Lost Survival.

Lost Survival.

In an ordinary lost situation if you did the right thing & notified several people in regards to WHERE you were going & WHEN you intended to return, then all you have to do is sit tight & wait for someone to find you. This is of course providing you STOP as soon as you realise that you are lost, & do not stray too far from your intended route.

IF you feel that you have strayed too far from your intended route, OR you failed to tell anyone where you were going, then there are practicle things you can do to stay safe & perhaps find your own way out.

1) If you are low on water, find some if you can without straying too far from your present position. Low ground is generally better than high ground, though a rock plateau can often hold water in holes & basins in the rock. In flat terrain look for greenery growing. Usually this is trees or bushes. This could prove to be a water hole or a water course.

2) Remember that providing you keep yourself safe & have water, TIME is not an issue. Staying alive is more important than losing your job! Concentrate on staying alive & getting out, relax if you can & don’t panic.

3) You may need to construct a simple shelter from the sun or bad weather. With this goes making a fire, but make sure the fire is SAFE & can not spread! Clear an area of 5 paces all around your camp site, but only make fire if it is safe to do so. In extreme hot & dry conditions you should not light a fire.

4) During the day listen for the sounds of people; vehicle engines, car doors shutting, dogs barking, house doors closing, the sound of chainsaws or axes cutting wood or the sound of a generator or water pump.  Look for smoke from camp fires or house chimneys. This will give you a direction to follow, but make sure you do NOT go round in circles. Line up three trees or land marks or a combination of these in the direction you need to go. When you get to the first marker, put your back against it & line up the remaining two markers with another third one. Continue on & repeat.

5) At night listen for the same sounds, but unless they are close-by, just mark the direction with rocks or sticks or mark trees & wait until daylight unless you have a torch or are fairly certain you are on safe ground. Travelling in the dark can be dangerous & you do NOT want to injure yourself. Look for vehicle headlights, radio tower lights, house lights, camp fires, lighthouse lights if you are near the coast. Watch for aircraft lights, there may be an airstrip not too far away.  

Low ground can be good for finding water, but high ground will give you the best chance of seeing something that will help you get out. High ground will also make you more visible if you keep a fire going. Adding green vegetation to a fire will create more smoke. Passing aircraft may also spot your fire. 

THREE is the S.O.S. signal, three whistle blasts, three gun shots, three fires (keep them safe), three COOEEs (a shout), three air horn blasts, three flashes from a torch at night, three flashes from a mirror during the day. You get the idea.

IF all else fails, going down hill SHOULD eventually lead you to a water course/source. EXAMPLE: you are on high ground, you go down. When you reach the lower ground, say a valley or gully, it too should go downward in one direction. Follow this downward & continue doing this until you find a water course. Mountain areas at their highest points produce what is called "Header Streams". These are where the water source starts from & these eventually run into streams or creeks which eventually lead to lakes & rivers. Water is also a source of food, & communities are usually built close to a water source.

If you do not expend too much energy, you can survive roughly 3 weeks on water alone, no food. But you can only survive roughly 3 days without water.

Primitive V Modern. Primitive is an attitude.

Primitive V Modern. Primitive is an attitude.

Primitive survival is a matter of attitude. Instead of thinking what else can I add to my pack, we think “what is there in my pack that I don’t need”. Instead of thinking what is the best gun for long range & maximum damage, we think “what is the best firearm for long term wilderness survival”. We do not rely on bows or firearms for getting meat, we rely more on a trap line. But we don’t think what traps can I purchase, we make our own animal traps out of natural materials found in the bush.

We don’t say what tanning materials can I carry with me, because again, we have no need to carry anything for tanning animal skins. We use natural methods. Instead of asking what is the best hiking boot for survival in the bush, we make our own. Because further down the track when those expensive hiking boots wear out, they are going to need to know how to make their own moccasins.

Cooking is not about carrying a camping stove, cooking is about making a natural fire and using its heat to keep you warm in winter and dry your clothes when they are wet. Fire is about knowing how to make fire in all weather conditions and being prepared. It is not about carrying a Ferrocerium rod that will not work when all the tinder and kindling is wet. Fire is not about carrying Vaseline cotton balls, it is about having the knowledge to find and prepare your own natural tinder found in the bush, and where to find dry kindling in the pouring rain.

Primitive survival is not about preventing wet feet and purchasing the best sleeping bag. It is about knowing what to do when you get wet moccasins and learning how to stay warm with only one wool blanket. It is about learning how to think differently about comfort and being resigned to the fact that you will not be as comfortable as you would be in a modern house.

