MAKE A WALKING OVEN

A very effective traveling stove for cooking fish and meats can be made from almost any tin can or metal container. First, pack the bottom 2"–3" of the stove with dry, punky (semi-rotted) wood. Next, add a layer of hot coals from the fire pit. Place your meat or fish (wrapped in aluminum foil, green nonpoisonous leaves, or wet newspaper) on top of the coals and cover it with another layer of coals. Finally, pile on another 2"–3"-thick layer of punky wood. The wood will allow the coals to smolder around the meat. Tie a rope or wire handle to the container for easy traveling. A small walking oven such as this one can cook fish in 15–20 minutes. Its obvious advantage is that you can carry it with you.

FISHING HACKS

THE FISHERMAN’S BRACELET

Survival hacking sometimes involves preplanning. This is a simple and easy project that ensures you always have fishing tools. String and tie off 25' of fishing line between the eyelets of 2 fishing swivels so that the total length from swivel tip to swivel tip will wrap around your wrist. This forms a bracelet and the swivel clips act as the clasp. I keep 3 different-sized fish hooks under the sole inserts of all my shoes. Making a usable hook in the wild is not easy, and they’re not nearly as effective as modern hooks. Now, with a hook, line, and optional swivel, you have everything you need to effectively make a hack fishing pole and catch fish.

CREDIT CARD LURE

Let’s face it, a credit card will do you little good in a survival scenario. Or will it? A rigid PVC credit card can be hacked into several useful items. One of my favorites is a fishing lure. You can cut a mini fish-shaped lure from a credit card (or loyalty card or hotel key) with a knife or pair of scissors. At the tail end of the minifish, carve 2 hook-shaped curls, one on top and one on bottom. Though these little plastic hooks aren’t as effective as their metal counterparts, they are rigid enough to get a stubborn fish to shore. Many credit cards are colorful and have small reflective holograms, which help to get the attention of a hungry fish. Note: The reflective holograms can also be used as a signal mirror to reflect the sun’s rays and flash a signal to rescue crews.

POP CAN FISHING KIT

Just when you think you’ve reached a location where no other human has been, you see a beer or soda can. Although it’s not what you want to see on a pleasant day hike, in a survival scenario you can transform it into an effective hack fishing kit. The can itself makes a great tackle box for live bait. Just carve a wooden plug for the hole to keep the critters inside. Two simple cuts to the pop tab using your multitool make a very effective fishing hook—even with a little barb if you make your cuts wisely (notice how the cut section of the tab forms a small barb in the illustration). Scoring with your knife and then bend-breaking the pop tab will also work in a pinch if you don’t have a multitool. Finally, the drinking hole seal flap makes a great flashy spoon lure to draw attention to your live bait. Punch a hole and thread it on your line just above the hook.

SPIDER WEB NET

During certain times of the year (typically spring and fall) the forest is filled with dew-soaked spider webs in the mornings. This is the perfect opportunity to make a spider web fishing net. Cut a 48" flexible green branch from any live tree. It should be less than ¹⁄₄" in diameter. After trimming the leaves and branches, bend the top down to form an oval net frame. Tie it in place with a small piece of twine or bark cordage. Next, walk through the forest and sweep 20–30 spider webs onto the frame. As you sweep them up you will see the net grow stronger and stronger. Once it is strong enough to catch a small pebble it is ready to sweep through shallow pools and along the banks of ponds and streams to catch bait minnows and tadpoles. These can then be used to catch larger fish for cooking.

5-GALLON BUCKET AQUA LENS

Ponds, rivers, lakes, and streams can be a survival buffet of food. Wild edibles such as crayfish, clams, fish, turtles, and frogs can often be less than 2' beneath the water’s surface but are difficult to see because of sun glare, ripples, or poor lighting. You can quickly make an incredible aqua lens to see almost perfectly beneath the water’s surface. Cut the bottom from a 5-gallon bucket (or any bucket), tape a waterproof flashlight to the inside near the bottom, and plunge it into the water. The bucket provides a barrier that eliminates waves and ripples that disrupt your view, and the flashlight can light up the dark and shadowed areas.

PARACORD FISHING FLY

One of my students showed me this hack several years ago, and I’ve tested it time and time again in the fishing pond at Willow Haven. Slide a 1" section of paracord over a bare fishing hook to make a very appealing fishing fly lure. Fluff up the end over the hook for disguise and then heat the other end with an open flame to melt and weld it just below the eye where the line attaches. Live bait is always best, but when live bait isn’t available you’ll never miss an inch of paracord from your shoelaces or bracelet. This improvised fly lure also floats very well for top-water bluegill and bream fishing.

AN ENERGETIC FISHING HOOK

Making an improvised fishing hook from natural materials in the field can be very difficult. Hacking one from manmade materials is still hard but not impossible. To get either right, prepare for an exercise in patience. It’s hard to manufacture a hook-shaped object that is rigid enough and sharp enough to hold a fish. You can carve one that meets these criteria from the bottom circular rim of a mini energy drink bottle. It’s very strong and has a natural circular shape. Using a combination of cutting and abrading, fashion a strong, sharp hook. It isn’t sharp enough to hold a fighting fish for long, but it will get the job done. Have your club or gig ready!

USE WALNUTS TO GET FISHING BAIT

My grandfather showed me this hack many moons ago, and it never ceases to amaze me and my students. Do the hack in fall when the walnuts are still wrapped in their green husks. I can guarantee you all the big red nightcrawlers for fishing you’ll ever need. Fill a 5-gallon bucket about half full of water. Then smash about 30 green walnuts with a rock and throw them one by one into the bucket of water. Next, stir this mixture vigorously for 5 minutes. Finally, clear the leaves and woodland duff from a 3' × 3' section of moist forest floor, and pour the rancid mixture evenly throughout. Like magic, red worms of all types and sizes will begin to writhe to the surface to escape the noxious poison. Green walnut husks have a high concentration of the compound juglone, which, in addition to annoying earthworms, can be used to paralyze fish in small pools.

HUNTING AND FORAGING HACKS