The Hunting And Gathering Survival Manual

by Tim MacWelch

  CONSTRICTOR KNOT Easy to tie and extremely reliable, the constrictor knot exerts a ratchetlike grip on any curved surface, such as a post, rail, tree, or human appendage. You can use it to close the mouths of gear bags, secure a rod tube to a backpack, or fashion a string leash for your eyeglasses. To hang camp tools, file a rough groove in each tool’s handle, tie a constrictor hitch around it, and then knot together the ends of the cord. The only caveat: It is not easily untied. Then again, it won’t come undone accidentally, either.

  HOW TO TIE Make a simple loop, crossing the working end of the rope over the other (A). Next, circle the working end behind the item you’re tying up, then pass it under the standing end and under your “X” (B). Then pull both ends to constrict (C).

  BUTTERFLY LOOP Use this loop to hang gear, as a ladder step, or as a canoe bridle to tow a canoe behind a boat.

  HOW TO TIE Hang a rope from your hand and coil it twice to form three coils (A). Move the right coil over the middle coil to the left, so that the center coil becomes the right coil, then move this coil to the left over the top of the other two coils (B). Take the coil you just moved to the left and pass it back to the right, under the remaining coils, to form a loop (C). Pinch this loop against your palm, using your thumb to hold it. Slide your hand to the right, pulling this loop (D). Tighten the knot by pulling both ends of the rope (E).

  HUNTER’S BEND Unlike most knots, the hunter’s bend is relatively new, invented only in the 20th century. It’s perfect for joining two ropes, of either equal or dissimilar diameters, which makes it perfect for survival situations when odd scraps of cordage might be all you have at hand. And it’s a great knot to use with slick synthetic ropes.

  HOW TO TIE Lay the two lines side by side, with tag ends in opposite directions (A). Loop the lines, making sure neither rope twists on top of the other (B). Bring the front working end around behind the loops and up through the center (C). Push the rear working end through the middle of both loops (D). Seat the knot by holding the standing parts firmly and pulling both working ends. Pull the standing parts in opposite directions to set the knot (E).

  DOUBLE FISHERMAN’S KNOT This useful knot joins two ropes together with a streamlined bend that has just enough bulk to provide a good grip. Often used in climbing and for search and rescue, it’s also handy for doing minor repairs on your gear, as you can combine ropes of different widths. If you combine it with old fly lines, for example, you can replace broken zipper pulls or construct sunglass tethers. With 6mm or 7mm rock-climbing cord, it makes awesome grab handles for duffels, canoes, and coolers.

  You can triple or quadruple the knot to make it more secure—simply repeat the process and alternate the ropes looped and pulled. As with many of these intricate knots, however, they are nearly impossible to undo.

  HOW TO TIE Lay the two ropes down, with tag ends in opposite directions. Tie a double overhand knot with one rope around the second (A).

  Pull the tag end of each rope through the knot on the opposite side of the other (B).Using the tag end of the second rope, tie a double overhand knot around the first (C).

  169 EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH THE SEASONS

  Some tenacious wild edible plants and hardy animals can be found every single day of the year, but most wild foods, from both the plant and animal kingdoms, have a shorter window of harvesting opportunity.

  Spring and fall are usually the busiest times of the year, but every month yields certain seasonal treats and delicious fare. To make the most of this annual bounty, stay vigilant to the changes that each month brings—and keep an eye on your calendar so you don’t miss your favorites.

  JANUARY

  SYRUP Start testing your maple, sycamore, birch, and hickory trees in the middle of the month to catch the beginning of the sap run for syrup.

  PINE Shave off some inner pine bark (guilt-free, after ice storms knock down limbs and branches) to dry and grind into flour. Don’t worry about the bark spoiling—winter is nature’s refrigerator.

  FISH Hunting and trapping seasons come to an end. Anybody up for ice fishing?

