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LOBSTER

Lobster are a delicious source of protein and can also be found in locations that have structure. They forge around hunting for food at night and tend to take shelter in the day time. Look for them in cracks and crevices, and look carefully for their antennas sticking out of the hole where they have taken refuge. Remember that lobsters swim backwards, so if you are using a net to catch one then make sure you set it behind them. I have always caught them with my hands. If you choose to do it this way, make sure you wear gloves and do not just reach in the hole blind. Know what is in the hole, before you reach your hand in. There could be a moray eel in there, and if it latches on to you are in big trouble. (Safety needs to come first. If a moray does happen to latch onto you, the chances are that he won’t let go. Grab your dive knife and try to stick him in the head.) If you are desperate and do not want to chance losing a lobster, then you can shoot him with your gun. It is easy pickin’s, but be careful as it is not legal to spear lobster in the U.S.

Lobsters move in large numbers, depending on the weather. If the barometric pressure drops below 1000 millibars for more than eight hours (like in hurricanes or tropical storms) then a lobster walk is sure to follow within the next week. This is not a joke, and it’s an incredible phenomenon to experience. When this occurs, hundreds of thousands of lobsters from the Florida Keys to Stuart will walk in straight lines moving in a north easterly fashion to find safe harbor, sometimes in water as shallow as three feet. If you time it right, you can eat well for a long time.

I have been fortunate enough to experience this incredible occurrence on six separate occasions. Be observant and know what is happening around you. Sometimes catastrophes spawn huge opportunities.

SEA URCHIN

Sea urchins are perhaps the easiest animal of all to catch, once you have found one. They too live in structured areas– on reefs and sometimes around mangroves. They are delicious and bring in a premium dollar at sushi restaurants around the globe. They look like circular balls with spikes sticking out everywhere. Usually when you find one, there will be more close by. This ligoes for lobster as well. To catch a sea urchin, simply reach down with a net and scoop them up. If you don’t have a net, you can also grab them with your hands. (That’s how I have always done it.) If you are planning on grabbing them with your hands, you definitely need gloves. Pick them up softly, and do not grip them tightly. If you do it carefully enough, you will be fine. You may get pricked a few times, but it sure beats starving.

Once you have succeeded in catching an urchin, make sure you have a bucket or something you can fill with salt water to keep them fresh. Do NOT kill the urchin. They spoil very fast. Keep it alive. You don’t want to eat one after it has died. It should still be alive seconds prior to eating it.

To clean an urchin, first cut it open at its belly and pour out the liquid inside. The edible part has an orange color to it and is nestled vertical on the inside walls of the sea creature. I usually scoop it out with a spoon and eat it right there. It is out of this world. Try it, and you won’t be disappointed.

STINGRAYS / SHARKS

Stingrays are overlooked by most people and considered a nuisance to take off the line, if caught by most fisherman. The reality is they are a very tasty item and one you should not discard. They can be caught using what I call a shark line. This is basically a trot line in salt water with a few differences.

First, your plan of attack is to find an area like an estuary or where the sea water flows into at high tides. This is an area that is dry at low tide and about three to five feet deep at incoming and peek high tide. These are areas stingrays love. A little trick is to visit the area when the tide is all the way out. If you see holes in the sea bed in different circular diameters all over the place, you know you are in the right spot. Those are the footprints of where the ray has been laying before the tide changed and jit went back out to sea. (As a side note, if you are ever walking in one of these areas when the water level is up, make sure to drag your feet. This is a safety measure that will prevent you from getting tagged by the barb of a stingray. The barb is located above the base of the tail, and if you step on top of a stingray the chances of getting stung are high. However, dragging your feet will result in your foot touching the outer portions of the ray and causing it to swim away rapidly with no issues occurring.

Once a good location to fish is found, you will need to construct a shark line. To do this you will need 15 ft. of wire liter, four large swivels, four treble hooks, two medium-sized hooks, two large shark hooks, 15 feet of nylon rope, one cement cinder block, and four milk jugs painted a bright color. If you don’t have some of these items, then improvise. Pay attention to this; it always works. Remember this is the same concept as the alligator line and the trot lines we discussed earlier. The setup is just a little different but same concept. You are setting a line that works for you without you being present. To rig your shark line, you will need to tie the nylon rope to the handles of all four milk jugs. (These are buoys or use something that floats very well and can be seen from a distance.) Next you will need to tie the other end of the nylon rope to one of the eyes of the swivels, making sure you tie it in a square knot so it won’t loosen with tension. Next, tie the wire liter to the other end of the swivel. Twist the wire liter around the swivel and the other end of the liter wire. You will need a pair of needle nose pliers to get it snug. Snip the end when you are done so that it stays tight. Now, start attaching your hooks at spaces of 12 inches to the wire liter by twisting each hook eight rotations or whenever the hook is tight and not able to travel down the liter wire. I usually mix it up and place a different hook every 12 inches, but all you want is for the creature taking the bait to get snagged. If the shark hooks don’t catch your fish, usually the treble hooks will. After you have all of your hooks attached to the liter wire, the next thing to do is weave the liter wire through the inside squares of the cinder block four times and then rotate the end of the wire around itself. Make it tight, and use your needle nose pliers to insure it doesn’t come apart if something gets caught and tries to free itself. Now you are ready to set your line. Ideally you will need a kayak, canoe, small dinghy, or paddle surf board. If you need to wade out to set it, then so be it. Make sure to drag your feet, if you are in the shallows of an estuary. Just be sure to set your line where it is going to get fish traffic. I usually bait every hook, including the treble hooks. (I personally like mullet, but use whatever you can get. You may need to go and spear something and use it for bait.) The great thing about the line is that you never know what you are going to catch. This is why you use the large hooks for sharks and large stingrays and the smaller hooks for the smaller things. The treble hooks are there to snag whatever it is you already have at the line in hopes of not losing it. The cinder block is there to create drag, keep the line stationary, and hold some of the bait at the bottom. The jugs or buoys are to allow you to find the line should you catch something very large that has moved the rig several hundred yards away. (I was once dumbfounded when my shark line went missing one morning. It took me three hours to locate almost a mile away. When I pulled up the line, it had the head of a 7-foot Mako shark on it. I set my line the day before in six feet of water.) The moral here is you never know what you are going to catch, but if you bait your line the right way you will be successful and you will get something to eat.

To clean a stingray, you will first need to be extremely cautious in not touching the barb. The best thing you can do is remove it with a hatchet or a machete. (Stingray barbs make great spear tips and can be used for frog gigs as well). Cut off the wings on both sides of the ray. Once the wings have been cut act as if it were a fish and proceed to filet it. Caution, there is a strip of cartilage in the center, so cut just above and below it so that you don’t get tough strips in the meat. Once you have your filets, you will then cut strips off and then you are ready to eat. Stingrays taste like a mixture between shrimp, fish, and oysters. They are best sautéed or fried. They are also good in gumbo and make a great fish chowder.

Sharks are a protected species now, but in a worst case scenario you may need to harvest some to stay alive. Sharks will eat most anything, and you can utilize the remains of what you catch on land or sea to use as bait for sharks. If you are trying to catch sharks, it would be best to set your line in water that is a little deeper than in an estuary. Fifteen feet is a good depth. I have eaten many sharks in my day. They have a rich taste are great in soup, and they will keep you and your family from going hungry. The last tip in setting your shark line is to leave it out during the night, and check it early in the morning, providing of course that the tide cooperates and it is deep enough if you are placing it in an estuary location. The same rules apply to a shark line, as that of the trot line; do not leave it out for days at a time. This way you limit the exposure it has to passing boats or other starving people. In addition it limits the time that your catch can get away or be eaten by something larger.

SEA TURTLES

Another protected species is the sea turtle. They are beautiful creatures, and I have had the privilege of swimming with them on numerous occasions. But this article would not be complete, however, if I didn’t mention them as a potential food source. Sea turtles are still considered a delicacy in many countries and are still harvested by poachers. Their meat and eggs are sold on the black market for huge amounts of money, even to this day. It should be noted that sea turtles walk ashore in May to lay eggs. They move very slow when walking on the beach and can easily be caught if needed.

Nests can be found on the coastlines usually until October. You can’t miss the footprints on the sand in the mornings before the waves have washed them away.

FINAL WORDS

The techniques mentioned here are not limited to the animals specified above. There are food sources everywhere. Open your mind to the choices, and don’t limit yourself and feel like you’re entitled to anything better. There is no such thing as entitlement. You are entitled to what you provide for yourself.

To stay healthy, you will need to consume other things, like fruits, vegetables, and foods with fiber as well. Do some research, as there are many edible plants that grow naturally, no matter where you live. Starting a garden is something we should all be doing. It is much healthier and brings us back to nature.

I would like to conclude by stating that I am NOT by any means an advocate of taking protected species, nor do I agree with the unnecessary killing of animals. I obey the law, and I only kill what I intend to eat. I also, however, do not agree with the practices of our political leaders who see fit to throw everything our forefathers did down the toilet. We are in sad but scary times, and the actions of our people in office could lead to a devastation in our way of life. We may be faced with limited options one day. If reality changes for the worst and our survival depends on putting food on our tables, then everything else goes out the window. I will take my chances at catching a protected species to keep my family alive. The world is completely different now than it was even ten years ago. We, as a species, had better get it together, or someday we may be facing extinction. We need to remember where we came from and embrace our past and the practices that are centered on self-reliance. Although virtues, integrity, and sacrifice may be a thing of the past, there are still a few of us out there that believe in it. To you out there on the edge of fence, I will leave you with this– Always view things from an outside perspective. I hope this information helps you to attain whatever types of food sources that are available in your area. They have worked for me, and I promise they will work for you. There is no better feeling than being able to put food on your on table that nature has provided to feed the ones you love. Remember, if it has hair, feathers, or scales you can eat it. Make it work; be an innovator and improvise. You are part of the circle of life, and whether you acknowledge it or not, that is who you are. Be safe, Good luck and may God be with us all.

IMPORTANT LAND NOTES

If you live close to or just above sea level and you get a significant amount of rainfall in a short amount of time, like in the instance of hurricanes and tropical storms, try to get out to some wooded or wildlife management areas as soon as the weather lets up. Explore lowland areas that have limited high areas. The deer, hogs, rabbits, and many other animals will be on high ground, like roads and dikes. They will be in herds, as the water will be too deep for them to move in the lower areas without swimming. Situations such as these are known to us natives as “the prime time”; this is when our foods of choice present themselves in groups. Finding food under these circumstances becomes considerably less complicated and much less of a challenge.

The last bit of information I will leave you with pertains to fat supplementation. Fat is necessary for our bodies to function properly. To keep healthy you must consume a certain amount of fat if you aren’t eating carbohydrates. One way to insure you maintain a proper fat intake is to collect all of the tendons and connective tissues off any animal that you catch and boil them in a pot of water. These tissues are loaded with fats and will help keep your energy level up. You can consume it as a warm broth, or you can wait until it cools and forms a gelatin. I prefer it hot myself, as it tastes like any other broth. Either way, it will keep your body healthy.

SEA

The ocean is vast with endless amounts of food. There is protein everywhere, and it is yours for the taking. If you can swim, it is possible for you to apply the same techniques that I have learned in my life to enable you to get food every time you go in the water. I want to instill confidence in you first by sharing with you some common misconceptions about freediving. The first one being that you need to dive in deep water to find fish. This is completely false. Believe it or not, some of the biggest fish that I have caught have been in 8-10 feet of water. Some of my friends cannot believe the size of some of my fish I have shot at shallow depths. The truth of the matter is that you just need to know what to look for to find the fish. Another misconception is that you need to be experienced in order to catch fish. This is not the case at all. In fact, some fish are so curious that they will swim right up to you with intrigue. Now in a case like that when there is no food readily available, you have just hit the jackpot. I’m sure there are plenty of other common misconceptions out there, but the one I would like to focus on is the danger aspect. Freediving is just like anything else and requires common sense; be smart, use good judgement, and breathe when you need to breathe. The last thing I will leave you with, before we get to it is this. Everybody has their own opinion and advice about what they think is safe and what is not, but it is up to you to make it safe, be your own supervisor, and embrace your independence. I have spent my entire life in the outdoors, and it has enabled me to become successful at providing slabs of fish, crab, lobster, sea urchin, octopus, and shark on my table week in and week out for years. If you listen to me and execute these practices, I promise you can too.

GEAR

• MASK- There is a lot of overpriced stuff out there. Don’t break the bank. You need a mask that functions properly and doesn’t leak. The way to check if a mask fits is by putting it to your face without putting the strap around head and breathe in with your nose. If the mask stays on your face and you feel the suction taking place, then the mask fits good. However, if the mask doesn’t stick and you can’t feel any suction, put it back and choose another one. It will for sure leak on your face and you have just wasted valuable time. Ideally, you want a mask that doesn’t allow leakage, even when the mask is just snug (tight) on your face. Take your time and select what feels comfortable.
• SNORKEL- This is a very important piece of equipment that allows you to breathe while your face is immersed in the water. I recommend a snorkel that has the least amount of pieces. Snorkels that have several connecting pieces are more susceptible to leakage in the joints. Most of the time they are glued together, and over time the glue breaks down allowing water to seep in. Once this occurs, the snorkel must be re glued or discarded. One very important part of the snorkel is the attachment ring that connects the snorkel to the mask strap. Make sure that the attachment ring is integrated enough that it will last for a while and stand up to dry rot. In most cases they are made out of rubber, which will work fine as long as it isn’t stored in direct sunlight or in areas over 90 degrees for long periods of time. (Having a spare attachment is highly recommended, and they are less than three dollars a piece.)
• FINS- Be economical and purchase something that fits your needs. If you are not planning on diving in water depths greater than 25 feet, then don’t purchase really long fins. Medium length fins will be sufficient for what you are doing. Try not to buy the most inexpensive pair you can find, but make sure that they have a certain firmness to them and won’t be too giving. (The stiffer the fin, the more thrusting power you will generate.)
• WEIGHT BELT- You will need to weight your belt according to your body weight. The trick is to have a specific amount of weight on your belt to maintain a neutral buoyancy, not too much and not too little. You don’t want to sink to the bottom, but you don’t want to be stuck on top fighting to get down either. Weight belts are inexpensive. I recommend the rubber ones that you can undo very quickly if you need.
• SPEAR GUN- This is one item I would not be too stingy on, if you can help it. The Robb Allen 900 is a great gun at an affordable price. It will last forever if you keep it lubed up after use and change the rubber bands on it every year. The best thing to do is buy ten extra bands and rub Vaseline on them and store them in a cool place. (The heat tends to make them crack.)
• KNIFE- You should keep a dive knife on you at all times. You do not need a large knife. It should be easy to maneuver with a sharp point. I also recommend keeping it strapped around your upper arm so that it is easy to access when you need to draw it.
• CHASE LINE/STRINGER– A chase line is a rope that a diver pulls with them while they dive. It holds their fresh catch. I recommend a chase line attached to a 4ft x 2ft mesh bag that can be sealed shut using a zipper or a locking pin. The line should be approximately 30 feet long. I keep the line at this length so that if a shark or barracuda happens to be swimming by it will go for the mesh bag before coming at me. A stringer with a mesh bag is recommended as it can hold other items like lobster, crab, and sea urchin along with fish; whereas as stringer alone can only hold fish.

SPEARING FISH

Now that you have your gear situated, there are a few basic tips that you need to know to be a successful hunter underwater. First, you need to locate an area in the water that has rocks or some type of structure. Fish are drawn to structure; metal, concrete, wood, or anything that could create a hiding place for a fish will provide a good habitat. You can also make your own. Car hoods work well, as do big tires, pipes, concrete blocks, and motor parts. If you decide to create your own reef, I recommend an area where no one else can find it. If you do it right, there will be fish hanging out around it in a week. Just don’t get caught making your own, because it is illegal. Be smart and take calculated risks.

The next tip for being a successful underwater hunter is to try and relax. Fish sense an accelerated heart beat under water, especially sharks; they have little openings on their noses called the Ampule of Lorenzini, which pick up electrical impulses that living things give off. This allows them to focus on an animal or fish in distress. If you are breathing fast and trying to swim after a fish, you will rarely be successful in catching it. Swim slowly, relax, and take your time. If a fish doesn’t let you get close, don’t stress about it. Keep swimming, and find another target, but try to stay relaxed. You can slow your heart rate down by taking long, deep breaths in and slow exhales out. Your heart rate increases when you are taking air in, but decreases as you exhale. The secret here is count to three when inhaling, making sure you reach your lung capacity, and then try to take 10 seconds to exhale out every bit of air. Do this for about three minutes; when you feel relaxed, take a big breath in and go down. I encourage you to practice this before you take it to the water. DO NOT HYPERVENTILATE! (This is breathing all your air in and all out rapidly.) Instead, breath slow and take your time, and you will be fine.

One valuable tip is not to look the fish in the eyes. If a fish knows you are looking at him, you have a greater chance of him swimming off and never coming back. Obviously, you will have to spot the fish at first, but try and act uninterested and swim on a diagonal in a parallel motion toward the fish rather than directly at it. You must move slowly, and when you think you have a shot make sure that you raise your gun very slowly to take aim. Do not make any sudden movements. You will need to squeeze the trigger and follow through if the fish is moving. Try to pretend you can only move in slow motion; this will help you remain calm.

Another way you can get a shot on a fish if he takes off is by reaching down and grabbing handfuls of sand. Throw the sand up and create a fog. Many times snapper, along with other fish, will turn right around and come right back to the fog in hopes of finding something they can munch on. So be patient, and you will get an opportunity. Just make sure you seize it. Once you have managed to shoot a fish, try and get a good grip on it so that it does not rip off your spear tip. If it is a large fish, you will need to be patient for the right opportunity to grab it. You must always remember safety comes first. Do not sacrifice safety for a fish. Be smart, and calculate your movements. After you have successfully removed your fish from your spear, make sure to put your fish on the stringer, and reload your gun. There will be more fish coming your way. (They will be attracted to the distress your injured fish has put out in the water.)

You should always aim an inch behind the eye on the lateral line of the fish. This will instantly paralyze the fish and render it incapacitated. In the scenario that you happen to shoot a nice fish in a non-lethal spot, the fish will be thrashing around vigorously on the end of your spear. In this situation, remove your knife and stick the fish in the head. You can also cut the fish’s throat. Stick the knife under the throat and cut from the gills in a downward motion toward the chest plate. If you are swimming in an area where sharks are present, you must use good judgement. If sharks are moving in very quick and sporadic movements, then I would suggest relocating to another area. If a shark swims at you in an aggressive manner, it is very important that you be aggressive towards it and stand your ground. In this case, try to strike the shark in the eye. If a shark gets poked in the eye, it will usually retreat immediately. Do not swim away fast; rather try and keep your heart rate down and keep your eyes peeled. If you stay calm and keep your eyes out, you will see the shark coming at you before he tries to attack and you will be able to react appropriately to defend yourself.

Another way to attract fish is by shooting other small fish or picking up various types of sea creatures you see to use as bait. (You can use tropical bait, conch, crab, and lobster heads, which is the best.) Take the fish off the tip of your shaft and rip it into pieces, and set it on the bottom. If it is a shellfish, then try and break the shell and dig the meat out to lay on the ocean floor. Kick some sand up to create a fog, and be ready. This is basically chumming underwater. Remember that you can use anything for chum– sea urchins, small fish, crabs, and many others; so be creative. Sometimes it takes a while, but it works. (The best time to chum is at incoming or outgoing tides. You can tell by looking at water lines on docks. Compare the water level to the water line on the dock or seawall or a jetty, and you will know if the tide is high or low. Try and locate a rock or something underwater that you can hide behind and be stealthy. You can try wearing camouflage or anything else long sleeve that will help you blend in and break up the shape of your body lines. Long sleeves will also protect your arms from reef rash if you brush up on the rocks.

