I'm just curious, but in the event of a potentially long term issue with food supplies, for example an attack on our infrustructure (roads and rail) which interfere with the transportation of food supplies, How many would rely on hunting or fishing to supplement their stored rations?

How far would you have to travel to effectively hunt or fish?

To what degree would you rely on game for food?

I live on an urban peninsula (just a few miles south of San Francisco). The chances of hunting for game are pretty much zip here. I suspect I could fish in the Bay, but I don't think I could reasonably get anywhere there is game.

On the other hand, I hear lots of cultures find dogs mighty tasty.

I don't know how it is in CA but I went to a college in mid-Missouri. Every weekend a few buddies and I would go into the woods and hunt small game. It's amazing how many times we came back empty handed only to find the game we spend all day trying to get running across a busy intersection in an urban area. Cities are full of squirrels and such. I don't have any doubt I would be able to snare enough food even in an urban setting.

I would definitely depend on hunting to supplement my stores. As already mentioned by others, there are plenty of Squirrels, a few Raccoons, & a few Rabbits that reside in my neighborhood. There are also Robins, Blackbirds, and Doves in this neighborhood. Thats why I have a .177cal air pump rifle, w/a scope, AND 5000 pellets AND 3000 BB's for it.

I would have to scout around some (which I will now start doing) to find any ponds that may be near enough to fish. Right now, I don't know of any that are close enough to use except by bicycling and that would still be an all-day affair.

I think it wouldn't take long for the locals to clean out nearly everything in urban areas. Even rural places only have so much game. With hundreds or thousands needing to eat...

I might think the ocean would provide.

Depending on the type of disruption and what major infrastructure is affected, I'd think contaminants would be a consideration.

You ever hear the song by Hank Williams Jr. " A Country Boy Can Survive " the key words are " A Shotgun, rifle and a 4 wheel drive and a country boy can survive " add to that a fishing pole and the State of Pennsylvania where I live and aside from the game being contaminated ( nuke's or chemical/biological ) and I'll be able to last a long time. I haven't been hunting in a few years but I think I still remember how to ( like riding a bike ). The Remington 870 Tactical might just scare them onto the dinner table and save rounds for any two legged vermin.

Robert touched on the subject of there not being enough game to feed everyone, keep in mind that there are a lot of people that don't hunt and wouldn't even consider picking up a gun, reminds me of a series of books I read by William W Johnstone called Out Of Ashes, a group, rather large called the night people or creepies but thats another subject. So I think there would be enough game for a while anyway.


As far as traveling, I wouldn't have to go far, there are lakes, streams and rivers all around me as well as prime hunting ground, I spent every weekend as a child at our camp in the National Forest, hunting and fishing which is a stone's throw away, I still go there at least every other weekend.

So I think It would be quite easy for me to survive on fish and game for an extended time circumstances permiting that is.

Hunting can be a lot of effort, and you risk a lot of exposure in conditions you may not feel to comfortable in. I would set up traps for my game, and let them do all the work. I've snared Pigeons and squirrels using noose foot traps on tree limbs and such. Pets would be another target of opportunity, but likely not as available as semi-wild game. The thing with traps is you can be a lot more discreet about their deployment, you can check them when it is most convenient for you, and they have a higher success rate for the amount of effort applied. They are much more clandestine than hunting or fishing, which could be a big factor when competing in a survival situation in an urban or suburban setting.

Ditto that, thats why I carry snares in my backpack. Thats one thing that I didn't take into consideration when responding earlier. The exposure factor and clandestine as well. Thanks for bringing that out Benjammin.

It's a 20 minute walk to the river from where I live here in downtown Edmonton. One day of fishing could net you enough fish to eat for a week or more. Unfortunately keeping any but one species (Northern Pike) would be illegal and done so at your own risk.

Regardless of the location (and there are lots of fishing spots within a 30 minute drive) I'm much more confident of my fishing ability than hunting...especially considering I've never hunted.

Air rifles are regulated in Canada so that you can't buy powerful ones. The only alternative would be to buy a .22 that I could put in my BOB and start practicing! I've been trying to find out if the US Survival Rifle is legal in Canada. I suspect it's not because it's so easy to hide and has such a short barrel.