AN ENERGETIC FISHING HOOK
Making an improvised fishing hook from natural materials in the field can be very difficult. Hacking one from manmade materials is still hard but not impossible. To get either right, prepare for an exercise in patience. It’s hard to manufacture a hook-shaped object that is rigid enough and sharp enough to hold a fish. You can carve one that meets these criteria from the bottom circular rim of a mini energy drink bottle. It’s very strong and has a natural circular shape. Using a combination of cutting and abrading, fashion a strong, sharp hook. It isn’t sharp enough to hold a fighting fish for long, but it will get the job done. Have your club or gig ready!
USE WALNUTS TO GET FISHING BAIT
My grandfather showed me this hack many moons ago, and it never ceases to amaze me and my students. Do the hack in fall when the walnuts are still wrapped in their green husks. I can guarantee you all the big red nightcrawlers for fishing you’ll ever need. Fill a 5-gallon bucket about half full of water. Then smash about 30 green walnuts with a rock and throw them one by one into the bucket of water. Next, stir this mixture vigorously for 5 minutes. Finally, clear the leaves and woodland duff from a 3' × 3' section of moist forest floor, and pour the rancid mixture evenly throughout. Like magic, red worms of all types and sizes will begin to writhe to the surface to escape the noxious poison. Green walnut husks have a high concentration of the compound juglone, which, in addition to annoying earthworms, can be used to paralyze fish in small pools.
HUNTING AND FORAGING HACKS
PALLET BOW
Pallets can be used for more than just shelter (see the Pallet Shelter hack in Chapter 1). Believe it or not, one of the most incredible improvised bows I’ve ever used is made from just 1 pallet board. Start by removing one of the boards from the top of a shipping pallet. They are typically about 3" wide and about 1⁄2" thick. After removing the nails, either saw or split the board lengthwise. Taper the end of each length with your knife, one end being more tapered than the other. Carve 2 notches along the left and right edges of the less-tapered ends and lash them together, one board sandwiched on top of the other. Finally, carve your bow-string notches and string your bow for shooting. This hack is from my friends Hank Gevedon and Dave Mead of Reptile Toolworks and online at Kentucky River Trading Company (www.kyrivertradingco.com).
FIGURE-8 SLING BOW
I keep several climbing tools, including a climber’s figure 8 and a couple of carabiners, in my bug out bag just in case I ever need them for rappelling over ledges, hoisting gear into trees, etc. What many people don’t know is that a climber’s figure-8 belay device doubles as an amazing sling bow with the simple addition of a set of high-power slingshot bands (which I also carry in my bug out bag). You can lash almost any set of bands, using dental floss or even zip ties, to either side of the large opening of the figure-8 device. Once done, the large open ring acts as an arrow guide for launching full-sized hunting arrows. It’s easy and safe to use and is also very accurate. I use a 40-pound slingshot band set, which is more than capable of taking almost any game animal in the Eastern Woodlands. Extra band sets can be found at www.notifbutwhensurvivalstore.com.
SPOON BROADHEAD
Whether you’re hunting with bow and arrow or a spear, it’s always better for it to be tipped with a sharp metal broadhead. Believe it or not, you can use something to kill your food that most people use to eat their food—a spoon! As you can see in this illustration series, the evolution of a regular spoon to a killer broadhead is a simple process. Pound the spoon flat with a rock or hammer. Next, file the edges down to a point, using a standard metal file that can be found in almost any auto repair shop or garage. Finally, snap off the handle at the base with repeated bending and lash the finished point into a split at the end of an arrow with dental floss. This hack is from my friends Hank Gevedon and Dave Mead of Reptile Toolworks and online at Kentucky River Trading Company (www.kyrivertradingco.com).
FROM TOY TO TAKEDOWN
One of my favorite childhood pastimes was battling with my brother, both of us running around in the woods, shooting each other with Nerf guns loaded with sponge-tipped darts. I recently picked one up for nostalgia and was surprised at the force with which the modern Nerf guns blast their ammo. In fact, the one I purchased shot at a velocity similar to the blowguns I use. After modifying an ammo round to give it a sharpened point, I could get it to stick in a tree from 10 yards away. In fact, I could create a grouping of arrows about the size of a dinner plate. This is a weapon capable of taking song birds in a survival scenario for small rotisserie meals. Clip off 2" lengths of a wire clothes hanger, sharpen one end by abrading it on concrete, and stab it in the end of a Nerf dart. Voilà—instant dart gun.
LOADS OF LARVAE
Most insects are edible. In fact, most people in the world eat insects. The big problem with insects is that you have to have a lot of them to make any kind of a caloric difference. Finding enough of them can be a huge challenge. However, if you stumble upon an ant hill, here’s a hack that can score you loads of edible ant larvae. Ants’ natural instinct is to protect their larvae from the sun and open air. They want to get them under cover as fast as possible. First, lay a tarp on the ground next to an ant mound and fold over one corner to create a protected area. Next, shovel ants and larvae from the mound on top of the tarp near the folded corner. The ants will carry the exposed larvae to any area of the tarp where an edge or corner is folded over to provide shelter. Let the ants work for a few minutes, then scoop the larvae out by the handful. They can then be fried or added to wilderness stews.
ORANGE SACK GHILLIE HOOD
As many hunters will tell you, good camouflage makes a big difference when trying to avoid being detected by wild game. The mesh bags that oranges come packaged in can be hacked to make a nearly perfect hood for a ghillie suit (a camouflage outfit that resembles heavy foliage). The base layer of most good ghillie suits is a mesh fabric in which different types of yarns, fibers, burlap strands, and natural materials are woven. This mix of materials not only creates an incredible break-up pattern, which breaks up the human outline so you aren’t easily spotted, but it makes it easy to mix in natural vegetation from any location. Mesh orange bags can be used in a very similar way. Start by weaving earth-tone strands of yarn or strips of fabric in and out of the mesh to create a “wig-like” effect. Start with 12" strips that, when attached in the middle, create 2 6" strands. Complete the look by mixing in natural grasses from the environment.
BICYCLE-POWERED SLINGSHOT
A bicycle has everything you need to make a very powerful slingshot. Start by removing the front tire and fork from the bicycle. This fork turned upside down will serve as your slingshot fork. Next, remove the inner tube from the bicycle tire and cut 2 strips that are 15" × 1". These are your slingshot bands. Cut a 2" × 3" vinyl or leather patch from the bicycle seat and tie one end of each band to a hole you punch on each side of the patch. The best way to do this is to insert the band through the hole and lash it back on itself with twine. This will hold very well even under extreme pressure. Finally, lash the other end of each band to the metal fork and you’re ready to launch anything from rocks and pebbles to pieces of scrap metal.