living off the land

[ThunderIdeal]

cool so if you find a pancake bush you needn't go without syrup. please post <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png

[immanuel]

thanks for all the replies, very helpful! the pdf by koa is great, i didnt realize how much plantlife there was to eat around here. i think once i've learnt some basic knowledge i'll put it to test on a camping trip and take it from there. i went camping last weekend and the wildlife around was amazing, the animals were in such abundance and some, especially wallabies, coming right up 1-2m away from us, would of been easy to kill with a spear or something, but not sure i would be able to. if one was to live out in the wilderness would killing live animals (kangaroos, fish, snakes birds etc) be necessary to sustain the body? what are other opinions on killing wildlife to eat? its strange how different it would feel killing something like a wallaby or a beautiful bird compared a lizard or a fish.

[ThunderIdeal]

i could do it if genuinely starving, which is my criteria for eating any meat.

[santiago]

hunger is the number one motivation in any animal including human beings, it controls and overides anything including sex, thirst, companionship anything, whether we know it or not it controls human behavior, just because we live in a society where we can buy food anywhere and generally have enough money to avoid starvation dont overule that hunger will turn an ordinary person into a savage, you say mardybum it may be strange to kill and eat a wallaby compared to a bird or a fish, thats a load of crap and obviosly you have a full stomach, if you were genuinely hungry you would devour that wallaby and bugs and whatever you could get your hands on probably including your fellow human beings, have a look up 'custom of the sea'. in almost every case of survival in regards to human isolation at sea people have eaten their companions, do not underestimate hunger, whether you believe it or not you will eat almost anything to survive and if you dont believe me go without food for 3 days and when you see a bug crawl by see if you can avoid the temptation to crush it between your teeth and swallow it.

[Light&Love]

A good book to read on Australian vegetation in general, Wild Food Plants of Australia by Tim Low. Will teach you a thing or two about living off plants alone.

[ThunderIdeal]

sometimes people will starve to death for some greater cause. i've told this story here several times but some russians that were saving lots of different plant varieties considered the work so important that during a serious famine (WWII i think) they kept their enormous stockpile of rice and grains secret, even as their families and themselves starved.

[Chiral]

I think stockpiling yourself on some serious Buddhist meditation techniques could potentially help with living solo off the land...could really help keep those wild hungers that Santiago speaks off under wraps for a while till some food was available to be caught or killed. I have a real strong deep desire to attempt to do this one day and see if I am as courageous as I think I might half be...talking about it here is one thing but actually doing it is something way different.

Pass me my .22 Jeeves I feel like Kangaroo tonight after my bath, oh and fetch me some corn from the paddock would you...there's a good slave... <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_tongue.png

H.

[gunditjmarajustin]

living soley with your own devices would be ultimate this is a great idea i have often thought about

[Arieon]

To be honest it is not that hard, you merely have to take different concepts of life with you when you go for a huge bush trek, like people have already stated, having some idea of your surroundings is an excellent start, not disturbing the natural habitat, apart from vegetation for cover and or plants for means of protein and nutrients would benefit greatly, i.e you will be able to experience the wildlife. I would suggest taking a pocket knife, they can come in handy in more ways than one. Honestly you just need to have a really open mind to the whole experience and way of life if you're going bush, i wouldn't suggest it to those who "rely on meat" as protein even though there are animals out there, disturbing the balance is not a necessity. They're are massive amounts of protein and nutrients in bark, roots, fruit, vegetables and trees of all kind, just do a bit of research. There are so many varieties out there, the majority of us are just unaware of it because we go day to day buying things from the supermarket ! But the bushlands / Forests is where it all started !

[Yawning Man]

Hey Mardy

You're not alone in wanting to do this. It's been on the cards for me for a while. I was thinking of doing a survival course before it as to get a rough understanding of the level of challenge it will present. Lots of great advice in this thread btw!

Where abouts are you planning on going? Bush, coast or desert? Taking any cacti brews with you?

cheers