Hunting & Gathering Survival Manual: 221 Primitive & Wilderness Survival Skills

by Tim MacWelch

Overview

A manual for the modern hunter-gatherer that will teach you everything you need to know about foraging, hunting, and cooking in the wild.

From finding wild edible plants to subsistence hunting, you'll learn how to live off the land while hunting like a caveman—and eating like a king. With high-quality design, intricate detail, and a durable flexicover, this manual is the perfect addition to any outdoor enthusiast’s library.

Whether you’re using modern tools, old-fashioned snares, or your own two hands, this book will show you the amazing range of hands-on (literally!) methods for catching and cooking your prey. Use the detailed field guides to gather edible plants, nuts, and mushrooms, then turn them into gourmet meals with field-tested camp cooking tips. And prepare for any emergency, whether you’re lost in the woods or surviving a natural disaster. This book demystifies it all, with simple hints and step-by-step illustrations to make you a self-sufficient survivor—in your backyard or in the wild.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681885391
Publisher:	Weldon Owen
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	209,066
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Tim MacWelch has been an active practitioner of survival and outdoor skills for over 26 years. His love of the outdoors started at a young age, growing up on a farm in the rolling hills of Virginia. Eating wild berries, fishing, and learning about the animals of the forest were all part country life. Tim became interested in survival skills and woodcraft as an offshoot of backpacking as a teen—out in remote areas, it seemed like a smart plan to learn some skills. The majority of his training over the years has involved testing survival skills and devising new ones, but the biggest leaps forward occurred as a result of teaching. Tim’s teaching experiences over the years have been rich and diverse, from spending hundreds of hours volunteering to founding his own year-round survival school 18 years ago. He has worked with Boy Scouts, youth groups, summer camps, and adults in all walks of life, as well as providing outdoor skills training for numerous personnel in law enforcement, search and rescue organizations, all branches of the United States Armed Forces, the State Department, and the Department of Justice and some of its agencies. Tim and his wilderness school have been featured on Good Morning America and several National Geographic programs, and featured in many publications including Conde Nast Traveler , the Washington Post, and American Survival Guide . Tim has written hundreds of pieces for Outdoor Life and many other publications. Tim’s current and past articles can be found at survival.outdoorlife.com and you can learn more about his survival school at www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com.

Read an Excerpt

TIP 55: SELECT YOUR TRAP
 
While you can build effective low-tech traps with materials you’d find in the wilderness, in some situations it just makes sense to use more modern options, such as cable snares, leghold traps, and body-grip traps to improve your odds of success. Choose from the following trap types, based on your needs and the animals in your area.
 
SNARES You can build primitive snares with materials gathered on-site, even weaving your own string out of bark fibers—but many animals will be able to chew through string. Cable snares made from braided steel cable are more secure.
 
FOOTHOLD TRAPS Common foothold traps are clamping jaws that grab an animal when it steps on the trigger. They do not kill the prey outright; the trapped animal is usually shot by the trapper.
 
BODY GRIP TRAPS Two heavy springs move the trap bars together, snapping the animal’s neck, breaking its back, or strangling it. They can be treacherous to set.
 
LIVE CATCH TRAPS The typical cage trap is a live-catch trap. This forgiving trap allows you to release animals that you didn’t intend to catch and is ideal for urban, suburban, or farm settings.

