Little Bag of Tricks

I've always loved being in nature, hunting or just roaming through the woods, and off course bringing home something edible (OK, honestly sometimes barely edible). But often I noticed I didn't have the right things with me when I needed them. So in the spirit of hunter gatherers i started ensuring would not miss any opportunity and slowly I built my little bag of tricks. I now always carry it along whenever I go hunting or hiking. This little bag has often allowed me to come home from one of my trips with an unexpected treat.

So here I'd like to share its contents and some of it's uses with you.

Disclaimer:

Hunting, trapping, fishing and gathering are regulated differently according to location, time of year and so on. So please check local regulations.

- Mess tin
- Compass

- Rat traps

- Screws

- Snare wire

- Fork

- Lighter

- Multitool

- Net sacks

The last two items are actually based or made following instuctables on here so I will not go further into these , since I do not wan't to take any credit away from there original creators.

- Fishing kit: Loosely based on this fishing kit instrucatble only i used aluminum pipe and capped it with some extra duct tape

- Collapsible stove: Entirely made following this instructable

Sometimes you just come on a chance too great to be true, huge amounts of nuts, great looking fruit for a stew with that fresh rabbit you got there, some herbs or leaves....

You can use the net sacks, they're great for nuts or fruit

If you can't reach the fruit using some of the snare wire just lash the bag and fork to a long stick and voila, instant fruit picker.This is why one of the prongs is cut from the fork (easier to aim), and the shape cut at the rear of the fork helps the fork to be lashed to the branch.

The net sacks might also be used to keep out bees (as shown by my handsome assistant Bob the skull) when gatering honey from the wild,although I haven't had a chance to test this yet.

What do you do if you come into across a clearing full off squirrels or doves?

For trapping the snare wire can be used for building snares.

The rat traps have a little hole drilled in them so they can just be screwed into a tree or branch (where they will work beautifully as squirrel traps)

Or with some branches the net sack can be used to build a simple box trap. (this has caught me a lot of doves)

Maybe you come across a stream riddled with fish.

The fishing kit obviously.

Using some twigs and cord the net bag can also be used for building fish traps (the draw cord is actually perfect for creating the entry hole)

The fork could also be used for the tip of a fishing spear (haven't tried it yet).

I will not claim these items and techniques to be the be-all and end-all in hunting, gathering, trapping or fishing but many of these things have been great assets to me in the past and they aren't expensive or take up a lot of room.

I hope this instructable proves useful for at least some of you.

Any comments tips or suggested improvements are always welcome.