What if I have to eat gophers… or opposum?
“Backwoods survival”… What does it make us THINK about, or VISUALIZE?
Are we worried about…
- staying warm and dry?…
- backwoods safety?…
- getting enough food to eat?….
- camping…
- …having to go potty in the woods??
What to Expect
It is important to have an idea of what our expectations ARE when we think of making for any length in the outdoors. This can mean different things to different people.
For some folks , especially someone that has never been outside their city limits the thought of having to stay alive in the heart of nature can be very intimidating …
ESPECIALLY if it would happen in the dead of winter.
For others,surviving in the wild is an exciting thought…
What Do We Eat Out There?
For some reason we tend to be overly anxious about having enough food to eat. Most of us can actually go for WEEKS without food, while we can die within a few days without water…
So our first thought needs to be for water.
The human race is much more hearty than most people know!
As far as eating is concerned, and how to keep from starving in the woods…there is usually game and wild meat to be found, if you have some sort of weapon.
As a mom of 3 boys, I have tasted almost every kind of critter that is smaller than I am, and many that are bigger as well… ?
We have learned that while gopher is okay, and rabbits can be a bit tough (unless you cut it in strips and stir fry it, then it’s not too bad) , our ultimate favorite is the ruffed grouse… you can actually sneak close and plunk them on the heads with a rock as they are fairly tame here where we live.
So what all IS there to eat in the woods??
Simple – anything slower than us.
If it IS faster than us, then we will need to trap it or hunt it.
We can catch fish if we are close to a lake, trap or snare small animals, net birds, collect shellfish, gather plants…. and the list goes on, of course it varies as to what part of the country we are in at the time.
COOKING what we catch
If we have no means to cook the meat, such as no pots and pans, etc, then the easiest way is to roast it.
However we will get more nutrients and vitamins out of the meat if we can actually cook it, plus the broth from cooking the meat makes excellent soup and stew.
Visit our page here on How to Build a Fire Outdoors for fire making tips.
I am trusting that you have a really good knife with you anytime you are out in the woods.
A good sharp knife is one of the most essential tools in your emergency preparedness pack!
There is a diagram above on a simple method for cooking meat outdoors by boiling it but you can also use several big rocks on each side of your fire and lay a roasting stick across or do as we usually do… assign someone the job of ‘stick holding and turning’.
If you have tin foil or even large green leaves, make sure they are edible plants… you can also wrap small pieces of meat, such as fish or chopped up pieces of venison, etc, into the leaves or tin foil and lay into your hot bed of coals.
Cover with dirt or sand. Let it cook till done.