The law first: almost every wild bird in the US is protected by federal law, and many states protect turtles, snakes, frogs and salamanders. Outside a real emergency, watch them; do not catch them.
Trapping and fishing · Trapping and catching food course
Birds, eggs, frogs, turtles and snakes
The manual lists every one of these as food. In the US almost all of them are protected outside a real emergency, so this lesson is knowledge for the day you truly need it.
Why this matters
Birds, eggs, frogs and turtles are easy to find near water, and the manual lists them all as food in an emergency. In everyday life most are protected, so the skill to learn now is knowing them and knowing which ones can hurt you.
Step by step
Birds: the manual says all birds are edible. Pigeons and some others can be taken from their roost by hand at night, and some nesting birds will not leave the nest even when approached.
Ojibwa bird polepoles Dead, straight sticks about as thick as your wrist and 2 to 3 meters long. Dead standing wood is best: dry, and it snaps clean.: a 2-meter pole planted in an open spot near feeding or water, with a small perch stick in a hole near the top and a noosenoose A loop in a cord or wire that gets smaller and tighter when pulled. draped over it. A bird lands, the perch falls, and the noose closes on its feet.
The perch and noose of an Ojibwa bird pole Noosing wand: a long poleridge pole The one long, strong pole that the whole shelter hangs from. About as long as you are tall plus an arm, and at least wrist thick. with a wire noose at the tip, slipped over a roosting bird or held over a den hole by someone hiding nearby. The manual calls it more a weapon than a trap; it takes patience.
A noosing wand Eggs: in a real emergency the manual says to take all but two or three eggs, mark the ones you leave, and keep taking the fresh ones as the bird lays more.
Bird nests and eggs are protected outside a real emergency Frogs live at the water's edge and dive into mud at danger. Skip any brightly colored frog. Never handle or eat toads; their skin carries poison. Salamanders come out at night around rocks and mud in water.
A bullfrog at the water’s edge Turtles and snakes are good protein. Never eat a box turtle: it eats poisonous mushrooms and its meat can be toxic even after cooking. Venomousvenom Poison an animal injects with a bite or sting, like a snake, spider or bee. snakes, alligators and big sea turtles are dangers, not food.
Never eat a box turtle Clean a bird by plucking (skinning loses food value), open it, keep the heart, liver and craw, and cut off the feet. Boilrolling boil Big bubbles breaking the whole surface, not just a few at the edge. One full minute of this kills the germs that make you sick. scavenger birds at least 20 minutes to kill parasitesparasites Tiny worms or bugs that live in or on an animal (or you) and feed off it. Wild meat and water can carry them; full cooking or boiling kills them..
Cook reptiles and amphibians all the way through. Their raw meat can carry parasites.
Tips from survival instructors
- Birds follow the same routes to water, feeding spots and roosts each day. Watching first tells you where to look.
- Most wild birds are protected by federal law. In the US, songbirds and their nests and eggs are off limits.
Common mistakes
- Taking a bird, nest or eggs outside a real emergency. Federal law protects almost all of them.
- Picking up a toad and then touching your mouth or eyes.
- Eating a box turtle. Its meat can be toxic even cooked.
- Eating any reptile or amphibian undercooked.
Practice it safely
Visit a pond at dusk with a light and count frogs and salamanders without catching any. Use Identify in this app on a photo of each one.
Quick check
Which of these does the manual say never to handle or eat?
- Green frogs
- Toads
- Pigeons
Show the answer
Toads
Take the quiz and earn the badge
The app checks your answers, keeps your place in the Trapping and catching food, and works with no signal once saved.
Before you rely on thisA learning tool, not a replacement for training. In an emergency, call 911. Do not eat any plant, berry or mushroom here. This app never tells you a wild food is safe.