Wilderness Survival

 

The word "Survival" can cover many things under different circumstances & to different people.  I guess in the simplest terms, can you encounter a bad situation afield & yet come home to tell about it later?   This does not have to be miles from the trailhead, as you could also encounter a survival situation in the back 40 while cutting your winters wood or even 100' off a logging road.

I have been a scoutmaster, a hunter education instructor teaching survival among other things & just a plain hunter or fisherman for over 60 years.   Some things just happen, while others could possibly have been prevented.  So using the old Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared" rather makes sense in this situation.  Some of this could just be using your brain & think things out before getting excited.   A little bit of forethought & a minimal amount of survival gear surely can not hurt either.

I have personally carried a back-pack when hunting & wore out many over a 40 year period.  However much of this was in Primitive Country where there were no roads & we were many times over 5 miles plus in & we had to be self sufficient under all circumstances.  One thing I can tell you is that occasionally you need to go thru the pack & eliminate some of the neat stuff that seemed at the time to appear good to have along.  Before long it will grow to the point that you will have to evaluate just how much weight you will accept for carrying all day afield.

Another thing to consider is no matter how much neat stuff you may carry, unless you understand how it works & or have actually tried to say start a fire under nasty circumstances, with what is in the pack, chances are it will not function well, if at all.  Your learning experiences should not have possible life or death associated with them.  A nice summer day trial in the back yard is not the same as a wet, rainy, windy day, approaching darkness where you are so wet & cold that you cannot get the lid off the match box and have little protection from the elements.

(1) A number one criteria for your actual chances of survival may be your physical condition (or lack of it) in relationship to just what & how you can personally handle an outdoors emergency situation.  This is not to say that you need to be a body builder, or run a mile every day.  But your age, physical condition, (heart or lung problems, hip or knee problems) or anything that may slow you down or put an extra strain on your body could be a hindrance.  Even eyesight problems could be handicap here if you happen to loose your glasses.

If you are in normal physical condition, getting into a routine of walking a couple of miles each day, or a indoor bicycle exerciser can be a great help to build up your leg muscles.   Remember if you walked in, you are going to have to walk out.

(2) There is no doubt that it is best to fish or hunt with a partner & have some form of communication between each.  This can be simply a whistle code system.  Short range hand held CB radios can be a very good method.   Do not rely on cell phones unless you are sure there is reception in the area you plan on going into.  It is also beneficial to be at least somewhat prepared before you leave the vehicle or camp.  Leave a note in camp or in the vehicle.

(3) Another is orientation.  This is usually a map or chart & a compass.   It does you no good no have these essentials unless you understand how to use them.   And even if you do know how, it does you no good unless you know where you left from & where you wanted to go.  One thing to remember is that all maps are laid out with the top of the paper being North.

I have been in numerous situations where I was not exactly where I thought I was, either from circling across my own back-trail in a snowstorm or while hunting in big old-growth fir timber (4 & 5' diameter).   Here they all looked the same with no limbs for the first 50', I could not see out & had not looked at the compass for a while.  Young second growth fir or hemlock trees on flat ground can even be worse.  Here ridges are a blessing.  I have never been LOST, maybe unsure of where I was, & ultimately LATE in finally getting back to where I wanted to be.  A snow storm makes things all look different.  Trust your compass, there may be iron deposits in the ground that pull it off somewhat, but eventually you will come out somewhere if you keep going in supposedly a straight line.

If you have any doubts about the compass, you can use an average hour-hand type watch as a compass.  In use, point the hour hand at the sun, & halfway between that hour hand & 12 will be very close to south.  OK you say I can not see the sun, well, take your knife out & place the opened blade point down on the top of the watch crystal or even your thumbnail.  Twist it around & even in foggy days you will see a shadow on the shiny surface  Keep twisting it until no or little shadow is visible.  That direction will be south.  And if you need to know where north is, well it is opposite of south.

Now with the internet, if you are planning on hunting in a new area, try using the website Google Earth & you can get a birds-eye view of where you intend to hunt at elevations of even down to 5,000'.  Print it off & carry it with you.  The new 3 Dimensional viewing is something that really helps.

