Grasshoppers for food and bait...

Normark

Normark

Joined
Nov 7, 1999
Messages
6,651
Hi Guys...

Before I was into this survival thing,, I was doing the fishing thing pretty heavy..

Heres a trick I use to use for catching Hoppers,, and a lot of them..

You need two things.. A container to put them all in and a fuzzy blanket...

Doesn't matter what kind it is as long as it's fuzzy...

Go to an area where there are a lot of Hoppers,, shouldn't be hard to find....

Lay the blanket down on the ground spread out.. This works better with several people,, but can easily be done by one,, and you'll be choking on wings and legs before you know it...


Start several yards away from your blanket,, and work in a circle, chasing the Hoppers toward the blanket.

Once you get them on the blanket they are done. Their feet have tiny little barbs all over them and they get stuck to the blanket,, just like Velcro. Pick them off and put them into your container...

The hard part is getting them out of the container without looking several dozen in the process...

If you are going to eat them,,just shake the hell out of them until they don't move,, then roast on the fire...

If you want to use them for bait,, cut a small hole in the top,,the size of a quarter and shake them out,,or use tweezers.. I used small hemos to get them out,,worked great...

Give this a try sometime,, it's a lot of fun and a good way to catch a heap of them all at once!

ttyle Eric - On/Scene

------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel


 
Eric, that is a great idea. Excellent!!!!!!
I am going to do this during our next summer trip when they are out. I have done this many times with sheets or ponchos, but the idea of using a blanket that cathes their feet...Excellent idea.

------------------
Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?



[This message has been edited by Greg Davenport (edited 08 December 1999).]
 
Sounded kinda weird at first, but it sounds like a really efficient way of catching a bunch!
smile.gif
Thanks for the GREAT IDEA! You got me looking forward to summer, almost! I haven't seen winter since April '98!
redface.gif




------------------
Plainsman :)
primitiveguy@hotmail.com


 
Hi Guys...

The only drawback is the fuzzy blanket...

Wonder how this could be improvised in the field ?? Hmmm !

Eric - On/Scene

------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel


 
I usually take my students out at dawn to hunt for grasshoppers. We go to the high grassy area. They move slow at this time and are thus easier to catch. In addition, they are easy to catch during the day when in high grass. Kinda get stuck in there...although they dont' get stuck in the same fashion as the blanket idea...the grass poses enough obstacle to make them easy to catch.

I was going to use the fuzzy blanket during the training we perform on ANEW's 8 acres that is used during the didactic phase of training. I wouldn't take the blanket to the field. Still a great idea.

I always cook grasshoppers...they taste very good.

------------------
Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
I try to keep a WOOL blanket in my pack as much as possible so I may have one when needed. Other ideas may be your CLOTHING! Especially those of us that wear wool. I like my wool sweater even for moderate temps when it may get cool at night.

What do think about that thinking?



------------------
Plainsman :)
primitiveguy@hotmail.com


 
Hi Guys...

Plainsman...
Yup Good idea....


Greg..

I'd really like to know how that turns out..
Please keep me informed...


ttyle Eric - On/Scene

------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel


 
I'll let you know. We'll make a meal of roasted grasshoppers placed over some crisp and freshly picked miners lettace. Results next August. I'll take pictures.

BTW...there is a picture of two of my students at http://www.ssurvival.com/Aug211.htm eating a rabbit's eyeball and roasted grasshopper.

Enjoy :>)

------------------
Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
Hi Greg...

An eyeball..?

Ok thats where I draw the line!
Major gag factor for me!

I guess if you are hungry though!LOL

Come to think about it,, I watched some guy on Book of World records eat a bowl of raw worms..

This guy was a survival instructr I beleive as well..

I would really love to see Ron or you beat this guy!

You whatcha think Ron or Greg,, Beat the record!?
After all the $hit I've seen Ron eat,, I don't think this would be much of a stretch!

ttyle Eric...


------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel

 
Normark,

I wonder if he purged the worms first?

I've eaten a lot of weird stuff in my life...

------------------
Greg Davenport
http://www.ssurvival.com
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 
Does anyone have any decent field recipes for grasshoppers? what about adapting the recipe to ants?

We used to bring chilli along... sambal in it's dried form is really compact and tastes pretty decent... stir-fried grasshoppers and ants (both with chilli) wasn't too bad... more crunchy than I expected.;)
 
Another hopper tip-lay a tarp/several pieces of flat cardboard/leafy branchs near the edge of a field with good 'hopper population at sunset. Come back next morning at sunrise, there'll be a lot of hoppers under the tarp/cardboard to avoid the dew. Pick 'em up while they're still loggy, keep 'em in a jar or coffee can with a pair of old pantyhose (preferred, because gathering it can be fun) or grape netting, onion bags, any open weave or fuzzy cloth that'll catch their barbed legs and keep them from all hopping out when you open the lid.
 
now this tip I like... sounds like picking up food from the ground with minimal work!!!

what about preparation tho? I hear crickets need some "quarantine" time to clear their intestines... what about grasshoppers?
 
In Larry Dean Olsen's book "Outdoor Survival Skills" he recommends making a pile of dry grass in the middle of a grassy meadow, then drive the grasshoppers to the pile by beating the grass in ever-tightening concetric circles. Once the litte critters have taken refuge in the "haystack" you torch the whole thing and roast them on the spot. Of course, don't do this in high-fire-danger conditions. He also recommends grinding the roasted grasshoppers into a powder if you can't get past the idea of eating bugs. Just add the powder to soup or other foods and viola, you get the nutrition without having to pick little legs out of your teeth.

For ants, I used to catch loads of them to feed my pet horned lizard. I set a jar down into ant mound so that the lip of the jar was even with the surface of the debris pile. The ants get pretty stirred up by the activity and start to swarm. If you aren't satisfied with the amount of activity just stir the nest with a stick. They'll swarm all over and a lot will fall into the jar and won't be able to climb back out. Of course in a survival situation you might not have a glass jar handy... Any suggestions for adapting the idea?

BTW, ants and grasshoppers were common fare among Western tribes, especially in the desert regions. This "survive by killing deer" idea is blown way out of proportion. You are more likely to survive on small rodents, insects and plants than on the occassional big game.
 
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