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March 18, 2013
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One of smallest and most portable hunting tools that we still have from ancient times is the sling. A bit of string, a patch of cloth or leather, and some round stones are all the equipment required for slaying rabbits or the odd Goliath. The sling is easy to make, and ammo is literally everywhere.
But note that I said didn’t say using a sling is easy. If you grew up with this weapon as a plaything, you probably have thrown thousands of stones and have an instinctive feel for targeting with this weapon. If you are new to throwing a sling stone, you ought to consider wearing goggles and a helmet until you get the hang of it.
[ Read Full Post ]March 13, 2013
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Having to start a fire on top of snow is one of those things that you never really think about, until you have to do it. In areas with little snow, you can always dig down to the soil surface to build your fire. But if the snow is very deep, you lack digging tools, or you don’t have time to dig, building a fire on top of the snow is the best option—if you do it right. You can certainly start a fire literally on top of the snow, but it won’t last very long as the snow will melt and douse your coals.
[ Read Full Post ]March 11, 2013
by Snow blindness can be a painful and debilitating injury in the winter season, leaving you temporarily blind for up to a day and helpless in a winter emergency.
This temporary form of blindness can be caused by the reflected glare of sunlight from snow, ice, water, or even sand. Most commonly, snow is the culprit, as the intense glare reflected from white snow on sunny days can actually cause your eyes to become sunburned. Snow blindness can happen even when it’s overcast, if the right amount of reflected light is magnified. The symptoms of snow blindness can include:
[ Read Full Post ]March 7, 2013
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The clear air and strong sun of late winter, plus the freezing winter temperatures, give you the best opportunity of the year to pull off the “fire from ice” trick in a real-world scenario. Whether you have seen it in books, or watched it on television, there’s still something incredulous about a lens of ice starting a fire. It just seems so unnatural. And I guess the real question you’re asking is, “does this really work?”
I’m a little surprised by the answer, myself, which is yes, you really can get fire from ice.
[ Read Full Post ]March 5, 2013
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There are many ways to call wild game. But how can you call those critters if you brought no calls with you? What if it’s an emergency and you need to lure animals in for your food?
The answer: build your own calls with things you find in the field. Check out these three time-tested calls.
[ Read Full Post ]March 1, 2013
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Hunger can make anything look like food. As winter wears on, the wild foods tend to become scarce. Squirrels finish off the last of the tree nuts, and other animals put a dent in the remaining wild forage. After awhile, the only stuff left out there is the stuff that nobody eats – neither man nor beast.
So if you get stranded out in the wild this winter, you’ll want to skip the following list of plants.
[ Read Full Post ]February 28, 2013
by Last May, we did a post on emergency preps for two dollars or less. Since many would say that we are in worse economic territory now than we were a year ago, it seemed only fitting to consider “Cheap Preps, Part 2.”
When checking the cost of survival equipment, pricey gear seems to be the new normal. But the frugal shopper can still find real bargains that could prove to be lifesavers at the right time and place.
Here are some more preparedness items hovering around the $2 mark:
[ Read Full Post ]February 25, 2013
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While teaching an Urban Survival class this past weekend, the topic of storing your own drinkable water came up in conversation many times. How much water you should have on hand, how you bottle it, and where you store it are the three most common concerns.
So let us suppose for a moment that your town’s or region’s normal water supply has been cut off. You’ll be on your own for drinking, cooking, and some basic hygiene. In the realm of water, being prepared for emergencies means keeping water on hand, and also being ready to disinfect more water as needed.
[ Read Full Post ]February 22, 2013
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The signal whistle is probably the most useful piece of survival gear that people are NOT usually carrying today. Sure it’s natural for us to crave a wicked looking survival knife. And your instincts are right on the money if you want to have explosive fire starting tools. But that humble signal whistle can end up catching someone’s attention, and draw in your rescue team if you are too banged up to be using that survival knife or fire starter. And that rescue is your ticket home.
[ Read Full Post ]February 19, 2013
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Winter has to be the best time of year for a warm cup of tea. Oddly enough, the outdoors is full of wild plants that can give us richly flavored and nutritious teas during the colder months.
As always, when dealing with wild plants for food and beverages, you have to be 100 percent certain that you are dealing with the right plant and using it correctly. The last thing you want is a cup of tea cup brewed with a deadly plant by mistake. Deaths from water hemlock are reportedly the most common plant related fatality in U.S.
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