How many people here are efficient at killing animals?

If faced with a situation of survival, how many of you could efficiently feed your family or have experience hunting,fishing, farming etc? Do you have the skills to feed family members? Would you or have you hunted or killed animals for food?

I can fish, it's not hard. As for meat, I live in Texas, all I have to do is leave something under a rock trap and bam, instant squirrel. It's the cleaning of the squirrel meat that is the hard part. There's plenty of those bastards running around everywhere to sew together for a king's feast!

Its human nature. We're all programmed to do it , hell , we did it.

The real question is if you could do it when faced with starvation. Logic becomes very relative in those situations, and logic is the only way to catch cunning prey.

Also, if the SHTF, sadly enough, domesticated animals should be your first priority. They will die within weeks anyway because they are stripped of their survival skills. You might as well save them the pain and use them as food first.

reply to post by SantaClaus


That's why I let my cats be outdoor cats. I would never result to eating them, and yes I have thought about what might happen if a situation like that arised, I just can't see myself doing it. Besides, they are really good about bringing in gross things to me as presents, like half a lizard the other night.

I've always been a hunter. Turkey, deer, and hogs mostly. But a couple years ago, I got interested in snaring large game such as deer, and I love it!

It's a challenge to set a good snare for a deer as those rascals are strong! Just wanted to learn in case I ever need some serious meat and can't afford to make any noise of the gunfire type.

I want to work on fish trapping as well. Haven't tried that, as trot lines seem to work pretty well.

Originally posted by LeTan
reply to post by SantaClaus

 

That's why I let my cats be outdoor cats. I would never result to eating them, and yes I have thought about what might happen if a situation like that arised, I just can't see myself doing it. Besides, they are really good about bringing in gross things to me as presents, like half a lizard the other night.

Yeah my cats are outdoor as well, but the weather this year would have surely killed them here in PA. It was negative six in my hometown for almost a week. I let them inside for truly difficult winters, even if they could survive it, I'd rather they not be so uncomfortable.

And I wasn't saying my animals. My animals would be of great service to me in this situation. Well, my dog at least. I'd let my cats go I suppose.

If the SHTF, there will be empty houses. Lots of them. And lots will have pets with owners who have abandoned them unfortunately.

I am all for hunting in this scenario, but a sitting duck is a sitting duck.

I've skinned mammals before but never processed them for food. I reckon I'd seperate the meat from the guts with a water and try and save the liver and heart to eat. Then you need a fire, smoker or solar oven and a few herbs and spices and Bob's your uncle.

Fish are a breeze to clean. The hardest thing is what to cook them in if you are traveling light.

I'm considering trying an ice house just to see how long I can get the lake ice to stay frozen. If I surround big blocks of ice in hay within a well insulated and non heated room, they should last a month maybe more.
It's nice to have ice on hand when you want to stretch out your bounty.

reply to post by avail
Its human nature. We're all programmed to do it , hell , we did it.

Unfortunately what took nature centuries to instill within us (survival instinct), man has undone by "DOMESTICATING" us and making a majority of society dependent on them for " EVERYTHING"

Basically making the majority of us nothing more than..........Domesticated Animals

reply to post by SantaClaus
The real question is if you could do it when faced with starvation. Logic becomes very relative in those situations, and logic is the only way to catch cunning prey.

Also, if the SHTF, sadly enough, domesticated animals should be your first priority. They will die within weeks anyway because they are stripped of their survival skills. You might as well save them the pain and use them as food first.

So I guess, (as you can see from my above reply), that we should start with a majority of humans since they are domesticated and about as useless as a wet blanket.After all doesn't everything taste like chicken????

reply to post by stikkinikki


Smoking fish is very easy with so little as some flint, a few branches/twigs, tinder, and a hole in the ground. Takes very little time and you can smoke the fish while you fish more.

ETA: I'm a big fan of sushi anyway. Clean water, and I'm just clubbing the salmon and stripping the thing with my teeth.

[edit on 1/28/09 by SantaClaus]

Man, I can't shoot a rifle to save my life (God I hope thats not prophetic ) However, I'm pretty good with a pistol, and I got great practice with snares. Cleaning, no problem.. Just make sure you don't ape taint the meat by nailing the intestines with the knife

HOLY CRAP I JUST WORKED IT IN!!! (see below)

reply to post by stikkinikki


Ice is easy enough to make in most climates, In theory, you take a ditch and fill it with water, on a Longitude from east to west, and you build a wall at least a few feet tall on the south of the ditch, but right beside it. the radiant energy over night usually strikes the water and causes a major heat loss, hopefully resulting in the water in the ditch freezing over. If youve built your wall high enough, it should keep the sun out of the ditch during the day. Ive never tried it, but it makes sense.

The weird thing is that is that technique is what they use most in dry climates, so if your real temperate, then im not sure what effect it will have. I think the dryness of the air also has a cooling effect, but once again, im not sure.

----------------

Trot lines work well, I know people that swear by them. I myself hate fish, but i figure i would even eat a cat if I was hungry enough. It might take a pound of spice though,

I can rock a rifle pretty well, but i get a little skived out during the 'processing'...



[edit on 29-1-2009 by drsmooth23]

I will eat your cats LeTan...he he

As far as killing for food...I can dig it. I can clean a deer, hog, squirrel, etc. I'm sure dog, cat, fluffy little guinea pigs, etc. are about the same. I don't particularly want to eat these animals, but rather that than starve...

