Animals
Animals are another potential source of food. Though hunting may take more energy than just collecting plants, it can be much more rewarding. If you catch animals for food, be sure to cook them thoroughly before eating to avoid accidentally ingesting parasites or bacteria. Most animals can be eaten, as long as they are prepared correctly, including:
- Mammals: foxes, otters, mink, martens, squirrels, rabbits, porcupines
- Birds: quail, grouse, partridges, eagles, hawks, crows
- Reptiles: lizards, turtles, snakes (make sure they are dead before touching them)
- Amphibians: frogs, salamanders
- Fish: salmon, trout, tench, carp, rudd, eels (skin them first)
- Insects: grasshoppers, ants, bees (also provide honey), butterflies, moths, snails, beetles, termites
When hunting, stay away from:
- Large animals, unless you are sure that you can kill them
- Injured animals, which may panic and cause serious injuries
- Claws, spines, spikes, and teeth; animals will fight to defend themselves, and bites can cause infection
- Sharp teeth, fins with spines (with possible attached poison sacs), toxic skin in some species of fish
- Brightly-colored insects, spiders, and wasps
- Toads (many secrete a toxin on their skin)
- Already-dead animals or infected animals; the infection may carry over to humans
- Insects feeding on carrion or dung; they may carry infection
Trapping is usually the most reliable and least energy-expending way to catch animals for food; active tracking and hunting requires a lot more energy. You can use traps to catch all kinds of animals. When setting traps, look for well-worn paths where animals pass through often, since this is where the traps will have the most success. Avoid disturbing the environment and hide your scent so animals do not get alarmed. Camouflage the trap using mud and leaves to let it blend in with the surroundings. Make the traps strong so the trapped animal cannot escape. Common traps include:
- Snares: a wire, string, twine, or rope noose suspended off the ground can catch small game by the throat and large game around the legs; can be modified to use branches, logs, or saplings to lift the prey off the ground and give the trap more tension
- Deadfall traps: baited trap made so that when the bait is taken, a large weight falls on the prey; be careful, since these traps can also be extremely dangerous to humans
- Bird traps: birds can be trapped many ways, including nets, suspended snares, noose sticks, and bird lime
- Basket traps: round, cylindrical trap with one end closed and the other end with an opening facing in; used to catch fish; can also be made with a plastic bottle
- Pitfall traps: sit a can in a hole under a piece of wood; insects coming to seek shade will fall into the trap