The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid (24 page)

A fishing reel stores your line on a spool. The drag, an adjustable friction device found inside the reel, helps create tension on the line as you pull in your catch. When a fish bites your hook, then pulls back on the line, the tension of the line tires the fish and keeps the line untangled. Without a drag system, the fish would take out too much line, causing the line to tangle. And if no line was released, the line would snap. Most reels have adjustable drag settings that you can set depending upon the fish you want to catch.

There are four basic categories of reels: bait casting, spinning, spin casting, and fly.

• A bait casting reel has a covered frame and a horizontal spool that revolves and winds in line when you turn the handle. One handle turn revolves the spool four or five times, which brings in the line quickly.
  
• Spinning reels have a stationary spool of line set on the underside of the rod. On the outer lip of the spool sits a curved bar, called a bail. The bail acts as a guide for retrieving the line. As the handle is turned, the bail turns too, winding the line tidily onto the spool.
  
• The spin casting reel is a variation of the spinning reel. But the spin casting reel has a cover over the spool and the line is fed out of a hole. Instead of a bail, metal teeth attached to the spool gather in the line.
  
• The most basic fishing reel is the fly reel. It only has a frame, which holds a narrow revolving spool. A small handle turns the spool one rotation at a time.
  

The most popular fishing line used is monofilament nylon line. Not only is most monofilament clear, which makes it difficult for the fish to see, it also is strong, durable, and can stretch a little. Monofilament line comes in a variety of strengths, depending on your needs. The strengths are calculated by “pound test,” which is the amount of pressure that can be put on the line before it snaps.

One end of your line is on the reel. At the other end you’ll have a baited hook, lure, or fly. The hook is a pointed piece of metal shaped like a question mark. At one end is a loop that attaches to your line. At the other end is a sharp point that can pierce the fish’s mouth. Once the hook has pierced the mouth, a small reverse piece, called a barb, keeps the fish from pulling away from the hook. A hook is generally hidden by a piece of bait, so the fish swallows the bait and the hook at the same time. Once the fish takes the bait, the angler pulls sharply on the line and sets the hook. A lure is artificial bait, designed to look like a worm or other object that would attract a fish. A fly is a type of lure made specifically for fly-fishing that imitates either an insect drifting or lying on top of the water (dry fly) or a larva or small fish lying just below the water surface (wet fly).

Snares and Traps

Trapping and snaring animals is a basic skill in survival strategies for several reasons. You can place a number of traps in various areas and check them regularly, so your traps “work” while you are occupied with other responsibilities; you don’t have to stalk or flush out quarry; you don’t need firearms; and traps can be used over and over again.

Trapping is a regulated sport, so you need to be aware of the laws about trapping in your location. However, trapping is actually an important tool for managing natural resources, for several reasons:

• As with any other kind of hunting, trapping helps control animal population. By controlling over-population you minimize problems like starvation, disease, and the destruction of natural habitat.
  
• Many animals that are traditionally trapped, like beavers, coyotes, and foxes, can damage personal property or livestock. For example, trapping can prevent flooding caused by beaver dams or the killing of livestock by coyotes and foxes.
  
• Trapping can also protect other animals, especially endangered or threatened species, from the more populated and common predatory furbearers.
  

Traps and snares are designed to choke, crush, hang, or entangle the animals. There are three basic types of traps:

• Body-grip traps catch the animal’s entire body. These are generally killing devices.
  
• Foothold traps, enclosed foothold devices, and cage traps catch the animal when it steps on the trap. These are considered live-restraining devices. With these traps, you can release non-target animals.
  
• Snares use a loop of cable or wire to catch a furbearer by the neck, body, or leg. Some of these traps are also live-restraining devices.
  

You should learn about the type of traps appropriate for the animal you are hunting. You should also be aware of the trapper’s code of ethics:

• Obtain the landowner’s permission.
  
• Avoid setting traps in areas where domestic animals may be caught.
  
• Set traps to capture the target animal in the most humane way possible.
  
• Check traps at least once every twenty-four hours, preferably in the early morning.
  
• Record trap locations accurately.
  
• Identify all traps with waterproof name and address tags.
  
• Use as much of the animal as possible. Dispose of animal carcasses properly.
  
• Make an effort to trap only the surplus animals from each habitat.
  
• Assist landowners who are having damage problems with wildlife.
  
• Kill trapped furbearers in a humane manner, like a hard blow to the head, neck, or body, the same way a mousetrap kills a mouse.
  
• Obtain all required licenses, tags, and permits. Since trapping laws vary by state, check the state’s regulations before you go trapping.
  