(4) The wrong clothing can be disastrous.  Weather can change in the matter of a few hours during the fall when most hunting is taking place.  If you went out for a short hunt after work on a sunny afternoon wearing only a light cotton shirt & jeans where the weather changed & it started raining heavily, you could be in for a wet & cold time before you could get back to your vehicle. 

Wool clothing would be preferred where rain could be expected.  Now with the new lightweight raingear, or even a poncho can save the day.  Or you could even take a 30 gallon plastic garbage can liner & cut a hole in the center bottom to stick your head out which will keep the rain off.    I do not like to wear baseball caps hunting in inclement weather, but something with a brim all the way around is good as this keeps the rain from going down the back of your neck.   I can withstand a lot of uncomfortable situations, but when water starts running down my back below my belt, I am ready to call it quits. 

In cold freezing weather you need to dress for it.  A wool ski type mask is good for keeping the head / face warm,   Or even a wool Navy type skull cap can be pulled down over the ears if it gets cold.  The insulated pants & jackets can be a lifesaver in this weather.  I like to wear layers so that if the day warms up, I can remove a sweat shirt & place it in my pack if needed.  The insulated pants that work best are ones that have zippered legs part way up so you can get shoes in the legs.  The good ones also have straps around the bottoms to tighten the pant leg openings around your shoes to keep the loose snow out if you happen to be in this type of terrain.  If not, then Gaiters are useful that can be used around the leg bottoms & up to about the knee.

I like both the insulated coat & pants to have plenty of pockets if possible.  For you men, it is critical to have these pants to have a zipper in the right place.

(5)  Good shoes are another thing to purchase the best you can afford that fit you & the purpose intended.   Sometimes a high priced pair may not be the best for you if it doesn't fit properly.   I like leather boots that are at least 8" high & have laces that lace up giving my ankles support.  I have had sprained ankles before & this is something you do not want to contend with in the backcountry.  Be sure the shoes fit, if you happen to be like me, my second toe is longer that the rest & if my shoe does not fit right, when I go down hill, my feet may slide forward putting pressure on this toe.  I have lost MANY toe nails because the down hill pressure pushed that toenail rearward enough to create a blood blister the whole toenail.   This can get so painful that the only thing to do is get your Leatherman tool out & work the toenail loose & then pull it off.   So you get a little blood in your sock.

Break these shoes in before you go hunting or hiking, as blisters are not good in situations like this where your feet are your means to get back to the vehicle. 

(6) Weather change.  As mentioned previously, weather may be one of your most important things to be aware of & on the outlook for changes.  Learn to watch the clouds, wind directions etc.   If you do this long enough, you can start to get a sense as to what the weather will do.  Follow your intuitions.   Look at the newspaper or the TV weather reports beforehand.   Get a handheld VHF marine radio & tune in to the weather channel for a NOOA weather report.  These reports not only cover the marine areas but many inland areas also.  They run continually 24 hours a day & repeat themselves.  However some inland areas may not have reception.  The best & most current weather reports will come from airports close to cities.

I have even seen a sudden summer cold rainstorm come upon us in the high country in a warm sunny day that can leave you drenched & cold if not prepared.

Sometimes you may be in an area where it is cold in the morning in the valley, but within a couple of hours, has warmed up on the hillsides to where you will need to shed some of your bundled up clothing.  Another place for a back-pack.  However the valleys will also get colder as the sun goes behind clouds or goes down in the evening.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, in the fall we can get lots of rain.  Good raingear is essential if you are going to be afield.  Be prepared.  I have walked up on many deer in the rain, where they are in the protection of heavy timber, as they do not seen to get bothered when a hunter is moving slowly thru it.  Shots at 30' can be possible.

Depending on the area you are in, snow would be another situation where you may need to be alert & head for camp if it looks like a storm is moving in.   Hunting in weather with snow on the ground, a temperature of 10 degrees F to Zero & beyond with the wind blowing at 20 MPH is a place that if you are there, you need to be well prepared or stay home.

