Has anyone been on a survival bowhunt (on perpose)? Its been something Ive always wanted to do. I think it would be neat to get a few trad guys togeather every year for a annual 3 day "survival" bow hunt ! Any SW Va (or anyone else) guys up for that ?
My son and I have done it before and it is fun. We ate woodchucks, caught trout with sticks and line and even ate chipmunk before. You can get hungry but it really makes you concentrate on your shot when it comes! We only used flint & steel for fires but that's no big deal. The hardest ones are in the winter with no man made shelters along and game really thin.
I'm not in your area, but I'd be interested sometime. I haven't done it but have thought about it. I have been mighty hungry in the past a time or two, but not on a bowhunting/fishing trip.
Spent the night in Green's swamp one time after blood trailing a doe. Granted this was not "on purpose" but it was just as fun. Backstraps roasting on a open fire while the yotes / red wolves howled half the night. Not hard to imagine what life was like here 300 years ago.
Hey Longbowman, My Dad took me an my brother on a little survival trip down French creek from waterford to cambridge springs in 1964. Eight miles by road and three days by boat, what a great time we had hunting frogs an fishin an camping. Thanks for bringin back some old time memorys. Later Bob Wonder how long it would taken us to get to Meadville d:^)
I would really like to do something like that but I'm a little far away.
I'd love to do something like that. Might get real hungry though the way I shoot. Lol!
I'd be interested, depending on when and where. Sam Fadala used to write stories in TBM about his survival hunts in the SW US.
I went on a 7 day jungle survival trip in the Amazon Basin of Peru. We lived off of everything we could find in the jungle. One strange things is that the natives did not want to eat the large bullfrogs we found. But they would kill and eat a 18 inch caiman croc.We did all of the real hunting at night while we floated down the river.
I have often thought to myself before I went to the woods "I'm not hungry enough " To make the difference in my hunts .
I think it would make you really focus .
Carl
Nathan I'd be very interested in doing a survival bowhunt. I'm between Richmond & Charlottesville. Send me a PM....
Have thought about it in the past,and has been thrown around in conversation with several hunting partners but never done it.I bet its a hell of an experience...
I would love to do something like this, I am the furthest south out of everyone so far.
Whatever state is picked to do this in...I guess you would have to purchase the respective license...I know losts of states now have some really complex lottery/tag systems (really sad by the way that hunting has come to that) that would come into play with this idea I assume?
They way I shoot, it sounds like a new idea for the "Biggest Loser" T.V. show!
Sounds like there is deffinatly plenty of interest ! Lets keep this thread going and see what happens. It would even be cool to document it on video, see just how desperate a man would get (and what he might eat)! Ha !
It's alot of fun guys and I would be willing to help out in anyway I can. I think I will do one this spring and test out some new stuff I have and some I need to make.
Tracy
I would be interested in doing this. I love to camp and hunt. To date I have not killed anything but I am willing to give it a go. I do have some fat reserves, so I could last a while or maybe not. (:
Martin
I have been wanting to do this for some years now. One of these days I'll make it happen. Been thinking about it lots since hunting season ended. Wish you lived near to here!
I might be able to get the land ( 100 acres ) to use in Virginia, if that is enough, unless your going to a state park.
Sounds like a great way to lose weight...LOL
Actually it sounds like a lot of fun...good idea given the weather is nice.
QuoteOriginally posted by Nathan Killen:
Sounds like there is deffinatly plenty of interest ! Lets keep this thread going and see what happens. It would even be cool to document it on video, see just how desperate a man would get (and what he might eat)! Ha !
You'd be suprised, I've done it back in the 80's with my Dad, I'd love to have that experience with my children but I have all girls & none "of age" that seem intrested in hunting.
I'd love to join you but this year so far looks to be a hard one for me to not have something sceduled, but I'll keep this in mind if I find some open time in my future.
When I was younger,me and my friend how lived be side me. Went on a a bunch survial trips but with out the bow used snares and fishing pole made gigs,fish traps,shelters. Not bad if you stay along a creek.
If you do learn to snare or set some dead falls and gig.It's hard to build a torch that last while giging.With just a bow that be alsome. We were teen agers and never though of that.Even though we bow hunted.
Went to a survial bow making class once. USED ALL STONE TOOLS. The teacher was impressed. I did'nt tell him untill later that I built selfbows.
Here in Virginia a non resident license is cheap ($107. for big game & archery add $31. for 6 more bonus antlerless deer tags). No draw all over the counter.
with the hunting license you get at least 5 deer, 3 turkeys and a bear plus small game. I know of several places in the mountains (Blue Ridge) that are wilderness areas and are designated as such. One spot is probably 20 sq. miles if not more of nothing but woods.
It is very rugged terrain and would no doubt test ones abilities. I would be more than happy to host such a hunt.
Sounds like there would be enough VA guys there with big game licenses that us out of staters could just get a small game license and kill the appetizers.