If times are real bad and you don’t feel comfortable being seen in the daylight, then you can also try and locate a dock or other area that has a bright light that shines out into the water. In the area where the light is shining there will be bait fish on top of the water there. The bigger fish will be on the bottom watching the smaller ones. Even if you don’t see them take my word for it, they are there; they are waiting for their dinner. Be stealthy, move slowly, and take care of business.

TURTLES / CATFISH

My grandfather ran trot lines all through the year, when I was just a boy. He loved catfish and fresh water turtles. He claimed that turtle, or “cooter” as it is known by the Seminoles, was the best meat in the everglades. It is soft, tender, and sweet. There are a variety of turtles (box, alligator snapping, and softshell to name a few) in freshwater lakes, ponds, canals, and streams, and they are all great eating. My uncle and I always ran trot lines when we went camping. You can run them in salt or fresh water. They can also set them underwater while spearfishing.

You can always bet on a good meal when you have a line baited right in the proper location. A “trot line” as it is called by the Florida natives is nothing more than a gator catch line with some minor differences. It is made using monofilament line (fishing line) and a few small hooks spaced out about every 8-12 inches. They are very simple to make and will yield fresh meat on a regular basis. All you need to do is take a 15 ft. length of monofilament fishing line and tie a small weight at one end. Next, you will need to tie some small treble hooks or small single hooks every 8 inches in a span of 12 feet. Remember the innards of the seagulls and pigeons or anything else that you caught and saved? This is where they come in. After you retrieve those inner organs you saved, simply cut small portions of them and bait all of the hooks on your trot line. Drop your baited line in the area you intend to fish, and tie the end to a strong stick, root, branch, or anything else that is stationary. You are going to want to conceal it, like you did the gator catch line. After your line is secure, it is best to make sure some of the hooks with the bait are on the bottom of the lake bed and some of the hooks are shallow enough to attract turtles and allow them to get to it. All of the hooks should be submerged. Once you have your trot line positioned right where you want it, take some (but not all) remnants of your innards and throw them in the water around the area that your trot line is located. This will draw the catfish into your area and will guarantee you some positive results. If you still have some innards left, you may want to run another line in another location, preferably somewhere a little ways away. If you don’t want to fish in another location, then bury your innards in your airtight container close to your trot line. This way you won’t have to go far if you choose to rebait your line the following day. Never let your lines go unattended longer than two days. It is preferable to set them in the late afternoon and check them two hours after the sun is up.

Remember you want to fish in different locations so that you don’t wipe out your resource. Give your little hunting ground the proper time to recuperate and reproduce so you can count on a successful bounty in the future. You are going to need it.

To clean a catfish, simply cut off the head and throw the body in the skillet with some oil to fry. The fish will move around for a while even when they are cooking, so don’t be alarmed. They are very good eating and go great with grits.

To clean or process a turtle, you are going to need to euthanize him first. The best way to do this is to shoot or strike him in the head. In order to do this, you will need to set him on the ground first. Step behind the turtle and wait for him to stick his head out. Once the turtle emerges, it is time to strike. Do not do this if it is a soft shell turtle; they are very fast, will run away, and you will never catch it. You can recognize soft shell turtles because they have a long pointy beak and their shells are low to the ground. To euthanize a soft shell, you will need to improvise using a spear or a knife. Be creative but humane. This animal is giving up its life for yours. Be curious, and make it as pain free as possible for the animal.

Turtles are tough to clean, so I’m going to share with you the way my uncle and I always did it. First is to build a fire and get some good coals working. (Make sure the coals are flat.) Next, simply set the turtle on the coals, and let it cook for about 40 minutes or until the meat is tender. (The larger the turtle, the longer the cook time that is required.) As the turtle cooks, the meat will slowly start to sag outside of the shell. Poke it with a stick and when the meat is coming off the bone you know it is ready. The inner parts of the turtle take a little longer to fully cook, so remember to give it enough time on the fire before pulling it off the flame. Eat around the innards and don’t be afraid. The meat is spectacular, and once you have put it in your mouth you won’t be thinking about anything else but the next bite. (Remember to save your turtle innards; they are an excellent bait for alligators, even after they have been cooked.)

