Getting food long term

[Ithilrandir]

I've played unreal world on and off over the years but I always die during the first week or so from starvation. How do I maintain long term access to calories? Fishing always seemed the easiest that's why I like to start out a fishermen but the calories/time invested ratio is very low and the spirits get mad at me after I fish a while and utterly gimp my ability to catch anything.

[JP_Finn]

Spirits can be little finicky.
But if you keep up on daily sacrifices, of fresh fish, it can be sustainable. Just remember that cooked or preserved fish doesn’t count as fresh fish to appease Ahti or other keepers of watery game.

If you can hunt down a bear or an elk, trading roasted cuts for smoked or dried meat or fish is good way to preserve your “catch” longer.
If you do a spring start, collecting some withes at initial camp will let you dry any caught game outside of the shelter if done before end of Swidden.
If Seedtime rolls in, and you catch large game during first year: head over to village and smoke meat there. Hang around and visit every other day. Load up the fireplace with couple slender trunks or 3-4 blocks of wood.

If you struggle getting any game, then consider making crafts to trade for food. Bowls and ropes used to be pretty decent, but in last few versions/years, I feel that new characters should first trade for some yarn, then make loop snares, and most definitely fishing rods (wooden fish hooks work great)

If you can’t get game or can’t find a village, then… Well, start a new character, and use “C” during world gen to see that your starting location is close-ish to cultural area.

[Fark]

If Seedtime rolls in, and you catch large game during first year: head over to village and smoke meat there. Hang around and visit every other day.

Interesting, so are there actual game mechanics for the months/seasons that affect animal spawns?

Also something I've found interesting is in the wiki it says that the forest reindeer prefer to chew on lichen in the winter. Are there ingame mechanics for that aswell?

If so I might try setting up some trap fences in lichenous pine forests.