| Content | The ancient art of trapping goes back centuries, almost to the beginning of civilization. Native Americans used the pit trap, deadfalls, and snares, the Chinese documented the use of nets and pits in the fourth century BCE, and virtually every civilization can exhibit some example of the use of a trap in one form or another to procure meat, hides, or fur. The fur trade across Europe was dominated by the Russians, which provided furs to the greater part of Western Europe and Asia during the Middle Ages, which prompted the exploration of Siberia and its game rich forests. In North America, trapping was one of the primary reasons why settlers pushed West, taking advantage of the bountiful game across the continent. Fur was used not only for coats, hats, and mittens, it was used as a form of barter.
The taking of a fur-bearing animal was and is a big accomplishment, as fooling a crafty animal on its home territory is no easy feat. In Trapping 101, veteran trapper Phil Massaro reveals all the secrets of the trade, from knowing where to set traps, to understanding and using various types of traps, to properly using scents. Tips and tactics for taking beavers, muskrats, weasels, raccoons, skunks, otters, and more are all covered. While there is a wealth of information in here for beginners, information that will help them pick up trapping with relative ease, there are many subtle tips and tricks that even a veteran trapper will appreciate.
Times have, of course, changed since the days of the voyageurs and rendezvouses. There are many more people in this modern world, many more dwellings, many more towns and cities. But there is a place for trapping in all this, just as there are places for hunting and fishing. A knowledgeable trapper, following game rules and respecting the animals he is trying to trap, fits right into the grand scheme of Mother Nature existing in harmony with humankind. This book will help you achieve that.
| Over 200,000 copies sold—fully updated! Dye your own wool, raise chickens, make your own cheddar cheese, build a log cabin, and much much more.
Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills—the kind employed by our forefathers—and adapt them for a better life in the twenty-first century need look no further than this eminently useful, full-color guide.
Countless readers have turned to Back to Basics for inspiration and instruction, escaping to an era before power saws and fast-food restaurants and rediscovering the pleasures and challenges of a healthier, greener, and more self-sufficient lifestyle.
Now newly updated, the hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, photographs, charts, and illustrations in Back to Basics will help you dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees, raise chickens, craft a hutch table with hand tools, and make treats such as blueberry peach jam and cheddar cheese. The truly ambitious will find instructions on how to build a log cabin or an adobe brick homestead.
More than just practical advice, this is also a book for dreamers—even if you live in a city apartment, you will find your imagination sparked, and there’s no reason why you can’t, for example, make a loom and weave a rag rug. Complete with tips for old-fashioned fun (square dancing calls, homemade toys, and kayaking tips), this may be the most thorough book on voluntary simplicity available. | Now outdoorsman and survivalists can own the official US Army guide to edible plants. Whether you are a stranded soldier, a wilderness hiker, or you just want to know which plants growing in your backyard are edible, this is an invaluable resource.
Anyone who has spent serious time outdoors knows that in survival situations, wild plants are often the only sustenance available. The proper identification of these plants can mean the difference between survival and death.
This book describes habitat and distribution, physical characteristics, and edible parts of wild plants—the key elements of identification.
Hugely important to the book are its color photos. There are over one hundred of them, further simplifying the identification of poisonous and edible plants. No serious outdoors person should ever hit the trail without this book and the knowledge contained within it.
| This is a full-color edition of the very first Boy Scouts Handbook, complete with the wonderful vintage advertisements that accompanied the original1911 edition, Over 40 million copies in print!
The original Boy Scouts Handbook standardized American scouting and emphasized the virtues and qualifications for scouting, delineating what the American Boy Scouts declared was needed to be a “well-developed, well-informed boy.” The book includes information on:
- The organization of scouting
- Signs and signaling
- Camping
- Scouting games
- Description of scouting honors.
Scouts past and present will be fascinated to see how scouting has changed, as well as what has stayed the same over the years.
| Learn How to Start a Fire, Even When It Seems Impossible!
Since the dawn of mankind, fire has been a staple of survival. Whether it is used to keep warm, cook food, or scare away predators, fire is an essential element, one that is almost impossible for humans to live without. But with society's current dependence on modern tools and technology, many persons would have no idea how to start a fire without matches or a lighter. In an emergency situation, a lack of knowledge about it could easily prove fatal.
In Guide to Making Fire without Matches, survival expert Christopher Nyerges provides readers with all the skills that they may need to start a fire without modern tools. The book begins by covering the history and lore surrounding fire, and then moves on to describe, in detail, the four main methods through which fire is made: friction, the sun, electricity, and chemistry. Additional topics include:
How to make a fire in the rain
The best locations to build a fire
Safety precautions to take when around fire
How to tend your fire
How to make a signal fire
Different ways to cook with fire
And much more!
With helpful diagrams, illustrations, and sidebars, Guide to Making Fire without Matches is the ultimate reference book for learning about an essential element.
| Learn how to navigate without a compass, even when it seems impossible!
Whether we are walking or driving, whether in the woods, on the water, or in the city, it&;s vital that we know where we are and are able to find our way around. But with society&;s current dependence on modern tools and technology, many persons would have no idea how to navigate without a compass or GPS. In an emergency situation, that lack of knowledge could easily prove fatal.
In The Ultimate Guide to Navigating without a Compass, survival expert Christopher Nyerges provides readers with all the skills that they may need to navigate naturally. The book begins by describing the meaning of natural navigation, and then moves on to describe, in detail, the methods of natural navigation, including using the sun, the stars, the moon, and shadows. Additional topics include:
- How to read a map
- How to make a sun dial
- How to make a star dial
- How to use clouds to predict weather patterns
- How to track celestial changes
- How to gauge time through natural observation
- And much more!
With helpful diagrams, illustrations, and sidebars, The Ultimate Guide to Navigating without a Compass is the fundamental reference book for learning how to navigate by natural methods.
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