Primitive skills: Starting a fire without matches is empowering.

[45-70Ranger]

Not trying to steal anyones thunder just trying to help out on this thread where I can.

That be the one !
Thanks

 

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[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Good morning: I see that no one remarked about my post in which I mentioned shooting my fish dinner "out of Mangrove trees" , not in the water? hmmm

Two of my posts never showed up, but then I am having probs. with my sever here in Mexico. I mentioned that the reflector from a flash light can sub for our friends solar lighter


If you want free aluminum or magnesium alloy shavings for fire starting, go to a machine shop that specializes in Volks wagon engine block bearing repairs. They generally have tons lying around. Wonderful fire starter. and most important "FREE" he heh e.

Ever use a home made blow gun for small game? very simple to use. I pointed my darts with flattened nails, worked fine. good to 25 30 meters

In the tropics my partner and I always watched for any sign of animals / birds eating the vegetation or fruit. We would cautiously try some for a few days before adding it to our staples. In one case an Indian showed us a fine fod source. It was a tree called the "Aborrote", similar to "grocery" tree. It was a huge spreading tree mostly found near lots of water.

It had long, slightly curving brown pods that looked like string beans, perhaps 12 - 14 by 3 inches. In side were a no of beans similar in size to normal beans of a dark brown color and extremely hard. He showed us how to boil them in three changes of water, each change could be used for ink, then simply mix them with our staple rice.

I have no idea just what the beans were composed of, but a single cup of them in the morning and you could cut trail all long and still not be really hungry that evening. He also showed us how they could be roasted similar to popcorn, delicious. We ground the popcorn for pinole to use during the day. A spoonful of this and water kept you active all day long.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s. Hint, Always roast or cook your insects before eating them.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

OHIO TEX LUV: You are quit correct, I have eaten many a trout from that technique. These fsh that I mentioned that I shot out of trees are a Blenny. They can live out of water. .They can use their fins to crudely walk with. They would climb up to a horizontal limb, move out on it unitl they were over water. At the slightes hint of danger, they would simply jump back into the water They were under 10 " long. Not too good eating but when one is desperate ----------X

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[MEinWV]

Neat fish, but I wanted to see the money shot, you know, where he actually eats the fish.

I just remembered another influential book that I read as a kid. "My Side Of The Mountain" Young Sam Gribley leaves his home in the city because his family is having financial problems. He returns to his ancestral homestead in the Catskill Mt's. and learns some hard lessons about survival. The book is complete with drawings of the equipment he makes to catch fish and critters. It is a good read for kids, and us children at heart.

One of his tools was a gorge hook that he fashioned from a small piece of wood to catch fish. I have never tried it myself, but I am going to do it come hell or Obama policy.

Has anyone caught a fish using a gorge hook?

Good luck!

 

[rmptr]

Used take pigeon, duck and rabbit with a slingshot. Waiting to try it out on boar...

Ha! Ha!

and no one else caught this, Lowbatts?

Ha! Ha!

You did good...

Yup, I'll bet you can wait to ty it out on a boar!
They are some mean puppies!

Best
rmptr

 

[Lowbatts]

With the recent heavy rains, a lot fo critters got forced out of hibernation early. Last night in the cold frezing air we had a muskrat trying to get into the workplace, a yearly ritual there.

While a few of my more urban hermanos screamed about it being the dread "super rat" all I could think of was what a warm pair of undies that thing could be made into, well for the missus, might need two of them for me.

 

[oldgoat]

This has been a great read. Thank y'all for the time that you spent posting back to it...Alot of the tips I already knew, but some I didn't...It is nice to know that there are other like minded people out there...
The survivalists tell us to stock up, stock up, but what do you do when the stock is gone? If I can and have the knowledge to live off the land, I will survive...

 

[Lowbatts]

Muskrat have a coat so very soft and warm you'd be hard-placed to beat them with anything but mink.

As a rat kid I'd spend time down at the swamp and they'd get close enough to pet, incredibly soft critters, not very social to people though, but if you sit still long enough, almost any critter will think you're food or something to build a home around or inside of.

They build the dome-shaped homes out of reeds. Like beaver, they also build canals where you can get the fish who are passing through rather easily.

http://my.net-link.net/~vaneselk/muskrat/photographs.htm

 

[ivan salis]

yeh but they made a lousy song --- muskrat love * ---- "muskrat suzy and muskrat sam" :P

 

[Roger Mn.]

I have started fires with sticks back in my boyscout days and with a magnifying glass.

Try making a magnifying glass out of snow. Cup snow in the palm of your hands melting to make a magnifying lens. I herd it works.

Be prepared

 

[Roger Mn.]

Thats me , no patience. I tried it twice and gave up.

 

[MEinWV]

Hey guys, you can go on youtube and watch "My Side Of The Mountain". There's at least 11 parts. It's kinda "kid corney" , but aside from that it is what we love.

 

[MEinWV]

This has been a great read. Thank y'all for the time that you spent posting back to it...Alot of the tips I already knew, but some I didn't...It is nice to know that there are other like minded people out there...
The survivalists tell us to stock up, stock up, but what do you do when the stock is gone? If I can and have the knowledge to live off the land, I will survive...

oldgoat, thanks for the comments! We would love to hear from you on some of your experiences with primitive skills, as well as the aspects of survival.

Take care and good luck!

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI: To make a lens out of ICE, first crudely form it by chipping, then finish it by using the heat of your hands and rubbing. This also sorta gives you an incentative to get the fire going heeh.

However it actually works, and in the weather where you would/could form it, it will be good indefinitely.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s. One could always slip your cold hands underTex's blouse to get feeling back into them blushing.

 

[Lowbatts]

HI: To make a lens out of ICE, first crudely form it by chipping, then finish it by using the heat of your hands and rubbing. This also sorta gives you an incentative to get the fire going heeh.

However it actually works, and in the weather where you would/could form it, it will be good indefinitely.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s. One could always slip your cold hands underTex's blouse to get feeling back into them blushing.

Don I seldom wear clothes...I find them too restricting. I sleep with the window open even with the coldest weather. If the wind isn't blowing I'm good to about 21 degrees. for me it is all about keeping my toes and hands warm. true story.

Testify! Gonna be warmer that that hereabouts tonight, but I have to be at work. Oh well.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Morning Tex gal: I know what you mean about night clothing, and I agree. I used to love crawling into a nice warm sleeping bag under a piece of canvas, with just my nose out sniffing the delightful ice laden odor of the pines. close my eyes for a second, and it's time to get up for coffee, sigh ..

Now That is one job that I didn't enjoy, being the one that has to start the fire again. My ancestors had the correct idea, females were designed for that, and bringing hot coffee, plus presenting a nice warm back to warm ones cooold feet on.

Unfortunately this never happened to me, but one can dream no? I almost always traveled alone no matter where I was in the world. Of course in the tropical islands and jungle it was the other way around. Had to put on hot clothes then make coffee / Tea.

Hmm now that I think of it, just WHY did I have to put on clothes when there wasn't anyone around??

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Roger Mn.]

If your in a snowy area the best kindling to start a fire is grape vines. they seem to be every were.
The vines grow up trees and just rub hands around the vine and the bark will flake off. It's works great and usually one match to get it going.

 

[Cynangyl]

I so agree! This is a fascinating thread by the way!

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI GALS n guys: While I was in China I was often offered Pheasant to eat. Being curious, since none of them were allowed a gun or even had the money to buy one with, I asked them how did they get them. Their answer was so simple and efficient, that I have to pass it along.

They would dig a 3 - 6 ' long trench starting at the surface, then gradually going deeper until at the deepest part it would be about 1/2 - 2/3 rds the height of the bird that they were trapping.

They would then fashion a cone of rice paper and inside of the entrance (the widest part) they would glue a paper fringe made with triangular points, with the points pointing inwards and upwards to the tip of the cone. They would place this cone loosely over the end of the deepest part of the trench. They would then scatter scarce grain from the surface down the shallow trench to the room at the end.

The bird would find the grain and commence pecking at it gradually eating it's way down to the deepest part. When the bird had finished the last of the grain and still being inside of the trench, it would raise it's head to look around and so stick it's head inside of the bright paper cone. The paper fringe would prevent the bird from backing it's head out, since it couldn't see, it would run around in circles and so be very easily caught.

One of the secrets was the rice paper, which is almost transparent. Being light, the bird wasn't afraid to put it's head into it. A dark cone prob. wouldn't work.

Have fun, works for all ground feeding birds.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s since the bird's crop hadn't had enough time to work, the grain was still intact and recycled for either human consumption or for more birds.

p.p.s. For extreme survival, In Mexico during the revolution food was so scarce for the civilians, that many kiddies would follow the troops around to scavenge the undigested bits of corn or wheat in the horse's er ah poop. They would carefully pick out whatever was salvageable, wash it and cook it. It kept many alive. Keep this in mind, while not very estethic, it could keep you alive.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI TEX luv: apologies for adding a P.S. after you had read my post.

Don Jose de La Mancha