# I put together a foraging kit



## Griff (Jan 12, 2013)

Anybody want to see pics and tell me where I'm fixin' to step in it?
I'd appreciate the feedback. 
Thanks


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Sure, lets see what you have.


----------



## Starcreek (Feb 4, 2015)

camo2460 said:


> Sure, lets see what you have.


I'd like to see it!


----------



## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Post up!!!!!


----------



## DFrost (Jan 12, 2014)

Me Too!


----------



## shadowrider (Mar 13, 2010)

*Waiting patiently!!!*

I like to see what you've got together.


----------



## Griff (Jan 12, 2013)

OK, finally got my cell-phone pictures transferred over to the computer. Thanks for your patience.

First is the bag: Gen-u-ine military surplus "Polish Bread Bag" https://www.majorsurplus.com/polish-bread-bag.html

We bought a bunch from another place when they were cheap but are now all sold out there. Added clip lock fasteners to the main flap straps. This bag has lots of pockets and is made of thick canvas, no matter where you buy it. Everything folds down tight. You'd have to really try to lose something from this one. Recommended.

Next view is with the main flap up, and gloves removed. Everything fits in nicely and doesn't rattle around, though any kind of speed draw is out of the question (Like I'm going to take on a wild boar with a trowel or something...sure, Griff. Settle down there, big fella...)

Last is the contents.

Clockwise, from the top, 
* Heavy duty freezer baggies
* 6 rat traps with fastening holes (wire it to the tree or stake) Thanks for the idea, Dave Canterbury! (See "Common Man's Trapping Kit")
* Shakespeare Spider Man collapsible spin cast fishing kit. Couldn't find a Popeil Pocket Fisherman to save my life, and I didn't want to risk a bad case of the cooties if I was to use the Disney Princess one. Life's hard enough as it is.
* 24 gauge green enameled floral wire, to make a nice corsage. Not sure how much is there, it says 10 pound / 4.5 kilogram. Maybe that's the draw weight? Help me out here, guys. 
* Several braided wire pieces from my Wife's picture-hanging supplies, each about 3' long. Figured they could be used as snares or to fasten the rat traps with, and live in an empty pellet tin. 
* Edible wild food cards, so I don't try to smoke Poison Ivy
* A buncha 550 cord, because I bought a whooooooole LOT of this stuff years ago, and have to use it for something besides shoe laces. So it goes in kits. This is a kit. It has paracord. I'm set. 
* Frog Gig spear head thing with a wood screw. For fastening. Its a Trident (Yo Ho! I'm Poseidon!) No, wait; its a 4-dent. Forget that last part. 
* Steel shot and marbles. I'm actually pretty good with that wrist-wrocket slingshot. Kids are getting there, too. 
* Leather gloves, for Bramble defense (or to boil up and eat when I fail miserably with everything else?)
* Above-mentioned Boar Slayer trowel, for digging holes in roots and grubs
* Overly complicated scissors, because they come apart easily and are Emergency! Orange! color
* Pruning shears with tactical recovery enhancement engineer tape. Really. 
OK, its a streamer, like on my bike's handlebars. (B-b-but you just better watch out there, buddy. I have a quick-draw trowel, y'know)

So, whaddaya think there, Chief? 
Good to Go, or put everything back in the junk drawer? 
Anyone have good experience with this sort of thing?

'preciate it


----------



## Starcreek (Feb 4, 2015)

Well, now, that's innerestin'.....
When you said "foraging kit" I automatically thought of looking for wild edible and medicinal plants, so for a split second I just kind of stared at those big rat traps. But I get it. I get it.

Actually, the rat traps are a stroke of genius. If you know what to bait them with (what kind of animals you're likely to attract in a given place), you could probably catch some dinner with those pretty handily.

The only thing I think I'd swap out is a Peterson's guide for the cards. Peterson's guides (to trees, etc.) are small and easy to carry, and pack a lot more information than you're likely to get on the cards.

But in general, I'm impressed with what you've come up with without spending a lot of money.


----------



## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

You've made a good start! The best item you have there is a defensive weapon, a frog gig! I just posted about harvesting a medicinal plant, Xanthorhiza simplicissima, yellow root. I took a bucket, pruning shears and a pistol. The creek I was on has a large population of (Agkistrodon piscivorus) cotton mouths, a very dangerous place.

A frog gig is great for frogs&#8230; also great for snakes! A lot more meat on snakes!

I'd forget about the traps, snares are the way to go. Here is a company I've purchased from&#8230;http://www.snareshop.com/ They produce quality products&#8230; Of course I make 100 snares at a time with anchor cables. If you only want 8 or 10 snares, get them from the snare shop.

Do your research, read all their tutorials. I buy aircraft cable a "Lowes" and everything I need to make quality snares at 1/3 the price. I hunt coyotes in early spring that threaten my cattle.

The wristrocket sling shot&#8230; practice until you can hit a pepsi can at 50ft, 9 out of ten times&#8230; then back out to 100ft. It's a very good weapon if you can use it.


----------



## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

I like your setup ,

I have most of the items , just in case I need them...Ya know SHTF, or TEOTWAWKI, but I never thought about just setting up a *Foraging Bag*,

I may get me a bag and fix it up just for foraging... probably leave the rat traps out, and replace them with snares.

Good post. Thanks.

Jim


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Space left for a butane lighter, waterproof matches and a razor blade or two??


----------



## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

A folding knife might come in handy and would take little space and add little weight. I know you probably have knives in multiple locations but you can never have too many. Interesting concept.


----------



## Griff (Jan 12, 2013)

Wow! I really appreciate the views, comments, ideas, and helpful advice. Good stuff. 

