# 8-10 lbs of live weight game per day



## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

per person, if that's all that you have for food, if you don't want to lose weight, are stressed/working hard. the higher number is for cold weather's additional caloric requirements. Only about half of an animal's live weight is edible food. you'll need 4-5k of calories per day, guys, and wild critters are rarely fat. so they provide about 800 calories per lb of fresh flesh.

More of a fish is edible meat, and grain, once you are rid of the husk/cob, etc, is a higher % edible, but has less calories per oz of weight. Long term, post shtf, keeping yourself fed will be a big battle. for a month or so, you can mostly live off of your body fat and unused muscle, but then your body starts cannabalizing muscle that you'll need, and also consuming some of your organs. 

You'll need sprouting, of grains and legumes, edible wild plants, nets, snares, traps, trotlines, fish poison, bird lime. Many days will produce little or nothing, so other days must produce a bounty and you must know how to preserve that bounty for the lean times. It's not practical to have storage of more than a year or so of food, since that's 1000 lbs per adult per year.

You'll need a supply of salt, as well as a bit of iodine, and multi vitamin and mineral tabs belong in your stores.


----------



## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

Few peopel realize how little food small game or small fish actually offer. A squirrel is just a lb. a large cottontail is at most 5 lbs. You'll need to eat possum, ****, coyote, dog, cat, chuck, pretty much everything that moves, including insects, grubs, tadpoles and the like. The latter "goodies" are best roasted, broken up by rubbing between your hands and then the powder is added to soups or stews. They are full of parastites, so just eating them raw is straight up asking to die an agonizing death as your guts are consumed.


----------



## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

I live in the country and would be very hard pressed to live off wild game. A few squirrels, armadillos, and racoons are all the game I ever see and they are far and few. It doesn't take long to fish out a pond so I am glad I have stored food and water filtration.


----------



## LastOutlaw (Jun 1, 2013)

zilte said:


> per person, if that's all that you have for food, if you don't want to lose weight, are stressed/working hard. the higher number is for cold weather's additional caloric requirements. Only about half of an animal's live weight is edible food. you'll need 4-5k of calories per day, guys, and wild critters are rarely fat. so they provide about 800 calories per lb of fresh flesh.
> 
> More of a fish is edible meat, and grain, once you are rid of the husk/cob, etc, is a higher % edible, but has less calories per oz of weight. Long term, post shtf, keeping yourself fed will be a big battle. for a month or so, you can mostly live off of your body fat and unused muscle, but then your body starts cannabalizing muscle that you'll need, and also consuming some of your organs.
> 
> ...


 What does the weight of your stored food have to do with how much you will need? If people stop storing at one year then they could possibly be in a world of hurt.

Here is a scenario I have posted many times before to prove my point:

Lets say you are lucky and you are at your bol at the beginning of winter when shtf. You have one year of food stored there and are planning on gardening and hunting for your food. You begin living off of your stored food. For the next 4 to 6 months while hunting for game. It is far and few between having been scattered by the hungry masses. I really doubt anyone will get 10 pounds of game per day unless you are living in the back woods of Alaska and even then you would have to be very experienced in hunting. 
Spring comes along and you plant all of your seeds. How many can you count on to sprout? how many will actually grow to a harvest? What if the birds get the seeds right after planting. What if the bugs get the plants you start? Grasshoppers devastated one of my gardens 2 years ago. Nothing would control them. What if there is a drought? So lets say the end of summer comes along and your garden has failed? You have been eating your one year of food for the entire year. Now winter is coming and it is all gone.

Maybe shtf in the spring and you planted your garden right away and it was decimated or failed by the end of summer or the harvest was pitifully small? Winter is now upon you and you have about 6 months of food left. By spring time you are out of food. You now are planting the few seeds that you scavenged from the light harvest of last summer but it will be another 6 months before these seeds are ready for harvest if at all.

The American Indians called spring time the time of starvation for this reason.
No harvest is available in spring. no berries ripe. No natural food ready to harvest.

Counting on one year of food is very dangerous.
Do not quit storing just because you think you have one year's worth.

Keep prepping folks. If you have 3 months worth of food then work towards 6 months. If you have 6 months worth then work towards one year. If you have one year's worth then work towards 2. Don't forget all the other things as well....the obvious things such as water purification, weapons and ammo to hunt with and for protection but also clothing, simple medical supplies as well as trauma gear, antibiotics, soap, boots, toiletries, meds, even school supplies and learning material for numerous years if you have children. Kids grow so you will need clothing for them to grow into as well as shoes in numerous sizes for them to grow into.


