wild animals for dinner question

[scubabob]

This is purely hypothetical so please don't start throwing rocks at my windows. It more of a curiosity thing.

If one was out bush, happily enjoying say, a week long walk and something happened, like a bad weather snap or some wlid animal got into the tucker bag during the night and one was suddenly out of food, are their any risks involved with eating the local wild animal population? I am from Victoria and we have a bad feral goat population here as well as wild deer, foxes and a few pigs. As one who always has a contingency plan up his sleeve, this is just the sort of thing that comes to mind.

Tasmania has a long history, from the olde convict days, of consuming hiking buddies

In an Island this size, with the equipment that really needs to go with you on any sort of remote hike, I just don't see the need for eating anything other than what you take. The energy involved in killing, dressing and cooking (or not) the local wildlife could be spent getting to shelter.

[Son of a Beach]

What sort of risks do you mean? Do you mean health risks due to infection, or political risks due to being caught by PWS officers?

The local wildlife (both native and feral) is certainly consumed by many people outside of national parks both in homes and in restaurants and I've only ever heard of one suspected case of muscle-wasting worms which was easily treated (I only heard of this because I happened to be speaking to the doctor who discovered the worms - and they can only guess that it might have come from some recently consumed wallaby).

[norts]

I think actually catching the food would be very difficult, I dont carry a firearm and dont walk with a good wallaby dog.
All my reading of old explorers in South West Tassie seems to indicate that there wasn't alot of food about.

Roger

[Whos_asking99]

Tasmania has a long history, from the olde convict days, of consuming hiking buddies

Nicely said

But on topic, I think it all falls down to common sense, if its a lean clean wallaby there wouldn't be as many risks as there would be with a mangy old flea ridden possum (obviously.)

Also depends on the area, if its near private property, theres the dangers of the animal having consumed poisons.

[theMISSIONARY]

goat and pigs and Rabbits are known to carry some nasty's when butchering look at the liver! Deer tend to be better BUT

worms can be in all animals, Wallabies have an intestinal worm that seems to be in all of them but not in the meat(if it is don't eat it)

chances of catching dinner with out the dog or a firearm in Tassie

[Spygirl]

I was thinking about this yesterday as I remember coming across a tasty looking yabbie near Lake Vera a few weeks ago. ...
.. Or I think it was a yabbie.

I was thinking about this yesterday as I remember coming across a tasty looking yabbie near Lake Vera a few weeks ago. ...
.. Or I think it was a yabbie.

If it has 8 legs and a fuzzy body, it might be a huntsman. I wouldn't eat that. Or, to quote a famous Aussie- "You can eat it, but it tastes like poo!"

[red tag]

While on the outdoor ed course years ago.. we spent a few hours with a professional roo shooter up near Lake Mungo .. SW corner of NSW .One night ,he took us out on groups of 4 in his ute .. He gutted the roos on site and every one of them was full of intestinal worms . Rabbits can carry Hydadits ( tape worm ) . Tasmanians love their possum pie ... and wallaby stew .. cook thoroughly before consuming any wild food or you may end up with consumption .

[Son of a Beach]

Yep, all the wallabies I've hunted and split the intestines on have had gut worms of some sort. I'm much better at gutting them now, so that I never break the intensine, and therefore never see worms any more, and I can pretend they're not there. I still eat the meat though - better than venison, or any other meat (except perhaps duck, but I've never tried cooking duck, myself).

I can't even gut a fish. I'd have to resort to cannibalism.

Anyone up for a walk this weekend?

[Mickeymoo]

If you really needed to catch something (e.g. in a life and death situation) like a wallaby in SW Tassie then a snaring like they used to do in the old days when trapping for furs would be the best way of getting something, although killing wildlife in the national park is illegal as is the method of snaring! Eating wildlife though would be unlikely to be a problem as long as it was cooked properly.

[corvus]

In all sincerity if you got yourself into a situation where you from necessity thought you could "snare" any wild animal you would be on a hiding to nothing ,better chance of getting a snake
Just ensure you dont get lost and carry some spare food ,epirb,AND DONT GET LOST in the first place

Last edited by corvus on Sun 11 Jan, 2009 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[flyfisher]

Just ensure you dont get lost and carry some spare food ,epirb,AND DONT GET LOST in the first place

Wise words from an old stager If you have a bit of spare food then temporary disorientation shouldn't be too much problem
FF

[Joe]

A friend of mine who will remain nameless for reasons taht will soon become obvious, trekked across the plateau with two friends, a pistol and a repeating rifle. They had grand plans of living off the land and carried very little food. His impression of trying to shoot a wallaby on the hop with a pistol is hilarious to watch. Turns out they were very hungry

[tasadam]

Just stumbled across a new hazard when eating some of the Tassie wildlife -
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/20 ... ories.html

WALLABIES are hopping into Tasmania's opium poppy fields and getting high.
The revelation has also solved what some growers say has spurred a campfire legend about mysterious crop circles which appear in the state's poppy paddocks.

And on it goes.

[theMISSIONARY]

and people wondered why i like eating them

[Steve]

Or, to quote a famous Aussie- "You can eat it, but it tastes like poo!"

You may have been thinking of this.

[a guana is sizzling over a fire. Sue looks ill]
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: How do you like your guana? Medium? Well done?
Sue Charlton: You don't really expect me to eat that?
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: Yeah, its great. Yeah, try some of these yams, try the grubs and the sugar ants. Just bite the end off, they're really sweet. Black fellas love 'em.
[Sue tentatively tries a yam]
Sue Charlton: What about you, aren't you having any?
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: Me?
[Mick starts working on a tin with his knife]
Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee: ...Well, you can live on it, but it taste like *&%$#!.

[ashlee]

Fishing is an obvious one, so long as you're good at fishing (I'm not lol).
But if you're on or near the coast a good easy meal can be shellfish..

[cjhfield]

Or this one:

"Sue Charlton: That croc was going to eat me alive.
Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee: Oh, I wouldn't hold that against him. Thought crossed my mind once or twice."



Chris

[tasadam]

Or this one:

"Sue Charlton: That croc was going to eat me alive.
Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee: Oh, I wouldn't hold that against him. Thought crossed my mind once or twice."



Chris

Chris you should have a read of this topic...

[north-north-west]

'guana' sizzling over the fire'?

I've heard of guano, and I've eaten goanna - is guana some bizarre hybrid of the two?

[corvus]

'guana' sizzling over the fire'?

I've heard of guano, and I've eaten goanna - is guana some bizarre hybrid of the two?

Guano as you may know is a build up of seabird excrement guana may be what Goanna tastes like (poo... !!) or perhaps as Goanna is only a local word for an Iguana we should be saying "guana" semantics but fun nevertheless
c

[north-north-west]

No, goanna's reasonably tasty. Not quite as good as snake, but tasty enough.

[corvus]

But does it taste like SPAM.
c

[north-north-west]

Well, I've never eaten Spam, but if it tastes as good as goanna why do so many people slag it off?

[corvus]

As a canny Scot I did the experiment with SPAM at breakfast and I will be eating Oatmeal on Sat morn c

[north-north-west]

Half your luck. Tomorrow morning I'll be at work at 5. I'll be lucky to get any breakfast.

[Crimey a Yank]

Just remember my philosophy: Everything is Food!

[north-north-west]

Saves you having to empty the rubbish bin, I suppose.