I and good friend did this once with a bag of rice, a pot and a box of matches for a week. Its fun and you would be surprised what goes good with rice.
I'm going to be scout Sam Houston National Forest soon and when I find some good spots I want to do a week long hunt like this... Doing it W/O bringing in any food. Just hunt and fish for food..
I believe they are going to do a three part series on Backland tv doing a primitive archery survival hunt. I think they went a week, and only ate what hey could kill and collect. Should be an interesting couple of shows.
Well sounds good paleface ! I say lets do it ! We have plenty of time to work out the details. I think october would be the best month. And madness522 has a good point, out of staters could just get smallgame license. I think it would be cool to have a area large enough that we could be droped off at one point and take a few days to hunt through and be picked up at another desination. I think somewhere in the Blue ridge would probably be large enough !
There was another article 12-15 years ago in TBM or PA, where two guys did this in NM. They had the opportunity to kill a black bear but didn't because they knew their trip would thus be over.
My point is, if you go into it thinking "big game" you are probably going down the wrong path to what you SAY you are trying to do and what offers you the best way to keep going, small stuff and plants.
Good point Steve ! We would have to have a plan if biggame of somesort was taken. Guys better be REALLY hungry !
I would have to get some type of book and readup on what plants were eatable in our area.
Its alot of fun, did one back in 02 in the Devils Backbone wilderness area in southern Missouri. Went 18th century only a wool blanket and what we could carry in our haversack.
So what do you guys consider a survival hunt??
Lots of different ways to do it! :campfire:
Tracy
We were taken by motorboat a coule of hours up one river. Then got in a dug out canoe with just fishing gear, bow and arrows,and spears. There were three of us in a one man canoe. The area hunter, Marseal, the interpetor Pedro and myself. The idea was for Marseal to teach my about surviving in the jungle. We would paddle up stream and I would fish. We would stop along the way and forage for differant types of nuts and food. In the evening before dark we would stop to forage for more food and eat the fish. After dark is when we started the serious hunting. Marseal would use an old metal flashlight wires to underwear elastic. I had a Headlamp. As we were paddling up stream we took turns spearing fish and caiman. While Marseal were up front I spotted a large bullfrog, Marseal had no intent to spear it. Pedro said they do not eat them. I told him I DID!!!. they handed me the spear and I harveted the frog. After several hours paddling up stream we would turn around and start the serious big game hunting with the bow. Now we can float quietly downstream and loof for Javalina, Tapur, capubarro. And anything else they told me to shoot. This went on for 7 days. I did spear a 5 foot Caiman croc. But no big game. I have hard pictures but do not know how to scan and post. I did have a Palm bow made and several differant types of arrows and arrow heads made along the way.
Capt: Those are some awesome stories, please keep tellin' them!
That would be fun. I pretend to be doing that most of the time out in the wilderness. Be more fune to do it with others. Bowhunting is not only for big game.
Nathan, i have just the spot. I would be willing to host it and take care of all the logistics. Since I have been hunting this area for 40 years I could set everything up. The area is big enough for 100 + bowhunters so having a survival hunt with around 10 would be perfect.
It's laid out perfect with good boundary/landmarks on all sides to prevent getting out of the wilderness area. If one of the hunters needed :scared:
There is plenty of small game to include squirrels, grouse, ground hogs, beaver, fox and birds.
October is perfect. I have the "Rough Mountain Rendezvous" set for Oct. 22 through Oct. 30 of this year. The fall colors are rocking and the weather is usually in mid 40's to high 50's during the day and night time temps can get down close to freezing.
I am willing to set this hunt up if we get enough folks committed to do it. I can set up a nice base camp for those that don't want to do the survival part. let's see what kind of interest we get on it....
Paleface, that sounds like a awesome plan & who knows I may even be able to set asside some time to do this since it would be around October.
Since none of my present friends do this kind of hunt( wheely shooters ), I have been busy for the last couple of months setting myself up for a light wilderness type bivy hunt, picking up various camping supplies, so if you guys don't mind having a dang yankee come along I'll be up for it.
Thanks
I've always wanted to do this, you guys are getting me fired up. Just called my hunting partner and he signed on immediatly. (maybe thats why we hunt together) We will be doing this in the fall on one of our elk hunts in the San Juan mtns. I'm thinking 3 days with nothing but our clothes, bows, and survival gear we can carry in our pockets. We have stayed out over night, built a shelter and fire at 11,000' in November. All because we didnt want to walk the 2 miles back to the truck after I killed an elk late in evening (rifle, it was the last year before I took up the bow). The tenderloins were delicious by the way. This is the obvious next step I suppose. Will have to be after Sept 1 so grouse season is open too. Can't wait! I will of course keep a journal and share stories.
Paleface, I will send you a PM this week ! Im getting pumped about this and so is my hunting buddy. Nathan