----------



## Oomingmak (Feb 26, 2015)

The topic is a good one and it is something that few really know about because few have actually ever lived this way for an extended period of time to grasp the realities of it.
As to the specifics of surviving 'off the land' they are only relevant to an individual place and time.......... and the individual doing it.

Where I live you can easily live off the land if you have the prerequisite knowledge base and the skills required. If you do it is not that tough. To a great degree my wife and I already do and it is really just our way of life. 

Environment/eco-systems and your proximity to population centres have much to do with it and it is ones individual choice as to where you chose to live in. If you are unwilling to make the life changes necessary to put yourself/family in a location that 
improves your ability to survive off the land then you know who to blame.................

Most are unwilling to make those hard choices and actually go through with relocation and the work and the risks involved to make it happen. Most take the easy route which is to remain where you are near family and friends and the familiar. Few want to leave their comfort zone.


----------



## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

guess what, guys? with armed, desperate people all around you, things are VERY different than merely homesteading in Alaska. Smoke signals will call in your killers,as will unsuppressed shots or chainsaw noise. Tracks in the snow will do the same, as will leaving 'sign" of your presence, as in cut trees, etc. So things will be 10x harder than you "think".


----------



## zilte (Mar 1, 2015)

sprouting can give you a lot of food in just a couple of weeks. So can wild edible plants, in some areas, at least, some times of the year. So can fish traps, trotlines and nets. some trebles hooks and a bit of corn can harvest a lot of waterfowl, albeit being horrifically inhumane by nature of the catch. Again, in the right area and at the right time.


----------



## Oomingmak (Feb 26, 2015)

Not in some areas it won't. In true SHTF scenario the majority will die in or close to the city. If it occurs during the winter, the die off will be even more abrupt and on a much larger scale in the northern areas with cold winters. Beyond that the key is to live where it is inhospitable.......... hot and dry is fine and will thwart many, but really cold winters (like -30 and -40 with windchill of -50 and colder) is even better. Very few are going to make it a few hundred miles into remote areas and then manage to survive in a few feet of snow through 7 months of winter with their bug out bag. 

If you are going to live where living is easy then you can expect much larger numbers. They are not going to be tripping over each other to ransack remote desert areas or places with long cold winters and lots of biting insects in the soft water season.


----------



## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

There are enough turkeys around here to feed every family in this area. If you think strangers are suddenly going to take up turkey hunting and wipe them out you haven't ever tried hunting turkeys.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Two new members are here to save us, and tell everyone here how wrong they are  I am just kidding of course, but we all have to remember this is a *forum*, a place where discussion takes place and exchange of ideas, not a place where somebody comes to speak* at *people.

However, like Oomingmak and others have said, there is no magical silver bullet solution. Every place, scenario, and personal situation are different. For instance, when zilte makes the blanket statement; "It's not practical to have storage of more than a year or so of food, since that's 1000 lbs per adult per year." While this may be true in his situation, or even possibly most people's situations, I never have less than 10's of thousands of pounds of food stored. In my situation, a farm, it is completely practical so the blanket statement is, like most such assertions, incorrect.

Eta; the most important thing to remember when thinking about sustenance hunting, is that meat is not the whole picture, it is not even the most nutritious part of the animal. Hunter gatherers, and pretty much anyone prior to 100 years ago, did not eat meat, they ate animals.


----------



## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm pretty comfortable with my stores and plan for a year, more if I have a good garden. If a situation goes on much longer than that, there is very little chance that I can survive and along with a majority of the population, will not make it. I can accept that and leave the world to those that can survive.

And for those folks who always mention sprouts as a viable survival food. Have you ever been really hungry and eaten enough sprouts to fill your belly? How long before you were hungry again? You go through a lot of those little seeds fast! Then, what about next year? How many of those seeds will you have to save and plant for next year? Is there even enough land available to grow crops for seeds? I agree they make a great supplement to gain nutrition, but are not a survival food source at all. Try eating just salad for a day. No tomatoes, cucumbers... Just lettuce.


----------



## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

zilte said:


> guess what, guys? with armed, desperate people all around you, things are VERY different than merely homesteading in Alaska. Smoke signals will call in your killers,as will unsuppressed shots or chainsaw noise. Tracks in the snow will do the same, as will leaving 'sign" of your presence, as in cut trees, etc. So things will be 10x harder than you "think".