  FEBRUARY

  SYRUP Tap your syrup trees, collect the sap, and boil it down. Start brewing maple ale for spring drinking and vinting maple wine for summer and fall.

  GREENS Collect early spring greens such as wild onion. Make pine needle tea for your daily dose of vitamin C.

  FISH Prepare your fishing tackle; fly fishing season is about to begin.

  MARCH

  GREENS Spring salad greens start to emerge from winter slumber.

  CATTAIL Brave the swamp water to find tender cattail sprouts.

  TURKEY The first spring turkey seasons open.

  SHEDS You may start noticing shed antlers from deer and elk—keep these spots in mind for the future.

  APRIL

  FLOWERS Harvest edible flowers such as redbud, dandelion, and violet. Look for knotweed shoots and new tips of greenbrier.

  FISH Trout season typically opens April 1.

  VEGETABLES Dig for toothwort tubers, spring beauty corms, and ramp bulbs. Boil starchy cattail shoots.

  MORELS Keep an eye out for morel mushrooms.

  POLLEN Gather pine pollen by shaking the twig tips over a bowl (add to flour for a protein boost).

  MAY

  FISH Enjoy fishing trips, crabbing, and clam digging as the water warms up. Watch for the shad runs in the rivers of the eastern United States.

  GREENS Collect late spring flowers, salads, vegetables, and roots.

  CHICORY Find the blue flowers of chicory, and roast the roots into a caffeine-free coffee substitute.

  JUNE

  FRUITS Watch closely for early berries like blueberry and black raspberry, especially toward the end of the month.

  VEGETABLES Find young milkweed pods and boil them in changes of water for a dish similar to peas.

  CATTAIL Look for cattail pollen spikes to reach their full height. Cut them off just before they open for a “corn-on-the-cob” vegetable, or let them open and collect the pollen as you would with pine.

  JULY

  FRUITS Blackberries, red raspberries, and wild cherries come into season.

  TEAS Cut and dry the leaves for your year’s tea supply. Spicebush, blackberry, mint, yarrow, and wintergreen can make for a good tea collection.

  TREES Dry sassafras leaves and grind them into a powder to thicken your soups and stews.

  FISH Stay alert to summer salmon and grunion runs of the American west coast.

  AUGUST

  FRUITS Paw paw fruit ripens about two weeks after the blackberries, red raspberries, and wild cherries are finished.

  GRAINS Shake amaranth and lamb’s quarters seeds from their heads and grind them into grain.

  GAME Start scouting your familiar hunting areas for deer sign.

  SEPTEMBER

  NUTS Tree nuts begin to drop in late September, heralding the coming of fall. Collect the hickory nuts, beechnuts, and other sweet seeds before the animals get them all. The bitter acorns and thick-husked walnuts can wait a few weeks—they’re lower on every creature’s list.

  GAME Plan your hunts for deer and other big game. Many bow seasons and western big-game seasons open in September.

  OCTOBER

  GAME BIRDS Upland bird and waterfowl seasons open.

  FRUITS Collect ripening berries like spicebush, barberry, and rose before migrating birds eat them.

  MUSHROOMS Look for fall mushrooms after rain. The yellow and orange of sulphur shelf is easy to spot against the wet forest logs—until the leaves start to turn.

  FISH Trout fishing resumes once the mountain rivers have cooled.

  NOVEMBER

  FRUITS Look for persimmons ripening into gooey messes on their trees. Perfectly ripe persimmons are soft and wrinkled—they should go beyond their “pretty” stage.

  NUTS Collect and shell out the black walnuts now that their husks have dried.

  GAME Many firearm hunting seasons open.

  DECEMBER

/>   GAME Trapping season comes into full swing as hunting season starts to taper off.

  GREENS Wild edibles can still be found despite the colder weather.

  CATTAIL Dig in the mud for cattail rootstocks and extract the starch for flour.

  TEAS Break up the twigs of black birch, spicebush, and sassafras for spicy hot teas.

