# Stockpiling Fish & Game



## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I'm not sure if we should discuss this topic. I'll let the mods decide and set the limits. But I suppose ole Donk could let out a couple things. If for the only reason I become a castaway or a refugee. I know easy pickens when I see it!


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I've tried to raise catfish and some perch in tanks. Just don't have any luck. Now I'm thinking of digging out an area where we have a culvert in our stream. Put up some wire so the fish can't escape downstream to the lake. Our culvert is about 10 feet high and covered with soil to drive over it to acess our woods. I've often thought it would also be a good place to hide from a tornado. The river never freezes, it is fed by springs all over this area.
Asfar as game goes, I've never known more poachers in an area than we have here, game would be gone asap. And ,we have a huge deer population.


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## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

X amount in possession


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I was thinking more along the lines of attracting them to an area. And then harvesting when needed. Not a farming type project. But that's good what you've done. If it was me I'd get a back hoe and dig as big a hole the streambed could stand and build a crib for the bottom or push in an old car or something for structure and protection. Think minnow habitat. We did the crib thing several times. We even built a huge one on an old boat and towed it into position. We shot the boat full of holes to sink it. I forgot to cut the tow rope and dang near capsized our boat. I thought my Dad was going to kill me. At least I had a knife, he didn't. My grampa would sink a dead calf and use that for a catfish spot. That was back before the damns were built on the Mississippi. Still works, even with the damns! He also did clamming. There was a button factory nearby that bought the shells. But squirrels would migrate across the river then and crawl up on the boat to rest. Pretty cool. He also hunted turtles on the sandbars with a 22. All that is gone, flooded by the damns. Theres a few ways to stockpile fish, I just don't know how far to push it on a public forum. All by the way environmentally friendly and cheap!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I've heard of using rabbit heads to catch crayfish on...


My sister has a bird feeder that attracts lots of small birds and squirrels but most importantly wild turkeys.....they peck at her french doors for food!:shocked: She has videos of it....I always tell her to open the door and make a trail of cracked corn right into the oven.

My mother has similar problems including bear/deer at her feeders...


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

We once had a spring dug up, but silt and the cows fill it back in. Now that I have seen Elk's set up for a spring with the pvc and gravel, it keeps going round in my head. I'd have to fence the whole thing off, except for the tank for watering the cows. We have 3 large springs, 1 in the cow pasture and 2 in the alfala fields. I've even considered seeing if there were government grants to put in fish ponds, and have watched many videos on how to operate an escavator on U-tube. Even called on renting one. Dh knows how to operate all this eqitment, but I have the time,he doesn't. There does have to be some ways to inexpensively use what I can. I sure do miss fishing, having these 4 footers tyes one down.


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## Wanda (Dec 19, 2002)

What will you do when I bring my hand-crank electric fishing pole over? When you concentrate any resource it makes it attractive to a larger group of people.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Wanda said:


> What will you do when I bring my hand-crank electric fishing pole over? When you concentrate any resource it makes it attractive to a larger group of people.


Serve long pig.....:hrm:


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## edcopp (Oct 9, 2004)

7thswan said:


> I've tried to raise catfish and some perch in tanks. Just don't have any luck. Now I'm thinking of digging out an area where we have a culvert in our stream. Put up some wire so the fish can't escape downstream to the lake. Our culvert is about 10 feet high and covered with soil to drive over it to acess our woods. I've often thought it would also be a good place to hide from a tornado. The river never freezes, it is fed by springs all over this area.
> Asfar as game goes, I've never known more poachers in an area than we have here, game would be gone asap. And ,we have a huge deer population.


When you restrict the movement of wildlife, you will most likely involve the fish&wildlife people.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

water....in drought...i have the only water for miles.


this is one ya cant do overnight...mature trees.....on good years i can shovel the acorn crop....along with other types.

location,location,location.....in rough mtns....get yaself to a saddle.

food plots....literately just a few handfulls of turnip seed,or and type sorghum can plant a acre of ground.i like milo as it is the sorghum that is used for grain head.

our park people sink christmas trees for fish habitat here....crappie love it in winter..bring plenty of small hooks...lol








grain head for consumption....build it and they will come...yea baby....lol


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

stock ya pond with minnows and fish.....and most importantly....FEED THEM...a small pond is a closed system mostly and needs for fish to be fed....it can be as simple as nothing more than shelled corn....i have seen largemouth bass over 6# eat store bought light bread.....lol


