Ultimate Provider

 

- Dana Benner

Learning to live on what Mother Nature provides is one of the most important self-sustaining lessons one can learn. I’m not talking about eating a “wild,” gathered meal here and there between boxed dinners. No, I’m talking about truly sustaining your family on essentially a full-time basis by hunting, fishing, foraging and gardening.

If you’re willing to work hard, you can obtain most of your own food without making continual trips to the grocery store. Practice the following steps, and you’ll become the ultimate provider.

1 HUNTING

New Hampshire winters are often long and cold. Sometimes we even get snowed in. I must put away as much meat as I can, when I can. Hunting can be expensive—fuel, ammunition and hunting licenses/permits— so I also must make the most of my money. If you’re truly looking to eat solely wild game meat, look to bag as much game as you can for as little money as possible.

I hunt mainly in New Hampshire and Vermont and obtain annual licenses for both. I also purchase my federal waterfowl permit and permits required for New Hampshire and Vermont. This is money well spent, because odds are that I’ll harvest ducks and geese in both states.

I also purchase turkey permits for both states. Vermont allows two turkeys in spring and one in fall; New Hampshire allows one in spring and one in fall. If everything aligns, I can put five turkeys in the freezer alongside the waterfowl, small game and upland birds I harvest.