(7) Water & some food may be in order.  It is strongly suggested that you carry at least some water, but if you do not, then you WILL NEED to carry some water purification tablets if you are in an area where there are streams.  Believe me you can not tell how pure the water is even if it is bubbly clear & running out of hole in a rocky hillside.  You do not know what it ran thru upstream.  Giardia (sometimes called Beaver Fever) is not something you want to experience, (been there-done that).  You get a explosive head-ache, gut ache & diarrhea all at the same time & if it gets really bad you will have to go to the hospital ASAP for dehydration.

Food, can be simply some candy bars or the newer energy bars.  "Trail mix" (a mix of M&Ms, peanuts, almonds, raisins etc.) that gives you a more rounded form of energy works great.  This can be purchased in bulk or in small separate sealed packages.  I also like to carry a few hard peppermint candy or cough drops in case I start coughing as this is an unusual sound in the outdoors that animals can pick up on.

(8) Don't travel in the dark.  This is one fundamental backwoodsman law that should be adhered to, unless you know exactly where you are going (like on a road with the moon out), or you have a flashlight.  If you do not know where you are & it is dark, you could stumble over a log or fall off a cliff or even into a creek or river.

(9) First Aid is important enough that it would behoove you to attend a First Aid class & get a card if you have not already.  Even reading a First Aid book could be helpful.  I am not saying you need to be an EMT or MD, but you need to be able to do basic First Aid on yourself or your partner.  Probably the one item used most would be a simple Band Aid.   A small First Aid kit would be very beneficial.  It is not unlikely for you to fall, & sprain an ankle or even break a leg out there, so keep calm & think things out.

This kit should also be waterproof for obvious reasons.  You can get a lot of essentials in a small container & tape it up with Duct Tape.

Also under this heading if you are on medication that needs to be taken at regular intervals, be sure to carry some in a small sealable package.  A diabetic should also be aware of the need to have food or at least some sugar candy in case it is needed.

I have seen many hunters cut themselves with a knife when gutting out an animal, so be careful.

(10) It may come a time where it may obvious that you are either physically unable to proceed or that you are so late in the day that you will have to stay overnight, or both.   Now survival begins to take on a different meaning.   You more than likely have by this time performed most of the above situations, so you may have to dig deeper into your back-pack.

If you carry a cell phone & you are in a area that has reception, this might be the time to make a phone call & warn the person you are hunting with or your wife at home that you will be not showing up at the vehicle or at home that night.  Tell then where you think you are & your plans for the next day.  Also tell them you will be turning off the cell phone to conserve the battery, but will turn it back on at specified intervals.

(11)  OK, now possibly here is a time when a fire may be a welcome & needed thing.   Over the years I have carried so many different types of fire-starters that I can not remember.  They all were toted as being the best at the time I bought or made them.   I have also used a few that were OK.  Old-growth pitch soaked wood has been the old standby of outdoorsmen for years.   I however would not place all my eggs in one basket & try to rely on only one type of fire-starter.  You might also consider using a couple in combination to each other. 

Now a word of advice, do not rely only on the Butane lighters, as if the weather gets cold, (even near 35 degrees or so) or you climb to a high altitude, they usually do not light, they will still send a shower of sparks, but apparently the Butane does not vaporize enough to light.   However one report from Alaska is to keep one of these lighters in your inner front pants pocket, so that your body heat keeps it warmer.  This is supposed to keep it warm enough for it to function at a lower temperature.  Worth a try.

A couple of years ago I attended a survival class at a major Sportsman Show taught by Peter Kummerfeldt.  This man is a retired military survival instructor & now teaches survival on his own thru www.outdoorsafe.com.  I learned a great deal from him, even though I thought I already knew about all I needed to survive.  I would recommend if you have the chance to attend one of his classes in that it would be beneficial to do so.   Thru his business he also has for sale some of the specialty products he talks about.  I have now fine-tuned some of the stuff I had been using.  He gave us some insight that I will pass along here.

Many old-timers used used to use matches inside a military type round metal screw on lid waterproof canister.  These older GI units are now even in the collectable category.  The old GI units were not that bad, but the imported aftermarket ones are not near as good.   The aftermarket one I have had for over 30 years says made in Hong Kong on the bottom.  This screw on lid can be very difficult to get off especially with your hands & fingers being numb because of cold weather.

