Practice makes perfect with outdoor survival activities
We all hope there will never be a disaster that will cause us to hunker down in our homes. But it could happen and that’s why we prepare. Same with a crisis that would cause us to bug out. That’s why we have bug-out bags and plans for that scenario.
But if you’re like me, if you don’t do something for a long time, you either forget how to do it or it takes a lot longer than it should. It’s a great idea to take a weekend at least twice a year to practice the type of survival activities you may have to use someday if a disaster causes you to bug out. Fortunately, many of us have yards where we can do this.
Here are five activities you and your family members should rehearse in the backyard to make sure you’re ready to do them for real when the time comes:
- Building a Shelter. You don’t need to construct anything elaborate here. Just work on setting up your tent as quickly as you can. Or practice building temporary shelters with your tarps and ponchos, or even a teepee. Keep in mind that while there is no sense of urgency now, there may be later when you need shelter from the elements in a hurry.
- Starting a Fire. Hopefully you’ll have a lighter when the times come to start a fire for real. But if not, it’s good to know how to start one with a Ferro rod or a magnesium stick, using cotton balls soaked in alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Practice starting fires with other materials as well, including petroleum jelly, dry tinder, char cloth, flint and steel.
- Foraging for Food. Most people try to rid their lawns of dandelions, but if you were hungry in the wild, you might wish there were some around. There are many common weeds and flowers that are edible in a crunch, so practice identifying them. Among others are miner’s lettuce, stinging nettles, cattails, daylilies, and primrose.
- Cooking Outdoors. If you can make a campfire in your backyard, go for it. Practice cooking foods over an open flame. Practice making cooking grates out of green saplings, or use flat heated rocks as the cooking surface. It will be tempting to choose a nice sunny day for practice, but that’s not something you’ll be able to count on in an emergency.
- Archery and Spear Hunting. Your car trunk should include a longbow, a slingshot and materials that you could use to form a spear. Exercise extreme caution when utilizing these items for practice in your backyard. If you haven’t shot an arrow for a while, you may be surprised at how off you are. Same with throwing a spear. Muscle memory only comes from practice.
Which other activities have you practiced in your yard that will help when it comes time to survive in the wild? Our readers would love to know.
At the first hint that something’s wrong, you’re going to head for the woods? You probably have more resources at home than you can carry on your back, in your car or truck. Before you go to the woods with everybody else, you should consider the possibility you may not be safe there. If you can get where you think you want to go, don’t you think others will be right there with you? Are you prepared to KILL someone to save yourself or family member? You need to constantly assess what you have and what your options are with different events. Heading to the woods may not be your best option.
For those of you with a military background will nod your heads up and down when I say, “If it ain’t raining you ain’t training!”
It is one thing to breakout your equipment and train with it on a sunny day and everyone should do this so that the entire family will get hands-on training. But try it adverse conditions, rain, snow, the dark of night and at a moment’s notice. Then see how well your training really is.
“IF IT AIN’T RAINING, YOU AIN’T TRAINING.”
If you want some practice in survival skills, join a Mountain Man Rendezvous re-enactment group.
We keep a pistol crossbow in the trunk. With poison tipped bolts, it will take down big game if you are close enough. It does a great job on small game (and human predators.) Easy to shoot, compact, no permit required to carry.
We bought one then homemade several dart guns. They work well for small game if you have enough breath. Older people might not be able to use it effectively – unless you practice. We carry fire making kits with 6-8 types of starting methods and kindling and so on – but practice is essential. Our everyday carry includes a professionally made fire starter that is fully self-contained and works great (The Torch).
We always have a tarp and blankets and sleeping bags in the trunk, along with boots and extra socks. When it comes to bitter cold, emergency blankets don’t cut it for more than a few minutes. I actually use them to line my tarp for a quick and more cozy shelter. They work equally well to line a small tent to help keep in the warmth.
Larry, not everyone is young and fit enough to be able to survive off the land. We couldn’t do it at our age and with our disabilities. If you have a medical condition requiring medication, you have little chance of surviving alone unless you can find a “natural” plant-based alternative to the medication in the wild – and many do exist. I recommend researching it before it becomes an emergency – Make sure it grows in your area then practice creating the end product which could be a poultice, an ester, a tea, a distillation, or another type of production process.
Just be willing to try – practice really does count.
I’m not getting a longbow for my car trunk. I do have a suppressed .22 bolt action rifle and thousands of sub-sonic bullets for it. There are plenty of doves around my area.
Norman, you can only eat so many pigeons or doves. I suggest two things, no make that three: !.) invest in an air rifle – pump action – it will save you on ammo. 2,) Look around you. How many pigeons or doves are there year round? You need to think bigger and different game. 3.) Most important practice. Practice 4 times a year and see what kind of game is really available to you. Remember when SHTF occurs it will be you and a million other people out there looking for the same game.
There is a wealth of good info available for everyone to become more self reliant in extreme situations. Get on the web and look up “survival” or natural disaster preparation or ??? The Boy Scouts Of America and other organizations have been teaching young men and women these concepts for MANY years. Perhaps our public schools should consider a few mini courses on the subject. Tim and Larry – you are both on the right track, and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hey Frank keep up the good work.
You could add to this list practicing making cordage. It goes to the issue of not being able to ‘choose’ when survival skills are needed. So many things can be held together or made with cordage, be it shelters, traps, bow strings, fishing line and even footwear.
As you say, going off the grid isn’t easy,but like you I did it “Green” for 18 months. By Green I mean, No Pryor Experience. I just used the Grey Matter between my ears. I spent a year in the mountains of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, then six months in the desert of Arizona. Everything I needed, the land provided. I just had to work for it. In that light….Anyone can doit…”With The Proper Mind Set “. The human animal did not aquire the title of ” Worlds #1 Predator ” because we are stronger or faster or possess any type of weapon. We got that title because we are ” In Theory ” smarter than all other life forms. Proper Mind Set Is Vital.
Larry you hit the nail on the head – It is the mind set of surviving for a person to survive in his or her environment. I have noticed how people have acted and reacted during as survival situation. The bottom line is this when the rubber meets the road your survival will come down to your ability to think with a positive mind set that you will get through this situation and that you are willing to do what ever it takes to make this happen.
When I look at my own family I realize that they have had to too good for far to long. They don’t know what it really means to survive by your wits. They don’t know the thrill of over coming adversity – your own ignorance. Many will fail, a few will succeed – UNLESS YOU START TO TRAIN NOW!