Fact or fiction?

[falling rain]

I was thinking earlier that over the years I've heard a lot of tips and tricks for various survival skills. I've read books and watched DVD's and a few dubious things I have heard or read.
Two that immediately spring to mind are

1. The old threading raisens or nuts at intervals onto a thread of cotton/para cord inner attached to a stake and the pheasent will eat a raisen and move up the line and ingest the cord and raisens as it goes and become trapped because it can't disgorge the cord and bingo you've got your dinner. I must confess I've never tried this, but it does sound a bit unlikely to me that this would work. I know Pheasents have the reputation of not being the brightest pixies in the forest but does this REALLY work? Has anyone actually truthfully had success with this? or do instructors and book authors just re-hash this from stuff they've read about but never actually tried. (there was amiltary survival instructor on Extreme survival RM that I remember telling his students this, and I couldn't help wondering if he'd actually had success with this or even actually tried it.

2. The old using belly button fluff for tinder chestnut. Has anyone really truthfully used belly button fluff to get a fire going? I wash and would never have enough belly button fluff to get a fire going unless maybe I wore wool next to my skin (itchy and didn't bathe for about a decade. Sounds dubious to me.

So has anyone had any success with either of these 2 and also has anyone got any other often cited dubious nuggets that they find hard to believe or have tried with continuous failure? (looking forward to be proved wrong)
Also has anyone tried something they were fully expecting not to work and been surprised that it actually does?

 

[Greg]

I did one or two survival courses in the forces but to be honest I was never told about the bird food on a string until I saw it on the RAF survival course ( Ray Mears!). I suppose it could work if ground feeding birds are that dull ! You can only try...

As for the belly button fluff I've never experienced this myself but if its anything like tumble dryer flint that I tried as a tinder last week with my flint & steel it could work I suppoese but the person supplying it would have to be pretty unhygenic to gather enough lint for it to be viable!:Wow:

 

[myheadsashed]

Don't some birds have an inbuilt mechanism which makes them eat all available food? That's how Fois Gras is produced you put the food infront of the bird, the bird does the rest.

I'm probably wrong though.

 

[born2roam]

Don't some birds have an inbuilt mechanism which makes them eat all available food? That's how Fois Gras is produced you put the food infront of the bird, the bird does the rest.

I'm probably wrong though.

Yeah fois gras is produced by pumping/forcing food thru a funnel into the bird... nothing voluntary eating about that....

I *personally* don't think the belly button tinder stuff is realistic, looking at my belly button anyway

The bird feeding string looks to me more realistic... but you won't know until you try it, and for normal hunting purposes it (probably) is not legal.

Just my 2 cts..

Grtz Johan

 

[Templar]

Hi all,

Belly Button fluff... cant say, I think it would take a ong time to get enough to have half a chance...

Catching birds with fruit / nuts on a line... perhaps, but I find it easier to use a fishing line with a hook and the right bait, works well with seagulls and othe marine birds. (only in a real survival situation)

Cheers,

Karl....

 

[irishlostboy]

pheasants really are that dumb. true. another one is to make a paper cone, put glue around the lip of the cone (something really tacky), put feed in the end of the cone (raisins). the pheasant sticks its head in the cone, the cone sticks on the pheasant's head and the pheasant sits down and waits. you come along later, dispatch the animal, and eat well. its a painless method of trapping.

the belly button fluff sound daft to me.

ya, the hook works for catching sea birds. but is very painful to the animal, so not one to practice if you don't need to. also, usually i find if you are at the sea shore, you can usually catch crabs just as easily. (and depending on the shore in question, any other STI of your choice )

 

[alpha_centaur]

pheasants really are that dumb. true. another one is to make a paper cone, put glue around the lip of the cone (something really tacky), put feed in the end of the cone (raisins). the pheasant sticks its head in the cone, the cone sticks on the pheasant's head and the pheasant sits down and waits. you come along later, dispatch the animal, and eat well.

I always thought the paper cone was a myth

 

[Cairodel]

The bird feeding string looks to me more realistic... but you won't know until you try it, and for normal hunting purposes it (probably) is not legal.

Just my 2 cts..

