Originally Posted By: Mark_R
The first firearm thread got me thing about other ways to procure food (meat) in the wilderness. For figure-4 and other "kill instantly" traps, how long after death can the animal safely be field dressed and eaten? Assume that it's a "smaller then a breadbox" critter.


Impossible to answer precisely, and this is one reason I prefer fishing, but here goes;

The organisms of decay are not the same as the organisms that cause food poisoning eg, Botulism, Salmonella, Lysteria, etc. The size and type of animal, how it was killed, the air temperature, exposure to the sun, and humidity are all important factors in how long meat will remain edible.

If I were in a serious survival situation, I would carefully examine the animal, and if it looked and smelled OK, I would skin, dress, cook well-done and eat the larger muscle meat and avoid internal organs. I would not eat small rodents unless I just killed them.

Incidently, better to forget the frustrating figure 4 traps and put a new wood-based rat trap in your backpack. Dirt cheap, lightweight, and will catch squirrels and small muskrats and rabbits. Drill a hole for a wire lanyard before you go. You can use the back as a cleaning board.
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The man got the powr but the byrd got the wyng