I wrote an article called “Crossover Tools And Applications” where I described my experience of shopping in a beauty supply store and found resources that worked well as survival tools. Similarly I stopped in a pet store and was surprised to find items that could be used for primitive tools and associated projects.

There were elk antler pieces stocked for prairie dog chews that I could use for flint knapping billets and points for pressure flaking. Short to long tendons were stocked as dog chews that could be hydrated and stripped for binding cordage or for stitching thread. Different sized bones were stocked that could be used as tools for digging or as a weapon such as a club or broken into shards for use as projectile points or as a fish gorge. There were also cattle and sheep hooves meant as dog chews that could be used for primitive ornamentation or made into a bell for ceremonies or as a trip line motion alarm. Raw hide sticks (not shown) can be re-hydrated and cut into strips for lashing or for forming knife sheaths.

These are a few suggestions for resource applications. I would love to hear about your applications for these resources or suggestions for other similar resources not mentioned.

In the past I have improvised Pull-Tab Fish Hooks, so I decided to modify a pull-tab again to improvise a fish gorge. Essentially, a fish gorge is a straight stick, sharpened at both ends with a line fastened in the middle. This is skewered into bait with the trailing point left slightly exposed. Various baits can be used but I decided to use a worm.

My strategy was to chum the water with bits of worm to attract and excite the fish so that they would aggressively swallow the bait covered gorge. On this occasion it worked only marginally but I did get a bite where the gorge lodged in the mouth of a pan fish. When using improvised hooks, it’s prudent to lift he fish out of the water ASAP so that if it releases, the inertia will land the fish in the boat, on the dock, or safely on the bank. Sure enough, after flopping around, the lodged gorge came loose but I was able to capture the fish and released it into the water to live another day.

My understanding of the gorge technique is that the fish swallows the gorge into it’s gullet so I continued to fish with hopes of achieving this result. In due time another pan fish totally swallowed the gorge and it was terminally caught. So, realize that this is not a catch-and-release method, and you should plan on eating your catch.

NOTE: I have the luxury of fishing out of a private pond, but these survival techniques may not be legal in Public waters… check your local regulations before you attempt to practice them.