Just been reading "We Borrow the Earth " which is more about gypsy religion than any thing else however the author mentioned that they used to catch hares by mesmerising them looking straight at them and walking in decreasing circles untill they were able to thro a coat over them ? also Rabbits were caught by sitting near a burrow untill they came out and accepted someone sitting still and eventualy one would get over confident / fish were caught at night using a bright light which attracted the fish but also temporaly blinded them so they could be scooped out . They also used a bucket with the bottom cut out to act as an underwater window to find fresh water mussels and cray fish (did not know you could eat those freshwater mussels bet they are muddy tho ilan
gypsy fare
- Thread starter ilan
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
The mussels are increasingly rare and are a protected species. The over exploitation of the pearl mussels is a real problem in Scottish rivers. To those who know what they are looking for a mussel with a pearl within is apparantly noticeably 'different', but inexperienced greedy folks literally rip apart hundreds for no gain 
Toddy
p.s.
http://outdooraccess-scotland.com/t...reshwater species/Freshwater pearl mussel.pdf
Toddy
p.s.
http://outdooraccess-scotland.com/t...reshwater species/Freshwater pearl mussel.pdf
Toddy said:The mussels are increasingly rare and are a protected species. The over exploitation of the pearl mussels is a real problem in Scottish rivers. To those who know what they are looking for a mussel with a pearl within is apparantly noticeably 'different', but inexperienced greedy folks literally rip apart hundreds for no gain
Toddy
The same was done in a river close to where I come from. A guy found a few pearls and the river was more or less emptied of fresh water mussels. Even if there are a few left (which I think there is) it will probably take generations for it to become as abundant as it used to.
Freshwater mussels are said to taste absolutely nothing. But they would provide some protein though.
Catching fish with a bright light is illegal here, but I know it is still a very common practise (of course never done it myself
), normally with a spear.From the bunny catching methods it seems like the gypsies are patient people...
ilan said:
Goh! co-incidence, or what, but I just met a real owld 'un of 78 and fit as a lop.
A genuine old "Walter Gabriel " type , who was busy doing some heavy bush clearance, leaping about like a 30 year old.
He collared me, on account of my unsual looking stick and then bent my lugs for a half hour on the uses of "rabbit sticks"....and this business of decreasing circles was part of his former technique..except he used to clout them when in range with the long, slightly bent , hazel staff.
Gor, but he could bend a yarn on, alright; fascinating to listen to.
I expect he could talk a glass eye to sleep.
Ceeg
hi never new that fresh water pearl mussels existed i was thinking it was those big "swan" type. Did you see coast last night they showed some clams that live for 250 plus years made me realise just how sick this planet realy is know the japanese do carry out deep water trawling destroying things that take hundreds of years to grow
Eric_Methven
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I've known Scottish travellers who used to make a good living from harvesting pearls from freshwater mussles. They used to live in a settled environment (house) in the winter then go travelling with their van during the summer months and sleep in a 'bender'. Their 'season' started whenever the yellow flowers came out on the gorse bushes - then they were off on the roads. At the end of the season they'd sell the pearls to a local agent and that would keep them through the next winter. They'd augment the pearl fishing with fruit picking as and when it was available.
I've seen one traveller drape a coat over a stick in the middle of a field where hare were present. The hare was watching the coat so intently the man just walked up behind it and picked it up.
Another traveller tip I picked up was catching pheasants with a coke bottle. The man used an old coke bottle and pushed it down into the earth and wiggled it around to make a fairly deep hole. He poured some grain into the hole and led a trail of grain away from the hole for about ten feet. Then he did a few more.
The pheasant came along and started eating the grain. It worked its way up to the hole and stuck its head in to get the grain at the bottom. In trying to get the grain out of the very bottom, the pheasant, being full by now, usually fell in and was stuck. Then the man came out of hiding and picked up the pheasant and stuck it in an inside pocker of his poacher's coat. The coat had half a dozen large pockets sewn into it. He kept the birds alive in the pockets in case the gamekeeper came along, and if that happened he'd just open the coat and the birds flew out - no evidence!
It's amazing what tips you can pick up. I used to meet loads of travellers when I was younger, back in the sixties. I'd hitch hike all over Scotland with just a sleeping bag and a sheet of polythene. Rough camping I called it, you know the drill. Cook on an open fire, make your own shelter, catch your own dinner and so on. Armed with the meagre gear I had, I was often made welcome by the travellers round their fire, although as far as I know there is no traveller history in my family. I might be a throwback though.
Eric
I've seen one traveller drape a coat over a stick in the middle of a field where hare were present. The hare was watching the coat so intently the man just walked up behind it and picked it up.
Another traveller tip I picked up was catching pheasants with a coke bottle. The man used an old coke bottle and pushed it down into the earth and wiggled it around to make a fairly deep hole. He poured some grain into the hole and led a trail of grain away from the hole for about ten feet. Then he did a few more.
The pheasant came along and started eating the grain. It worked its way up to the hole and stuck its head in to get the grain at the bottom. In trying to get the grain out of the very bottom, the pheasant, being full by now, usually fell in and was stuck. Then the man came out of hiding and picked up the pheasant and stuck it in an inside pocker of his poacher's coat. The coat had half a dozen large pockets sewn into it. He kept the birds alive in the pockets in case the gamekeeper came along, and if that happened he'd just open the coat and the birds flew out - no evidence!
It's amazing what tips you can pick up. I used to meet loads of travellers when I was younger, back in the sixties. I'd hitch hike all over Scotland with just a sleeping bag and a sheet of polythene. Rough camping I called it, you know the drill. Cook on an open fire, make your own shelter, catch your own dinner and so on. Armed with the meagre gear I had, I was often made welcome by the travellers round their fire, although as far as I know there is no traveller history in my family. I might be a throwback though.
Eric