Peter's idea is to use 2 of the newer plastic match containers, tape them together with with duct tape with the threaded caps protruding on each end.   He says this way if your hands are cold & you can not get a good grip on the cap to unscrew it, put this double unit under your arm pit to hold the unit by squeezing it & you then can usually unscrew these larger caps even though you fingers are like clubs.   Put strike anywhere matches in one & Vaseline soaked cotton balls in the other.  This also places your fire starting kits together as a unit.

Now something that I have found is how many times have you tried to strike the "strike anywhere" matches on a rock or something that just pops the white striking head off & does not ignite the match itself.  Your match is now useless.  My solution is to remove the side of the box of "strike on box" type that you need to strike these matches on & place about 1/2 of it inside the container with my regular matches.  Now if the white head gets popped off, you can still ignite it off this using the striker off the side of the box.  Just don't get this striker pad wet.

(11a)  To make the cotton balls, purchase pre-made cotton balls as they are about the right 1" size.  Take them individually & smear, rub, squeeze ordinary Vaseline into the balls so that they are completely saturated.  Squeeze the excess off.   Many of these will just fit into the one of the above plastic match container unit.  In use, pull the individual ball out & try to tear it apart so that you form a fuzzy, hairy like ball. 

If the matches get blown out or do not light while trying to light it, then use a magnesium striker throwing sparks on this fuzz ball.   It will start burning even if it is wet if the fuzz is fine enough.  He recommends you place some object like a piece of bark under the cotton ball to collect any melting / dripping Vaseline so it is contained & will allow the fire to burn long enough (about 5 minutes) for you to pile sticks etc. on top to get the fire larger.  I carry a cut off bottom of a soda can that I can turn upside down, place the fuzz ball into, allowing the bottom cone to make a shallow cup to collect the melting Vaseline & prolong the burn time.

Cotton ball fuzzed up	Cotton ball on  fire

Now after I get a match or some other firestarter to produce the initial fire, I have added another variation, by using a form of a wax candle as the main fire element.  What I do is take what is left of the wife's scented candles & melt then into the small Dixie cups which I then add semi-course sawdust to before the wax solidifies.  I have also found that using the alder chips designed for electric smokers also works fine if you pick out the larger ones.   Alder seem to have more of the finer chips needed here than the other exquisite woods.

In the photos below you can see the pan on the Bar-B-Que with the heated wax.  You need to turn the heat down to low after the initial melting as it will get so hot it will melt the wax sealed bottom of the cups.  Pour in the melted wax until you have about 5/8" from the top.  I found it is best to now place the hot wax cup in a shallow pan with 1" of cold water in it to cool things down & protect the cup's bottom wax seal.

Sprinkle the sawdust in a little at a time as the concoction will want to foam & boil over if you fill the wax too high & or add the sawdust too fast.  Stir the wax & keep adding more sawdust until the wax has pretty much taken all of the sawdust will take.  You do not have to hurry here as this amount of wax does not harden anywhere close to immediately.   Leave 1/2" or  5/8" or so unfilled so after it has hardened you can the cut the cup lips 1/2" apart down to the wax & then fold the lips in to somewhat protect the lips.

Unless you have a very understanding wife, do not try to do this in her kitchen.

In use, you can light the wax lips with a match or use the above mentioned Vaseline fuzz ball & magnesium as a initial starter.   As the lips burn the wax starts to burn & the sawdust acts as MANY wicks.  This will burn as a concentrated 2" flame for between 15 & 20 minutes as one large candle.  You can even start a fire without a lot of fine tinder using this method as it gets hot enough & burns long enough to get limbs the size of your arm burning if they are not real wet.

Another thing that Peter recommended is to purchase survival matches from REI.  These use a long burning head that when burning can be dipped in water long enough to extinguish the flame, but when withdrawn, within a few seconds will re-ignite.

