Looking v's seeing

S

SouthernCross

Joined
Jun 25, 2008
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1,484
A seldom discussed survival skill is the ability to see what you are looking at.

From simply avoiding being bitten by a snake, to being able to make use of the resources Mother Nature provides, the ability to take note of your surroundings is IMO a very important skill.

For example, how many rabbits are in this photo?
Bunny1.jpg




Kind regards
Mick
 
How do you all see that much? I see two...perhaps three (one by the the base of the tree). We need a definite answer...
 
I can see for sure 2. There is something that might be ears by the tree but unless i can see it for sure i cant count it.

Sasha
 
There are two in the pic :D

The first one is obvious, the second is on the far right at the same level as the first.

The shape and colour (the flesh colour of the inner ears of the right hand rabbit) gives it away.

There were also 3 kittens with these adults, but they are out of the picture on the right.

About 5 meters out of camera to the right, is a river red gum that is located at the top of the river bank. There is a burrow complex amoungst the roots of this tree.


Now suppose your presented with this "view" when you have planned to be out for a week in the bush and things go ar#e up on the first day, loosing use of your food for the week. Your trusted safety net at home will not raise the alarm unless you don't turn up for the scheduled pick up 6 days later.

Whilst I acknowledge that the average person could probably survive 6 days without food, personally I like my food and wouldn't consider this inconvenience as a reason to not eat. Another reason to look to eat during the week is to retain the strength to be able to walk out for pickup.

So my question becomes, how would you harvest one for food?

Obviously a .22 would be the most effective, but for the sake of this question assume you do not have a firearm.



Kind regards
Mick
 
You could dig up the burrow and maybe get a rabbit.

My choice would be snares if I had the time and some decent cord. If you observe the paths they take, and the holes they go into, then you know where to set them.

SnareTerminology.jpg


I've caught a few rabbits in snares. This snare was made from some thin braided nylon cord:

RabbitInCordSnare.jpg


I've got an idea that snares may be illegal in Aussie.
 
Last edited:
G'day Coote

coote said:
My choice would be snares if I had the time and some decent cord. If you observe the paths they take, and the holes they go into, then you know where to set them.
Click to expand...
Runs & Burrows are two prime spots to snare rabbits :thumbup:

However if you look at the sparse grass, their runs are not as obvious as in long grass or snow. Their burrow entrances however deserve a snare across each.

Would you rely on snares alone or would you try to hunt them?

To increase my chance of a bunny in the pot, my choice would to be to use both a snare and to attempt hunting them at the same time.

How good a shot are you with a boomerang, aka throwing stick? Both rabbits were within 15 meters so they were in range of projectiles (ie sling shot, throwing stick, spear, arrow etc....). With a snare set near the burrow, if I'm successful in hunting, I'll have one rabbit in the pot and have scared the second rabbit straight for its burrow and hopefully into my waiting snare.

coote said:
I've got an idea that snares may be illegal in Aussie.
Click to expand...
They weren't when I learned to use them but your probably right about the current situation. However in a situation where your looking to feed yourself.....



Kind regards
Mick
 
I might could smack bugsy in the center of the picture with a throwing stick. Its worth a shot if I was hungry. If I miss ill watch real hard where he runs to.
 
Maybe Ill just wait for whoever made those tire tracks in THE MIDDLE OF THE PICTURE to come back along and give me a lift to the nearest House O' Waffles!:D:D:D
 
Hee Hee....Its so obvious I just cant help it.....:D

Does anyone know how to make a truck snare??:D:D

(havin a little fun is all! Great post and good point!!!:thumbup:;))
 
I guess I might try to hunt the bunnies while my snares were set, but I wouldn't want to spook them so much that I scared them away or made them change their habits. Snares have been very successful for me.

Dunno about the Aussie bunnies, but rabbits elsewhere seem to have the dumb habit of following the same paths near their homes and other places. Experienced rabbit trappers can recognize these trails and they successfully set snares on them..... even out in the middle of a grassy field.

There are some real rabbit experts on 'The Hunting Life' discussion forums. I think you have to register to view these, and the actual snare forum might be hard to find on this big site..... but if you want to read about how these dudes get hundreds of rabbits in snares (and lots of other interesting traditional stuff).... here is the link:

http://www.thehuntinglife.com/

I guess I'd be most likely to dine on rabbit if I had a .22, but a bow and arrows can do the job if the little critters are close and still enough.

rabbitarrow2.jpg
 
great post. camoflauge fascinates me. i never realized how much i was missing until i spent alot of time with an old woodsman in the missouri ozarks. we would be driving the back roads or riding mules and he would say. do you see those deer? or "look at that!". he would then try to point them out to me and often with no success. i would get frustrated because it seemed so easy for him and his grandson. he said that the more time i spent in the woods the easier it would become. also a good tactic to practice was to not focus on anything or actively search. it was best to passively fall into your surroundings, letting go is the key. it reminds me of when those 3 d pictures started coming out in the malls in the early 90's. it just seemed like alot of dots and the harder people tried to see it the less likely it would happen. invariably there would be one person that would say "oh yeah i see the statue of liberty". it took me forever but i was determined; if you would unfocus and visually fall into the picture a whole new perspective would unfold. an amazing thing perspective. now many years later i am the one telling people, hey did you see that. i live in the metropolitan area of phx arizona and there happens to be an eagle that sits motionless off the side of the freeway but no-one seems to see him. everytime i pass i look for him, he is hidden in plain view. when i lived near the bay area of california i would drive into san francisco or oakland and be amazed at all the deer standing on the steep hills within 20 feet of the road. i would ask the locals if they had seen all the deer, they thought i was crazy and swear there were none. yet on each trip i would see as many as 60 coming from livermore in.

i wonder how many things i still miss.

just some thoughts

ryan
 
Throwing stick was my first thought.

Looking at the field in the picture, there is no evidence of any rabbit runs or burrows so I wouldn't think of trapping. Depending on how far away water was and the temperature, I'd make a decision on whether it was worthwhile to expend calories hunting/trapping v. conserving energy. 6 days without food is doable, wouldn't want to burn more calories than I am able to take-in in a survival situation.

If this was a real survival situation and I was viewing that picture, I'd just follow the tire tracks out.
 
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