OK, putting two and two together (protein and snare) I'm thinking I could just set a snare on a portage trail ?

(that reminds me of this video)

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Mad_Mat wrote on Nov 30^th, 2010 at 1:24pm:


HA! That was a hoot!...... snare+Portage trail=protein? You wise guy!

Mat I bet you could "make" your own runway by using a series of sticks planted into the ground. Set snares at either end and use anise oil that Db suggested in the middle of your "run" to get the rabbit to enter. Seems plausible. It would be good to experiment with these ideas first to see how they really work.

Another way to gather some food would be with a predator call and a wrist rocket. If you had access to stones and were a decent shot you could probably feed yourself for quite some time. Owls (yes owls) are the first creatures to show up and will commonly show up within 2 or 3 minutes of calling. Followed by various Jays. Foxes, coyotes, and wolves will also respond but are usually tougher to pull in close especially after they get a few years on them. I have never called in a bear but don't see why they wouldn't show.......a troubling downside.

If picture taking is more your style calling will pull owls in quite close and it doesn't take long. At the very least I would be packin bear spray though as who knows what will show.........which is of course part of the excitement.

Preacher wrote on Dec 1^st, 2010 at 6:55pm:




I've had some success using this (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links), though not for calling squirrels. I've learned that calling squirrels is pretty much useless, you're better off just sitting still and being quiet. I'll give it another go when I get back home, now that it's coming up on their mating season it might help draw them in closer (bow with judo-tip arrows = great fun).

But, if you blow in the open end, it mimics a distress call; essentially turning it into a predator call. I got a rise out of some coyotes in the backyard one night, just messing around, but they never came close enough for me to see them. Which was surprising, because our coyote population back home is leaning over the edge of being a problem. They're usually not hard to find.

I'm not sure if any of these calls would have their place in a ditch kit, given the limited space available. But it probably couldn't hurt, provided you have a way to secure an animal that's been lured in. I hunted with wrist rockets when I was a kid, and it's harder than it looks. Be prepared for lots of frustrating near-misses, and make sure the band is in good shape... don't let it break while aiming so it narrowly misses taking out your eye... we had the best luck with ball bearings and taconite pellets, and even some glass marbles "borrowed" from one of mom's fake plant vases. But small rocks work too.

There are lots of electronic predator calls out there, and I don't know anything about them other than they are illegal to use on some places. Which probably means they are effective.

Quote:


Akula,

Here's a little trick an old timer showed me. Squirrels are like cats, incredibly curious but cautious too.
Often they'll come in close while your sitting still, but somehow will detect you and move around to the opposite side of the tree. They'll do it after a miss with .22 as well.

Take a shotgun shell, 20-12 gauge works the best. You want one loaded with bird-shot. Open the end and take out the wadding ,leaving only the BB's.  Close up the end, securing with duct tape/wax.

After a miss, or when they go to the other side of tree, you shake the shell gently, just enough so they can hear the rattle. They will more often than not, throw caution to the wind and stick their heads around to see what's making that weird sound.

Not sure how you would manage that with a bow and judo tip?
If you can figure out something, it will increase your odds dramatically  

solotripper,

I tend to refrain from shooting my expensive arrows into the treetops. But my .22 has been known to coax a few squirrels down from their perches. I just enjoy the extra trigger time with the bow, and the local PD frowns upon shooting irons within city limits... it used to be the edge of everything, but now there's suburbia where there used to be corn fields and CRP. So, if I want to shoot on our property, it's got to be with the bow, which is still legal. Not always successful, but legal.

I look forward to seeing how the snares pan out. I'll set some rabbit snares on the ground and make a lean-pole or two, both straight from the survival manuals with visual assistance from YouTube. There's a couple of oak stands that are promising territory... would I be out of line if I set a lean-pole on the bird feeder?