When people think of prepping, they usually imagine stockpiled food buckets, loaded pantries, or sealed Mylar bags of rice and beans. While those are vital, food reserves eventually run out. What then? Hunting, though not the ultimate solution on its own, provides an essential survival skillset that can keep your family fed, clothed, and supplied with materials when modern systems fail.
Hunting is not just about pulling a trigger. For preppers, it’s about resource management, skill development, and adaptability. Let’s take a deep look at why hunting matters, what its limits are, and how you can realistically make it part of your survival plan.
Hunting as a Prepper Mindset
Preppers should approach hunting differently than sport hunters. It’s not about the biggest rack for the wall — it’s about calories, efficiency, and sustainability. Every bullet, every arrow, and every step you take must be weighed against the return in food energy.
In survival hunting, the goals are clear:
- Food Security – Meat, fat, and organ nutrition that grains and canned goods lack.
- Materials – Hides for clothing, sinew for cordage, bones for tools.
- Security Crossover – Stealth, firearms maintenance, and situational awareness all overlap with defensive prepping.
Hunting vs. Agriculture and Livestock
Some preppers place hunting at the center of their survival plan. That’s a mistake. Agriculture and livestock are more reliable long-term. Hunting is best thought of as a supplementary food source.
- Agriculture provides staple calories like grains, beans, and vegetables.
- Livestock gives renewable milk, eggs, and meat.
- Hunting fills gaps, adds dietary diversity, and offers emergency food when crops fail or animals are lost.
Together, they create a balanced survival strategy.
The Harsh Realities of Hunting
It’s easy to picture yourself walking into the woods with a rifle and walking out with dinner. The reality is much harder:
- Game Populations Can Collapse – In Canada during the Great Depression, deer and moose numbers plummeted because everyone hunted at once. Post-collapse, this could happen again.
- High Calorie Expenditure – Tracking an animal for hours burns serious calories. A missed shot can mean a net loss of energy.
- Preservation Challenges – Without freezers, you must rely on smoking, salting, jerky making, or pressure canning to keep meat edible.
- Silent Competition – Every other prepper, homesteader, and desperate family will also think hunting is the answer.
This is why redundancy is key. Hunting alone won’t keep you alive — but it will make survival easier if you already have other food strategies in place.
Canadian Game Animals for Preppers
In Central and Northern Ontario (and across Canada), these species stand out for survival value:
- White-Tailed Deer – Moderate size, easy to process, widespread across rural areas.
- Moose – A single moose can provide hundreds of pounds of meat and fat, but processing one requires multiple people and tools.
- Beaver & Muskrat – Often overlooked, but abundant in water systems. Beaver tail fat is calorie-rich.
- Rabbits & Snowshoe Hares – Fast-breeding, small game that can be trapped, snared, or hunted.
- Grouse & Waterfowl – Ducks, geese, and partridge provide meat, fat, and feathers.
- Fish – In survival terms, fishing is hunting. Lakes and rivers can yield consistent protein with nets, lines, or spears.
Methods of Hunting for Preppers
You don’t need to think only about rifles. Different tools serve different purposes:
- Firearms – Rifles, shotguns, and .22LRs are efficient but rely on ammo supplies.
- Archery – Bows and crossbows are quiet, reusable, and effective with practice.
- Trapping – Snares, deadfalls, and cage traps work while you do other tasks, providing “passive food collection.”
- Fishing & Nets – Gill nets or trotlines can harvest food continuously with little effort.
A true prepper learns multiple methods to avoid dependency on one system.
Essential Hunting Gear for Survivalists
A prepared hunter should have more than just a gun. Consider:
- Rifle (ideally .22LR + larger caliber) – Small game and big game versatility.
- Field Knife & Bone Saw – For gutting and butchering.
- Sharpening Kit – A dull blade in the bush is dangerous.
- Paracord & Game Bags – For hauling and preserving meat.
- Salt & Seasonings – Salt is critical for preservation and flavor.
- Maps & Compass – Hunting trips can easily turn into survival situations without navigation tools.
Preservation: From Kill to Pantry
Killing an animal is the easy part. Keeping that meat edible is the real challenge in off-grid living. Preppers should master at least three of these:
- Smoking – Low heat and smoke dry meat into jerky.
- Salting & Curing – Salt draws out moisture and prevents bacteria.
- Drying – Sun-drying thin strips is old but effective in low humidity.
- Pressure Canning – For long-term shelf stability.
- Cold Storage – Using ice houses, root cellars, or cold springs to prolong freshness.
Training Before Collapse
Hunting is not a skill you can learn from YouTube the day disaster strikes. You need hands-on experience:
- Get a hunting license and take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course.
- Scout your local area for deer trails, feeding zones, and water sources.
- Practice marksmanship regularly with both firearm and bow.
- Try trapping legally — even snaring rabbits teaches valuable lessons.
- Butcher and process game at home so you know the full chain of food prep.
Final Thoughts
Hunting is neither the magic solution some imagine nor a useless skill as others claim. It sits firmly in the middle ground of preparedness: a powerful tool, but only when paired with farming, livestock, and stored food.
A prepper who can plant, harvest, raise livestock, preserve food, and hunt will always be in a stronger position than one who only stockpiles canned goods. Hunting is not just about food — it’s about knowledge, discipline, and living closer to the land.
In the end, hunting for preppers isn’t about the kill. It’s about the skill.
📦 Prepper’s Tip: Don’t overlook small game and fishing. A steady supply of rabbits, grouse, or perch may feed you more consistently than waiting on that “big moose.” Think calories per effort.
