Some basic survival questions

Let's say you have a cache of weapons and ammo to be the envy of all survivalists. Further let's say you are highly trained and accurate in their use. Maybe you have a supply of food built up as well. Is there one thing you have forgotten?
1st question:
What do you do with the bodies of those that have come for you/your stuff? Even a couple bodies could draw attention to where you are.
Second question:
Eventually even if successfull with question 1 in such a way not to draw attention to yourself. You eventually have to leave. If you are on the run.. there is a limit to how much ammo and weapons you can take with you. Doesn't it come down to gear/water/food/weapons balance. What is right?
3rd question:
Preparation- doesn't the old saying "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day - teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime" really apply in survival situation. If you aren't skilled now you likely won't have the chance in survival situation. How are you preparing?

the bodies you can bury. have some lye handy

keep your area hidden

be skilled in hunting and preparing game as well as cleaning fish and cooking fish. know what animals and berries are safe to eat.

The real survivalists,need only there bare hands and whats under there hats,learn from your environment,avoiding conflict ,blend-in,life is not a movie.

[edit on 2-11-2008 by all2human]

[edit on 2-11-2008 by all2human]

reply to post by N. Tesla


Yeah but burying takes time..especially let's say they are shot at fair distance. Lye- maybe but it is a hazardous substance. Yes hunting/fishing are of value. I deer hunt but am not well versed in what else is edible.

reply to post by all2human


Starred.
Couldn't agree more.

*********

reply to post by BlackProjects

"Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day - teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime" really apply in survival situation. If you aren't skilled now you likely won't have the chance in survival situation."

I don't get this.


If there is someone there to teach..then why would it be impossible to learn from them?

Does your 'sit-x' somehow affect people's ability and desire for knowledge?

It's all well and good having stashes and stocks of 'stuff' but you have to remember they will have a finite lifespan.
Until you find ways of replenishing supplies you are tied to them.

If you didn't have the stash in the first place..there'd be no need to start 'generating bodies' to protect them.

Keep it small,portable,discreet and replaceable.

[edit on 2-11-2008 by AGENT_T]

reply to post by AGENT_T


I'm really just saying that supplies won't last forever and you aren't just going to be a competent fisherman or hunter without a lot of practice. I think about all the stuff I do and bring into the woods to bowhunt..Even though I am expert marksman..Techniques would not be obvious to beginner. As you say keep it portable discrete replaceable.

I havent prepared at all. Juts a thought though, I used to work in a subway joint and i know that their fridges are stocked up with lots of meats, dough, vegetables and canned tuna. The dough and the tuna would last for a while prob a month supply. Also there is a lot of bottled bottled water and OJ (to hell with softdrinks). I don't know about there in the US of A but here in Aus we have cookies in our subway's and id be good to have those delicious macadamia cookies as a treat when your on rations.

do you guys think setting up a post in a subway franchise would be a good idea?

I would suggest getting your hands on a US military survival manual, it is an excellent tool with alot of very good information. It contains information such as simple edible plants of various locations throughout the world. It also gives basic medical/dental information as well, which alot of people often overlook. I have read many survival manuals, and I have found that the US military edition to have the highest content of valuable information compared to other survival manuals written on a bunch of what if scenarios.

One thing to keep in mind when balancing out your supplies that is also often overlooked. When purchasing/storing weapons and ammunition choose popular calibers and keep them limited to only one or two calibers. ie for your rifle if your prefer 7.62x39, or .223 then keep only rifles using this ammo and stock only this ammo. Having a large variation of calibers that are hard to come by are useless in a survival stand point because the chances of others using the same ammunition will be rare so your supplies when depleted will render your weapons useless.

reply to post by TheBarrelMan


A helluva lot better than a Macdonalds or burger king

reply to post by BlackProjects


Fishing...
couldn't be easier.. Just a pack of hooks/line... bait them with berries/insects/whatever the 'local' fishes feed on...

Tie to branches close to river(or weighted/tied with stones)...

Mark area so you can find them again..

Check after a couple of hours/repeat till fish-supper.

Rod fishing..(much as it's a relaxing pastime) is NOT a practical way to go.
Your time is better spent setting traps/collecting wild food.

There's another thread on making/setting fishing baskets C/O Dan Tanna, I'll link it here.

I'm always interested to see bowmen here.. invaluable.


