...or just the red hair...

Finally, [i:6c95b4fd1b]Peterson[/i:6c95b4fd1b] field guides to edible and medicinal plants are well worth their weight
:rolleyes: