Silent Hunting After The Collapse


My Horton crossbow, and my bud ‘Sampson’.

 
Pick any post-SHTF scenario. Maybe from your favorite novel or maybe from your imagination… One of the major points of post-SHTF survival is staying off the radar, staying of the ‘X’, laying low, being the gray man, blending in, keeping silent.

While many or most of you reading this may have an adequate (or more) supply of firearms, handguns, and ammunition, and while they do certainly have their crucial role in such an apocalyptic environment that we’re hypothesizing, the fact of the matter is that they go BOOM. They’re LOUD. Even where I live, which I consider to be pretty remote, I can hear the sound of gunshots from afar – sometimes echoing off the surrounding mountain slopes from a hunter, or from someone who is target practicing somewhere.

The question is, What are the alternative and more silent methods of ‘hunting’?

 
I have a feeling that this may be a somewhat overlooked subject for many. What do you have in your stack of preps that may accommodate the notion of silent weapons of the hunt?

I know what you’re saying next… “It depends on what you’re hunting”.
That is correct.

Lets keep it loose and general and lets throw out some ideas.

 
Pellet Gun (Air Rifle)
Last year I picked up this surprisingly effective ‘tool’. Not only is it fun for recreation, I was astounded as to ‘the punch’ that it packs… for what it is.
RWS Model 34 .177 Air Gun

While it’s not exactly ‘silent’ (a heck of a lot quieter than a 22-rifle!), this German air rifle will sling a .177 pellet at nearly 1000 feet per second! Excellent for small game, say out to about 30-40 yards.

Related: Break Barrel Air Rifle – Why it’s the Best for Survival & Preparedness

There are lots of less expensive pellet guns out there too, and I would recommend acquiring one of your own if you are so inclined. They’re also great fun for plinking targets. My favorite target for the pellet gun is this one, Air gun Resetting Target ;)

 
Fishing Pole & Gear
If hunting for food, you can’t get much quieter than fishing. Not everyone has a body of water nearby, however if you do – you should not overlook learning how to ‘fish’. It’s another recreation that is not only enjoyable (in my opinion anyway) but it can put food on your table.

It’s difficult to recommend any one ‘setup’ because there are seemingly more fishing rods and reels available than grains of sand on the beach. Same goes for lures and bait and all other sorts of accessories. I have a handful of various rods and reels, many with their own purposes (fresh water, salt water, fly fishing, ultralight, etc..) and that’s part of the fun with this hobby.

Note: I like the notion of a collapsible fishing pole – great for easy carry in a pack, etc..

 
Bow & Arrow
Now this tool is truly a silent hunter! The Compound Bow can be a very manageable, powerful, and very quiet method to acquire game.

Within the archery category, there’s this thing called a Crossbow ;) which can be lots more powerful (certain models) than a typical compound bow. For example I happen to have a Horton ‘Legend SL’ which has a draw of 165 pounds (I use a hand-crank tool!) and is amazingly powerful. And silent.

Archery is a recreation that I plan to spend more time with while going into the future…

 
Okay I’ve listed a few silent hunter tools. Lets hear from you and your added suggestions:

55 Comments

  1. Suppressors are my choice, My 10/22 all you hear is the bolt in the heavier cal. 5.56 7.62 you still hear the crack from the sonic boom but are very hard to figure out where they come from. I know your going to say it’s two hundred dollars for the tax stamp and they know you have it. But in a SHTF who cares, would rather be able to take game from 200 yards than 50. and I know they are expensive. Just saying

    1. Get on your federal congress critter to support the H.R.3799 – Hearing Protection Act of 2015 introduced in the 114th Congress (2015-2016). That will move suppressors to just an ATF form 4473. An alternative is learn to trap/snare, of course snares only work up to deer sized critters.

  2. If possible, you may be able to use a suppressor in addition (if it’s legal where you live). Using a normal bow and arrow is pretty hard unless you’re pretty practiced (unless it’s a crossbow). I’m still trying to get the whole hunting thing down with a gun… :D

  3. Baited stationary traps or baited cage traps.

    If you apply for and pass an ATF/FBI background check for the purpose of acquiring a supressor of a larger caliber firearm.

    I feel the latter will come in handy for much more than game hunting after we experience the upcoming SHTF events!!

    Hoping everyone has a safe and Happy Christmas!

    1. A bolt action or lever action .22 and subsonic rounds or make a silencer from off the shelf threaded adapter and an oil filter. Can’t use iron sights unless you’ve got an AR with with old school sights integrated into a carry handle. But a scope can see over a small oil filter.

  4. We have a break barrel pellet gun w/scope and the pellet leaves the barrel at 1200 FPS. We feed quail and turkeys to bring them in within 50′. Next project is to build a deer feeder out of 4″ PVC that will be 50′ from our deck. We are trying to develop feeding patterns for game that brings them in closer. A crossbow may be on the horizon for game and intruders as well. We also have fishing gear since we live on a year round stream.

    Since I am a seasoned citizen I am not inclined to hike up and down the hillsides for meat, my focus is to bring them to me. I guess you could say I am into energy conservation, mine.

    1. @Bluesman,
      I have an uncle, he is 91, he built a small shed, has the deer feeder going, has a motion sensor that turns a light on in the shed, has a shooting port, gets out of the cot (with heater) when the light goes on and checks out the feeder. Also has a couple of trail cameras wireless to his laptop and gets real time images on the deer trails. All this in his back yard, he does live in the boondocks so no neighbor issues. All legal, at 91 go for it.

    2. Put Peanut Oil on the pellets and they will fire as hard as a 22 short or harder. The extra energy comes from the dieseling of the oil. You may be able to get 2000fps.

      1. Depending on the design of your pellet rifle dieseling can damage it and, if SHHTF (the first ‘H’ is for has), repair parts will have become mythological. It’s up to you of course but in a SHHTF scenario I believe you should balance the value of an improvisation against the risk to the tool.

  5. Just Google napa fuel filter suppressor for your 10/22. Buy all the parts needed to build. Then when shtf occurs you can assemble / build it in an hour or two. Owning the parts are not illegal but building a suppressor is so just keep them on hand for when the time comes.

    Cheers!

  6. I don’t think that anyone is going to be doing a lot of hunting. Even here in Wyoming where there are 3 times as many pronghorn as people, the animals will be hunted out soon. People will come from high population areas to the place where the deer and antelope play (here) and will start killing the wildlife and the cattle. Most are not hunters and won’t know how to harvest the meat. They will probably be on foot and will just cut off a leg and carry that off, leaving the rest to spoil.

    If I were younger and had more money, I would look for a home in the woods where I could have a flock of chickens (or goats or ducks or rabbits.) I think that if you don’t own your own groceries, you will soon find the shelves empty.

    1. Daisy, that’s why I am working on propagating my chickens, figure at some point that may be pretty important, can keep a couple hens for the eggs and the rest will be for laying and sitting nests, winner winner chicken dinner!

  7. wrist rocket. Takes some practice but ammo is stones if you run out of ball bearings. Snares and small traps are great also,pellet gun in .177 and .22 cal. Blow gun. I have all of these.

    1. keep slingshots and repair parts in stock – especially if pre-teens will possibly be part of your group … good starter weapons for the kids – besides small game there’ll be need for pest control of rats & mice ….

  8. Also check into bowfishing if you have a boat or your shorelines allow it. Seems to be much quicker to pick and shoot, vs. waiting for fish to find your line attached bait.

    Pellet guns – very good call. Try to keep in mind that any projectile breaking the speed of sound will have a pretty good signature, regardless of powder burner or not. The old air gun hunting mantra was “.22 for fur, .177 for feathers”. And the lowly pneumatic pump is great for short range vermin killing. Faster pellets could hurt items in background – a single pump from the Benjamin 397 / 322 will kill mice just fine.

    Traps and snares – learn as much as you can about this now, while information is still easy to glean.

    Thanks for the article.

  9. We don’t plan on too much successful hunting in a collapse-future due to the desperation of others. I feel that hunting will turn into a scrounger’s free-for-all with ignorant gun-toting folks who don’t understand how to position a shot or how to go for a kill shot. I hope others take into account how aggressive many will become when ‘hunting’ while desperate.

    Well stick to our place, on our own property. We have a stream and already have a decent wildlife population. We are prepared to protect our own. Perimeter strength will increase if there is a collapse but for now, only fencing, signage, terrain, and the decency of neighbors keeps trespassers out. I know that all but one neighbor is or will be vigilant of trespassers in a collapse-future so we’ll have a protective grid around us.

    At our place, we’d use a gun, bow, or attempt to trap. Choice and components can get guns quieted down. ‘Nuf said.

    I’ve been an archer since I was a teen but only w/ a longbow. Am looking at compound bows now but will wait til after Christmas to make a purchase. I’m actually pretty excited to work w/ one.

    Neither of us know how to trap but are venturing into this for small game. I’ve priced some of the necessary wire and done some reading but have not configured any actual traps for creatures in the woods. I don’t count trapping critters in our have-a-heart traps, although they are viable traps — that’s cheater style. lol I did price out bear traps a while back, but found they’re an expensive deterrent for humanoids so I passed. There are other humanoid traps that can be rigged for less $$.

    Both of us have fished since we were kids and both families had boats. I love fly-fishing, but my husband prefers his spinner reels. We aren’t far from a lake, creeks, or a large river. In a collapse, though, the chance of us trekking off-property for fish is slim to zero.

    In general, our idea of hunting means staying on our own property. If one person leaves to hunt, that is one less person to protect the home place. This is why we keep some livestock and why we’ve set such a long-term goal w/ our food storage.

    And today I learn that Ken is Daryl….my my…

  10. Our nephew’s teen age sons always get 1-2 elk each fall with their bows. What better prep than training your children.

  11. In this type of scenario hunting with a weapon is not a very efficient way of gaining calories. Trapping, snares, fish lines and nets are much more efficient. Small animals would be fair game such as cats, dogs, song birds, squirrels etc. Learn how to make dead fall traps, snares from common wire etc would be the best plan to acquire much needed food. The old but still very useful book by Ragnar Benson “Live Off The Land In The City And Country is an excellent reference.

    Survival: Live Off the Land in the City and Country

    The film Happy People and the original Russian film explains the dead fall trap very well where these people virtually survive with and Axe, rifle, and a lot of know how and ingenuity. Well worth watching.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1pOjj49d9Y
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbhPIK-oBvA

  12. I don’t see too much “hunting” shortly after TSHTF, there will be too much ciaos going on for the first 6-12 months, better to hunker-down and stay put, play “gray-man” or whatever ya need to do to keep away from the Sheeple that plan on “heading to the woods to survive”. Or even Uncle Joe planning on “coming to your house, you got lots”.

    Now don’t get me wrong, if Bambi happens to visit the front door, well sorry girl, your dinner with a 22LR, or Peter Cottontail hops bye, sure a .117 pellet would be quick work.

    BUT there is no way one wants to go traipsing around the “south 40” trying to avoid the other 100million violent/starving people out there “hunting”.
    On the other hand, 2+ years after the collapse, that’s different. Some snares, a “quiet” 22LR or even a 1/4 stick of C-4 at the bottom of a lake (amazingly quiet) will fill the need for “extra” supplies, and survival quite will. IF there is anything left to “hunt”.

    A lot of people believe that within 1 year, or more, most of the danger will be settling down, I disagree, for those that happen to make it that long will be even worse than immediately after a SHTF. For these will be the “survivalist” that forgot to plan for after the fighting/riots/looting/mayhem/so-on.

    Is having a quiet way to hunt a good idea, you bet it is, just make dang sure someone has your 6 when you’re out there skinning that farrow-hog and trying to haul it back to base-camp/home.

    As far as quiet, well that should be normal practice when on a hunt; I know dozens of idiots than never even see an Elk or Deer while hunting all alone get a shot off, why??? Because they act like it’s just walk out there and shoot, I have to chuckle; people have lost the “art” of hunting for sure; as well as a LOT of other ways to survive.

    I really have to laugh when I see some come to the lake just below me, setting up $10,000 worth of Duck Blinds and decoys, just to get maybe 3 shots off when a some poor old Red-Head comes for a landing… HAHAHA Ya gata love city folks with the urge to mutilate a poor 2 pound duck with 14 rounds of #2 shot..… LOLOL

    JMHO
    NRP

    1. Have a feeling my compound bow will be more useful poking holes in unwelcome two legged varmints than bambi.

    2. Fishing with C-4! Brought back memories of fishing in Vietnam with hand grenades. Very effective, not very sporting though. Most of the fish sink to the bottom and probably less than 20% come to the surface.

  13. Traps!
    Steel leg traps.
    Figure 4 trap.
    Snares.
    Large Havahart cage trap.

  14. Besides the obvious recommendations, I would use camouflaged rat traps for squirrels since the small ones work so well for the mice and voles.

    I would fish with hook and line, I would also spear fish for carp in the spring, and seine fish in creeks with a net or a fish trap. Did this a lot when I vacationed up her when young. If a dead fish is put in a trap in shallow water, it will attract snapping turtles. I caught a 70 lb snapper with a rope this way, but let it go. Mom felt sorry for the Old Snap, and wrote a poem about it.

    Dogs, if not barkers, would be handy for hunting. I had dogs that took squirrels and rabbits before and that surprised me. I took them home and ate them. Also a former boyfriend was into falconry and his hawks would take ducks, squirrels, birds, rabbits, mice, and snakes. I trained his red shouldered hawk to dive at fish in shallow water.

    I bought a blow gun and used it on an armadillo digging under my former house in Louisiana, but it only made it look like a fancy pin cushion disappearing in its tunnel. It had a long pointed wire drilled into a marble as ammo, but I never used it for “softer” game.

    I used to compete in knife and tomahawk throw splitting cards on a stump, but to be accurate, I would have to be less than 15 feet away. Still got them in a trunk and threatened an intruder with the tomahawk once.

    Some birds just freeze with a flashlight shining in their eyes on a dark night if you know where they are roosting. I grabbed a few birds this way when a kid but let them go. Also most birds, not water fowl, like black birds can be caught right after a deluge of rain because their feathers got wet and can’t fly. I had caught 2 rabbits by hand by jumping on them but mom said I couldn’t keep them because they were wild. I sure was a sneaky kid back in the day.

  15. I have a cheap pump up pellet gun that is good for rabbit or birds at very close range. I also have discovered that sub-sonic 22 in my 10-22 is just as quiet and has much better range. I live in a small town and have neighbors all around me and have never had anyone say something about the sub-sonic 22’s.

  16. While I do have a crossbow and a pellet gun I just recently purchased a .357 lever action rifle. When I load it with .38 it’s almost as quiet as a .22. I know it’s not the super quiet type of tool that the article is talking about but, it’s a nice “bang” to go in between “pop” and “boom” should the need arise.

    1. To Novice…..I shot police competition for a number of years using .38….and I don’t know what your are shooting, but none of our .38’s were quiet!!

      1. There is a noticeable difference in the noise level from a short barreled revolver with a cylinder gap and that of a sealed breach manually operated carbine length barrel, especially with loads that are subsonic [ under about 1100 fps-standard, not + p loads ].

  17. People will be hunting people as a food source.That maybe hard to wrap your head around. Never the less, it will happen. History has shown us it will happen.
    I posted here 2 months prior to the election that the SHTF.I stand by it still. There will be no peace here in the foreseeable future. The left will see to it. The right will push back against them.
    Meanwhile, the world economy is still in chaos. The bottom can fall out at anytime. My days are spent preparing and making connections with people in my area. Growing food is my focus now.Security is not an issue with my group.Building local relationships will be the key and just makes good sense anytime
    We too have all the quiet ways to hunt and kill. I have quite a few crossbows,bows and hundreds of bolts and arrows. Bought 6 Game air riflesh aND ammo.I also can and have made my own.
    I believe things are going to heat up in the new year.Already geared up for it…

  18. Quiet is the name of the game when hunting.Also movement.If you can hear yourself,you are to loud.Movements should be slow and deliberate.Watch where you walk.stepping on a twig may be the difference between dinner and track soup.I have taken many elk and dozens and dozens of deer,birds bunnies,etc.I eat well.I shoot old school with a bow,(recurve)and have a large stockpile of arrows.Quit using that many years ago,but still know how to shoot if I have to.I mainly hunt with centerfire rifles and shotguns.Good fishing gear is a must.Just remember,when all else fails,put on a hook and the old earthworm.Worms almost always catch fish.They saved me a lot of times.Good steel cable snares can be bought at many sporting goods stores,and you can buy sizes for almost any size animal.Good to have a few tucked away.Also have a few small leg traps in my shed.There probably won’t be many large animals left after a while,so think about catching the smaller ones.They taste just as good when your hungry.And learn how to grow some vegies discretely,in the warm weather.And watch your back or have someone you trust watch it when out and vice versa.anyway bla bla bla,I’m old and need a nap.Later.

