Bush Tracking & Hunting Small Game

Traditional Aboriginal techniques for locating and catching small animals safely

🌿 Why This Matters

Finding food in the bush requires observation, patience, and respect for nature. Aboriginal people mastered tracking, understanding animal behavior, and using simple, low-impact hunting methods.

Learning these skills teaches:

• How to observe and interpret the environment

• Resourcefulness and minimal-waste survival techniques

• Patience and attention to subtle signs in nature

🐾 1. Tracking Animals

Aboriginal trackers used footprints, droppings, and feeding signs to locate prey.

Step-by-step:

1. Look for fresh tracks in soft soil, mud, or sand.

2. Observe track patterns: direction, stride length, and size to identify species.

3. Note feeding signs: chewed leaves, bark, dug-up soil, or fruit remnants.

4. Combine clues with bird activity — birds often indicate water or animal movement nearby.

Tip: Always move quietly and avoid disturbing the environment too much; you want to observe, not scare away the animals.

🪵 2. Setting Low-Impact Traps

Traditional traps were simple, safe, and sustainable:

Snap Stick Trap (for small animals like possums or bandicoots):

1. Select a flexible stick about 60–80cm long.

2. Carve a notch near the base and secure a trigger stick.

3. Bait with edible fruits or nuts.

4. Place along animal trails, hidden under leaves.

Tip: Check traps frequently. These methods are about survival, not cruelty, and are meant to provide food without unnecessary suffering.

🌱 3. Using Natural Camouflage & Patience

• Aboriginal hunters often blended with the environment using leaves, mud, and natural shadows.

• Sit quietly in likely animal paths or near water sources.

• Move slowly and minimize scent or noise.

Observation skills: Note subtle changes — rustling leaves, broken branches, or distant animal calls.

🪙 4. Edible Animal Resources

• Small mammals: possums, bandicoots, kangaroo rats

• Birds: pigeons, quail, parrots

• Reptiles & insects: lizards, yabbies, grubs (high in protein)

Tip: Only consume what you can positively identify as safe. Aboriginal people had extensive knowledge of which species and parts were safe to eat.

💡 Safety & Ethical Notes

• Avoid harming endangered species.

• Never attempt hunting in areas with legal restrictions.

• Learn the signs of poisonous animals or dangerous insects.

• Focus on tracking and observation as much as actual catching — it’s an essential survival skill.
  
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  Article By BrotherKris
  
  For More Australian Aboriginal Education and Information CLICK HERE