I somehow knew Blast would chime in with bugs... ;-) But, very true, good protein there.

+1 on fishing. That would be my best chance for food by far (assuming there were fish where I was at the time).

If you can't carry a gun, practice up with a sling shot. If you're good it's enough power to get a squirrel, gopher, or bird if you're a good shot.

Sling shot! Holy crumbs, I can't believe I didn't think of that before... Thanks! NO permit required, and I have a bit of an eye for shooting things like that, and can improve quickly. Believe I'm going to have to add it to my equipment list...

Just the normal precautions with using sling shots... If the rubber breaks, it can really be a pain. Bring extra.

Thanks, good point:-)... Any suggested types? I've used slingshots before, and have seen a few types... I know there's the straight-handle "Y" design, but it doesn't seem as effective or accurate as the ones that have a wrist support... Any real differences in durability or effectiveness between them, or others I'm not aware of?

Snares would normally be my choice for trying to hunt in a survival situation, along with trot lines for fishing. I think Susan said long ago that using them was the sure way to be found, because as soon as you did a fiish and game officer would show up. However, as mentioned about, it's probably not a great idea when you want to move.

Hacksaw's idea of a slingshot is good.

Two other things you might look at are:

http://www.geocities.com/blowgunhunter/

http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/hunting/slings/sstoneagesling/

http://slinging.org/

I'd try my hand at these things before I ever considered packing a bag and relying on them to eat.

Also, be aware that there is such a thing as rabbit starvation.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Hmm... You're right about practicing before I go a bit, just to get comfortable- It's a good idea by default. But I'm not so sure about the blowguns, due to the size of the tool- Trying to keep my packing as light and least bulky as possible. Far as rock slings go, I'd imagine it would take a bit more practice to get proficient with one of those, as opposed to a good slinshot... But those sites have a TON of other information on them, and I'm going through it all now! Thanks!:-)

I think if you followed the instructions on the blowgun pages and built one as described, you might also be able to disguise it as a hiking stick.

Blowguns are illegal in many places too.

Speaking of hiking sticks though if you were to carry a good bamboo or willow pole as a walking stick it could double as a hobo fishing rod and wouldn't take up any extra space.

Personally I prefer the real thing. Telescopic rods can be pretty good these days. When I'm backpacking I carry a 4 piece 6'6" Rhino rod in a map tube. Both cost me less than $35 combined. I use a hand-me-down level wind bait caster I got from my dad and a fly fishing tackle box which also holds my snare stuff. A little bulky but very light. I keep 2 Speedhooks and a couple of Pickerel rigs in the tackle box so that I can improvise a killer night line using the 20lb test I tote for gear repair.

I would suggest a simple Crosman 1322 or 1377 pump up pellet pistol. They don't weight that much more than the sling shot and are much more effective in my opioion. Pellets don't weigh much for the quantity taken.

David Enoch