There are many aspects of survival that you will want to think about when you find yourself lost or wandering around out in the wild. For instance, arguably one of the most important aspects is knowing where, and what your next meal will be.
Frog gigging is the name given to the technique used to hunt frogs at night with a barbed spear. It involves stalking a frog, killing it, and subsequently cleaning and eating it.
Depending on where you are, one of the most nutritious and easiest sources of nutrients that you can get will be the frogs that live in the wild. In fact, hunting frogs is surprisingly easy, and you don’t need much to get started.
First, you will need a light, a gig, a warm summer night, and more than a little bit of determination. In addition to this, you will also need to understand what frog gigging is.
What Is Frog Gigging?
Frog gigging is the name of the way you hunt frogs in the wild, and it comes from the fact that the contraption you use is called a gig. The gig itself almost resembles a pitchfork, although depending on the type of gig you get, the number of prongs will vary.
The process of frog gigging is relatively straightforward: first, find the frog, then stalk the frog, and then you gig the frog, killing it. From here, you can do as you please with your capture, which usually means that you should move on to cleaning the frog so that you can cook it. Now that you understand what frog gigging is, you should begin to learn how you actually hunt the frog itself.
If you’re looking for a frog gig, you can get a top-rated frog gig here. Remember not to spend a lot on your gig. They can get beat up pretty easy so buying several cheap ones is better in my opinion.
How Do You Hunt Frogs?
As you prepare yourself for the process of frog gigging, you will want to keep in mind that most frogs come out after the sun has gone down, so you will need both adequate sleep and a source of light so that you can see the frogs.
Most frogs will also be near a source of water, so you will need to find a pond or stream as well, although there are a few breeds of frog who will stray a bit far from the nearest pond or stream. However, if you are new to frog gigging, your best bet will be to stay by a water source.
It might take a bit to find the frog, and this is where patience and determination come in handy.
Eventually, with enough time, you will come across a frog. Once you have found the frog, you will move onto the stalking phase. If you have a partner with you who has a light, you should consider asking them to blind the frog once you get close enough to it. Otherwise, you will simply want to do your best to get close to the frog.
The gigs themselves are fairly long, so you won’t have to be right beside the frog, but you should still be close enough that you can easily drive the gig into the frog.
Whether your partner has successfully blinded the frog or you have crept close enough to the frog, now it is time to drive the gig into the frog. This step is about as simple as it sounds; simply thrust the gig into the frog.
Read this article to find out how to make traps and snares.
You should do your best to aim the center prong of the gig in the middle of the frog’s neck. You will also need to use a considerable amount of force to make sure that you properly strike the frog with the gig. Usually, you will want to make sure that you drive the gig about six inches through the frog to be positive that it is properly caught.
From here you’ll probably want to continue hunting. One frog isn’t going to provide a lot of calories, and you’re already in a place to gather more frogs.
If you are planning to make frog gigging a regular occurrence, you might want to think about some of the supplies you can bring and ways that you can make your gig better suited for you. A light and mesh bag or bucket will go a long way toward making gigging more effective. The best light for frog gigging is a headlamp as it allows you to keep both hands free.
What Makes Up a Frog Gig?
The gig head you choose will be determined by your environment. Large frogs are going to require a larger head (and maybe barbs) in order to kill them. Smaller frogs will require smaller heads. It really depends on what types of frogs you’re encountering.
In survival situations, you can make a gig by cutting a thin relatively strong, branch and splitting the end into three prongs. Sharpen the prongs, gently spread them, and hold them apart with some lashing. It’s really that simple. Make several gigs since the prongs of a DIY frog gig are likely to break.
How to Clean a Frog
Cleaning frogs is pretty simple as well. Extend the legs behind the frog and cut them off above the hips. When it’s done correctly, the legs will stay together.
After separating the legs, peel the skin back off the legs until you get to the feet and cut the feet off of the legs.
I would suggest keeping the rest of the frog as well in a survival situation. There is more meat on the torso that you can get to, and every calorie counts when you’re trying to make it one more day.
Conclusion
If you’re lucky enough to be near a pond or in a swamp, then frogs are a relatively easy source of food. Frog gigging requires very little equipment so it makes it a great skill to know about in a survival situation.