Table of Contents

Hunting

001 Pick Up a Rod & Reel

002 Get Hooked

003 Select Your Fishing Line

004 Lure Them In

005 Pack Your Survival Fishing Kit

006 Carve a Fish Stick

007 Go (Really) Old-School

008 Set Traps for Fish and Crustaceans

009 Make It Weir-D

010 Make a Soda-Bottle Trap

011 Catch Fish by Hand

012 Dodge the Dangers

013 Go Noodling Abroad

014 Build a Box

015 Case Study: The Three Fishermen

016 Dig Up Dinner

017 Get a Line on Crabs

018 Dive for Lobster

019 Follow the Coon's Example

020 Work for Scale

021 Finish the Job

022 Enjoy the Scales

023 Learn How to Fillet

024 Preserve Fish with Smoke

025 Put the Chips Down

026 Smoke Your Catch

027 Get Salty with Brined Fish

028 Dry Them, You Might Like Them

029 Make a Fish Shed

030 Build a Smoker

031 Superplant: Pine

032 Know Your Quarry

033 Pay Attention to Season

034 Scout Your Hunting Grounds

035 Get the Right Action

036 Shoot Old-School

037 Go the Distance with Your Rifle

038 Clean Up the Mess

039 Scope It Out

040 Make Some Adjustments

041 Embrace Archery

042 Add Some Sights

043 Get Some Protection

044 Avoid Dry Fires

045 Carve a Bow

046 Make Your Own Arrow

047 Succeed with Small Game

048 Place Your Shot

049 Savor Small-Game Flavor

050 Shoot a Lead Hailstorm

051 Start with the Basics

052 Read the Signs

053 Study That Scat

054 Learn to Trap

055 Select Your Trap

056 Obey the Laws

057 Hide Your Scent with Nature

058 Get Creative with Cover Scents

059 Trap Like a Pro

060 Find the Right Bait

061 Learn Your Footholds

062 Know the Whole Truth

063 Set an Effective Foothold

064 Take Care with Body Grips

065 Safely Set a Body Grip

066 Use Rope for Safety

067 Get Ready to Get Set

068 Catch 'Em Alive

069 Build a Better Box Trap

070 Benefit from Box Traps

071 Put Your Trap to Work

072 Mash a Muskrat

073 Harvest a Hare

074 Pick Up a 'Possum

075 Bag a Beaver

076 Reap a Raccoon

077 Superplant: Wild Onion

078 Make Deadfalls from Scratch

079 Create Some Options

080 Build a Paiute Trap

081 Study Survival Snares

082 Get Your Fix

083 Set a Baited Snare

084 Make a Bait-Free Snare

085 It Could Happen: Badger Attack

086 Poach Some Wild Eggs

087 Become a Short-Order Survival Cook

088 Make a Low-Tech X-Ray

089 Cook in the Shell

090 Eat the Bugs

091 Order the Escargot

092 Crunch Some Crickets

093 Cook a Cicada Feast

094 Dress Small Game

095 Waste Nothing

096 Process Your Own Game

097 Hang It Up

098 Skin Your Carcass

099 Pull the Choice Cuts

100 Discover Wild-Game Nutrition

Gathering

101 Follow the Boy Scout Motto

102 Pack a Kit

103 Become Lost-Proof

104 Prioritize Your Survival To-Do List

105 Enjoy Your Weeds

106 Stay Safe Out There

107 Give Something Back

108 Learn Botany Basics

109 Get Down to the Roots

110 Divide and Conquer

111 Note the Margins

112 Follow a Pattern

113 Superplant: Dandelion

114 Find the Fungus Among Us

115 Avoid at All Costs

116 Follow the Rules

117 Make a Spore Print

Plant Identification

118 Classify Mushrooms

119 Forage for Tree Nuts

120 Harvest Wild Greens

121 Find Bushes and Brambles

122 Try Some Tasty Trees

123 Select Seeds for Grains

124 Pick Wild Fruits

125 Spot Unique Vegetables

126 Dig Up Some Edible Roots

127 Superplant: Cattail

128 Understand Your Risks

129 Spot the Chameleon

130 Stay Hands Free

131 Be Allergy Alert

132 Don't Be Fooled

133 Act Quickly

134 Pick Your Poison

135 It Could Happen: Mushroom Madness

136 Go Nuts for Acorns

137 Spot a Good Nut

138 Process Your Acorn Bounty

139 Case Study: Hugh Glass

140 Dine Out in the Concrete Jungle

141 Park It

142 Cruise the Streets

143 Meet Ten Wild World Travelers

Living Wild

144 Survive Three Days in the Wild

145 Follow the Signs

146 Kill the varmints

147 Use a Quality Filter

148 Build a Water Still

149 Fire It Up

150 Light Your Fire

151 Select the Right Tinder

152 Know Your Sources

153 Stock Up on Kindling

154 Build a Teepee

155 Feel the Spark

156 Pick the Right Spot

157 Cheat a Little

158 Cook Like a Champ in Camp

159 Set Up a Griddle

160 Build a Stone Oven

161 It Could Happen: A Rocking Dinner

162 Make a Steam Pit

163 Cook in a Dutch Oven

164 Case Study: The Iykov Family

165 Flake a Stone Spear

166 Rock Out with Percussion

167 Test Your Local Stone

168 Know Your Knots

169 Eat Your Way Through the Seasons

170 Stock Your Survival Pantry

171 Store the Top Ten Staples

172 Weigh Your Options

173 Plan for Attack

174 Plan Your Menu

175 Bring Wild Edibles into the Mix

176 Take a Spin on Rotation

177 Sample the Variety

178 Whip Up Some Jerky

179 Render the Fat

180 Freeze It Right

181 Can Your Meat

182 Superplant: Yarrow

183 Grow Your Own Investment

184 Lay It All Out

185 Spread Your Roots

186 Brew Compost Tea

187 Don't Forget to Water

188 Honor the Amendments

189 Plant Accordingly

190 Grow Hardy Herbs

191 Eat on the Cheap

192 Feed the Family

193 Don't Overlook the Weeds

194 Save Your Seeds

195 Store Seeds Right

196 Dry It Out

197 Boil Up a Brine

198 Ferment Some Kraut

199 Store Veggies Underground

200 Superplant: Echinacea

201 Pour a Cup of Medicine

202 Heal with Jewelweed Tea

203 Brew the Perfect Cup

204 Look at Your Herbal Choices

205 Infuse Herbal Oils

206 Make a Quick Balm

207 Melt Some Lard Salve

208 Soak Up Some Alcohol

209 Pick a Poultice

210 Be an Informed Infuser

211 Learn Tincture Treatments

212 Brew a Hot Oak Compress

213 Tap a Tree

214 Follow These Tapping Tips

215 Boil Some Tree Sugar

216 Explore Your Choices

217 Brew Some Maple Wine

218 Meet the Bees

219 Get the Right Gear

220 Set Up a Colony

221 Feed Your Bees Well