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

plant white and ladino clover in ya yard.....roflmao....looking out backdoor window.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

get yaself a spring box....i know some might think i am lying...but i have seen wood ducks land in this tank.....lol....right now its cold and icey outside...but over the last week it got warm here...the frogs/toads was hollering...this spring box is now filled with strings of eggs waiting to be hatched when it warms again....how does this help you survive...well they hatch and it will be filled with black wiggling things..fish devour them...i.e. free food for fish and i notice a increase in **** activity...sooooo...i dont wanna do it but i could be dining on baked ****.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

heres what happens when a ornery 300# bear comes by...he wreaks ya spring box and pump system..breaks off riser pipe that keeps water level in tank....and he doesn't even eat a single fish fingerling......dirty :viking::hysterical:


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

edcopp said:


> When you restrict the movement of wildlife, you will most likely involve the fish&wildlife people.


I guess I should try putting my fish in a cage in the stream then.


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## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

Awesome photo's, Elk


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

oneraddad said:


> Awesome photo's, Elk


i know you live in the same type place i do...i have seen your pics.

i mainly have deer,bear and turkey......the elk are less than 50miles from me now on other side of county....its only a matter of time before i see elk.....i hope i live to see it.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Yep, that's what I'm talking about. A way of improving an area so wildlife is always in abundance. Think food, water, shelter.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

brushpiles.....pile them where you can leave them and not burn them....put the larger pieces on bottom to create a tunnel then pile it high...gives cover to small game...plus if you put it close to a tree as it breaks down with time it creates a pile of nutrients for tree to take in.scott nearing done some research way back in the day where they made brush piles close to trees they wanted to "feed" they found under those piles the trees actually sent up their roots to the surface to take in the rotting piles.

plus song birds have a place to get away from hawks.


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## K.B. (Sep 7, 2012)

mpillow said:


> Serve long pig.....:hrm:


When I saw the title of the thread I figured it wouldn't take much before this came up...


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Ok then. Sinse we have probably 20 deer every evening in the lower alfalfa field. -Ck. Turkeys usally, but coyote take their toll, so it's time to have a hunt, I have a llama that needs to be buried, that would be good bait. -check. We do own some propertys on the lake our stream feeds, so If we really needed we could get on it thru our acess rights, plenty of fish there.-check. It's time to go up to our cabin for a looksee-suckers should be running-just in time for spring smoking.-check.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

in summer my pond gets ugly but it still has plenty of life....but ya really gotta watch for rattlers and copperheads.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

attracting wildlife....i gotta have hotwires to knock it back.i put a chicken pen up...heres a pic on trailcam 20yrds away....if i do or build something my wild friends come visit....lol..


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Wanda said:


> What will you do when I bring my hand-crank electric fishing pole over? When you concentrate any resource it makes it attractive to a larger group of people.


Better belong to my tribe or be better armed than we are. 

But ultimately you're correct. In all of nature and human history, stronger tribes push out weaker ones and the competition is over resources. Used to be fish, rabbit, and deer but then it became oil. When the oil is gone it will go back to being fish, rabbit, and deer.

In order to concentrate game in an area I have to feed them, and that's a waste of energy. I'd rather range over a larger territory and gather what I need.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I have never eaten snake. Are the bones like they are in fish?


