General
The hunting techniques described below are for wilderness survival situations only – please obey all local hunting rules and regulations. Meat is an excellent survival food, containing most nutritional needs. Animal bones, skin and fur can provide tools and clothing.
Where to Find Game
Signs that can lead you to the game:
- Trails and tracks – Most animals are creatures of habit, using regular routes between their regular feeding, water and sleeping spots,
- Feeding signs – the way and what animals eat, reveal the species, size and timing.
- Droppings – discarded remains and their scat, reveal the species, size and timing.
- Leftovers – animals don’t have tupperware® – their discarded “leftovers” reveal the species, size and timing.
Hunting
Consider the following:
- Move slowly, quietly and stop often. Sudden movements scare off the game,
- To minimize your scent – hunt into or across the direction of the wind,
- Hunt at dawn and dusk,
- During the day, hunt uphill in the morning, and downhill in the afternoon – thermal currents carry scents upwards in the afternoon, so by returning downhill at that time, your scent will not alert the game,
- If an animal sees you – freeze. Do not move until the animal looks away or continues feeding.
Basic Weapons
Bow and Arrow
To make a bow consider the following:
- Make the bow stave about 1.5 metres long,
- Select a piece of wood from yew, cedar, birch, willow, hemlock, juniper, hickory or oak,
- Carve the stave to 1-2 cm thick, weighted evenly at both ends, and the centre hand piece widening to 5 cm,
- Cutting a notch in both ends for the cord,
- Sling the bow with a durable cord,
- Don’t put too much tension on the bow, this will reduce range,
- Make arrows from straight pieces of wood, 0.5-1.0 metres long, and 1 cm wide with smooth sides,
- Sharpen one end of the arrow to a point – it can be hardened in a fire. You can also attach a piece of sharp stone, bone, or glass – on the other end, carve a 0.5 cm notch for the bowstring,
- To complete the arrow – tie on fletchings equally spaced on 3 sides – use leather, paper or trimmed leaves.
Slingshot – You require a forked stick and a piece of elasticized tube or cord. Attach the elastic tube/cord to both ends of the forks. You can find elastic from clothing, inner tubes or surgical tubing from survival kits. Put a pouch in the centre to hold the projectiles.
Spear – Find a 2-metre, straight piece of wood that can easily be gripped by the camper. Sharpen one end to a point – it can be hardened in a fire. If you are fishing – create a forked end with multiple tips.
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