What is Survival?- Part 2, by MuddyKid

…of yarrow was exciting! I decided to mow around the yarrow so I could observe as it grew through its stages. Because I did so, I now have a fairly large patch of yarrow on the property, because I left it alone to grow. Yarrow Yarrow, in a pinch, can be chewed up and placed over a cut to serve as an antiseptic. It is better in a tincture. And again, to my surprise and comfort of mind, yarrow is in almost every field I have walked in since I first identified it. Because I observed how yarrow grows through life and death of its natural cycle, I can locate it no matter the season. Primitive Traps Through all of these experiences together, I then started making primitive traps. Primitive traps I find to be a lot of fun. There are hundreds of variations of traps. Similar to knot tying,…




Bare Bones Survival, by Blake R.

…out?  Don’t think it can’t happen to you.  We’re all preparing because it provides a sort of insurance against the countless what ifs.  Think of primitive survival skills as your reinsurance or back up to your back up plan.  The purpose of this article is to provoke thought and discussion to the subject of primitive survival and to serve as a brief introduction on “how to.”  When I say bare bones survival I mean just that.  No knives, saws, axes, cordage, rope, water filters, bottles, bladders, portable shelters, lighters, flints, matches, stoves, fuel, or food.  I think you get the point.  The one exception is the clothing on your back since practicing primitive skills nude in the woods would probably be a one way ticket to the insane asylum. SHELTER Most primitive survival situations, pre or post TEOTWAWKI, will require shelter.  It’s probable that this will also be your most…




Top Six Outdoor Survival Skills, by Jonathan Gardner

…trap for fat and protein. For fat and protein that you do not have to do a lot of work for, trapping makes the most sense. Surface water seems to be the best locales to find sources of meat, year-round. If you know how to make rope, you can make snares, nets, cages, and other traps. Do not limit yourself to just one food source. Note that you can only actively “mine” (hunt) one source at a time if you do not utilize trapping. JWR Adds: Setting a trap is like hunting 24 hours a day, and laying multiple traps is like having multiple hunters simultaneously out in the field. Some potential food sources: -Birds -Rodents -Small Game -Fish (and other water creatures) -Bugs/Worms For instance: 100 grams of cricket provides 121 calories (12.9 grams of protein) You can build traps (or simply gather) every one of these categories, and…




Minimizing The BOB And Permaculture, by N.E.

…and how to use that cordage to make traps. While fire by friction does take longer than flicking a bic or striking flint steel, it did serve as a comfort to learn that by knowing just a single tree, such as the Basswood, I can make fire, cordage, and obtain food, all from recognizing and obtaining this single species. This knowledge weighs nothing. Also during the primitive course, I made a water-proof, primitive shelter. While this is great knowledge, it is not practical. I suggest making a primitive water-proof shelter is not practical, because you won’t have the time required to make a water poof primitive shelter (that could take 3 to 6+ hours to make), once you see storm clouds moving in. Not to mention, the large amount of energy you exhaust making such a shelter. Because of this experience, a rain tarp went to the top of my…




Knowledge of Survival, by Heather F.

…be sure that everything that is possible was removed. Hunting, Trapping, and cleaning an animal is something else everyone should know how to do. I’m sure everyone here has been hunting but has your spouse? Can she take the life of an animal? Animals are difficult to hunt even for the experienced hunter, sometimes, so you can  imagine just how difficult it would be for someone who has never hunted a day in their life. Hunting is straight forward, point and shoot and hope you made your mark. But trapping is a bit different. You need to make sure that you are on an animal’s path, it’s pointless to put a trap up if you haven’t seen animal tracks. There are lots of traps to chose from, some use large rocks or logs, some use holes. Most of the time these traps take too much time and well by the…




Scot’s Product Review: Survival Skills DVD Set Sigma 3 Survival School

…built ones that lasted as long as 60 hours. As he pointed out, if you can sleep through the night rather than getting up to add wood to a fire, you will be in far better shape. Rest is critical to well-being, and you won’t get it if you get cold and wake repeatedly through the night. After fire, Allen and Hamlin move into food and how to acquire meat using entirely primitive traps, like the Paiute deadfall trap or with snares made with the picture wire you have in your EDC kit. Allen also tells us about traps we might have been cunning enough to have brought with us. I hadn’t thought of having traps in my bugout kit, but I am now planning to add some. Hamlin, as mentioned above, enjoys rats, and Allen likes beaver, neither of which I have tried. I am a bit more reluctant…




Learning Traditional Skills, by R.I.P.

