Much of the country is attempting to survive the onslaught of Winter 2011. But even when you take every precaution to avoid it, a winter storm can move in without warning, catching you unprepared and leaving you in a survival situation. Every year, lots of people get trapped in their vehicles by heavy snow and ice.

Severe snow and ice storms can dump incredible amounts of snow in a short time. It's not unusual, in the high country, for 2 to 3 feet of snow to fall overnight. If you pull off of the highway to sleep in your truck for a few hours before a hunt, you might awaken to find that your vehicle is just a bump in the snow-covered landscape, and that you're unable to drive. Depending on how critical the use of that particular stretch of asphalt is to the local economy, it might be a long time before a snowplow comes along and someone finds you. So, what should you do if you find yourself trapped by snow?

FIRST THINGS FIRST

As in any survival situation, spend a few minutes assessing your situation, taking stock of the potential survival items at hand. Then try the simplest solutions first. If you have a cell phone or CB radio in your vehicle, call for help. The sooner you can make contact with the outside world, the faster you'll be rescued. Amateur radio operators can call across the country or around the world and relay a message back to local authorities. (You might even want to consider becoming a HAM operator and carrying a portable transceiver in your vehicle.)