  19. Fishing is my silent way to obtain meat.
    1. Fishing with a gill net requires no bait, no hooks and will catch most any fish.
    2. Fishing with a hoop net can be used with bait and they will catch most any fish.
    Both methods of fishing are completely silent and you can also check either type of fish trap in the dead of night for additional security.
    3. Craw fish traps are perfect fishing devices, silent and can also be checked in the night.

    All three methods above are used below the surface of the water and therefore are usually safe from the eyes of thieves. Thieves also make excellent fishing bait, so the rumors go.

  20. I have found excellent success with the Aguila Colibri, .22lr rounds. While they will NOT cycle any semi auto rifle or pistol, they are excellent in bolt action rifles or in a pistol if needed. They hit harder than the .177 pellets do, even out of my RWS Diana 34 air rifle, and drop vein BIG snarling raccoons like a bad habit.
    I’m not planning on SHTF hunting, unless absolutely needed, and we will use suppressed firearms “as needed”. I am certain that most wildlife will become extinct in a true SHTF scenario.(just my rather subjective opinion)
    Oh, better to acquire threaded rifle and pistol barrels now, while they are still legal, that way, you have the most important part of suppressor capability already.
    Better to have a year or two’s worth of food stocked up, that you normally eat, than have to rely on game.

  21. Several years ago a family member bagged a deer. Just as he was getting ready to gut and process the deer, three hunters showed up and claimed they had shot the deer. Being outnumbered there was nothing he could do but walk away. This is why all of our methods for procuring meat after TSHTF are silent methods. We will be utilizing traps mostly, and we will likely stick to small game. We have traps, snares, a crossbow, compound bow, and sling shot. We do have a .22 but I still think that noise from it might carry, so I will be reluctant to use it.

    The only item I have yet to procure is an air rifle. That is still on my wish list.

    Oh yes, forgot fishing as well. It has been many years since we have fished but we still know how.

    1. @Peanut Gallery,
      Your deer story, not good. If and when it all goes south, hunting will be even a scarier that it is now. People will be in the woods that should not have a firearm in their hands. Sound shooters, hear a noise and shoot. Don’t ID and fire away. Legal shooting hours will be gone, night shining deer, shadow shooters, on and on. I always went into the woods at least two hours before legal shooting time; I could hear hunters a 1/2 mile away slamming doors. Worked well since they drove all the deer to me. I can’t count how many times I would see a hunter “sneaking” through the woods and never see me. One time I saw a guy a hundred yards off sneak hunting, we waved, about 5 minutes later I saw a doe sniffing the same spot the guy had been standing, deer knew exactly where he was and went the other way. It was a yearling so I let it go. So much for outsmarting wildlife.

      Fishing, have all the gear just need new line since it gets brittle. Not just open water, ice fishing. Small lakes and ponds, good to get bass, pike, pickerel, white and yellow perch. Easy to catch a fast meal, faster than salmon or lake trout. I have the pack basket and tow a sled with the hand auger and a one person ice tent. I did the bait trapping with a nylon stocking bag that had bread in it, draws the minnows. No bait, use a jigging rig.

      Anyway, thanks for sharing the story, brought back some hunting memories.

  22. Ken, nice air rifle. The list of other air rifles is interesting. The Ruger Blackhawk Elite air rifle (break barrel, spring piston) at 1200 fps, 4x scope seems a fair price a few bucks over $100. I got mine this summer just under $100, heavy, but a deadly thing close range (40 yards). I like the muzzlebreak and need the scope. Of course, this is not endorsing or promoting this unit, just what I ended up with.

  23. As a survival method one can use fishing line and hooks laid out with bait between trees or rocks to catch birds for food. It ain’t pretty or nice but it can keep you from starving and it is quite. One could also rig a drowned slide, (a one way washer fixed on a wire from land to deep water). Trapping and snaring are more effective than hunting. Hunting is all about the right place right time; traps and snares are working 24-7. You can even rig an antler snare for bucks only. Anything can be snared from moose and bears to humans and mice. The down side of trapping is if someone knows what to look for they will know you will return to your set. Kind’a like trapping yourself.

