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Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Living Off The Land: Delusions and Misconceptions About Hunting and Gathering

An interesting analysis of what it would take to really live off the land.  Some examples of what it would take.

The table below gives a general summary of the results. The numbers you see in the last column for animals needed each day to meet the caloric requirement, the number in parenthesis represents what is needed if internal organs are preserved and eaten as well as the meat.

Meat
Type of Animal oz of Meat/Animal cal/oz of Meat Total cal/Animal Animals/Day
Squirrel 2.8 47 132 25 (16)
Rabbit 16.8 47 790 4 (3)
Salmon 96 60 5,760 0.57
Clams 0.25 40 10 320
Raccoon 160 72 11,520 0.29
Turkey 160 45 7,200 0.46
Deer 1,120 53 59,360 0.056 (0.05)
Black Bear 1,600 43 68,800 0.047

As for plants:
Now you know why primitive people hunted for animals for food
Plants
Type of Plantcal/oz of Plant MaterialPounds Per Day Needed
Cattail Root (Unprocessed)826.5
Parsnips 239
Blueberries1613
Lingonberries541
Acorns (processed)1102
Burdock Root2010*

The above represent average numbers, both for the calories required per day, and the amount of food which must be consumed to provide those calories.

Read the whole thing before deciding you can live off the land.  At my age, no way.

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