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Survival, Hunting, fishing, subsistence Living


Seshi

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I'm interested in learning these skills, taking in information a lot, but rarely have the occasion to use them.

Getting my hunting license for this coming season, to at least start hunting for a bit of our meat. I live in NC (USA), on the coast, plenty of fishing opportunities, and duck hunting, turkey, deer and feral pig hunting. But I wish I lived in the mountains instead. Hopefully we will move there after we sell our house.

Right now I can't do as much until my daughter gets to be at least 4, so I've got a couple more years til we can be fishing again, and taking her on the hunt.

Anyone else interested in this lifestyle? What are your favorite aspects of this type of living? What do you like to do?

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Well, I used to bow hunt, which allows you to hunt longer in NC (earlier sometimes too) but has a minimum pound (must use a bow with a minimum of 35lbs pressure I think...been a while). You can always go to a range and practice shooting (you never want to maim. Always kill. Aiming is important.) Or if you are dieing to go to the mountains take a weekend hunting up there. Lots of bears in the mountains if you are into that...very dangerous to hunt. I'd rather hunt feral pigs...they can gore you but not if you're in a tree... 

 

Keep fishing while you can :) or learn to SCUBA dive and spearfish. I know a great instructor ^_^

 

I myself am interested in that lifestyle but more in the crafting side. 

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I love venison it is very yummy. I make deer jerkey from time to time. I am not into hunting though personally just not something I wish to do. I do however have no problem with people hunting for subsistence its a part of gunman culture, and once it was required to survive. I do nnot however support hunting for sport the idea of killing something for fun disgusts me. I do realize that a good portion of those kills are later sold to a meat market, but that dose not change the fact that someone is out there basically killing for fun.

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@Beocat Scuba terrifies me 🤣 My worst fear is drowning. I have a friend that I used to gig flounder with and I got pretty good at it. Now I need my own John boat & light set up.

I just bought my hubby a 40lb recurve bow for Christmas so he can hunt deer, he used to own a long bow as a child & missed the feeling of shooting a bow. It's too much for me to handle presently. I'd need to work up to the poundage and learn proper form. I'd love to learn to make my own arrows.

I was in the Marine Corps for 4 years & an expert marksman with the M16. I know my skill is high enough for hunting with a rifle, but I do need to practice with my new shotgun before turkey season opens.

My greatest challenge has been finding private land to hunt, since I'm new to the area and to hunting I don't have many country folk in my contacts.

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1 minute ago, Seshi said:

@Beocat Scuba terrifies me 🤣 My worst fear is drowning. I have a friend that I used to gig flounder with and I got pretty good at it. Now I need my own John boat & light set up.

I just bought my hubby a 40lb recurve bow for Christmas so he can hunt deer, he used to own a long bow as a child & missed the feeling of shooting a bow. It's too much for me to handle presently. I'd need to work up to the poundage and learn proper form. I'd love to learn to make my own arrows.

I was in the Marine Corps for 4 years & an expert marksman with the M16. I know my skill is high enough for hunting with a rifle, but I do need to practice with my new shotgun before turkey season opens.

My greatest challenge has been finding private land to hunt, since I'm new to the area and to hunting I don't have many country folk in my contacts.

Dang you are suiting up for a real outdoorsy lifestyle. Making arrows and then hunting with them would be a great idea I imagine its a bit cleaner then hunting by fire arm. A bit less clean up from what I understand. Mind you I am no expert though I am a history nerd so I like learning about hunting in that respect. 

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@ArchieKun Ive also got wilderness survival guides and the southeastern guide to edible plants. Need to go use them 🤣 They've been collecting dust. But I think I'll start taking my daughter out and we can use it for some fun outings together to learn new things.

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2 minutes ago, Seshi said:

@ArchieKun Ive also got wilderness survival guides and the southeastern guide to edible plants. Need to go use them 🤣 They've been collecting dust. But I think I'll start taking my daughter out and we can use it for some fun outings together to learn new things.

Sounds like one hell of an adventure. I am very interested in herbs as medicine. I cook with them, and use them a lot in tea. Its amazing how healthy one can be when they adopt a diet rich with spices, and herbs. I am not much of a red meat person except for deer on occasion. Though I know you mentioned duck earlier which is amazing in jerkey, or even as flees/breast

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I don't approve of hunting to be honest  ( So if this offends anyone here of my beliefs. I apologize I'm not here to argue or debate  ) and just feel if you absolutely need to do it for a good reason for survival / life and death situation then I have no problem with it. As well providing for a family in need of food to help them out. Otherwise I really do not like it or approve. If you do hunting then you can do what you want since that is your right and life. I can still respect you but I really don't want to be around that at all or you if you do it. 

