Food: Harvesting Animals

A section in Chapter 3 of the book:
Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking

When you are hungry in the woods, you might first think of vegetation like fruits and greens, or you might think of meats for protein and fat. If you hunger for protein, then harvesting fresh meat may be very rewarding for you. Of course, check to be sure that hunting game and harvesting protected animals is legal and in season for your location.

Near the Water

Fishing

• Fish: Confirm seasons for each species
• Consider angling, netting, spearing, trapping, or noodling
• Use fish guts as bait to catch more fish or larger fish
• Frogs: Requires a fishing license in many U.S. states
• Consider a net, a spear gig, or a fish hook with red yarn
• Use frog guts as bait to catch fish

Trapping & Gathering

A variety of shellfish are often available—not only along the seashore, but also along many freshwater waterways. If you are new to eating foraged shellfish, avoid late spring and summer to prevent possible toxic poisoning.

• Shorelines: Mussels, scallops, oysters, cockles, winkles, whelks
• Various Locations: Crayfish, crabs, shrimp, clams, turtles

In the Field

The key to harvesting wild animals is the tools you currently have available. Do you have weapons, traps, snares, or the skills and materials needed to create these?

Remember, most game animals are protected and require licensing to harvest.
Trapping and snaring might only be legal if needed for survival.

Small Animals

• Game: rabbit, hare, squirrel, prairie dog, opossum, snake
• Non-Game: turtle, gopher, beaver, martin, mink, weasel, otter
• Survival: coyote, fox, musk rat, raccoon, porcupine, armadillo, mice, chipmunk, packrat, mole, woodchuck
• Birds: turkey, pheasant, quail, grouse, partridge, woodcock, dove, ducks, geese, waterfowl, crow, songbirds

The quality of the meat you harvest may depend on how hungry you are.

Consider the following methods or devices for harvesting small animals. Some are only allowed when used for survival.

• Firearms: Rifle, shotgun, handgun, air rifle
• Slings: Archery, slingshot, Bushcraft nun chucks (two rocks tied together by two feet of cording)
• Traps: Cable snares, box traps, nets, Conibear
• Baiting: Food, lures, scents, decoys
• Calling or Driving into a key location, like a trap or killing zone
• Spotlighting at night to locate and target dazed animals
• Tracking, scouting, glassing, and stalking
• Research: Consider reading about how to make your own traps

Quick Set: tether and set 25-cent mouse traps and bait with birdseed.
Good for birds, squirrel, mice, moles, and more.

Near the Ground

Eating insects and tiny animals may seem gross, but you don’t need any permission or license to harvest loads of insects and they can be a great source of nutrition and energy. Remember that in many countries outside the United States, eating arthropods is common as a main dish or side dishes with everyday meals—not just for survival. Common insect flavors include nutty, buttery, and “like chicken.”

Most bugs are fine to eat, but here are some cautions to remember.

• Avoid insects that bite or sting
• Avoid insects with bright colors, especially red, orange, or yellow
• Avoid bugs with hairy or furry bodies
• Avoid disease-carrying bugs like mosquitoes, flies, or ticks
• Avoid insects in urban areas where pesticides may be used
• Avoid insects that smell foul, or are found near foul-smelling carcasses—except for maggots, which are fine to eat

Here are the basics for eating insects.

• Look under fallen logs and dig through rotting wood
• Look in tall, grassy fields
• Remove wings and legs before eating or cooking
• Heads may also be pulled off, often taking guts with them
• Cook whenever possible to kill any possible parasites—roast, fry, or boil for 2 to 5 minutes
• Season with salt (and pepper or other spices)
• Grind cooked bugs into a powder or paste and mix with salad greens, soup, or tea—so you don’t feel like you are eating bugs
• Fat White Grubs found under rotting logs can be eaten raw

Try grilled grasshoppers with salt, chili powder, and lime for a crunchy snack.

Insects to look for include the following.

• Near Grass: Crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, locusts
• Near Wood: Larvae, grubs, ants, termites, beetles, cockroaches

Packed with calories, a black soldier fly larvae is 35% fat and 42% protein.

Consider the following harvesting methods for these tiny animals.

• Easy: Just use your fingers and a small container—like your hand
• Morning: Insects like grasshoppers are slower in cool mornings
• Flying/Jumping: Netting or a handkerchief or shirt attached to two long sticks
• Ants: Poke a stick into an ant hill; when they climb it, shake into container
• Swatter: A sapling tree branch—like a fly swatter, to stun hoppers and pick them up before they move again
• Traps: Various traps like a baited jar left overnight

Dig: Use a heavy stick to dig into soft dirt under fallen trees