Obtaining a License

It is a requirement for hunters, trappers, and anglers to obtain a license for legal hunting in the United States, with the possible exception of property owners in certain states. Each state has a department that oversees
natural resources and wildlife management and generally creates the laws and requirements that regulate hunting, fishing, and trapping within that state. In most cases, a license is obtained in the state where you want to pursue these sports and is valid for a year. You can hold licenses in several states at the same time, but if you are not a resident of the state, you will generally pay a higher fee for a nonresident hunting license.

Be sure you check your license, as often a separate license is needed for hunting, trapping, and/or fishing. However, in some states you can purchase a combination license. If you have a child under the age of fourteen, in most states you will not need to purchase a license for him or her, provided the child is with an adult who does have a license. Check with your specific state licenser to learn the regulations in your state.

When you purchase your license, you will also receive a copy of the current regulations. You should consult the regulations to be sure you are following the laws of the state.

In Florida, the cost of an alligator trapping license and alligator harvest tag is $271.50 for Florida residents, and nonresidents pay $1,021.50. The cost for each additional alligator hunting permit is $61.50, regardless of residency. All fees are nonrefundable.

Often, as in the case of deer hunting, in addition to a hunting license, other requirements must be met. In many states, when you hunt deer you also have to purchase a deer tag. In states where you may hunt more than one deer, you will need a tag for each kill.

Most sporting goods stores or your state’s department of natural resources will sell licenses. Remember, a hunting license is not a firearm permit. If your state requires a firearm permit, you will have to obtain that separately, prior to purchasing your hunting license.

During the Hunt

Planning, preparation, and strategy are the three keys to a successful hunt. Often, planning a good hunt takes longer than the hunt itself. Be sure you are equipped with not only appropriate clothing and gear for the environment,
but also information about your quarry, knowledge about the hunting site, and the most current state and federal regulations. Hunting techniques or strategies are skills honed through education and experience. The most ideal situation for a beginning hunter is to have an experienced hunter as a mentor and guide.

Still Hunting

Still hunting is when you walk slowly through your hunting site, stopping frequently to scan and listen for game, and, after a long period of time, moving forward again. This type of hunting is often used for big-game hunting or in areas where stands cannot be used. Generally, when you still hunt, you spend at least ten times longer being still and observing than you do moving around. The trick to still hunting is keeping a low profile and using binoculars to identify movement. Remember that a human silhouette will scare off many animals. However, be sure to wear fluorescent orange so you are not mistaken for game by other hunters.

Stalking

Stalking is very similar to still hunting, except when you are stalking, you are following signs leading to a particular type of quarry. The signs could be tracks, a morning dew trail through the grass, or even the sound or smell of an animal. Stalking is also done during the final phase of still hunting after you have spotted your quarry and need to close the distance in order to get a better shot.

If you are hunting turkeys, remember that the turkey calls you hear may be another hunter “calling” to his quarry. For your safety and the safety of the hunters around you, you should not stalk turkeys.

Stalking requires concentration. You must remember to keep downwind, stay quiet, stay alert, and remain patient.

Posting

Posting is when you sit or stand in one spot and wait for your quarry. When you post, you want to find a vantage point near the animal’s trails. Posting is best used when you know where the game travels daily and you are not able to use a blind or a stand (see the following section). Be sure when you pick your posting spot that you have enough room all around you so you are able to freely swing your firearm or draw your bow.

Blinds and Stands

Blinds and stands are structures that conceal the hunter from his prey. A ground blind is a temporary structure on the ground that is often made of branches or plywood. The most important factor is that it hides the hunter. Ground blinds should be downwind and out of the sun. An elevated stand can be constructed from wood or any heavy-duty weatherproof material that can hold up to exposure and hold the weight of a hunter. You can purchase elevated stands, or build one of your own. Elevated stands offer you an advantage because you are concealed above the level of the quarry, and your vantage point is superior to ground level. You should not only check the condition of elevated stands routinely, but also be sure before you enter the stand that you are not sharing it with insects, owls, and small mammals.

Game Calling

Calling
is imitating animal sounds in order to attract an animal close enough for an effective shot. You can use a variety of different sounds to draw your quarry toward you:

• Territorial sounds:
  like a deer “rattling,” an elk “bugling,” or a turkey “gobbling”
  
• Feeding sounds:
  like a duck’s feeding “chuckle”
  
• Distress sounds:
  they invite coyotes, bobcats, or foxes to feed
  

With practice, you can actually make hunting calls using your own hands and mouth. You can also purchase hunting call devices.