US Army Ranger Grub

k. Insects. Insects are the most abundant and easily caught life form on earth. Many insects provide 65 to 80 percent protein as compared to 20 percent beef. However you should avoid all insects that sting or bite, are hairy or bright colored, are common disease carriers (ticks, flies, and mosquitoes) and caterpillars and insects that have a pungent odor. Insects that have a hard outer shell such as beetles and grasshoppers should have their wings and barbed legs removed and must be cooked because they have parasites. Most soft shelled insects can be eaten raw. Insects can be ground into a paste and eaten or mixed with edible vegetation to improve or mask their taste.

l. Animal Food. Animal food contains the most food value per pound.

Anything that creeps, crawls, swims, or flies is a possible source of food, however you must first catch, kill, and butcher it before this is possible.

There are numerous methods for catching fish and animals in a survival situation. You can catch fish by using a net across a small stream, (Figure 14-6) or by making fish traps and baskets. Improvise fish hooks and spears as indicated in Figure 14-7, and use them for conventional fishing, spearing and digging.

Figures 14-6 and 14-7