Oh my gosh never gave that a thought before! I don't know what I would have done if you had not have pointed that out.


----------



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

And again why are all the people who live in large urban areas, that have no idea where their food comes from, going to all of a sudden realize that food grows in the country? After all there aren't any Wal-Mart super centers in the middle of the bush.


----------



## millertimedoneright (May 13, 2013)

In my opinion the only answer I can give anyone that fits every situation is diversity. Stored foods only last so long. Crops and wild game can be wiped out. The best answer is to grow what you can, kill what you can, catch what you can, and eat off stored food when necessary. Any extra from crops or wild game is to be stored away. Take care of your group and protect any crops, hunting grounds, and fishing grounds cause that is your lifeline.


----------



## Oomingmak (Feb 26, 2015)

cowboyhermit said:


> Two new members are here to save us, and tell everyone here how wrong they are  I am just kidding of course, but we all have to remember this is a *forum*, a place where discussion takes place and exchange of ideas, not a place where somebody comes to speak* at *people.
> 
> However, like Oomingmak and others have said, there is no magical silver bullet solution. Every place, scenario, and personal situation are different. For instance, when zilte makes the blanket statement; "It's not practical to have storage of more than a year or so of food, since that's 1000 lbs per adult per year." While this may be true in his situation, or even possibly most people's situations, I never have less than 10's of thousands of pounds of food stored. In my situation, a farm, it is completely practical so the blanket statement is, like most such assertions, incorrect.
> 
> Eta; the most important thing to remember when thinking about sustenance hunting, is that meat is not the whole picture, it is not even the most nutritious part of the animal. Hunter gatherers, and pretty much anyone prior to 100 years ago, did not eat meat, they ate animals.


Didn't realize that I was speaking "at" people. I will try and make my posts sound softer and less forceful. Wouldn't want to offend anyones sensibilities...........

Now I think I will have another cup of coffee and go feed the cows, maybe fire up the tractor and plow a bit of snow, and cogitate on how I can be a more sensitive poster.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Oomingmak said:


> Didn't realize that I was speaking "at" people. I will try and make my posts sound softer and less forceful. Wouldn't want to offend anyones sensibilities...........
> 
> Now I think I will have another cup of coffee and go feed the cows, maybe fire up the tractor and plow a bit of snow, and cogitate on how I can be a more sensitive poster.


Don't take me too seriously I am just some crazy guy out in the bush, besides, the person my comment was intended for has already been given a time out.

:tinfoilhat:


----------



## squerly (Aug 17, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> ... besides, the person my comment was intended for has already been given a time out.
> 
> :tinfoilhat:


Only 36 posts and he's out of here already? Is that some kind of record? Maybe? Damn...


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

squerly said:


> Only 36 posts and he's out of here already? Is that some kind of record? Maybe? Damn...


He's been here before using different names. Didn't take long to spot him.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I woke up this morning and thought I would check in to see what was happening with our latest troll. I have not followed this drama closely, but it did not take long for me to realize we had a narcissist who was going to point out how completely ignorant the rest of us are, according to him.

I don't know what I missed, and maybe that is best.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

mosquitomountainman said:


> He's been here before using different names. Didn't take long to spot him.


One of the first indications was his 29 post in less than 8 hours. Made him stand right out.


----------



## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Was one of them what's his name, with the cat? I felt really bad for the cat, being dragged into that situation but figured first chance it got it would high-tail it back to civilization.


----------



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

the style and attitude seemed close to besign who trolled us in august 2014, previous incarnations may have been Francon & or Ragnar. All knowing not remotely open to discussion ......................vract:


----------



## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Tirediron said:


> the style and attitude seemed close to besign who trolled us in august 2014, previous incarnations may have been Francon & or Ragnar. All knowing not remotely open to discussion ......................vract:


Yep, I thought he was going to tell us how to drain a pond to catch fish at any moment.....


----------



## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

hashbrown said:


> Yep, I thought he was going to tell us how to drain a pond to catch fish at any moment.....


I tried doing that once........ but as I was drinking in the pond I had to peer alot and kept refilling the pond. It's a pointless exercise.


----------



## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

hashbrown said:


> Yep, I thought he was going to tell us how to drain a pond to catch fish at any moment.....


How to catch a fish with a shovel guy?


----------



## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Woody said:


> How to catch a fish with a shovel guy?


Yep thats the one......


----------