Pretty dead-eye myself..though we have problems getting Broadheads here as bowhunting is illegal.

I use a nice compound shoot-through.. 310 fps. Certainly powerful enough for hunting..I just couldn't till after police have plenty of other things to occupy their time

Back-up is a nice lightweight recurve(And a few hundred metres of string)

Honestly though.The best thing you can do is scout your prospective basecamp and ID indigenous plant and animal life.

I only intend on packing 'travelling' food supplies as my location is a few hundred miles away..after setting up camp it's either forage or starve.
(Still have a few pounds spare to lose anyway )

EDIT to add link as promised
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Cheers Dan.

[edit on 2-11-2008 by AGENT_T]

Bodies no matter if friend or foe need to be buried as soon as possible. Aside from making your hiding place more visable, the smell of decay will attract other animals which in turn will increase your visability.

Also, the health issue cannot be understated

Originally posted by BlackProjects
Let's say you have a cache of weapons and ammo to be the envy of all survivalists. Further let's say you are highly trained and accurate in their use. Maybe you have a supply of food built up as well. Is there one thing you have forgotten?
1st question:
What do you do with the bodies of those that have come for you/your stuff? Even a couple bodies could draw attention to where you are.

Well unless your a military class sniper, with a decent rifle the"kills" will be pretty close I'd say less than 0.5k probably even closer maybe a couple 100 yards so you will need to dispose of the bodies. To prevent disease spreading, build up of rodents / flys, and of course the stench. Burying away from ground water supplies and food supplies. Cover the bodies in thick plastic, if you have it lime powder, and a decent grave not too shallow. I wouldn't worry about the extra attention as the disease is what would get you first. This is based of you defending your camp, not patrolling and making contact.

Originally posted by BlackProjects
Second question:
Eventually even if successfull with question 1 in such a way not to draw attention to yourself. You eventually have to leave. If you are on the run. there is a limit to how much ammo and weapons you can take with you. Doesn't it come down to gear/water/food/weapons balance. What is right?

That's what a bug out bag is for. You have essential kit ready to go that will mean you can survive and procure additional resources. As for weapons and ammo. Take only what you can carry. A riffle and side arm. Your not going to need 1000's of rounds! your not in Iraq! just enough for defence. 6clips say for your riffle and maybe 4 for your side arm. Don't risk getting an injury so the best thing to do is try to avoid unneeded confrontations. As for being on the run, research some basic escape and evasion techniques. I wont go into detail here as its getting off post.

Originally posted by BlackProjects
3rd question:
Preparation- doesn't the old saying "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day - teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime" really apply in survival situation. If you aren't skilled now you likely won't have the chance in survival situation. How are you preparing?

that's not true. Survival is at least 80% psychology. Its amazing what you will teach yourself when it comes to the crunch! the hard part is not giving up and taking the easy way out! You will naturally develop your own effective methods of fishing and hunting. Depending on your scenario the food/water stocks may be tainted. So you need to learn now on methods for cleaning water (with and without puri-tabs) and identifying food and the parts of animals to eat to minimise contamination. Stay away from plants your not experienced with and ALL fungi unless your an expert. Its not worth the risk to eat what your not 100% sure is safe. All birds / mammals are edible (minus liver in seal, polar bear) and the poison glands on the platypus. Fresh water fish too, most salt water ones but to be on the safe side skin them first.

I think the questions you've asked will help quite a few folks out who are just starting to get prepared. Survival courses or online resources will help you loads in the mean time get out there and go camping. You'll find if you only take emergency supplies with you, that you'll hunt and work out the best ways to do it in your area! BUT only kill if your going to eat it or use it!

good luck!

reply to post by BlackProjects


Q's 1 and 3 answered simply...

Why let good food go to waste?

Originally posted by BlackProjects
Yeah but burying takes time..especially let's say they are shot at fair distance.

Uhhh...if they were so far away it is not practical to cover the body then why did you shoot them in the first place? Or do you plan to have a policy where you shoot every other human on site even if they have no idea you are there?

Originally posted by BlackProjects
Let's say you have a cache of weapons and ammo to be the envy of all survivalists. Further let's say you are highly trained and accurate in their use. Maybe you have a supply of food built up as well. Is there one thing you have forgotten?

Umm medical supplies , sanitation and a method of ensuring clean drinking water ........
Back up the truck a bit common sense should tell you not to put all your eggs in the same basket because you are making yourself a target and you risk losing everything in one hit .