Grtz Johan

I'd agree with you Johan, especially if there was a small barbed fishing hook inside the
1st or 2nd raisin. As you say, probably not legal, but if you were in a genuine "survival
situation", let "them" prosecute away....

 

[fred gordon]

I remember reading that in the past poachers would use tiny fishing hooks pushed inside boiled wheat or barley. It was a favoured method of catching pheasants as it was silent. Also soaking the grain in alcohol of some kind ensured the birds were not able to fly and were easy to catch.:11doh:

 

[w00dsmoke]

Now we are veering away into poaching territory! Wey hey!

In my experience... Horse hair was threaded through raisins...when the birds ate the raising they choked on the horse hair... A long thin fishing line with threaded raisins does work...it fills up the birds gizzard and it can't walk away if one end is pegged down.

The barley or wheat soaked in vodka does allegedly work although all you get is a wood full of dead and drunk blue tits and chaffinches... who nearly always find it first before the pheasants. Snares or cars work best lol

There are many more ways of catching food without a gun that some think are old wives tales...well they are mostly illegal and when folk forget with each passing generation they become the tales!

 

[In Wood]

Come on guys have you not read Danny Champion of the World?
tells you all about it in there (am I showing my age?)
Tells you about horse hair in rasins, soaking them in booze etc.
A good read as I remember, but its probably about 20 - 25 years ago when I read it.
Absolutley no admission to poaching here at all, but it works.
If you were the gillie at Bigland Hall about 22 years ago "Sorry"

 

[fishy1]

There are many more ways of catching food without a gun that some think are old wives tales...well they are mostly illegal and when folk forget with each passing generation they become the tales!

Please, reveal some more "old wives tales!"

 

[alpha_centaur]

Try any of the B.B childrens books
eg
"Brendon Chase"
or "the little grey men"

For lots of info on poaching and a good book to read the kids.

 

[falling rain]

All very well chaps but as I originally asked...................Has anyone actually tried any of these 'old wives tales' I don't just mean poaching either. Anything really like fire lighting , wild plant remidies

 

[w00dsmoke]

All very well chaps but as I originally asked...................Has anyone actually tried any of these 'old wives tales' I don't just mean poaching either. Anything really like fire lighting , wild plant remidies

Okay...I've tried many here is one to kick it off again...

Old wives tale: Dandilions make you wet the bed...

Not exactly however, when eatet they are diuretic making you want to pee more and yes I have tried them often as a salad leave, coffeee substitute etc.

 

[stotRE]

i agree with woodsmoke on the horses hair tip,been there and done that when i was a kid or maybe not if the PC PC's are reading this post (wouldn't want to get nicked for thoughtcrime).

 

[irishlostboy]

us pc, pc's are always watching. like really bored gods. lol.
how about "yes, that one is true", instead of "yes i have done this", or i know so-an-so did this". saves a lot of bother as re; legality. one mans poaching is anther mans xmas dinner and all that.

 

[crazyclimber]

Come on guys have you not read Danny Champion of the World?
tells you all about it in there (am I showing my age?)
Tells you about horse hair in rasins, soaking them in booze etc.
A good read as I remember, but its probably about 20 - 25 years ago when I read it.
Absolutley no admission to poaching here at all, but it works.
If you were the gillie at Bigland Hall about 22 years ago "Sorry"

KNEW reading the top post that I'd heard of that idea somewhere before! Couldn't think of the book!
I'm pretty sure I've read it in another book I have here somewhere too... one about peaching techniques of old. And of course only for interest only

 

[RobertRogers]

Okay...I've tried many here is one to kick it off again...

Old wives tale: Dandilions make you wet the bed...

Not exactly however, when eatet they are diuretic making you want to pee more and yes I have tried them often as a salad leave, coffeee substitute etc.

We eat dandelions like spinach - two, three cups at a time. We can about 10 or 15 quarts every year, taken fresh from the yard. Old wives tales to be sure.

 

[mace242]

I tried the fluff from the tumble drier - similar I'd suppose to bb fluff - and as it was mostly from synthetic materials it just melted when the spark hit it and wouldn't light. I suppose if you'd just dried a load of cotton towels it may work.