Oh and I can pick just about anything off at 300+ yards...or less.

Midnight Brigade...LOL. He said working it in...ape taint!

reply to post by SantaClaus


I don't know man, yes I agree, in a SHTF situation, domestic pets would be the best bet. Personally I just couldn't do it, not even to other people's pets. Especially not after I have seen in foreign countries who already have resulted to this as a way of survival, and hell even to just do it. Our pets are our pets, they didn't ask to be domesticated and lose their hunting abilities.. it's just a personal moral that I couldn't break.

Even if somehow the pet managed to talk and asked me to kill it for food, I would probably break down and cry while I eat it.



[edit on 29-1-2009 by LeTan]

I'll be real honest with you folks: unless WW4 breaks out and every bit of post Steam Age Technology goes away, the likely hood of mass survival scenario just aint' going to happen. Our friendly gov't folks were actually hampering most NGO rescue efforts during the aftermath of Katrina. At least one individual's family actually drove in their SUV to the NOLA Convention Center and picked up their relatives, this was caught on tape. All most of the folks their had to do was walk out of there. to get to help. Our farm to market infrastructure in this country will work long after the gov't fails.

Back to the subject at hand: if you haven't learned what wild foods grow in your area and when to harvest them, get some sort of guide for your local area, Where I'm at there are at least 8 different native plants that can be harvested for food at various times throughout the year. Some can be stored for long periods like grains right off the plant while others have to be processed like acorns before they can be eaten or stored. Others have to be eaten fresh like cattail tubers.

The smart way to keep from starving is to cooperate with a local farmer or rancher. Rabbits,feral European pigeons and English sparrows are a menace to vegetable and grain producers costing them billions in lost product. Hunting and trapping these pests for free or for a small amount of labor that the farmer/rancher might need is usually a win/win situation for both the farmer and the hunter. Wild boar and deer are also crop pests. Anyone who thinks that cattle are stupid domestic animals, Ive got just one word for you: longhorn! It takes less than a generation for most domestic farm animals to go feral. Even sheep can fend for themselves pretty well in a season or two. I believe even domestic turkeys would figure out how to survive within a few months of no contact with humans.

in my case - maybe - it depends on what level of efficiency you are after - my mate who is a wizard at dressing game always taunts me ` do you butcher your kills with a chain saw while blindfolded `

i am not that bad - but i do admit my level of wastage is higher than everyone else i hunt with - but hey my dog eats like a king

i will never starve as long as there is a realistic target out there - but if i have to feed a group too - i would want it small - very small

reply to post by tarpon68

Hey there GUYS,

I don't usually post on the 'survival' threads (nothing to contribute I suppose), but I do read quite a few because I believe we all need to be prepared !

As for killing for food / hunting etc. never done it and under normal circumstances couldn't do it. However, my ex-husband did a lot of shooting & ferreting for rabbits ... and whilst I don't have the 'killer instinct' once the animal is dead I see it as meat and can skin / pluck / gut an animal for cooking ... no problem ... done it hundreds of times in fact.

Having said that, in a SHTF survival situation for my family and myself I believe logic would prevail and I would be able to do it ... but it would have to be a matter of life / death before I could kill and prep my own animals for eating.

Very thought provoking thread BTW. Woody

Killing animals is the easy part.

Preparing and not spoiling the meat is another story, but all you have to do is be careful.

Take your time and use your hands if you have to, and do not be afraid of getting them dirty.

Learn to eat grass, bark, little fish out of rivers and lakes, tadpoles, sparrows, dogs (tsu-tsik, which my grandmother tells me is delicious), cats, gerbils.....you name it.

Just be careful, and if you're not sure, either take it in small doses first or don't eat it at all.


So get out there, and KILL!!

[edit on 29-1-2009 by Unrealised]

Im from montana, hunting is a part of life. right now in the freezer is mulie deer, whitetail deer, elk and moose meat, fish and sage grouse, as well as some beef.
other than the slow cow (beef) we kill, clean and process it all our self.
its realy not that hard to do, just time and not affraid to get a little messy.

not only is the wild game taste better than storebought meat. its much healthier for you and at least you know where it came from.

reply to post by dooper

But a couple years ago, I got interested in snaring large game such as deer, and I love it!

Snaring deer?
That just one a the tops on the list of perverse and cruel.
Did you pull wings off flies as a child - do you still?
You seem to get off on snaring deer well enough.

EDIT:
As an added note anyone who snares a deer is interested in blood sport, not sport for meat use.
A deer who’s caught in a snare trap with thrash itself to death ruining the complete hide and the majority of the meat.
That is not humane, sporting or ethical.
I know seasoned hunters that wouldn’t even consider snaring deer.
Myself and true hunters have too much respect for deer to do such a vial and despicable thing.

I know of no place in the States and very few places in the western world where using a snare on deer is even legal.

If you’re living and snaring deer in an area where that type of inhumane hunting (if you can even call it hunting) is allowed - well, I was going to say let your conscience be your guide, but obviously you have none.

If you do not live in an area where snaring deer is legal please read the ATS rules again.
It’s against ATS rules to post about illegal activity.


ON TOPIC:

I urge each and every one of you to learn to hunt, correctly and humanly - *one shot or not* (one shot dead or don't take the shot).

Also, if you can find a local butcher who is willing talk to him/her about putting on a butchering workshop.

Good Luck All!

peace


[edit on 29-1-2009 by silo13]