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@HanaApril I have friends and family with similar views. I just want you to know that although there are rotten hunters out there that kill or maim for sport, and don't care for the environment in the least or the creatures that inhabit it. The hunters I admire respect and maintain the old way of life, wishing to preserve natural resources, and provide ideal environments for the growth of different species and respectfully harvest them as a part of the circle of life. Hunting, when done properly, is by far the most humane way to take an animal for food. Not to mention they are healthier when harvested in he wild.

Shopping at supermarkets and fast food chains are the real hinderences to nature and harmful to the animals and environment when we allow our food to be mass produced in tight quarters not allowing animals to live their natural lives, and only live to be slaughtered.

So I can agree to an extent that not all hunters respect wildlife, those are usually poachers. Real hunters take care of the environment and wish to hunt humanely.

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5 hours ago, Seshi said:

I was in the Marine Corps for 4 years & an expert marksman with the M16. I know my skill is high enough for hunting with a rifle, but I do need to practice with my new shotgun before turkey season opens.

My greatest challenge has been finding private land to hunt, since I'm new to the area and to hunting I don't have many country folk in my contacts.

This sounds so weird to a European ear 😂 I know guns are quite popular in the US and you also have a strong culture build around it in some of the US states, so it seems normal to you. But in Europe where people like me literally only know no one or one single person who owns firearms (a relative who is a police officer in my case), this sounds like something out of a movie. It's like I'd say how I just bought another company after the three others last week went broke. Not impossible but something you usually only see in movies. Not trying to make a value judgment, because the topic is kinda complicated (with different interests having to be weighed against each other), just trying to say what it sounds like to me.

Suffice it to say I can't add anything meaningful to this topic 😂

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@Seshi That's really too bad. SCUBA is one of the safest sports out there, but if you have anxiety about drowning, it definitely isn't for you. Bow hunting is fun and takes a lot of skill. I'd suggest getting a compound bow where you can dial the poundage way back to learn your aim and form.  Then as you get stronger and more confident in your aim you can set the poundage higher. As for hunting, try the national forests. Check it out. You still have restrictions as to where and what you can hunt but they are public game lands. 

 

@HanaApril I understand your feelings on the matter. However, the modern expansion of humanity has reduced the predator population and created way too much space that deer thrive in. This has led to a population explosion in the deer population.  When this happens, it is easier for the weak and sick to survive, weakening the population with each successive generation. Hunting isn't necessarily about killing, but more about responsible population control and I guarantee you the population is out of control. She's hunting to eat at the very least. Not hunting for a head to mount on the wall. A good hunter respects their prey and gives thanks for the life. It is honorable, not shameful. And believe me when I say, NC Wildlife officials will shut down the season or cancel one altogether if they think for a second the population is suffering. The fisheries management is downright ridiculous most years.

 

 

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@Beocat I see your point and also agree with you. I deeply apologize if I'm not knowledgeable very much about this topic, I guess it's hard for me to explain why I have my opinions about it, I thank you and @Seshi for both pointing out other reasons for why it's needed or not as bad as people think. I feel bad now a bit but again it was just thoughts on the matter. I hope I'm still alright around you two and everyone. :?

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About the survival thing I can say I have a backpack ready to go in case of any type of disaster event happened. As well if it happens which you really never know the zombies outbreak. My father got me and my sister  backpacks ready to go the last time I visited him which was last year. I was super excited for it and he also explained a lot about what was given to us inside for us to survivor in pretty much any type of situation. I am still learning about it more in books and online about these types of stuff. Even watching television shows about it as well. I still need a few more items and plan to get them soon It's just.. money is super tight for me at the moment so I have to make due on what, I have or just get things that can be useful if it's even household related items which can be used in survival as well.

You'd be surprised on what can you use and be useful in any event. So yeah I've been into this for some time now myself but it really helped when my father gave us that backpack for us since he's into it as well. He's NOT those extremists but he knows how to take care of himself and his family. Plus his father my grandpa was in the army ( WWII & Vietnam War ) so I guess you can say his father taught him a few things growing up. God bless and rest in peace. I wish I could've still talk to my grandpa but he past a coupe years back now and suffered from serve strokes too which he could not talk at all much. Ehh.. getting off  point I apologize.  :? More or less I'm into this survival stuff. 

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@Seshi ever watched Alone? It's a survivalist show on the History channel. Has at least 5 seasons with multiple people competing. The first two and the 4th seasons are on Vancouver Island, the 3rd in Padegonia (my favorite), and the last in Mongolia. It is extremely good and you can watch it online. If you haven't caught it yet, look it up. Lots of homesteading, survival and hunting, subsistence living.  I started at season 3 and loved it. 

 

@HanaApril no worries. I too am prepared for the zombie apocalypse. Will wait out most of the carnage on the boat lol...