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I wish I could post pictures. To build a brushpile Donk style, theres a couple tricks that make these into death traps. When I was on the farm I had 30+ brushpiles like this. Good rabbit habitat is essential. Rabbit is No1 in my book for keeping a person in easy meat. The way I build them they are eaisly hunted with a 22 or Longbow. Or a compound if you're a real wanker. As with most things in life, bigger is better. Build with what ya got, but it takes a certain amount of brush to offer good physicsl protection from predators, with the exception of weasels. There is no stopping him. Also hardwood is superior as it lasts longer and is a better barrier. In a nutshell build the pile with about a 3' overhang facing south. The pile can be in heigth, but mine were 4-5'. Building them is alot of work. Done right they last for years. During cold winter days the rabbit sits below this overhang and naps in the sun. He feels safe from airel predators due to overhead protection and can eaisly slip back into the pile from ground predators. Remember a rabbit also listens through his feet. Learn to stalk and it's easy pickens. It was nothing to get 10-15 rabbits in an afternoon this way, just off of our farm. Didn't have to poach the neighbors, cause his rabbits was over on our place. Below these overhangs are also good places for conibears. My uncle taught me to stalk rabbits. He was a champion rabbit hunter, poacher, cardshark and womanizer. The other trick is to build the pile over a stout limb that sticks out of the pile. This is for kicking so as to shake the pile to scare thr rabbits out. This is for desperate characters that use a shotgun. If you have little kids with you, you can have them climb on the pile and jump up and down. But if you're alone this little trick helps you to shoot from a more stable position. Balancing yourself on brushpile, trying to shoot a fleeing rabbit can be dangerous, especially on older decaying piles. Been there done that. The only thing you lose is the elevated advantage. Donk has just gave you the fine art of building brushpiles for rabbits. Build a few and hunt them and you'll figure it out. My uncle who got me into rabbit hunting always had a good beagle. I got my first rabbit with him and ole Bullet his beagle. I can take you to the exact spot I dropped yhr rabbit. I was 11 years old, shooting some old heavy single shot 12 gage with some old shell he won in a card game. I was also half in the bag, my uncle was quite the character. He was a WW2 vet and is buried in the veterans cemetery in King WI.


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## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

My pond(on National Forest) is almost dry because of the severe drought the last 3 years. It'll probably go dry for the first time that I've ever seen.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Here's another use for the brush pile....dry firewood for when the winter sticks around longer than the usual wood pile!

Seriously! I cut some nice dry stuff to make a bed for the wet-ish wood that was left out for next winter!

Nice fish ELK!


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Another thing on the brush piles is to build them a couple feet taller as they will settle after a year or two. Say 5-6 foot tall to start. I have piles of hardwood that are 25+ years old. But I have freshened them up over the years and they are hardwood. I believe on this forum somewhere i posted my favorite 12 gage load. You may want to check it out. To use anything but that marks you as a wanker supreme. I haven't used a shotgun for hunting brushpiles since my teens. 22 and longbow are the way to go. Arrows are also specialized. Hunting with beagles, especially a slow one doesn't need a shotgun either. A 22 is fine for when they circle back and stop. But with fast hounds, shotguns are the ticket. If you're lucky enough to hunt rabbits with some good beagles, not deer chasers, say a prayer of thanks to the lord. It's one of lifes greatest pleasures.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

elkhound, I hear bear is good eating.
7thswan, yes, snake have bones. I've never cleaned one but shouldn't be any more difficult than a long skinny fish. 

I've found that piles of broken concrete blacks have made excellent ground hog habitat when the concrete is piled in a ditch that is washing out. It was totally unintentional. But maybe this will be the year I catch and prepare a 'hog.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Bear is ok... but the lard is really great.!


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

Ponds, creeks and nut trees are primo game magnets, f'sure. 

.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

Hazelnuts are in my immediate plans for creating one of the most useful wildlife magnets I can come up with. Here's why.

Planting a hazelnut hedgerow will benefit me and the wildlife in pretty short order. It takes only 3 to 5 years to begin bearing, and will bear for many decades. (Other nuts take forever and a day to begin yielding.) 

They have a self-perpetuating nature. New shoots will replace older plants, which will make a hedgerow or thicket's lifespan nearly infinite.

Hazelnuts are a game magnet for wildlife. Deer, bear, squirrels, bobwhite, grouse, etc. eat the nuts. The catkins provide winter food for grouse and white-tailed deer, which also eat the twigs. It also provides great cover and shelter for all kinds of wildlife, including rabbits. I also read that moose love the stuff too.

Bonus! Hazelnuts are super nutritious for humans too. 

http://grow.cals.wisc.edu/food/five-things-everyone-should-know-about-hazelnuts :

âHazelnuts are rich in vitamins (particularly vitamin E and B-complex groups of vitamins, including folates, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin) as well as dietary fiber They also are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid and linoleic acid, which help reduce LDL, the âbadâ cholesterol, and increase HDL, the âgoodâ cholesterol.â

The wood is also valuable. Most species can be coppiced every 6 â 15 years, and the coppiced wood can be used for fences, tool handles, firewood, charcoal, etc.

Everything you need to know about coppicing: https://www.google.com/searchq=how+...j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8


What's more, they can be a rich source of oil for cooking, lighting, etc. In very hard times, this versatile kind of oil is pure gold. 

There are plenty enough You Tube tutorials out there, but here is a basic written overview of what it takes to make your own oil: http://www.ehow.com/how_7154350_make-own-hazelnut-oil.html

This oil press is near the top of my wish list, and the price is right: $164. http://www.bountifulgardens.org/Oil-Press-Home-Oil-Press/productinfo/SOI-9418/ 

Lehman's has the same thing for $200. https://www.lehmans.com/p-4290-hand-cranked-oil-press.aspx


There's a hazelnut species for nearly every zone. Here's just a few:

http://tcpermaculture.blogspot.com/2013/01/permaculture-plants-hazelnuts-aka.html


USDA Hardiness Zone:
American Hazel-(Corylus americana) â Zone 3
European Filbert or Common Hazel-(Corylus avellana) â Zone 4
Chinese Tree Hazel-(Corylus chinensis) â Zone 7
Turkish Tree Hazel-(Corylus columa) â Zone 5
Beaked Hazel-(Corylus cornuta) â Zone 3
California Hazel-(Corylus cornuta californica) - Zone 4
Himalayan Hazel-(Corylus ferox) - Zone 8
Asian or Siberian Filbert-(Corylus heterophylia) â Zone 5
Common Filbert-(Corylus maxima) â Zone 5
Asian Beaked Hazel-(Corylus sieboldiana) â Zone 6
Tibetan Hazel-(Corylus tibetica) - Zone 7
Trazel-(Corylus x columoides) â Zone 5
Filazel/Hazelbert-(Corylus x hybrids) â Zone 3
Chinese Trazel-(Corylus x vilmorini) â Zone 5

They can grow in partial shade or full sun, in dry or moist soil. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/wildlife/ntvplts/hzlnuts.htm

Yep, I'm gonna grow lots of this stuff.


.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Cajun, I am not sure what kind of Hazel nuts I have planted, they are like a Bush. They have small nuts. So if you do plant take that into consideration. A tree vs a bush might meen the difference in size of the nut. Something I was unaware of when I planted.


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## PrairieBelle22 (Nov 17, 2006)

7thswan said:


> I have never eaten snake. Are the bones like they are in fish?


I thought it was more like eating a chicken back. It was a western diamondback rattlesnake. I don't remember any little "random" bones, just the rib bones like a chicken back.

Belle


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I've been looking into hazelnuts too. Easier and faster than acorns and they don't have to have the tannins leached out before people can eat them. I'm not particularly fond of them myself but sure won't mind popping off a few squirrels that are gathering the nuts.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

7thswan said:


> I have never eaten snake. Are the bones like they are in fish?





PrairieBelle22 said:


> I thought it was more like eating a chicken back. It was a western diamondback rattlesnake. I don't remember any little "random" bones, just the rib bones like a chicken back.
> 
> Belle


The bones are not like fish bones. Just regular back bones like you find in most all animals. The rib cages are quit long and about the only meat you eat from the snake is the long backstraps. For first timers it might be better to remove the long backstraps from the bones and just fry them up only. Rattlesnake is the only snake I've eaten and they taste like fried wild rabbit to me. Very delicious! 

As for the OP post, I'm planning on planting my very own food plot in my back yard. I have big back yard that we use to raise garden in when I was growing up. Close to 1 acre and it sits right next to a forest, which deer come up all the time. But my reason is that one of these days I'm not going to be able to run up and down the ridges draggind deer home. So, why don't I just start attracting them to my backyard and just hunt from my house? I'll still buy license and tags to make it legal. This might be considered baiting to some, but it's legal here in Oklahoma and with plenty of time, I can be selective on what I shoot. Better management. 

Fishing wise, do lots of camping and fishing. Run a trotline. Spend enough time near water during the summer months and you can fill a deepfreeze full of free fish. If you got the time! Or build you a pond!


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## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

Took the dogs down to the river yesterday for a swim and got a bunch of Blackberry cuttings and a few that already had bare roots.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Oldcountryboy said:


> Rattlesnake is the only snake I've eaten and they taste like fried wild rabbit to me. Very delicious!


What do you cook them with (or how)? I've broiled them up and while the texture is good, the taste was very game. I'll eat roadkill possum but I don't know that I'd go out of my way to get another rattlesnake unless we're really dang hungry.

