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.

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: