POST SHTF: What animals are safe to eat (And taste good!)

[dpwill99]

I know most everyone on here plans to supplement their food stores by hunting, but let's face facts- After a while the population of deer, moose, squirrels and the other standard game animals are going to thin out or there will be times you just don't see them in the feild. Bringing meat home may mean songbirds, chipmunks, snakes, lizards or beavers. Does anyone know any particular animals to stay away from or any conditions under which you DON'T want to eat them so as not to chance getting sick? (I know there is a liver disease in rabbits in Il, for example- you don't want to eat them until after it frosts) Alternately is there any UNUSUAL animals that any of you have actually eaten and found to be good? I had a chance to try some native food up here recently. I can honestly now say Muktuk (Whale blubber) is good, dried walrus I could definitely go the rest of my life without eating. I'm really interested in hearing everyone elses experiences, so tell the tales of the roast gecko or throw up the sparrow stew recipe!

[JustAPrepper]

I'd keep armadillo's off the list. They can give you leprosy.

Armadillos linked to leprosy in humans - CNN.com

[helomech]

You can eat rabbits and hogs any time. It is a myth that you can't eat them till after the first frost. We eat them all year round. I will eat pretty much any animal that can still move.

[bobthe]

You can eat rabbits and hogs any time. It is a myth that you can't eat them till after the first frost. We eat them all year round. I will eat pretty much any animal that can still move.

I like my steaks rare, but damn! thats hardcore!

[helomech]

I like my steaks rare, but damn! thats hardcore!

LMAO

I would rather it cooked, but if push comes to shove I will eat it while it is trying to crawl away.

[ANEURYSM]

Personally eaten the following.
rabbit and wild rabbit very good.
Jack rabbit- all gristle and bone and worms, couldn't even make soup out the damn thing.
raccoon- greasy and all dark meat, edible but not good.
possum- white meat and damn good.
tree rat- fine eating.
swamp rat-white meat and fine eating
ghetto chicken- pidgin very good.
dog- dark meat good eating.
cat- very similar to rabbit.
gator- very good.
Snake- very good
armadillo- very good note wash with soap and water after handling, cook thoroughly to avoid leprosy.
Small birds- taste good but have to gather allot to get anything out of them.
brown rat- field rat- very good like squirrel.
Prolly forgot and missed a few. If it's got 4 legs it's on the menu or at least been tried.

[ANEURYSM]

Oh and turtle- best eating . I never let a turtle pass me by.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Pretty much any rodent is edible. Armadillo is good! But wear nitrile gloves when cleaning and prepping it-it makes a good variation of posole.
For raccoon you should cut out the musk glands in the armpits before cooking. It also helps to soak overnight in saltwater before cooking. A low and slow BBQ is your friend when doing coons and possums.
Possums are greasy but if you elevate on a rack when doing a slow roast the grease will drain to make it more palatable.
Most all birds are good to eat. Stuffing with apples and walnuts on bigger birds is delicious.
Fish are very good! and probably the easiest to get for subsistence living. When cleaning only gut and gill; cook whole with head on. The cheeks and heads have some of the tastiest meat on a fish.

In point of fact, when assessing any animal for food, we need to consider using every bit of it. Most of us don't relish the idea of pigs feet, but in fact they are very tasty in posole and just plain roasted. Tails and backbones can be used to make stews, tongues are delicious as are brains (sweatbreads) liver, heart, kidneys. But you need to learn to prepare them in advance.

The Missouri Department of Conservation sells "Cy Littlebee's Wild Game Cookbook" for about $4.00. This is a good place to start. There is even a recipe in there for skunk.