Suburban Hunting, Fishing and Trapping

BigTex

One things that suburbs tend to do is displace predators while leaving their prey. I am thinking about deer, rabbits, squirrels, rats, and other varmints. Thus, these populations grow out of control.

Also, the suburban landscape contains many bodies of water that are either stocked with fish or could be.

What thoughts do you have on the ability of a skilled hunter, trapper, and angler to be able to skim a little cream off the suburban landscape?

I could bag several rabbits a day from my front door if I wanted to. I could trap a few and start my own rabbit farm if I wanted to as well.

I am picturing a post-PO apocalyptic world with the occasional Mad Max figure on a bicycle with a skinny deer carcass strapped to the handlebars.
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pstarr

BigTex I rather see goats foraging between houses and in the woods, and sheep with their shepherds on median strips, office park lawns, common greens etc. You have better control this way.
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director

ree rah rip ram. sunofabitch godamn. hidey didey christ almighty. rah rah crap wav

RonMN

I've considered this. I have several small lakes not far away, I could get lots of sunnies & bull heads. So I have pleanty of fishing line & hooks.

Also alot of rabbits so I picked up a live trap & a pellet gun (uses no CO2 cartridge & it's quiet).

Acres & acres of cattails within walking distance for my carbohydrates (I should pick up some hip waders). But I DON'T tell anybody in the neighborhood about these ideas, I don't need any compitition.

I would like to think it'll never get that bad...but I'm not willing to bet my life on it.
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cavemandoom30

I've been doing this for years. I think I've seen it referred to as " Garden Hunting' I plant a garden, then, I set traps and kill the cute bunnies, squirrels, groundhogs who came to eat my garden. Most years I kill 4-6 critters, I could get 12-20 probably, but, I just don't feel like skinning animals some days, too tired from work, etc.. Young bunnies are especially good, squirrels, ok if you stew them all day, groundhogs are only ok if you make them into something like pasta sauce, or chilli, where you can't taste the meat very strongly. I never waste the meat..if I kill eat, I always eat it. Last year I discovered the BEST way to do this..RAT TRAPS, the big snap type ones. PB for the tree rats, carrots for the long-ear rats, it honestly will kill either one, and much more effective than snares..I set 6 snares last year, a variety of types, and never got any that way. I also sometimes shoot them with a BB gun, but that usually takes 2-3 shots to kill, unless my aim is pefect.

Ludi

caveman - do the rat traps actually kill the squirrels? Or are they merely injured?
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wisconsin_cur · Moderator Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2917

The problem I foresee is when everyone starts to do it the game will rather quickly be depleted.

The squirrels I've caught in rat traps have always been "neck broke dead."
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pstarr

BigTex

I think cavemandoom30 is going to be a survivor.

Just a feeling.
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vision-master

Just got back from a 8 mile hike in the woods in a large inter-city park. We seen a gaggle of the biggest turkeys today. Three males in back with a bunch of females in front. Pretty cool. Cool

wisconsin_cur · Moderator Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2917

vision-master

wisconsin_cur · Moderator Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2917

Newfie

In the late 1880's, 1890's deer and turkey were nearly eliminated from Pennsylvania. The state game commission was set up to restore the game population. At the time they set up "game preserves" where hunting was prohibited. They also imported whitetail deer from more western states (Ohio I believe was one) to re-establish a population. Back then game wardens would ride the trolleys between towns to check licenses and bag limits.

Today we and other urbanized areas have the opposite problem, too many deer over browse the understory and destroy the natural flora. State Game lands are property set aside so hunters have a place to go. PA has greatly changed its harvesting laws to allow more deer to be taken. The number of hunters is dwindling and quite a few states are encouraging more into it. Those that do take up hunting tend to focus on big game (deer, bear, turkey) and leave the rabbits, grouse, squirrel alone.

The deer overpopulation problem is particularly bad in near urban areas. In the area around Philadelphia, for example, a hunter can effectively be licensed to take as many deer as he wants. The problem is finding a place to do it. Not just the space but to avoid those who opposed hunting.

In most places the methods described above are strictly illegal. Do what you will but you are putting yourself at risk of the authorities. And don't let your neighbors poodle get its nose into your trap or you are screwed.

All this said, if even a tiny fraction of our population took up hunting/fishing as a primary source of protein we would strip the natural world of wildlife in very short order. Simply put we are WAY over carrying capacity, even here in the USA.

It sounds like you folks are not cooking the stuff right. Squirrel is my favorite meat bar none. Rabbit is also good. My wife likes to boil it down and de-bone it before making stew. I prefer both pan fried. We had grouse for Thanksgiving diner last year. Two years ago fresh turkey. I take one or two deer a year and, being light meat eaters, it lasts a whole year. I had my first groundhog last fall. Despite all negative reports it was really, really good but it takes some preparation. You need to skin it and remove the glands as soon as you can. It was several hours for me. The we soaked it in salt water with vinegar over night, flushed, boiled, poured off, then made the stew. Very tasty.

A couple of years ago my Aunt and sister put on a big dinner in my grandparents home town. We had moose, caribou, bear, and flipper (seal.) The seal to a little work as it was the most dark meat I have ever had, much more so than ostrich.

My wife is German and we occasionally travel back. Venison and trout is much more common on their menus than ours. Last year in Northern Italy we had diner at a nice restaurant near Trevisio. I ordered the one thing no one in our party could identify. Horse. Not bad.
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wisconsin_cur · Moderator Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2917

cavemandoom30

Couple points..
Ludi..yeah, the rat traps kill the critters dead, they are really strong. Instant death. Definetly dangerous for other pets/kids etc!! I should add I set them up in such a way as kids and dogs can't accidentally get into them..ie.put the trap in a spot where it's covered with a box, pipe etc..
Newfie..I agree, what I do is definetly illegal , or borderline..I'm just not at all likely to be prosecuted for it. I'm sure if I started in on deer, geese, etc, I would get in serious trouble. I'm also pretty sure you are allowed to kill things that are eating your crops..I think I'd be stretching that law pretty far to claim that exception, but, the Game Commison has better things to do, honestly.
You are also correct that when everybody does do this, all the critters will be wiped out in a few days, or, at most weeks. Your history of PA Game com. is also quite right. The main difference is that our national culture is nothing like it was 150 years ago, many people will starve before they eat squirrels now, back then, they would eat their shoes before they would starve. I know that when some people get hungry enough, they will eat anything, but, if I am willing to eat the backyard game first, who has the advantage? Especially if I eat it all before they do? Bwahhahahah!!
Oh, yeah, I think squirrel tastes pretty good, it just is a bit tough unless you stew it nicely. Rabbit is excellent any way you slice it.