Is there a certain time of year in which they are better or worse? Is there a way to cook them that reduces the game flavor? Snakes smell bad and they taste exactly like they smell. I haven't enjoyed them at all.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Ernie said:


> What do you cook them with (or how)? I've broiled them up and while the texture is good, the taste was very game. I'll eat roadkill possum but I don't know that I'd go out of my way to get another rattlesnake unless we're really dang hungry.
> 
> Is there a certain time of year in which they are better or worse? Is there a way to cook them that reduces the game flavor? Snakes smell bad and they taste exactly like they smell. I haven't enjoyed them at all.


I've never tried snake, but maybe if you soaked the meat in milk it might help?


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Tiempo said:


> I've never tried snake, but maybe if you soaked the meat in milk it might help?


Maybe. We did that with some elk we were given (which I think was borderline spoiled) and it helped the flavor.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Ernie said:


> Maybe. We did that with some elk we were given (which I think was borderline spoiled) and it helped the flavor.


And if not, that's why chili and curry were invented


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Ernie said:


> What do you cook them with (or how)? I've broiled them up and while the texture is good, the taste was very game. I'll eat roadkill possum but I don't know that I'd go out of my way to get another rattlesnake unless we're really dang hungry.
> 
> Is there a certain time of year in which they are better or worse? Is there a way to cook them that reduces the game flavor? Snakes smell bad and they taste exactly like they smell. I haven't enjoyed them at all.


Probably all snakes have a oil gland just inside thier rectum. If you can keep from squeezing this part of the snake when skinning it might help on the odor or taste. When I get the snake skinned down to the rectum I usually cut it off to keep any oil from leaking out. Worry about it later as I do save the skins and tan them out. 

As for cooking, I just dip the meat in milk or buttermilk if I have any and then roll it in seasoned flour and pan fry it. I once took a bunch of boys from church on a camping trip and we caught a 6 ft. rattlesnake. I taught the boys how to skin it out and then we fried it up. Everybody got at least one peice and everyone loved it. They talked about it for years. 



Tiempo said:


> I've never tried snake, but maybe if you soaked the meat in milk it might help?


Wouldn't hurt! Seems like soaking in milk makes everything taste better. I just hate wasting that much milk.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Thought I add some commentary to what's been posted. Someone mentioned crawdad. That is some good tucker. I have a friend who used to catch minnows for a living. He always got alot of "crabs" during the course of the summer. These he would throw in the minnow tanks all summer to fatten on dead minnows. About a week or so before the big "fall down", a private party just before trapping season, he would put them in a tank and let them purge all that rancid minnow meat out of their guts. Oh boy, I'm salivating like a dog just thinking about it! This makes for a better tasting crawdad. All his tanks had clear artesian water constantly flowing through them. Anyway just throwing that tip at ya. Also Zatarans crab boil, IMHO, had the best tasteing crab spice. One other thing crawdads are easy to catch, hardest part can be getting them out of the creek and into the kitchen. Once you find a good crabbing area, if possible stash your gear nearby and leave it for future use. No sense in working any harder than you have to. There's been many times as a kid I used somebody else traps to catch a mess of crawdads. And I'm sure likewise. Crabs are alot of work for the amount of meat, but it's pleasant time spent away from the daily grind or wife. Any bloody meat can be used as bait. A chicken wire trap is cheap to make and effective. You can set it and check it once a week if you want to. Let em build up in there. Also either make the mouth narrow so muskrats can't get in there or just leave it wide open. Even then a rat will get in there and panic and bite on to the wire at the back and there he'll be or whats left of him if it's been awhile since you checked it last. There's a learning curve to crawdads especially the cooking and eating part, that's for another thread. Like there's a mudvein in the tail you're supposed to remove before eating. Easy to do and everyone likes to show off doing this. But after a few beers this gets harder and harder to do correctly. So I prefer to just pull off the outer shell and declare everyone else a wanker for having a weak stomach.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