  24. In 1976 at Eilson AFB in Alaska I went through Arctic Survival School. This was for if you survived the aircraft crash. We used .032 stainless steel safety wire AKA lock wire to make snares and how to deploy them. Snares and traps hunt 24/7 without supervision. You can buy 1 pound rolls at Aircraft Tool Supply for around 9 dollars. Then Google snare building.

  25. I do NOT recommend compound bows for LONG term survival. While they certainly are more accurate and pack more punch, you cannot use wooden arrows in them and I guarantee in a long term situation you will be forced to manufacture your own ammunition.

    I own one compound one longbow and three recurves, and while I WOULD take the compound with me in a survival situation, it would only be for the relatively short term.

    I do own a powerful slingshot and have been looking into building an atlatl and some darts as well. The atlatl is super simple, I just haven’t bothered to carve a stick into one yet.

  26. Things to consider when hunting post SHTF: Most of the so called “city hunters” will shoot at anything that moves, so be careful out there. I have hunted and still do both white-tails in TN, Alabama, mule deer in Colorado as well as Elk in Colorado, NM, Wyoming and I have seen hundreds of people that had no idea how to stalk a wild animal much less track one. They make so much noise that the only thing they see are the tracks left behind by the wild game as they leave the area – if I knew wild life could laugh that maybe the only sound those hunters would hear. I frankly don’t believe that will be a lack of animals to hunt, but we would have to work harder to find the scattered herds

  27. I am a fan of trapping over shooting for sake of obtaining protein and eliminating pests on farms, ranches and homesteads.

    In past times, I used havahart traps to remove skunks, raccoons and possums from under porches and around woodpiles. Yuppies, city people/customers would freak out if your lethal snares and deadfall traps take out their house cats and pet gerbils. I have tried and like using the Paiute deadfall over the figure 4 trap due to better trigger sensitivity for rats. (rats just seem smarter than mice and voles) Traps are nonselective. so check your line every day.

    If near a body of water, I would set out trot lines. I never had much luck using a net and it uses up a lot of line to make a net. I have tried jug fishing to remove carp and other “pest” or invasive species from an area. A series of jug set ups along a channel in a lake tended by one guy in a kayak can catch a lot of fish if they are biting. The local game warden used to eye me with suspicion when he saw that I had a lot of hooks, spools of line and a bunch of gallon jugs from drinking water saved within my garage.

    If you have archery tackle, You should get the gear to repair your arrow fletching. I am talking about a fletching tool/vise along with a healthy supply of glue or cement to attach the fletching to the shaft. Archery requires practice and you will damage your arrows in practice alone.

    I did not like having a bow that was set too strong. For everything short of deer and bears, I used a draw weight of 40 to 45 lbs using Savora broadheads on Easton aluminum shafts and 125 grain weight field tips to practice and hunt with. I also used Zwicky Judo tips when shooting at rabbits in tall grass. (prevents the arrow from sliding along the ground in event that you miss and you will miss.) New arrows were purchased about 1x per year along with extra nocking points, glue and replacement field tips, judo tips and broadheads.

    I used a PSE 2 wheel compound bow (a relatively simple bow with low maintenance requirements) to discreetly remove coyotes from suburban neighborhoods at the urging of city council and clear communication with the Police and Sheriff departments.

    Go to a bow shop in your area. People are friendly generally. Successful bowhunters are different than rifle shooters in that we all have humility. To get that close to an animal in its own backyard requires a good deal of luck in addition to all the mad skills and doe urine that you put on the bottom of your boots.

    Just remember that Rambo is a movie but Sly Stallone also sold a lot of bows and big knives too.

  28. PS ; Longbows and recurves will always be faster than compound bows out there. One should know this prior to buying their first compound bow which can cost as much as a good rifle these days.

    1. Trot lines can be difficult to set as most of them are a hundred feet or so long, simple solution is to cut them to shorter lengths and make multiple sets. Flake the line on the ground so that the hooks won’t tangle by making S-curves in the line. Use an easy underhand toss to get the weighted end out 30 or 40 feet. Maybe use a pound or so of weight. A rock is fine as sinkers will be costly and better saved for melting onto other things. Most trot lines are tied to a convenient branch or a stake. To easy for others to find. Tie a length of heavy clear monofilament line to the shore end and stake it underwater but in easy reach. check frequently if turtles are in the area or you will find yourself harvesting fish heads. Same with crabs if using in salt or brackish water. Look on eBay for affordable lines and change search from best match to ones with free shipping for the best buy

