I know most will
never live as a full time feral creature of the woods, if that is even
possible. As a survival tool the skill you have acquired and practiced could be
a very valuable asset in real life. For a lone individual it might not even
work, but one person is easy to hide, one person is more quiet, one person
leaves way less of a trace of any kind. Two people might be able to make it
work, but have to be twice as alert . However, just the psychological
difference could be a huge boost for each feral pioneer. If you have a friend
to practice with, it could be a large help.
Hunting with a dog
is as old almost as man and was one of the first tools to be used for the hunt.
The dogs not only tracked the game, but they brought it down, or held it at bay
or killed it. I have a Scottish Deerhound that can take rabbits and take down a
deer. Deer hounds are sight hounds and are silent on the hunt, a very real
advantage. They are also very protective and that could prove to be to your
advantage also. I live in the high desert, so my dog is area specific—utilizing
the transition zones to my advantage with this dog. I also have a Queensland
Heeler, or a Aussie cattle dog They have a high prey drive and he works with
the deer hound. Part of their make up comes from the Dingo. Though still a
puppy he is getting the idea. There are many types of dogs that could be used.
The Black Mouth Curdogs are great hunters. Check out the so called primitive
breeds. An excellent book about the primitive dogs is ” Primitive Breeds -The
Perfect Dogs”, by Vlladimir Beregovoy and Jill Moore Porter. They give
you all the info on these breeds, from West Siberian Laika’s, who will flush
bushy tails and bring a bear to bay. The Basenjis, so called barkless breed
from Africa, is a choice also. They hunt in a pack. There is also the Jindo
from Japan and the Canaan dog, whose gait is close to single tracking and
efficient like a wild dog… very prey driven. There are many more breeds
including those you already know about. Pick a dog that will work in favor of
your area. The dog can be an answer to helping you achieve the end results of a
feral woodsman. They will help keep you on the meat.
Currently, the
Piraha, of the Macici River in the Amazon, a hunter gatherer culture, use
dogs to hunt and help catch game, the same way they have for thousands of
years. They also employ an ancient sleep pattern that all peoples used at one
time, they take short naps of about 15 minutes up to a max of 2 hours a day and
all night.
The Batak, of
northern palawan in western Philippines, a hunting gatherer group, go back
perhaps fifty thousand years. They use dogs to hunt the wild pigs. The north
American Indians used dogs in many ways, from pack animals to hunting and at
times even eating them. Before the horse, they used them to move camp, as many
of these cultures were nomads. The dogs lived on the left over meals for the
most part.
Being a feral
woodsman brings other problems as well. How do you preserve meat? One, you can
dry it in the sun, by hanging it from cordage or on branches in direct
sunlight. This was the way they made jerky and biltong. Bring it in a place
where the night air will not create moisture, or cover it up… Should only take
a few days, at most. If bugs are bugging your meat, set up a smokey fire close
by so the smoke is blowing over your meat. You are not cooking the meat. The
fire can be ten feet away. A simple smoker is 3 or four poles about 5 or 6 feet
high. Cover it with a blanket, or a skin, by wrapping the cover around he
poles. Leave a large opening at the top. The fire has to be low enough and not
hot you do not want to cook the meat just smoke it. Most times, digging a pit
and keeping the meat to be preserved high up on the rack, where the meat will
hang, works well. Both of these methods will keep your meat preserved and in a
ready to eat condition.
If you have a
critter you cannot process the same day, you can dig a hole, line the bottom
with leaves, lay it in the hole, skin and all, cover it with leaves and throw
the dirt back over it… It must be at the least 12 inches from the level earth…
Deeper is better. My Dad taught me this trick when I was 14 years old, with a
rabbit in the desert, it was about 2 weeks before we dug it up, it was in
perfect condition , no rot , no deterioration, no maggots. We gutted the bunny
and had a great stew. It was way more tender than usual. You can do the same
with larger game. If you cannot carry out the whole critter, use the skin to
wrap it in and do the same. The haunch or whatever part is left does not have
to be wasted. That’s not fair to the animal who is providing you the ability to
live.
We have a lot of
bugaboos about meat, most are not true. Meat is often left hanging for days to
“age” Do a little research your self. We did not always have ice in one form or
the other and got along just fine. Even modern butchers, many times, don’t know
about how to preserve meat without an ice cold box. Of course, there is salt if
you have access to it. This is all part of being a feral woodsman of the first
order.
Plants and fruits
can be dried as well in direct sunlight. I have dried toyon berries for years
in the sun and they have kept for as long as 5 years. You can dry any berry and
any fruit. Fruit is best when you cut it into smaller pieces. You can hang it
or lay it out flat but turn it often, best if the air can get all around it.
Stinging nettle drys well and makes for an excellent tea and is very good for
you. Any of the leave plants can be dried and used in your cooking or
otherwise. Most of this sounds like a lot more work than it really is, but is
all part of your feral woodsman skills. All you need is sun light, You do not
need any special magic box to dry food.
By the simple
process of taking the tender tops of stinging nettle, you will encourage new,
healthier growth and assuring to be there later when you want to harvest again.
This works with all wild edible plants. Scatter the seeds. By replanting, you
are creating a well tended wild place that is in realty your stealth garden,
but looks like it is all natural. No one would be able to pick it out and say
that is cultivated… that’s a good thing for the feral pioneer.
I hope this gives
you some ammo to become, at the least, a part time feral woodsman or real
pioneer in an area that is not a common way to go. There are new worlds, you
just have to go out there and find them. You could even practice in some parks
and no one would be able to tell the difference Be careful of the pine pigs and
nature nazis. However, if you are practicing your skills as a feral woodsman
they will never see you.
Be a pioneer and a
feral woodsman it is a true survival skill that costs you nothing and you will
thrive not just survive.
By Dude McLean
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