Remove the entrails from smaller game by splitting the body open and pulling them out with the fingers. Do not forget the chest cavity. For larger game, cut the gullet away from the diaphragm. Roll the entrails out of the body. Cut around the anus, then reach into the lower abdominal cavity, grasp the lower intestine, and pull to remove. Remove the urine bladder by pinching it off and cutting it below the fingers. If you spill urine on the meat, wash it to avoid tainting the meat. Save the heart and liver. Cut these open and inspect for signs of worms or other parasites. Also inspect the liver’s color; it could indicate a diseased animal. The liver’s surface should be smooth and wet and its color deep red or purple. If the liver appears diseased, discard it. However, a diseased liver does not indicate you cannot eat the muscle tissue.
Cut along each leg from above the foot to the previously made body cut. Remove the hide by pulling it away from the carcass, cutting the connective tissue where necessary. Cut off the head and feet.
Cut larger game into manageable pieces. First, slice the muscle tissue connecting the front legs to the body. There are no bones or joints connecting the front legs to the body on four-legged animals. Cut the hindquarters off where they join the body. You must cut around a large bone at the top of the leg and cut to the ball and socket hip joint. Cut the ligaments around the joint and bend it back to separate it. Remove the large muscles (the tenderloin) that lie on either side of the spine.
Separate the ribs from the backbone. There is less work and less wear on your knife if you break the ribs first, then cut through the breaks.
Cook large meat pieces over a spit or boil them. You can stew or boil smaller pieces, particularly those that remain attached to bone after the initial butchering, as soup or broth. You can cook body organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys using the same methods as for muscle meat. You can also cook and eat the brain. Cut the tongue out, skin it, boil it until tender, and eat it.
Smoking Meat
To smoke meat, prepare an enclosure around a fire (Figure 2-25). Two ponchos snapped together will work. The fire does not need to be big or hot. The intent is to produce smoke, not heat. Do not use resinous wood in the fire because its smoke will ruin the meat. Use hardwoods to produce good smoke. The wood should be somewhat green. If it is too dry, soak it. Cut the meat into thin slices, no more than 6 centimeters thick, and drape them over a framework. Make sure none of the meat touches another piece. Keep the poncho enclosure around the meat to hold the smoke and keep a close watch on the fire. Do not let the fire get too hot. Meat smoked overnight in this manner will last about 1 week. Two days of continuous smoking will preserve the meat for 2 to 4 weeks. Properly smoked meat will look like a dark, curled, brittle stick and you can eat it without further cooking. You can also use a pit to smoke meat (Figure 2-26).
Figure 2-25: Smoking meat
Figure 2-26: Smoking meat over a pit
Drying Meat
To preserve meat by drying, cut it into 6-millimeter strips with the grain. Hang the meat strips on a rack in a sunny location with good air flow. Keep the strips out of the reach of animals and cover them to keep blowflies off. Allow the meat to dry thoroughly before eating. Properly dried meat will have a dry, crisp texture and will not feel cool to the touch.
Other Preservation Methods
You can also preserve meats using the freezing or brine and salt methods.
Freezing
In cold climates, you can freeze and keep meat indefinitely. Freezing is not a means of preparing meat. You must still cook it before eating.
Brine and Salt
You can preserve meat by soaking it thoroughly in a saltwater solution. The solution must cover the meat. You can also use salt by itself. Wash off the salt before cooking.
CHAPTER 3
DANGEROUS INSECTS AND ARACHNIDS
Insects are often overlooked as a danger to the survivor. More people in the United States die each year from bee stings, and resulting anaphylactic shock, than from snake bites. A few other insects are venomous enough to kill, but often the greatest danger is the transmission of disease.
Scorpions sting with their tails, causing local pain, swelling, possible incapacitation, and death.
Scorpion
Scorpionidae order
Description: Dull brown, yellow, or black. Have 7.5- to 20-centimeter-long lobsterlike pincers and jointed tail usually held over the back. There are 800 species of scorpions.
Habitat: Decaying matter, under debris, logs, and rocks. Feeds at night. Sometimes hides in boots.
Brown house spider or brown recluse spider
Laxosceles reclusa
Description: Brown to black with obvious “fiddle“ on back of head and thorax. Chunky body with long, slim legs 2.5 to 4 centimeters long.
Habitat: Under debris, rocks, and logs. In caves and dark places.
Distribution: North America.
Funnelweb spider
Alrax species (A. robustus, A. formidablis)
Description: Large, brown, bulky spiders. Aggressive when disturbed.
Habitat: Woods, jungles, and brushy areas. Web has funnellike opening.
Distribution: Australia. (Other nonvenomous species worldwide.)
Tarantula
Theraphosidae and Lycosa species
Description: Very large, brown, black, reddish hairy spiders. Large fangs inflict painful bite.
Habitat: Desert areas, tropics.
Distribution: Americas, southern Europe.
Widow spider
Latrodectus species
Description: Dark spiders with light red or orange markings on female’s abdomen.
Habitat: Under logs, rocks, and debris. In shaded places.
Distribution: Varied species worldwide. Black widow in United States, red widow in Middle East, and brown widow in Australia.
Note: Females are the poisonous gender. Red widow In the Middle East is the only spider known to be deadly to man.
Centipede
Description: Muftijointed body to 30 centimeters long. Dull orange to brown, with black point eyes at base ot antennae. There are 2,800 species worldwide.
Habitat: Under bark and stones by day. Active at night
Distribution: Worldwide.
Bee
Description: Insect with brown or black, thick, hairy bodies Generally found In colonies. Many build wax combs.
Habitat: Hollow trees, caves, dwellings. Near water in desert areas.
Distribution: Worldwide.
Note: Bees have barbed stingers and die after stinging because their venom sac and Internal organs are pulled out during the attack.