  29. Greetings, Everyone,

    Thankful for the weekend and to hear how everyone is doing…
    We’ve got a slushy mess of weather right now…snow, freezing rain, swinging temps…glad to be home today…

    One of our barn cats Alpha (a 3 1/2 month kitten has gone, haven’t seen him for a week) At least we got him fixed, hoping someone found him and adopted him (hoping) There are a number of farms around here…
    Still have 4 who live in and around our barn…
    “Blue Star” (3 /2 month old kitten is my special little friend)

    Earlier in 2016, we started reading together as a family again. Depending on the book, sometimes it’s just me and my DDs. Anyway, we are reading a book about life after an EMP. It is geared for a teen audience but we all like it. It has fostered some great discussions…

    We have an old home-a small old “salt box” built over 110 years ago- nothing fancy but sturdy. It was so cozy to sit near the wood stove with its radiant warmth, while my daughters busily created art in their sketchbooks, hubby relaxed, and I read…very thankful for simple yet rich blessings

    Living and growing on this homestead with the animals and nature, continues to be a doorway to the healing and mending of my soul. There is a peaceful connection that transpires when I survey the flora and fauna that surrounds. When I open the barn door, it is as if I enter Narnia…I begin conversing with the sheep and cats, and I eagerly listen to what they say in return…even the barn swallows have a timely message to share…

    Though pains and hardships are plenty in this life, and some of us here are in recovery or still in the thick of things, my hope and prayer for us is to find- to know- even one good thing today to be a source of focus, pleasure, peace, hope….May it be well with you and for you today…

    Remembering you in prayer Sandismom (hugs)

    Good Shepherd’s Love be to you…

  30. Bad idea – explosive in bore can damage seals. Search internet for facts.

  31. If you only shoot once, no one can tell where is came from. But, they will home in on a second shot.

    BI

    1. @ Big Iron

      If yar doing it right, it should only take one dhot. Than move.

      JMHO
      NRP

  32. Frog gigging
    Fish spearing.
    I once speared a four-pound catfish which was swimming slowly in the shallows, feeding. And of course frogs are always plentiful.

  33. In my opinion, a .22 is hard to beat because of the variety of ammunition types available – cb shorts or longs at 700 fps to stingers etc at around 1600 fps. I have quietly dispatched about 40 or so pests around the garden and house this summer with cb’s that are no louder than a pellet rifle but hit hard with a 29 grain bullet. My longest shot was an instant kill on a groundhog [ woodchuck to you Americans ] at 75 paces through a scope. Suppressors are also easily improvised especially for lower pressure rounds like the .22 rim fire and handgun caliber long arms. Air guns are definitely good to have but can be affected by cold temperatures and humidity. I also believe what many others have said about larger game quickly becoming scarce and being easily spooked by over hunting. Although I can usually shoot fairly good groups with my recurve bow the real trick is not alerting the game with the movement of the draw or the approach to get close enough. This is a definite advantage of a crossbow which is cocked and ready and with a more effective range.

    1. I’m a true believer of crossbows. Used my ten point to bring down a 5 point buck last year. This year while sighting in my bow, I was 2 inches left of bulls eye. After making corrections, I was almost dead center. My third just to check shot went half way up the bolt of the second shot. Never seen anything like it. Ruined two good bolts but talk about a trophy to hang on the wall.

      1. The accuracy of the crossbow will totally warp your mind when you start using one.

  34. As some have mentioned, sub-sonic 22LR ammo is a good option. If you can find some of the Gemtech “silencer” subsonic 22LR ammo, grab it! It’s one of the very few subsonic 22’s that will reliably cycle semi-auto firearms. I’ve put a LOT of these through an M&P 15-22 with zero failures. Quiet enough to shoot in a small room with no hearing protection and with a can all you hear is the bolt cycling.

    1. CCI Quiet ammunition is also very effective without needing a silencer attachment. You can gather quite a bit of it for the same cost as the silencer and security check requird to own one. This ammunition is about air rifle quiet (doesn’t go *bang* – it goes *snap*. Velocity is claimed to be approximately 710 fps. Great for city dwellers where nosy neighbors can make life disagreeable.

      Also do searches on using rat traps for food procurement – a lot of good videos and articles on using these. Very versatile, compact, light and pretty inexpensive compared to steel traps.

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