I have to admit that I'm one of those Americans who, if I had to kill my own meat, I'd probably become a vegetarian. The farthest I've ever gone was stick a lobster in a boiling pot of water (and even that got me a bit unnerved). But seeing as how I'm into preparing myself, should I fight back my queasiness and learn to kill? Would it be enough just to learn how to set snares, track animals, and shoot, and hope that if I was starving, I could do it?

I hope I'm not insulting all the hunters out there, believe me I know all about the overpopulation of deer and the necessity to thin the herd. I'm just not sure if I could do it.

I'm kind of in the same situation as you are. I fished a few times as a kid, but then realized there was no point because I can't stand the taste of fish.

It really depends on the type of survival situation you are preparing for. A short-term survival situation, like from a plane crash or getting lost, food is one of your lowest priorities. Most of us have "ample personal reserves", and can go months without food. So there should really be no reason to learn to hunt for that reason. It's one way to keep yourself busy while you're waiting to be found, and trying to figure out how to do it would keep you just as busy as if you already knew how.

If you are preparing for TEOTWAWKI, well, this is the wrong board. But I think in that situation, there are far too many people for our wildernesses to support if they all went out and tried to feed themselves that way.

With all due respect, I must disagree with downplaying the need for food in a survival situation. While one might tolerate going without food for months, it would be extremely dangerous. The body, once it depletes its storage of fats, will start to breakdown muscle for an energy source. The only source of energy with which the brain can function, is glucose, the blood-brain barrier prevents other potential energy providing molecules from entering the brain.

In fact I would say that when we discus survival needs in general, there is a tendency to downplay how important food really is in a successful outcome. While I am sure there are many stories of survival where food was extremely limited and not a factor in the outcome, from my personal experiences and observations, food is an essential for even short time survival. Having gone through technical rescue training and actual rescues in adverse weather conditions, I have seen both in myself and others on my team quickly succumb to the wet and cold with reduced mental and physical stability. In fact, part of our training was to achieve under close supervision, the point at which we were unable to function with sense or reason. At this point the person or persons were rotated to rest and take nourishment. With only a short rest and some hot liquid and some light food, everyone was able to recovery quickly. Food can provide the needed calories to fight hypothermia and to provide the energy required by the brain to function in a normal fashion. I will always believe food should receive a higher status in our priorities of survival. Pete

I'm not saying food isn't necessary- it's just that "living off the land" is not an important skill to have to survive for 72 hours. Preventing hypothermia and attracting the attention of rescuers are at the top of my priority list. I have a couple power bars in my PSK, because a quick jolt of calories can do wonders to reverse a downward spiral into hypothermia. If the situation goes beyond a few hours, water is the next priority. Once I've got those needs taken care of, and rescue doesn't seem forthcoming, then I'm going to start worrying about feeding myself and my companions.

I am of the opinion that too much knowledge is rarely a hinderance in life. I suggest learning to hunt, fish, trap and forage if you are really serious about wilderness survival. Personally I am in almost an opposite situation as yours. Although I don't hunt, or fish much these days I spent most of my youth doing both on a very regular basis. I even have a decent amount of basic trapping experience but what I lack in a big way are foraging skills. I am currently trying to change that. I own several North American feild guides and try to spend as much time as I can studying them, then see what I have retained when I'm out in the wilderness. Although there are several species of plant that I can confidently identify with 100% accuracy there are many that I can not. I still have a looooooooong way to go in my opinion. Foraging, I believe is a very useful skill in a survival situation. Pete has already demonstrated the importance of food in a survival situation and in a lot of situations foraging plants can bring the most food per the amount of energy expended in its procurement. If youre a vegetarian or you will vomit up all your precious stored nutrients at the site of a fresh kill then foraging is even more valuable. Note however I don't want to give the impression that if youre an expert forager then you don't need to hunt, fish or trap. Animals provide lots of nutrients that (in most places) you simply can not get from plant food alone.

I think that anything that increases a person's self-reliance and independence is a good thing. If you do decide to learn to hunt, then I suggest hooking up with your local chapter of the Becoming an Outdoors Woman organization. Here is their website:

http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/bow/

Regards, Vince

Christina, one thing to keep in mind is that learning to hunt is not an easy thing to do. Those of us who grew up hunting and fishing as kids probably don't very often pause to consider what a great deal of skill and knowledge we acquired along the way. I suspect learning to hunt later in life would require a great deal of time and energy and probably money too. It's not something you just take an evening course in and then know how to do it. If you do want to learn to hunt, try and find an experienced hunter who will guide and teach you...someone who is truly in touch with and truly understand the laws of nature. And always remember to give thanks for every life you take.

Putting aside the physical skills involved with hunting, you have to ask yourself if you can kill something. I have hunted since I was 12 (almost 12 years) and I am not ashamed to tell you that even after all the times I have dropped the hammer, I still sometimes feel a little guilt over killing an animal.
As others have stated, it really isn't something you need to deal with the power being out for a few days or being stranded in your vehicle. Can you start a fire yet? How are your first aid skills? What about fresh water?
I have had to ask myself these questions not too long ago as well, and I am working on it. As you can see, I am still a new guy on this board, and that is pretty much my situation in real life as well.
If you decide to hunt, I definitely suggest some gun safety training first. In some states it is required, but I am not sure about all. Then, when you can safely use your firearm, try starting with small game. As I said, I have hunted for years. If I can be of any help with this, send me a private message.

At somewhere around 2 days of fasting, the brain can get energy from ketone bodies as well, at a smaller rate than glucose. This is coming from a medical biochemistry textbook. At some point though the lack of food will take a toll on the survivability of a situation.

I'm not a hunter myself, having mostly been raised in towns, with no country family.
So I sometimes ask myself the same question.

Up to now, my own answer is :
- first of all, I would have to learn to skin a killed game and to cook it !
- then I would learn to catch/kill it .....

And as someone suggested in another post, I guess the best way to do this, is learning with an experienced hunter you trust for his skills and knowledge.