On a final note I would like to point out that there are always small grass shrimp and mollusks that live just on the edges of whatever water source you are fishing. They can be caught by sweeping a small net about an inch below the surface at the water line where the water grass grows. These little shellfish are an excellent bait for bluegills and bass and can also be used on your trot line, if you don’t have innards.

RACCOONS / OPPOSSUMS

Opossums and raccoons can be found in almost every neighborhood in the country. Although they are not considered a viable food source to people nowadays, the old “Florida Crackers” felt otherwise. In fact, opossums were the land meat of choice to most of the old timers. Eating opossums was the norm for my grandparents; it was something to look forward to. Because opossums are scavengers and not hunters, they tend to move slowly and don’t require the need to move fast. They lack the dense muscle tone that predator animals poses. This makes their meat extremely tender. Opossums usually freeze when they encounter anything that poses a threat to them. This is where the term “playing opossum” came from, and it makes them a very easy animal to catch.

Raccoons on the other hand are less timid and tend to move quicker. Their meat is tougher than an opossum and a bit strong in taste. However, anything can be made to taste good with the right seasoning and preparation. The rule of thumb is “the stronger the animal tastes, the longer the cooking time that is required.” (Raccoons are best stewed. They can also be cut into small nuggets, pounded with a hammer, and then deep fried. My grandfather used to soak the meat in milk for several hours before cooking.)

Now that you have met the opossum and the raccoon, let’s learn how to catch them. A dead fall trap is one of the easiest traps to make. The Seminoles have used this same technique for centuries. All you need to do is dig a hole five feet deep with an opening that is larger than the animal you are targeting and taper the edges backward. You will need to shape a large circumference at the bottom and a small circumference at the top opening. This will prevent the animal from escaping once it has fallen into the hole.

The next thing you will need to do is find some very delicate branches to place on top of the hole. Place some leaves on top of the sticks and make sure that the opening blends into the surroundings. You don’t want anything to look out of place, and you shouldn’t be able to tell there is anything there once you have everything set. Make sure it is strong enough to hold your bait but delicate enough to give way immediately once your target stands over the hole. All you need to do after that is place your bait in the center of the area and wait. Be patient, and your dinner will arrive soon.

To euthanize your catch, it is best to use a gun or compound bow. If you don’t have either one, I advise you to make a spear. You will figure it out from there. You could even place sharpened spears at the bottom of the hole embedded in the sand to kill the animal right away, if you would like, but I don’t recommend this. If you delay in checking the trap and the animal spoils, then you have killed something for nothing and that is not acceptable. If the animal is alive, it guarantees you freshness when you are ready to consume it. The great thing about bait selection for these animals is they both eat most anything they can get their claws on. Raccoons do prefer fish or seafood over anything else; so remember to save your fish and turtle remains after you are done with them.

It is important also to note that both animals are usually nocturnal and will most likely get trapped at night. So make sure to check your trap every morning.

Prior to cleaning any type of scavenger animal it is best to build a fire and set the animal in the fire for three minutes fur and all. This will kill all mites, fleas, and ticks that may be on the animal. Don’t leave the animal on the fire too long but just enough to kill the unwanted creatures that may be living in the fur. Remove the animal from the fire, and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Now you are ready to proceed with the processing of your catch. Clean it the same way as a squirrel. (Think about separating the skin from the meat.)

Deadfall traps will work on many different animals, including dogs and cats. So, if and when TSHTF, do not hesitate to use them. Start digging, get your deadfall trap baited, and you’ll be eating soon enough. As a final note, dogs and cats have been eaten for years all over the world and are still considered a prime food source in many countries. Stand outside the realm of normalcy, and you will live to hunt another day.