  170 STOCK YOUR SURVIVAL PANTRY

  Any food is better than no food when you’re facing an emergency, but not all foods are equal when it comes to a survival stash. First, you’ll need enough calories to keep you going. Second, you’ll need a healthy blend of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates). Vitamins, minerals, and fiber are important, too. And third, the food should be something that is easy to prepare or requires no cooking. If all of that isn’t enough, you also have to consider factors like shelf life, food allergens, and, oh yeah, taste. That deal you got on a case of pickled pigs’ feet won’t seem so great when you have to live off hooves for a week. Get ready to read the labels as you put together a survival pantry.

  171 STORE THE TOP TEN STAPLES

  Most of our grandparents probably focused their meals around a few important staple items. Look a few generations further back and you might find nothing but those staples. Buy these critical top ten items and store them in insect- and rodent-proof containers in a cool, dry, dark place.

  RICE Properly stored, white rice can last for decades—the flavor and texture may suffer a little with age, but there are few better staple items.

  BEANS High in protein, beans are a great staple food item. Cook them together with rice, or separately, by boiling them in water. Make bean soup to stretch your food even further.

  PASTA Pasta could outlast us all if stored in a cool, dry, dark container. All you need is boiling water and you’ll have an energy-packed meal.

  SALT Preserve and flavor your food with salt, a once highly prized commodity. Store iodized salt for table use and for making brines. You’ll also need natural salt without iodide to ferment vegetables, such as sauerkraut and pickles.

  BAKING SODA AND POWDER As anyone who bakes knows, baking soda and baking powder are essentials. Baking soda is also good for cleaning and deodorizing. Both can last for years if stored in airtight containers.

  FATS AND OILS Shortening and oil are the calorie powerhouses of your food storage. They’ll also be the first thing to go bad, so rotate your stock every six months for best results—or annually at the very least.

  SUGAR White sugar can be stored indefinitely in a dry location. Although it’s not particularly nutritious, it does provide calories, and it’ll sweeten foods and can be used to brew alcohol.

  HONEY Even though real honey crystallizes and solidifies over time, nothing diminishes its life span. Magical honey can last indefinitely due to its antimicrobial properties.

  DRIED FRUIT Nutrient-dense and flavorful, dried fruit is great for long-term storage. Keep a variety on hand, such as raisins, prunes, cherries, blueberries, apricots, and pineapple.

  COFFEE AND/OR TEA If you need your caffeine to get going in the morning, consider some shelf-stable sources. While some might think of them as luxuries, others call them essentials.

  172 WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS

  Buying a large volume of food is a serious investment in your future survival—and it can wind up being a bad one if you end up stuck eating hundreds of meals that you don’t care for just to get rid of those supplies. There are plenty of food-storage options out there, ranging from age-old preservation methods to the latest technological advances. Let’s look at the pros and cons of the two most popular food-storage systems, freeze-drying and canning, to find out which side you really want to land on.

  PROS

  FREEZE-DRIED

  These foods are lightweight and have a long shelf life. With the heavy water removed, most freeze-dried meals are a fraction of the weight of the original food, which make it an ideal choice for backpacking.

  CANNED

  Availability, cost, and durability are the three main perks of canned foods. Any grocery store will help you stock your larder, and the cans are rodent- and insect-proof.

  CONS

  FREEZE-DRIED

  Boiling water is required to prepare most freeze-dried foods, and they can carry a hefty price tag. Cost can add up fast if you are purchasing for a large group or a long time span.

  CANNED

  Canned foods are heavy, don’t last as long as freeze-dried goods, and the heat used to can the food often destroys many of the vitamins. You’ll also need a can opener in many cases.

