How would life change if we experienced
a major civilization-ending event and were forced to return to our primitive
beginnings? The question arises—in such a situation, what food sources would be
available and how would we find them? At the present time, we have our high
powered rifles, hand guns plus an abundance of ammunition but as time passes,
the ammunition would diminish and eventually disappear if we lost the ability
to produce more. If no bullets, no use
for guns other than perhaps as clubs. What would be the alternatives? If I
didn’t have a gun and bullets, what would I use?
Hunting bows have been in use for thousands of years. Some alterations have occurred—the invention of the crossbow and then the compound bow. Early man also hunted with spears, atlatls (spear throwers), clubs or created scenarios wherein they stampeded herds of larger animals such as mammoths over cliffs and the resulting carcasses then butchered. Smaller animals such as rabbits and even birds could be hunted with slings. We re innovative when we have to be.
We
would not be the only creatures on the hunt. We would be in competition for the
same food sources as the carnivores who roam the wastelands. But as the
competition, we would also become the prey. As our available protein sources
diminished, there is even the chance we would turn on each other. There are actually over 50 big game animals
hunted in North America . I’ve included a few of the more standard: Pronghorn Antelope, Bears, American Bison, Caribou, Deer, Elk, Mountain
Goat, Moose, Peccary or Javelina,
Bighorn Sheep, Walrus, and Seals to name a few.
What
would be in my emergency bag if I was a hunter?
A hunting bow, arrows, heavy duty skinning knife with at least 4” blade,
something to mask my scent (keeping in mind what is indigenous to the area),
and if possible, a length of cloth to cover the carcass after the kill, camouflage
clothing as well as a compass and a canteen of water. Baking soda makes a
reasonable odor killer. Some natural
scents are pine needles, mashed acorns or even dirt. A deer’s sense of smell is 100 times greater
than a human’s. Keep in mind wind
direction. Downwind from your prey is
best when stalking.
If
you aren’t one of the lucky ones and have a good bow, hunting bows can created from
flexible green saplings of at least an inch in diameter of apple, ash, black
locust, cedar, elm, hemlock, hickory, mulberry, sassafras, willow. Cut shallow
grooves around either end of the wood about one inch from each tip for
stringing. Bowstrings should be approximately 8 inches shorter than the
bow. In a pinch, nylon cord, boot string
or lacing, but if none available, sinew, silk, rawhide, linen or hemp twisted
together. Tie the bowstring to one end
locked into the groove. Tie a slipknot at the loose end of the strong, brace
the bow (stave) against the ground and slip the knot into the other groove.
Make sure the cord is tight and that the stave does not break when bent. Some Indians used hide glue to glue sinew to
the back of the bow, making it that much more sturdy. Wrap tape or leather
around the middle of the blow to make an arrow rest.
Arrows
(I suggest 50 on hand): Hollow reed or
willow branches about 3 ½ feet long and about half an inch in diameter. Whittle narrowest end into a sharp point,
char the pointed tip over hot coals, cut
a notch in the opposite end for a place to rest the bowstring. Fletch the arrow with loose feathers split
down the middle and attaching the sides opposite one another. Melted pine pitch makes a good glue.
Early
man lived off the land. Much of the foodstuffs eaten by those hardy individuals
would be scorned today as inedible and just downright yucky. Insects, rats and snake meat would become the
usual fare. People in Africa still eat
grasshoppers (high in protein). In Texas
they have the annual rattlesnake hunt and feed off the fruits of their labor. Rats
have managed to survive throughout history. Does the idea of rat stew cause
your mouth to water? If a person is hungry, he’ll eat almost anything.
Foraging
for edible plant life would also take a good portion of our time. There is an abundance of books on the market about
edible and inedible plants and it might behoove all of us to have a few on
hand. What plant life is edible? There are the usual, berries, nuts, and wild
tubers, but beware, not all plants are edible and some are downright poisonous.
Most people aren’t aware that the leaves of dandelyons are edible and tasty if
picked when young in salads or boiled like spinach and medicinally can be used
to prevent scurvy and other diseases. Certain parts of young cattails can also
be eaten in a pinch. I have also eaten watercress picked from high mountain
streams. Tom Brown’s Guide to Wild Edible
and Medicinal Plants is a good
handbook to have. http://www.amazon.com/Browns-Guide-Edible-Medicinal-Plants/dp/0425100634
So
if a cataclysmic event occurs and we are forced to return to our primitive
selves, items that might come in handy and we should all keep several on hand
are – running shoes!
Remember,
the Mayan calendar didn’t account for Leap Years so in all actuality, the
apocalypse should have happened sometime ago!
Leave a comment and be entered to win a
print copy of Riley’s Journey. Black ops troop sent back 40,000 years and
their efforts to survive.
Tomorrow, December 19, Water storage/locating water with Alex O'Hurley
http://alexohurley.blogspot.com
3 comments:
A teacher I work with goes bow hunting with her husband and usually has interesting stories to tell about how she tries to mask her scent. Me, I'd need running shoes! I can shoot a gun but how long before the bullets run out! LOL! Maybe she can teach me to use a bow. Hum...
suz2(at)cox(dot)net
Thanks for stopping by Susan.
Hi, Patsy! I'm late making my rounds. Love your post. And I'm with the Oreo Cookie! ;P Cute touch--so you! Thanks for posting with us.
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