What do you do with the bodies of those that have come for you/your stuff? Even a couple bodies could draw attention to where you are.

They have to be buried for hygiene reasons .

Doesn't it come down to gear/water/food/weapons balance. What is right?

A lot depends on the environment you are in and if you have stockpiles of supplies along your chosen route . If you approach one of your caches use caution as it may be being watched by prying eyes . Common sense should also tell you that if it is just you verses the masses you wont get very far before being killed . Clearly a survivalist network is required .



[edit on 2-11-2008 by xpert11]

If one anticipates moving, then you would naturally scatter your supplies about in different locations that cover a much broader area than any one you could easily overhunt.

Firearms are very, very good to have and useless without any ammo, but for example, deer, hogs and other animals can very quietly be snared. Don't think a deer can't be snared. Wire and a good, flexible tie-off. They'll wear themselves out.

I would be very reluctant to use a firearm except under very dire circumstances. They attract a lot of attention. It takes no time at all to become very proficient with a bow, either longbow or compound. Get plenty of extra string, tips, nocks, and other cheap, lightweight supplies to keep them shooting.

You'll need a light weight extending combination shovel/pick. Comes in handy for a lot of things. Including gut piles of animals you dress.

I've got to agree with all2human in saying that a true survivalist relys on his own knowledge, look at Ray Mears (Yes, I have an obsession with his programs at the minute!) you could drop him anywhere in the world with nothing but maybe a knife say - and he could survive.

Knowledge is power so therfore the more you know the more powerful you become. It's probably alot harder going the Ray Mears approach and will take alot longer but if you strive to learn as much as possible about every aspect of survival then ultimately it would be more beneficial.

You can never learn too much about how to survive and stay alive!

Q1: The trick is not letting people discover your there in the first place, if not avoidable then burying or as smith has suggested eat them (that was what you was implying my friend?)

Q2: As said knowledge is power, weapons/water/food/shelter can all be created from nature & knowledge. Although I suppose if possible you would try and take some kit with you, just enough to travel fairly easily with and enough to create a camp/shelter etc

Q3: Prepare by learning as much as possible and practising it!

Cheers,

reply to post by dooper


Good point regarding the firearms, in such a situation a bow would be alot smarter weapon to use. A good slingshot might also come in handy, and don't forget in any survival situation knifes are king.

It also possible to take some basic precautions to avoid detection when you are moving from place to place . Burying rubbish , human waste avoiding trails is a good and sensible thing to do any where . Also don't smoke ,light a fire , pitch a tent and wear deodorant. Of course if you are escaping capture you will want to put as much room as possible between yourself and your captors before implementing these measures . Use discretion as necessary .

Depending on the environment you may benefit additional training including stopping every few steps to listen to your surroundings and know how to tread without making noise may be useful . All of this was covered by jungle training that Diggers who served in Vietnam under went before they arrived in the War Zone . Don't make the US military made in Vietnam treat the terrain and environment around you as a friend rather then the enemy .

Another thing to mindful is the weight of your pack . If you are travelling thou rough , steep terrain , at attitude e.t.c you will feel the weight on your back more then you would normally . Your environment will determine much of what you are carrying in a desert region your focus would be carrying water and in a cold climate the focus would be on having shelter handy and keeping warm . Regardless of the terrain and environment you are travelling thou or living in a supply of good quality clothes . The majority of off the shelf clothes that are made in China wouldn't last very long in harsh conditions .

reply to post by AGENT_T


Agent_t,
First you have to be near a place to fish. It is quite possible depending on the event that started the whole mess that water has gotten polluted or maybe even fallout. Just showing up at body of water with fish/hooks doesn't always mean a fish dinner at least around here.
I hear ya on the weight comment I could lose a few thus carry more myself..ho ho
BP

Originally posted by Death_Kron
I've got to agree with all2human in saying that a true survivalist relys on his own knowledge, look at Ray Mears

Ray Mears is not a survivalist. He is a GOD.

It's so great to see someone like him on TV..About the only thing TV is useful for (apart from the Simpsons.)

I wouldn't like to guess-timate the amount of lives he could have already saved.It's amazing how much you can pick up from him and others like Les Hiddins...
(NOT that other poser..'Wear Frills' or whatever his name is).