Wilderness living is about having the right tools for the tasks in hand, it is not about carrying a Rambo knife. Modern so called survival knives are for those that only carry one knife and nothing else. A woodsman on the other hand carries more than one knife, and he/she carries an axe. Extra weight? Yes of course it is, but having the right tools is something that should not be compromised. You don’t carry a jungle machete into an eastern forest. Wilderness survival is about choosing the right tool for its versatility and worth, it is not about purchasing a tool because it looks formidable and might be good for fighting.

Primitive long term wilderness survival is about thinking out of the box, it is about thinking beyond the main purpose of a particular piece of equipment. By all means if there are enough of you in your group then carry a modern firearm, but DO NOT totally rely on modern equipment. Sooner or later it will wear out or break down, and then you will find yourself back in the stone age. Better to use methods that are natural and sustainable, and equipment that is practical and serviceable.

Think about it.

Blades for Survival.

My Father taught me that I should always choose the right tool made for the job in hand, and he was right. Knives were not originally or traditionally made to cut down trees or to saw off limbs or to split wood. These tasks were reserved for the axe. Do you remember this old saying referring to survival tools; the knife, the axe and the gun ? This was true 300 years ago, and it is still true today, though you could use a self-bow in place of the gun.
The hunting knife was designed to skin and butcher game. It was also used to dispatch game and be used in self-defence. Its blade would be somewhere between 8 and 12 inches long, and it was rarely a heavy knife. In the 18th century the most common hunting knife used by woodsmen & woodland Indians alike were butcher blades. However, it was also common to carry more than one knife.
When living in the wilderness you need to choose equipment that will not only last, will not only perform the tasks that it was made to do, but also to add to your quality of life. 

None of these blades above cost me more than $14, except the tomahawk which at the time of purchase cost roughly $40.00, and it is hand forged.

Above are the blades that I carry with me all the time when trekking in the bush. My tomahawk is used for making camps, fashioning trap pegs and stakes, and it can also be used in the butchering of game. It is an excellent fighting tool, it can be thrown and it can be used for hunting. A machete does not even come close to matching the capabilities of this axe.
As well as my hunting knife I also carry a legging knife and a friction clasp knife that I made myself from second hand materials. 

Your life may depend on you making the right choices in tools and equipment. So think about the tasks that you tools and equipment need to perform, and choose accordingly.

For traditional equipment in Australia.
http://www.mopokesstockandtrade.com/

Tell Mick I sent you.

The Travois.

I made this travois for travelling on foot. It is made out of bush poles and plant fibre cordage.

Preparing For What May Come.

None of us can foresee the future, but from my previous experiences I have learnt that it pays to be prepared. I don't think I have ever been guilty of viewing the world through rose coloured glasses, but I have none the less had a few survival situations arise that I did not expect.
The world is not a safe place, and the most dangerous animal we are likely to encounter in Australia is other humans. There are predators out there, I know, I have met some of them. They will invade your property, your home, your camp site, and possibly you as a person on the street or in the bush. If you think this sounds bad, imagine what it would be like in a real TEOTWAWKI survival situation.

If you believe that in the future we will possibly have our world turned upside down and possibly our lives placed in jeopardy, then we need to make certain provisions for our future survival just in case. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Purchase some land out bush and fence off a good garden area. Even if you can't live there right now, visit as often as you can and prepare the gardens and start growing your own food. IF there is a financial crises, you will then be in a good position to survive. Work on constructing a dwelling as time and finances allow.

2) Make sure you have evacuation packs for each member of the family, even if you have to do it without their help or knowledge. IF for ANY reason you should have to leave your home, these packs will help you survive. You may get emergency housing from the Department of Housing, but you will only have this for a short time. You may be able to get help from family, but even so these packs may still be needed. In a worst case scenario you will at least be able to camp somewhere and be reasonably comfortable with what you have in and on these packs.

3) Save money, no matter how little at a time. 

4) If you smoke, give it up. If you enjoy a drink, keep it moderate. These vises will cost you a lot of money that can be better used elsewhere, and smoking could cost you your life or the life of one of your family because you are simply not fit enough to do what needs to be done in a crisis.

5) Learn and practice primitive skills. These weigh nothing and could save your life.

6) when adding items to your pack/s there must be a compromise between maximum self-reliance, and minimum weight. Choose your equipment wisely and do not get caught up in purchasing a lot of modern gadgets. 

If there are any particular subjects you would like me to post on, please comment.
Keith.