Wilderness Eating/Living Week
#6573440
07/13/19 10:18 PM
07/13/19 10:18 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3,188 Green Bay, Wisconsin
tlguy
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3,188
Green Bay, Wisconsin
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Watching Youtube this week I was drawn to a series of videos by The Wooded Beardsman that got me wanting to try it. Basically what he's been doing is using regular modern tools and weapons to procure and consume only what he can gather from the wilderness. I believe he was in Maine and has gathered/eaten clams, lobsters, a porcupine, a possum, a turkey, dozens of alewife, some pigeons and a trout. The challenge is to see if he can maintain or increase his body weight by the end of the week. As far as I can tell the only thing he is eating that isn't a wild edible or something he killed is a spice blend that he sells.
I'm tossing around the idea of doing something similar this fall at our hunting camp in northern Wisconsin. I'm thinking I would want to do it mid-October to take advantage of most of the open hunting seasons. Our beaver season wouldn't be open yet, but that can be circumvented with nuisance trapping permission from the landowner (my dad).
I don't think I would have a problem finding protein, the area has a fair amount of wild game including grouse, squirrels, deer, the occasional turkey, and some beavers, as well as less desirable protein such as frogs, raccoons and coyotes. There are some wetlands that hold some cattails that could be harvested as a source of fiber, but I'm a little worried there won't be much for wild edibles in the woods by mid-October. Our property is lacking in mast trees and is mostly higher maple hills or cedar/tag alder swamps. I will have to do some research on that topic before venturing out.
I'm still trying to work out some of the specifics, and I'm open to suggestions. If I go through with the idea, I would be documenting it with video and writing about it online for work.
So here's where you come in. What are some things I could do that would make this interesting to follow and make you want to check back in the next day to see how I'm doing? I don't have the survival skills to do a Survivorman sort of deal where I hit the woods with nothing but the clothes on my back and a multi-tool. Here's kind of what I'm thinking. I could frame it as I got lost in the woods and came upon a cabin and can only use what's there (cooking utensils, ATV, firewood, weapons and traps) but the food was cleaned out when the cabin was closed down for the year. I could also take it a step further and camp in a tent/hammock rather than sleeping in the cabin.
I'm open to ideas and I have a few months to hammer out the details as this plan takes shape. What do you think?
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Re: Wilderness Eating/Living Week
[Re: tlguy]
#6573989
07/14/19 10:28 PM
07/14/19 10:28 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,497 PA
PAskinner
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,497
PA
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I can't see how you would lose weight eating raccoon and beaver meat. If catching a couple beaver or coon a day. There are many people who are full bore carnivores, and eat no plants whatsoever.
Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.
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Re: Wilderness Eating/Living Week
[Re: tlguy]
#6574137
07/15/19 07:13 AM
07/15/19 07:13 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,333 Hancock Co., Indiana
Kart29
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,333
Hancock Co., Indiana
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From my experience, even if you are getting plenty of calories, the sudden elimination of sugar from your diet will cause you to lose energy for the first few days. I think the complete elimination of sugar would also cause you to quickly lose weight but I don't know if you would see it in the first week. It's amazing how much sugar is in the American diet.
What from Christ that soul can sever, Bound by everlasting bands? None shall take thee From the Strength of Israel's hands.
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Re: Wilderness Eating/Living Week
[Re: tlguy]
#6574195
07/15/19 09:09 AM
07/15/19 09:09 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,397 MT
snowy
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,397
MT
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Sounds very interesting to me. One thing I would consider, is eating what you catch or hunt the same day as the kill. It would be a lot of meat to finish a coon etc. so I would stick to upland game, waterfowl and fish for meat, so you can eat it up in one sitting.
Do you have partridge, grouse, ducks, pheasants and or fishing in this area?? Is there a hunting (legal) season while you are there for that week?
Give me a fish, I will eat for a day. Teach me to fish, I will eat for a lifetime
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Re: Wilderness Eating/Living Week
[Re: snowy]
#6574199
07/15/19 09:14 AM
07/15/19 09:14 AM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3,188 Green Bay, Wisconsin
tlguy
OP
trapper
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OP
trapper
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3,188
Green Bay, Wisconsin
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Do you have partridge, grouse, ducks, pheasants and or fishing in this area?? Is there a hunting (legal) season while you are there for that week? We have grouse and squirrels, ducks sometimes land on the beaver ponds, and there are a couple lakes not too far away where I could either take my 16' Sea Nymph fishing boat or my 10' jon boat. The waterway that holds the beaver likely has some chubs, but no game fish.
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Re: Wilderness Eating/Living Week
[Re: tlguy]
#6574221
07/15/19 09:45 AM
07/15/19 09:45 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,497 PA
PAskinner
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,497
PA
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I would definitely try to mix is up if I was just doing it for fun and not running a fulltime trapline at the same time. Having a variety of meat and fish would make it more enjoyable. And I would try eating some beaver or coon beforehand if you don't regularly. I had some beaver meat on a trapping trip last winter and it didn't make me sick, but had stomach issues for some reason. A change in diet affects different people in different ways, that's the part you can't really know until you try it.
Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.
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Re: Wilderness Eating/Living Week
[Re: tlguy]
#6574329
07/15/19 01:54 PM
07/15/19 01:54 PM
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,598 Green County Wisconsin
GREENCOUNTYPETE
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,598
Green County Wisconsin
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you might also consider perpetual pot.
you start a pot generally a large pot and you keep it on heat and bring it to a boil after adding fresh meat , potato , carrots ect...
wild parsnip if you can harvest it without getting the sap on you would be a root crop to add to your stew.
did the perpetual pot last fall for a month , always hot food ready to eat , always warm. same pot all month just kept adding , it develops a lot of flavor , it was nearly all venison with some occasional pork
this is sometimes called hunters pot also adding things from the trap line or small game as you get it if you have a day without protein you add more potatoes and carrots and it carries you through.
as I understand it there are some cultures where they do something like this and the pot is passed from generation to generation it may go years without ever having been fully emptied
America only has one issue, we have a Responsibility crisis and everything else stems from it.
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