One other thing on crawdads. Up here we have Rusty Crawfish, an invasive and good eating. Much bigger than the native species. Illegal to transport too, so it may be wise to check ordinances. I believe you need a license also? I'll have to brush up on the law. When I lived in Wisconsin, they were really hyper about this. So use caution. I mean, wouldn't you feel stupid if you had to appear before a judge because you didn't know the laws concerning the harvest of mudbugs? Back home they would never let me live it down.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I go back and read my posts and every one need more added. I find it impossible to organize my thoughts most days. And things in nature, even more so because so much is done second nature. Like take the brushpiles for instance whether on land or underwater. LOCATION is everything. Don't expect to cut down a couple trees in the middle of a Oak forest and expect rabbits to take up residence. Put it near a field edge or build em in big clear cuts where brush is coming back big time. The middle of a pasture isn't usually a good place. Same way with fish cribs, deep holes. Deep meaning, the deepest places that particular watercourse has to offer. You can get into alot of trouble for placing fish structure's out. A bust will involve alphabet agencies you never heard of. By the time they're done with you, you'll count your lucky stars that they didn't publicly hang you and sell your children into slavery. My brother and I once spent 3 days in lockup for poaching (trapping ahead of season). That's OT , but keep in mind even though your making life better for wildlife you may be inadvertently setting yourself up for trouble. And I'd hate to see that. I need all you folks out there creating wildlife paradises so if ole Donk has to take flight with just a BOB on his back , I will find easy pickens in a lush landscape. Most folks think hanging a bird feeder is all you need to do to attract wildlife. And it is around here, ask the ***** and bears, but the goal for me has always been to hold and shelter them. Make them want to stay there, but with a minimum of inputs. Next installment will be planting food plots without machinery, except maybe a seed spreader. I think I may have posted this here years ago? Or it could have been on a hunting forum. I did get kicked and ganged up on pretty bad at one site in particular. I almost swore off helping people forever after that, but came back to my sences. Whether you admit it or not, you folks need guidance! LMAO! Stay tuned.:happy2:


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

give me shelter.........:happy2:


look what ya can do with free materials headed for dumpster and a $20 cheapo air gun














squirrel boxes all stained with copper roofs...dont forget to put mesg wire inside so them young squirrels can climb out....dont hang them in sun...the heat can kill them.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

dont forget the wood ducks


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

let ya trees reach maturity so you can yield the most mast production







a size 13/14 muck shoes for reference of tree size....big oaks produce....this tree has very little timber value as it has only one short log...it splits off and has a huge crown diameter and is close to 100ft tall...around here we call them wolf oaks because of how narley they are....its a red oak that sure produces food.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Outstanding Elk. Squirrel are easy to stockpile IF you have mature Oaks. On our farm we had 160 acres of Oak. My Dad would never allow a hollow tree to be cut. He used one logger in particular because he was as minimum impact as you could get with a skidder. He cared about wildlife as much as we did. That's the one thing I'm really thankful for is my upbringing. We had a real appreciation for the woods and its inhabitants. If we hadn't so many hollow trees we would have been hanging squirrel boxes I'm sure of it. My Dad also only allowed us to hunt squirrel with a 22. And if it wasn't head shot, you rated right down there with politicians. We had greys and the big fox squirrel. I saved tails and sold them to Mepps. Best spinner on the planet by the way. I always had 50+ tails to send because then they would refund 

postage. That money bought all of my trapping lure and more 22 

shells. Yep, life was good as a kid. Up here in northern MN I'm in the area where it starts to change from hardwood to conifers. I got one big red oak and a few burr oaks on my 60 acres. We are lucky to have acorns every 6-7 years. The very worst year in WI would yield more acorns than the 10 best years here. We do have a few greys and the odd black squirrel running around here, but they are so rare I don't 

mess with them. Gotta grey feeding outside the chicken coop right 
now.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Sorry about the wierd spacing in that last post. I have no idea how to run this Tab. When someone has a real long post, I can't comment because I can't get the post to scroll up in that little screen. The whole page scrolls up. This is probably comforting news to you all.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I have just a little time so here goes the Donk way of making food plots without all the fancy mechanized gear our more well heeled members have. Having no tractors and all the gadjits to pull behind it is really no disadvantage with this method, as long as you use caution, common sense and the weather Gods smile favorably on you. You also won't look like some Cabelas model driving around on an ATV pretending you're some big shot hunter. You can do this wearing ordinary work clothes. Or you can dress like your hero Donk and wear Nomex. Anyone with just half a brain has probably guessed it, "Donk is using fire to create a food plot, that's just crazy! The man should be put away!" I can assure you I have done this many times and I'll tell you all the little pitfalls that could get you some major jailtime and lawsuits. But that will hafta wait as we are having a blizzard , roads are bad and the trip to town is going to take some time. I'll get back to this later.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I'll write the rest of this later. Took 40 minutes to go 10 miles to the bus stop. To heck with going to town. Our 3-5" of forecasted snow is over a foot now. Heavy wet stuff. Lots of cars in the ditch. This is Canadas fault.


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