Something my Granpa taught me.

Take a small " gold " egg hook and tie it on to 18 in of 6 lb monofiliment, stake that.

Put 1 cernal of canned corn on the hook. Scatter 4 or 5 of these rigs in an area, and toss some bait ( 10 or 20 more cerrnals ), and in the morrning you will have dinner.

-- CT (ct@no.yr), June 26, 1999

Answers

Has this worked for you? And only for quail? Or other birds? Any other tricks?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), June 26, 1999.

I can't imagine hooking one of those pretty little things and having it there until morning. Yuk! I will eat more veggies and beans.

Taz...who does love critters of all kinds. (exception: TROLLS)

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), June 26, 1999.

Trolls are humanoids.

-- Zev Barak (zev@msn.com), June 26, 1999.

Taz,

The critters don't care, they stay in the area, and don't notice they are caught untill you walk up to them.

Yes it works, it works on all ground feeding critters. I've caught quail, grouse, posum, and a few Blue Jays.

-- CT (ct@no.yr), June 26, 1999.

Taz,

I can't imagine killing something & eating it either...except a fish. Learned that at pretty young age but the idea of wringing a neck off a chicken or duck does not sound appetizing. Heard stories from mother about her watching my great-grandmother do this in preparation of dinner.

I would prefer to be vegetarian than do that or just fast for a loooong time. Of course, I'm not a vegetarian but I don't eat as much beef as I used to...I stick with shrimp and maybe a little chicken. Fruit trees are safe source. I will probably buy a few chickens before the end of year, just to have some eggs available for sale or consumption. I've read that duck eggs are pretty gamey.

Really I don't know what we'll do if this really turns out worse than a mild depression. The past few months going from couch potato with some occasional exercise thrown in to ranch dweller has driven me to frustruated tears more than once. But you can't argue with the gorgeous views and sounds almost like the wild rising from the creek that we have vs. suburban houses and the sounds of air conditioners humming that we use to have.

-- texan (bullseye@ranch.com), June 26, 1999.

Texan,

IF tshtf, your attitude May get you killed.

The Quail don't know. What's the diff between birds and fish?

Killing food is natural, and healthy.

Meat don't grow on the shelf in your local store. Niether do veggie's.

-- CT (ct@no.yr), June 26, 1999.

Ok, CT. Please forgive my ignorance - What exactly is an "egg" hook?

Anyway, it sounds like a great idea for catching small game.

Thanks,

-- Jim Morris (prism@bevcomm.net), June 26, 1999.

JM,

An " egg " hook is as wide as it is long, just more than a half circle, about the size of a cernal of corn ; )

You get the hook back

-- CT (ct@no.yr), June 26, 1999.

Thanks, CT! This tip is definitely going in the "save" folder. :-)

Sincerely,

-- Jim Morris (prism@bevcomm.net), June 26, 1999.

CT,

What do you mean, when you say "The Quail don't know?" ...Thanks

-- BiGG (supersite@acronet.net), June 26, 1999.

What sized rig do you recommend for wild turkey and geese? The quail and pheasants seem "all fished out" around here. But this year we're up to our armpits in gobblers and honkers.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), June 26, 1999.

To texan. I sympathise with your queasiness. I too am used to my meat coming in plastic wrapped trays, and having to take life and death responsibility for my dinner will be a BIG adjustment. But I figure since I DO eat meat, I am not absolved of guilt just because I pay someone else to do the killing for me. And since I have read "The Secret Life of Plants" and "The Findhorn Garden", I also know that plants have awareness. Bottom like is:

To eat is to kill.

Up to now I have had the "luxury" of being able to eat without much awareness of the processes involved. But even this preparation phase, (not to mention any "disruptions" that follow rollover,) gives me the *opportunity* to be much more aware of the GIFT of food... whether from the plant or animal kingdom. Accept the gift with awareness, and thankfulness.

And to CT - since I am a city-raised gal, I would be interested in the gory details (perhaps by private email if you think they do not belong on this forum). Or perhaps there is a URL for such instructions?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), June 26, 1999.

What a great idea ! Thanks !!

-- y2kbiker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), June 26, 1999.

From my grandpa, born 1865, the way to catch quail: Build a screen type box with no floor. Dig a small trench line from outside the box to inside the box...sprinkle cracked corn all along the trench. Quail will eat the corn, and follow the corn "line" to inside the box..when they get worried and think about getting out, they hold their heads high and look up; they do not see the way out at their feet. You will need to secure the screen box against movement with stakes,etc. If you catch blue jays,etc you can always let them out. One plus is that you never have to dig buckshot out of your quail!

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), June 26, 1999.

P.S. Please check your quail trap at least twice per day. Predators may try to tear into your trap...and I prefer to dispatch an animal right away rather than let it suffer while waiting.

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), June 26, 1999.

From Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival:

"The Goose Trench is nothing more than a ditch about a foot wide, a foot deep, and twenty feet long with a gentle ramp leading in at one end. Dig it at night where you have found an abundance of goose droppings and tracks; then sprinkle grain inside and near the entrance...Get rid of the excess dirt and camoflage the trench so it looks natural... Then hide nearby and wait for the geese to march down in. Once in the trench, the geese have a sense of security because they can periodically raise their heads to look over the sides. But in fact they are helpless because they cannot jump out and they cannot spread their wings to take off. This allows you to simply walk up to the trap and pick out as many birds as you need."

Doesn't work on ducks, they can fly out.

-- Shimrod (shimrod@lycosmail.com), June 28, 1999.

How do you catch a Quale?

Just put Quale in front of a camera. Within minutes he will stumble into some impossible statement.

[dedicated to PNG, who says things like this much better...]

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), June 29, 1999.

A possible method of predator control (wild/stray dogs especially):

Use a gorge (a sharpened metal or wooden stick, say 2-3 inches long). Attach it to the monofilement or to a wire. Slide the gorge into a bait such as a piece of fat, spoiled meat, intestines, etc.

Dogs (and coyotes) "gulp" their food ("wolfing it down"). The gorge will go in, when they turn to walk away it will be jerked sideways. This will tear the throat, either catching them (if you used wire) or causing them to bleed internally.

You can also use a very springy material, sharpened on both ends. Bend it into a "U", tie it together with something digestible like sinew. The dog will swallow it, the sinew will dissolve in their stomach. The gorge springs straight, again slicing open the stomach or intestines.

Sorry, folks, I know this is NOT pretty. But two points: A. This is a LOT safer than trying to shoot wild dogs. B. Dog and coyote are pretty tasty.

You do what you have to do.

-- Jon Williamson (jwilliamson003@sprintmail.com), June 29, 1999.