…can make them cautious. Rub the peeled and notched places on the traps with dirt to camo them, don’t think that animals are so unaware that they will not notice these. Make your traps elsewhere and carry them to your spot, spend as little time and leave as little scent there as possible. Learn to recognize tracks and trails, and the age of tracks, don’t place a trap on a trail that was made two weeks ago when the path lead to a now dried up water hole. Good places to look for animals are transition areas. This is where woods meet field, field meets swamp, etc. Good times to find animals are transition times. When night meets day, day meets night, summer meets fall, and winter meets spring. Remember that animals are smart. If you are setting in a blind with two inches of frost eating through five layers…




Considerations for Raising Chickens After TEOTWAWKI, by Gospel Guy

…eggs; that includes neighbors, dogs, coyotes, house cats, rats, possums, coon, snakes, hawks and skunks. The protection that portable grazing pens offer is the first line of defense against predators and thieves. Dogs that are bonded with chickens and other small livestock are very helpful but you must back them up with traps and a gun. One of the most effective traps for feral dogs, possum and skunk is a Connibear trap in front of a bucket with bait in the bottom. It is very important not to set any of the larger Connibear traps where a small child could get in the trap as the 220 and larger connibears may kill or seriously injure a child. It is advisable to have a gun handy when caring for the flock because it is virtually assured that sooner or later it will be necessary to terminate the depredations of a feral…




Mountain Man EDC, by S.J.

…modern mountain man should carry a toothbrush as well, or he can use a stick of hardwood as a toothpick. Traps and Trapping Supplies – These were the tools of the mountain man’s trade, the reason they were in the mountains in the first place. I think some snare wire and other appropriate supplies for trap construction should be part of any bug out bag. Manufactured traps should also be kept among your equipment, although not necessarily carried. Knives – A mountain man would have carried several knives. He would have had a larger knife for crude work and as a weapon, such as a bowie style knife, with smaller knifes that would have to be kept very sharp for skinning and cutting meat, as well as scraping hides. I’d recommend following this strategy as well; using one knife for everything is less than ideal. A stone would also be…




Survival Slingshots, by Brian W.

…of getting it wrong, cause many hikers to just leave them at home. With the threat of a felony conviction, fines, jail time, confiscation of your weapon, and future headache associated, it just doesn’t seem worth the trouble. Slingshots bridge the gap between small but possibly illegal .22 handguns and snares for catching dinner in the wild. Other primitive weapons have limitations that often leave them in the back of the pickup when you need them. Bows and arrows are unwieldy and not usually taken on simple nature hikes. The atlatl is difficult to master for even the most ardent of survivalists, let alone carrying around a 5 foot arrow. Weapons such as the boomerang and bolo take skill and are not designed for small game. Blow guns are fine but are limited to the number of darts you have brought along. Making darts by hand takes time and patience,…




Outdoor Survival–The Basics, by Alan B.

…human. Few other animals help each other the way that human beings do. I know a lot of people just don’t feel that they have the time or resources to prepare for something they believe will never happen. All I can say is read your history books. Catastrophes happen every day. It may not be the end of the world for everyone else, but it might be for you. I’ve read a lot of survival manuals and I think this article pretty much puts it all together in simple terms. You do need to practice as many survival techniques as you can. I could hardly get an ember going with a primitive bow drill, but I eventually did it. It took a better part of an afternoon to learn how. This is truly valuable experience. The Boy Scout handbook is a good place to start. [JWR Adds: I recommend buying…