As phideaux has pointed out, this is a dedicated Foraging kit, with which I will supplement my EDC (Sorry; shoulda said that up front. I learn...) Includes comms, weapon and reload, multi tool, fire, flashlight, knife, FAK, etc. 

Thanks for the cable saw idea, masterspark. Got one somewhere. I understand they can also be used with a bent green stick as a bow saw. Worth a look. 

Thanks for the great link and tutorials, Cotton, but I'm gonna have to stick with the rat traps for now. Looking forward to having the time for learning how to do snares better, though. 

'preciate the praise, Starcreek, but again, that's Dave C's idea. I'll definitely check out the Peterson's guide more closely! Wife's using ours in home school curriculum at the moment. 

Definitely have some knives on me at all times, Caribou and TheLazyL. Probably too many. (Clank-clank-clank) Thanks, though. 

shadowrider, DFrost, and hashbrown, I hope you get a chance to take a look and let me know what you think. Hope I haven't left anyone out, as I really appreciate you taking the time to share. 

Thanks to everyone for the Likes, too! What are your thoughts? 


So, do y'all have any stories, TTPs, or lessons learned...hopefully not the hard way...you'd care to share? I'm still kinda new to this. (Don't tell anyone, but I'm also thinking this could be good cover and concealment for a trip to the stash out on the back 40. Maybe bring home a couple-few SPAM cans, as long as I can get enough cat tails and dandelions to cover them up in the bags) 

Also, what are your thoughts on nets? Tie them up in likely corridors, and make a lot of noise beating the bush? Worth it for birds or fish? I'm thinking traps might be better, but we sometimes use a landing net to capture one of the chickens for dinner, so have a little experience with that. Also, are cast-nets kinda reliant on open spaces and low winds? Probably fit in the kit better. Maybe use sinkers to weight the edges down a bit? 

I'm also concerned about "people smell." Is that a big thing, or am I watching too many movies? I usually wash my hands in dirt before handling traps and such, and leave my woods jacket and boots out in the screen porch to air out, but wonder how far to take this. Always makes me smile to think about the guy who killed a deer with his pickup on the way to hunting camp after work, still in his suit, y'know? 

Cheers, Y'all


----------



## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

Cotton and Griff .. about those snares .. might check the prices here http://www.fntpost.com/Categories/T...res+Snare+Extension+Cables/Snare+Shop+Snares/

Squirrel snares $12 a dozen coyote snares $15.50 dozen and they are snare shop snares ..

Cotton I doubt you can beat their cable prices http://www.fntpost.com/Categories/Trapping/Snares+Slides+and+Supplies/Cable/

About those rat traps .. they are kind of small for stuff with meat on them.. not saying they won't work , but thinking not a clean quick kill and they won't last, those wooden boards are going to split again my suppliers at F&T http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Oneida+Victor+Conibear+Traps/+110+Victor+Single+Spring+Conibear+Trap that's a conibear 110 good long lasting trap up to muskrats and weasel sized critters and I don't know what you are paying for the rat traps but Conibear 110's are $64 a dozen.

A lot depends on where you are and what you will eat but you can go bigger to a 220 and take nutria and raccoon size stuff for about $90 a half dozen and you need the anchors and tie outs

don't know what your experience levels are , so I mean no insult if you already know this maybe it will help somebody just getting started

But there are some pretty good trapping courses on YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZLagqylZ3j7xNwqZkrtfrrftmMEsm_fC like 78 8ish minute videos

About those wild plants .. my go to is http://www.eattheweeds.com/ and he has about 146 videos on you tube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=green+deane

favorite wild foodie recipe blogs http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/ http://the3foragers.blogspot.com/ http://honest-food.net/

here's a really cool antique guide to foraging http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/porcher/porcher.html

i'm just a happy customer for any business I link to, good services and good prices. and I have no other connection and I receive nothing for saying I like their goods and prices.


----------



## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

Griff the people smell thing you have to prepare and dip and age your traps. Those wood rat traps are going to hold the smell and decomposition of death .. you sure you want to eat the second animal caught?


----------



## Griff (Jan 12, 2013)

AmmoSgt said:


> Griff the people smell thing you have to prepare and dip and age your traps. Those wood rat traps are going to hold the smell and decomposition of death .. you sure you want to eat the second animal caught?


----------



## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

yeah, Porcher's Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests was the ultimate shtf guide during the ultimate American shtf

The Ultimate format however belongs to Thomas Jefferson's notes on the State of Virginia http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/jeffvir.asp

If you use these two documents as a guide/ format to catalog the resources where you live and plan to operate come shtf

Just as an example just knowing where the gold mines are here is my state
http://www.goldrushnuggets.com/whtofigo.html http://www.goldrushnuggets.com/goldinalabama.html and take it the next step http://www.goldrushnuggets.com/rageandmiina1.html

http://www.eia.gov/beta/coal/data/b...in&rtype=s&pin=&rse=0&maptype=0&datecode=2013

https://mrdata.usgs.gov/catalog/science.php?thcode=1&term=fUS01

you get the idea .. sometimes it is just a matter of online research , not just minerals and metals you can do the same for types of trees with useful characteristics including edible

http://www.forestry.state.al.us/Pub...005 Summer/Trees of Alabama - Honeylocust.pdf http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GLTR

it's called honey locust because the pea pods .. sometimes 50 to 100 pounds on a mature tree taste like honey... it is also why it has those spikes .. which are died and used as arrow heads and nails the wood is like iron and doesn't rot makes great fence posts .. cut it off and leave a stump .. it grows back imagine having a personal map and in this day and age of GPS of gold and gems and coal and nail's and arrow heads that grow on trees full of beans that taste like honey of course come shtf you won't have GPS but that's why you make a treasure map





 




this may be the tree that saves the bees if you research it you will see why


----------

