(Continued from Part 3.)
Pros and Cons of Raising Animals for Food
As with anything in life, there are pros and cons. Below, I have compiled a list of my personal pros and cons when it comes to raising animals for food.
Pros
You can control what variety/species of animals you want to raise to give you the most amount of meat. You can choose the type of meat you want to have in your household. If you like peacock meat, you can raise it. If you like ostrich eggs, you can raise it.
With chickens, you can control the variety/color(s) of eggs that sell well in your community. In my area, a lot of egg buyers like colorful eggs, so we raise birds that lay brown, green and several shades of blue eggs. If we get to a point where food is too expensive and selling eggs starts costing me money, or the grid were to go down, I will harvest ALL the layers that are specifically for “colored eggs” keep the highest production layers.
With chickens, if you properly rotate and cull your flock, you can consistently have food on hand, be it meat or eggs. Having the proper varieties of laying hens (best suited for your climate), and providing them with good, nutritious food/allowing free ranging, your birds will consistently lay eggs in the spring, summer and fall months. Egg laying generally slows in the winter when daylight hours are shorter. I do not provide artificial light in the winter months, because that is the time for the birds bodies to rest from laying eggs the rest of the year. During times of high egg production, figure out a way of preservation that works/tastes best for you and your family. We pickle several hundred eggs a year for the times when egg production is lean.
You can harvest meat all year.
People who don’t raise fowl are usually willing to purchase/trade for farm-fresh eggs. Until the recent price per ounce spike in silver, I had a customer who would trade me one ounce of silver for five dozen eggs. He worked near my office, so whenever he needed eggs, I would bring him one or two dozen until the five dozen he had prepaid for in silver was reached. Another time, I traded a loyal customer thirty dozen eggs, for a woodchipper he used once. He calls me every few weeks for eggs, and I deduct what I give him from what I owe him. Both of us are happy with the arrangement.
Cons
You cannot guarantee laying birds will lay consistently. Predatory animals are always trying to find a way to eat your small livestock I have lost several pullets to foxes, chicken hawks and even had a redtail hawk get into an all-out brawl with a big rooster. My rooster showed the hawk who was boss. The hawk never came back.
Many farm animals are not native to your locale. They are not always acclimated to weather changes like native animals are. Certain animals require more care through the hot/cold months.
Food can be costly, especially if you are not selling eggs, meat, milk, etc. and do not free range.
Veterinary bills can add up. If one of my meat animals is injured beyond being cared for, at home, with a first aid, I do not call a vet. Remember the pre-dug hole that I recommend having?
If you are away for more than a couple days, then you will probably need to find someone to check on your animals. Doing this can compromise your home security.
Family members can easily become attached to certain livestock animals. We do not name any animals at our place, besides the actual pets, like our dog and cat. Both my children participate in the harvesting and cleaning of the animals we raise. They do not know anything different. However, there can still be emotion when it comes time to harvest specific animals.
Fishing
Fishing varies so much by area, as do the laws regarding limits, seasons, equipment, etc. Research the species in your area, get the appropriate tackle for those species and learn everything you can about that fish. Spend some time each year pursuing those fish. If you do not want to eat what you catch, throw the fish back; just get out there and learn what you can. Since I earned my driver license and bought my first car, every vehicle I have owned has had a fishing pole in it. I keep a variety of hooks, weights, swivels and lures so no matter where I am, creeks, rivers, ponds or lakes, I have the capability to catch something. In my area, a bobber, salmon egg hook with a small piece of worm will always put food on the table, whether it’s a bluegill, trout, bass or bullfrog. Never underestimate the power of simplicity. Another tool I keep in all my tackleboxes, is a three or four prong frog gig. I have speared lots of bullfrogs and fish with these gigs. They’re cheap and easy to store. I like using an extendable painter’s pole with my gigs.
Hunting for Meat
Hunting, as a substitute or addition to raising animals, can be a great way to fill your freezer with a variety of different meats. The pursuit of game is not for everyone, mentally, physically or emotionally. Again, if/when you or your family is on the brink of starvation, most people who are currently opposed to harvesting an animal will likely have zero issue(s) when the time comes.
I love studying primitive/early hunting. I have several pieces of this gear in my arsenal. As much as I enjoy primitive hunting, my time in the field is limited with a young family, so I am all about efficiency. I try to fill the freezer with as much meat as possible in the quickest amount of time. I am not a trophy hunter either. If the animal I am targeting is legal, in season and will put meat in the freezer, I will harvest it without a second thought.
Basic Hunting Gear
This topic is widely contested. It is also a very personal subject to members of the hunting community. Some hunters carry trinkets, totems or will only use “grandpa’s gun” for superstitious beliefs, while others hunt with every modern gizmo and gadget they believe will help them in their pursuit. I have hunted/worked with many hunters and trappers who looked like they stepped right out of a Cabela’s catalog. They carried brand new rifles with expensive optics, range finders, wind gauges, DOPE (Data On Previous Engagement) charts on their phones and most every other piece of modern gear you can think of. Several of these guys, over the years, brought all this technology into the field only to spend more time punching distances into their phone app, which tells them how to adjust their scopes, than they do getting closer to the animal and becoming a better marksman and hunter. I witnessed multiple animals passed up by my these same guys because they couldn’t input their data into their phone fast enough and the animal walked away.
I am not saying technology does not have a place in the pursuit of game. Most of us don’t ride horseback to our hunting destination anymore. We drive. Most people don’t knap their own arrowheads. We buy bullets. Technology has its place in the field, as it does in most areas in our modern life. What I will say is when we depend solely on technology to make us better hunters, we have lost the true meaning of hunting. My statement is not true for every scenario either. I understand people with disabilities, people with poor eyesight, aging hunters, etc., might need the additional help that these high-tech tools can provide. What I am against, is young hunters being duped by marketing, and taking the mindset of “this fill in the blank with whatever tool will make me a better hunter”. When I hunt, I rarely wear camouflage. I have taken more game in the field wearing regular everyday clothes rather than with camouflage. I am not saying camouflage does not have a place, or that it should not be worn — it does, and it should.
My personal preference, is to wear tan, double-knee Carhartt pants, an undershirt with a plaid shirt/jacket and a black ball cap. One hunt that comes to mind was several years ago with a group of good friends. I wore my normal clothing and used an iron-sighted .30.30 Winchester. This hunt was very chilly, so I also donned a tan Carhartt jacket. I harvested the first deer of the trip at twenty-five yards and kept up with each of the other hunters in our group who were all using high-powered rifles with expensive scopes, phone apps, range finders. They also wore all the best, modern camouflage patterns. My point is to simply say that marketing tells you what gear you need to buy to be a better hunter and to be more successful in the field. Man has hunted for a very long time without modern camouflage patterns and without high-tech gear. Accept the challenge of learning the animal better. Get into its mind and figure out why it does what it does. Learn how to track and to read signs and if possible, go deeper into the woods in pursuit of that animal. Go where few others go and I promise you will never be disappointed, even if you come home empty-handed.
Each hunt is different, requiring different gear. Locations and length of time in the field determine the variety of the gear you will need to take into the field. The gear that I take for a day hunt, where I plan to be back home later in the day, will vary greatly from what I take on a multi-day, high mountain excursion.
(To be contined tomorrow, in Part 5.)