  173 PLAN FOR ATTACK

  If you’re stocking a survival pantry, you face two major security hazards: cold and rats. I recommend a stockpile of both freeze-dried and canned food. The diversity allows you to cover a variety of situations: If rodents get into your freeze-dried pouches, at least the cans are still good, and if the cans unexpectedly freeze or burst, the freeze-dried pouches are unharmed. Go with a single strategy if you know the major risks at your storage site (freezing temps or a likely animal raid), but if you have a rarely visited site in a cold area, double up your security by placing freeze-dried pouches in tightly sealed metal cans or boxes. This takes care of both the critters and the cold.

  174 PLAN YOUR MENU

  Yes, you could probably live off a pallet of canned peaches, but after the thirty-third can, you may not want to. It’s easy to add to your survival stockpile by throwing random things into the cupboard. But a better plan is just that: a plan.

  Figure out some complete meals your family would gladly eat, then stock enough food to supply those meals. Some people even store their assorted menu items together.

  Everything on this grocery list can be eaten right out of the package—just add a little hot water for the oatmeal—and it can create three days of meals for a family of four.

  BREAKFAST The three breakfasts are the first things on the list. Granola and milk will make one breakfast meal, and the oatmeal will make two more. There’s one extra packet at each meal for the hungriest survivor.

  LUNCH AND DINNER Your lunches and dinners can be a rotation of soups, pastas, and chili, with vegetables on the side (or added to the meal). Add a can of tomatoes or corn to the chili and green beans or other veggies to your soups.

  SNACKS The cookies and energy bars are there to fill in for dessert, eat as a snack, and keep everyone happy.

  SHOPPING LIST

  1 box instant oatmeal (10 packs, your favorite flavor)

  1 package shelf-stable milk (3 Tetra pak blocks, 1 cup/236 ml each)

  1 package granola

  8 cans soup

  12 cans prepared pasta (like ravioli)

  12 cans vegetables

  4 cans chili

  1 tin butter cookies (or similar long-lasting treats)

  1 box energy bars (12 bars)

  175 BRING WILD EDIBLES INTO THE MIX

  After eating a number of canned or freeze-dried meals, you won’t believe how delicious some fresh food will be. If you properly identify and harvest wild edible plants, you can add something to your meals that will be most welcome. Use these options when it’s time to survive.

  WILD SALAD Any raw, edible leaves, greens, or flowers can be turned into a vitamin-packed salad. All you need to supply is the dressing. Store some bottles of oil and vinegar, as they have a long shelf life, loads of calories, and do not require refrigeration after opening.

  VITAMIN TEA Pine needle, mint, and sassafras teas are a good way to keep everyone hydrated. You can also get vitamin C from the pine and minerals from the sassafras.

  WEED STIR-FRY Roots, shoots, flowers, and buds can be sautéed or stir-fried into a delicious and nutrition-filled meal.

  176 TAKE A SPIN ON ROTATION

  Rotating your stock is all about timing! You want to eat up your aging food and replace it with fresher products while allowing plenty of buffer time—you don’t want your oldest items to expire the day after the emergency begins. These tips will get
you going in the right direction.

  STEP 1 Plan for success while you’re still standing in the store. Look at comparable products, or the boxes at the back of the shelf, to find the longest shelf life or most distant expiration date.

  STEP 2 Once you get home, use a permanent marker to write the expiration date in bigger script on the bottle, can, or jar you bought. This saves time later when you’re inspecting your supplies.

  STEP 3 Place the new item in the back of the pantry, ideally behind another of the same item. If you always add to the front, sooner or later, you’ll have a dusty old can of beans in the back that expired ten years ago. So always add to the back and use from the front.

  STEP 4 Pick a date. Write a note on your calendar to inspect your food storage every season. This helps you to spot any trouble (like pests) and catch aging items. Many products can be safely used past their expiration date, but it’s best if you don’t have to eat old food.

  177 SAMPLE THE VARIETY

  A wide range of foods will keep up morale much better than a monotonous menu, as will keeping a secret stash of goodies. Add these snacks and other consumables to your stockpile, and use as directed.

  CHOCOLATE Few things perk people up like this sweet treat. Store chocolate chips and bars.