(11b)  As mentioned before, do not rely only on one fire starting source.  A Butane lighter can still be used as a fire source even if it is so cold that the butane does not light.  I have tried standard strike anywhere matches that at times do not light when needed, too much wind.  But I have taken the Vaseline soaked cotton balls, use only about 1/4 of one, fluff it up to a hairy unit & using the Butane lighter for a spark source have gotten the ball to ignite, then transfer this ball of fire to the Sterno or above illustrated wax fire starter.

(12) Shelter, this can be from as simple as curling up under a big log or tree with limbs under & over you & shiver all night, to carrying some form a shelter in your pack to ensure a little more comfort.   I usually carry a some form of a tarp with me.  What I have found as a light weight thing to carry is a painter's drop-cloth.   They are cheap, lightweight, usually about 8' X 10' & do not take up a lot of room.  Another thing that has proved a winner is a "tube tent".   This is essentially a plastic tube about 8' long that can be made into a triangle with 3 sides about 3' wide when put in place.  When assembled, this is essentially a "pup tent" by using a rope down the top middle & small logs inside on the bottom corners.  The ends will be open, but lower one end or place it against a big tree or log, even put the drop-cloth over one end of a log to block that end of the tent.

If nothing else, take 2 of the large garbage can liners, crawl into one feet first, cut the hole for your head in the other & pull it over you.    This will keep most of your body heat in.  But it also will trap moisture from your body's normal evaporation process, so you may have to cut another hole in the top to let some of that out.   Try to find some form of protection, like a large log, tree roots, large cedar tree with droopy limbs, cave, etc.   A hollow log would be ideal, but not many of them exist when & where you really need one.

(13) Back-pack.  This can be a small fanny pack to a large back-pack.  The important thing is to put in it the essentials that you think you will need & "Don't Leave Home Without It".   I have a fanny pack for walk in fishing that has a section for survival plus 2 sections for tackle & then I use 2 other back-packs, one medium & another a large one for hunting. 

This large hunting one is a Blaze Orange color helping me now qualify for most all states when hunting requiring hunter orange.  It is made of a soft outer material that softens any noise in the brush & is a rubberized on the inner side.   I use this if I am going into wilderness country where we may be beyond a road by 5 miles plus.  Our policy was in areas like this, if I do not come out by dark, don't worry as I carry enough to stay the night.  I should be out to a road (maybe not the one I started from however) by noon the next day.

It goes without saying that carrying a combo knife, Leatherman type survival knife/tool is a good idea.  I carry a lot more than survival stuff in my  hunting packs because a lot of it would also aid me in taking care of game, as a small rope hoist, saw, sport axe, a rifle speedometer cable type cleaning rod, spare ammo, medicine etc.  The sport axe is something my wife bought for my birthday in 1972, that in those days was called a Skatchet.  It is just an hatchet head with about a 1" threaded hole in it so that you can cut your own handle & screw it into the head.  It has a hatchet blade on one side, a hammer head on the other.  Without the handle in, you can hold onto the body & use it for a heavy duty knife.  This company has changed hands many times & the last ones I saw were sold by Stansport under the name "Sport Axe".

Also a old GI canteen with metal cup liner, Sterno fuel canister & fold up stove to fit it.   Also bouillon cubes in chicken & beef, tea bags & sugar packets.  Even light rain gear, gloves & of course a First-Aid kit.  There are always a couple of butane cigarette lighters in the pack.   Now a word of advice, again as indicated above, do not rely only on the butane lighters, as if the weather gets COLD or you climb to a high altitude, they may not light.

My smaller back-pack is used for a short day hunt of up to a mile off the road.  In it I carry the bare essentials like a small first aid, fire starters, space blanket, lightweight rain gear, lightweight painters drop-cloth, toilet paper, candy bars etc.  Depending on where & the weather, I usually leave in the Sterno stove & metal cup (kind of gotten spoiled).   But I usually leave out the canteen, rope pulley, extra knife, rifle cleaning kit etc.

Many times when it is raining or cold, I will find some protection, get the Sterno fuel can & the fold up Sterno stove out, a metal granite coated cup or the GI canteen liner, heat some water & dissolve a bouillon cube in it for a "quick picker upper".   

In the photo below,  I was on a look-out rock outcropping part way up a ridge, in central Montana, the end of November 2009 with snow on the ground & the wind blowing.  I took shelter out of the wind, found a small rock protected hole where I set up the fold up Sterno stove unit away from the wind by using my backpack as a windbreak on one side, leveled it, heated up a cup of water & converted a Maruchan Instant Lunch (this Styrofoam cup has dried chicken flavored noodles & 3 vegetables that only costs about $. 50 each) into a warm lunch while still being able to watch the terrain below.

It was so cold & some wind that I could not protect the stove from, that the water never did boil, so I poured  1/2 of the warm water into the metal cup of noodles to soften them enough to pour them all back into the cup & the rest of the water.  Then I kept it on the Sterno canister until it got warm enough to be satisfying.  It just took a longer time with the higher elevation, wind & cold weather.

Sterno fold-up stove & fuel canister, heating water for a cup of soup

A lightweight flashlight is another important item that you may want to add.   I am not impressed with the newer cheap imported LED ones, they are bright but a different light than what I am accustomed to & anything beyond a few feet is dismal on the ones I tried.  The Mini-Mag lights have worked great for me for many years.  In the off season take the batteries out, as if they get old &  leak, there is no salvaging the flashlight once this happens.  Also be sure you have spare flashlight bulbs in the base.

The new headlamp lights seem to be a good thing, as you are not handicapped with having to hold onto a light under your chin while doing what needs to be done with your hands.   I would suggest that if you do get one of these, that you get one that use the same AA batteries as the Mini-Mag lights, so having a couple of sets of spare batteries will fit either is a good idea.  However, again change batteries every year so that you have fresh ones when really needed.

There are a lot of small miscellaneous items that can be valuable at times IF you have the space & can carry the extra weight.  These can include, flagging tape, calumine light source sticks, a small file or diamond sharpening stone.   Ka-Bar makes a lock blade knife that also has a spoon & fork blade.  A couple of 1 gallon Zip-Lock bags can come in handy even for packing water.  A referee's style whistle, (better yet a marine survival whistle) & a small signal mirror can be invaluable when needed.   The list can go on & on, but it is up to you to decide just how much you think you may need depending on where your travels may take you.

Some thermal reflector survival blankets are not as good as they are advertised as especially the small cheap ones.  Most of us take what we see or hear as the gospel as advertisements & since these blankets are usually in a sealed packet, we never take one out to see exactly well made they are not until we need one.  This is a mistake that could cost you your life, or at the least a very uncomfortable night.  These small cheap ones are usually so light that they can be prone to tearing if close to sharp objects or you move inside a lot.   It is probably best to consider these as throw aways if you do use one as you will never get it back into the pouch it came in.  Don't get me wrong, these survival blankets can be invaluable, & used for may purposes especially the more heavy duty ones.

(14)  Quad riding & carrying your survival gear takes on a different meaning.  Here you do not have to worry about the extra weight, just the space to carry it.   A minimal tool box would be a must to have on any mechanical transportation device.  In addition to my normal pack-pack I even carry a old Coleman military type (WWII) #530 canister type gas stove & some cans of Campbell's soup.   You will even find some MREs, a small buck saw, axe, shovel, machete & tow rope in one of the 2 backpacks or in the front box I have attached to the quad as shown in the RH photo below.  Also notice the blue duffle bag with a tarp, tools, cable pulley & shackles, ski mask, rain gear & cans of stew inside.  All this & a 2 gallon fuel can are attached with bungee cords.

I have now added handle bar muff type covers & electric heater grips for when we hunt coyotes in the snow in the winter.  Even have a cigarette lighter plug in receptacle to charge my cell phone or power a hand-held GPS.

The new electric winch is mounted on the front by (4) 1/2" bolts, which can be removed allowing the winch to also be unplugged from the power source & moved to the rear of the quad, re-plugged in & with a remote switch be able to pull the quad backwards out of the problem area it may be in.   I have a couple of 3/16" galvanized stranded wire cables laying coiled up in the front plywood box, 1 being 100' & the other 300' long.

Copyright © 2009 LeeRoy Wisner  All Rights Reserved

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Originated 9-19-09, Last updated 02-08-2010
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