| 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.
| If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to throw knives or tomahawks, look no further than The Ultimate Guide to Knife Throwing. This comprehensive guide is perfect for everyone from novices who have never picked up a knife to seasoned knife and tomahawk throwers looking to compete in their first tournament.
Bobby Branton has been a foremost expert in the field of knife throwing and handcrafting custom throwing knives for over thirty years and shares his expertise here with easy step-by-step directions. Branton shows readers two methods of throwing knives that are most popular with knife throwers today. He will also share his extensive knife-making experience by showing readers how to make a quality throwing knife on a budget.
In addition to improving technical skills, this guide will also give readers a brief history of the sport—covering everyone from the pioneers of the sport to today’s modern impalement artists. This book will give you the tools needed to learn everything from the basics of knife and tomahawk throwing to how to start your own knife and tomahawk throwing club. Readers will learn how to construct targets, learn the basic stance, basic knife and tomahawk grips, and the mechanics of throwing knives and tomahawks. Branton’s guide gives an in-depth look at this fast-growing sport, with a strong emphasis placed on safety.
The Ultimate Guide to Knife Throwing is a must for anyone interested in the sport of knife throwing.
| 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. |
- Sections dealing with all kinds of emergency situations
- Great companion book to the Pocket Guide to Emergency First Aid
- Spiral binding lets pages lay flat for easy reading in the field
- Side tabs let you find the right chapter quickly
- Fully waterproof, dirt-proof, tear-proof, wind-proof, kid-proof.
- Pages are made of specially formulated, heat-treated, PVC plastic - polished, resin-coated polyvinylchloride polymer). Pages feature:
- Bright white printing surface - all printing is clear and precise
- Virtual indestructibility - the pages can't rip or tear, and the corners won't bend over
- Flexibility - pages can bend without breaking
- Washable surface - just wipe clean after use or wash in water
- Steel rule die cut with polished edges - the corners won't poke you while in your hand or in your pocket, as often happens with plastic printed materials
- Will not warp, fade or deteriorate. (Keep out of direct sunlight for prolonged periods - nothing can prevent the sun's ultraviolet rays from "yellowing" any kind of paper or plastic. Under normal conditions it will take years of use for these Pocket Guides to "yellow", and even then they will remain clear and perfectly readable!)
| 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.
| As consumerism and a meat-heavy, processed diet become the norm and the world's population continues to grow at an exponential rate, more and more people are looking toward a more sustainable path for food. Authors Douglas Boudreau and Mykel Hawke believe that the future of food lies in the wild foods of times spanning back to before the mass-agriculture system of today.
People have become distanced from the very systems that provide their food, and younger generations are increasingly unable to identify even the trees in their backyards. In response, Boudreau and Hawke have provided a compendium of wild edible plants in North America. Foraging for Survival is a comprehensive breakdown of different plant species from bearded lichen to taro, and from all over the United States. There are also tips for growing local native plants in the backyard to facilitate learning and enhance table fare at home. Other information you'll find inside:
- A list of different types of edible wild plants
- Foraging techniques
- Bugs and other grubs that can be consumed
- Warning signs of poisonous plants
- And much more!
Whether you're a hiker taking a walk through your local wilderness, or chef looking for new ingredients to incorporate in your dishes, Foraging for Survival is the book for you!
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