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@Seshi you would probably be alright scuba diving then. You always have air, should never stop breathing, and you'd be taught how to equalize pressure is your mask and ears. I'd say, try a Discover SCUBA class through s PADI instructor.  It'll teach you the bare bones basics, allow you to take a shallow guided dive, and if you feel afterwards that diving is for you, you can put the experience towards an Open Water class.  The feeling of weightlessness and freedom.  🧜‍♀️  your lungs will automatically equalize pressure while you breathe too so no crushing feeling there ;)

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I went deer hunting the year I turned sixteen, because my dad goes hunting every year and wanted me to try it. Most of it was just waiting in the cold for hours for something to show up. When my dad did get one, he ended up shooting it in the gut... helping him gut that deer was one of the few times in my life a smell brought me close to getting sick. In the end it's just not how I want to spend my weekend.

Fishing I'd be more open to since I could go in the summer, though I haven't gone in the last ten years or more.

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9 hours ago, Seshi said:

@Beocat no I can swim and float and all that.. it’s being under water with no air that’s the issue. Plus anytime I’m in really deep water I feel like I’m being crushed... weirdo yes I know.

Being under deep water even in some lakes you could be crushed. The pressure builds pretty fast at the bottom plus it gets dark, and cold fast too. I am not a lake swimmer but I have jumped off a high dive at a local lake which was fairly deep.

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31 minutes ago, ArchieKun said:

Being under deep water even in some lakes you could be crushed. The pressure builds pretty fast at the bottom plus it gets dark, and cold fast too. I am not a lake swimmer but I have jumped off a high dive at a local lake which was fairly deep.

That is not true actually.  The pressure you feel is from the air spaces having a lower pressure than the surrounding water. For example,  at the surface, if you hold your breath, you have one atmosphere of pressure in both your lungs and outside your body.  Dive down 33 feet while holding your breath, you would have one atmosphere in your lungs and two around you (equivalent pressure in atmospheres from the water and the air at the surface). Technically,  at that point the air in your lungs would be at two atmospheres as well and it would compress to adjust,  hence the uncomfortable feeling as the volume in your lungs contracts. Add an atmosphere for every 33ft down. If you are breathing off a reg and tank, it will deliver the air to your lungs at the surrounding pressure and thus the pressure in your lungs is always equalized as long as you are breathing. In no way is there any crushing going on. It is only when you are trying to maintain different atmospheres of pressure where things can be crushed (submarines for instance). The same is true in reverse. If you hold your breath at 33ft and try to swim up, the air will try to expand instead of contract to match the pressure and could give you some fun lung injuries that would land you in a hospital (or a cemetery. You'd still live on as a cautionary tale.). You can equalize your sinuses and ears with minimal training so you really never have to worry about being crushed. It's the beauty of bringing your own air with you. Breathhold diving and SCUBA are very different and even breathhold divers have techniques that can get them very deep for long times. That said, SCUBA is easier and safer than breathhold diving. 

 

As for dark and cold, recreational depths tend to have plenty of light still filtering down to see by. If not, there are always dive lights you can use.  For cold, depends on where you are, when you dive, what exposure you are wearing and more as to whether that is even an issue. 

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9 minutes ago, Beocat said:

That is not true actually.  The pressure you feel is from the air spaces having a lower pressure than the surrounding water. For example,  at the surface, if you hold your breath, you have one atmosphere of pressure in both your lungs and outside your body.  Dive down 33 feet while holding your breath, you would have one atmosphere in your lungs and two around you (equivalent pressure in atmospheres from the water and the air at the surface). Technically,  at that point the air in your lungs would be at two atmospheres as well and it would compress to adjust,  hence the uncomfortable feeling as the volume in your lungs contracts. Add an atmosphere for every 33ft down. If you are breathing off a reg and tank, it will deliver the air to your lungs at the surrounding pressure and thus the pressure in your lungs is always equalized as long as you are breathing. In no way is there any crushing going on. It is only when you are trying to maintain different atmospheres of pressure where things can be crushed (submarines for instance). The same is true in reverse. If you hold your breath at 33ft and try to swim up, the air will try to expand instead of contract to match the pressure and could give you some fun lung injuries that would land you in a hospital (or a cemetery. You'd still live on as a cautionary tale.). You can equalize your sinuses and ears with minimal training so you really never have to worry about being crushed. It's the beauty of bringing your own air with you. Breathhold diving and SCUBA are very different and even breathhold divers have techniques that can get them very deep for long times. That said, SCUBA is easier and safer than breathhold diving. 

 

As for dark and cold, recreational depths tend to have plenty of light still filtering down to see by. If not, there are always dive lights you can use.  For cold, depends on where you are, when you dive, what exposure you are wearing and more as to whether that is even an issue. 

I wasn't gonna get that technical but that works. I rather enjoyed reading that. I did know some about this, but I did learn something. :) 

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