Tag: Survival

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Winter training – Update

Good morning world
Good morning world

It’s time for our winter training update, we spent 3 days and 2 nights out in the Mt. Washington wilderness close to Big Lake. We had a great adventure snow shoeing in just over 2.5 miles. There was four of us on snowshoes pulling a sled of supplies in through the woods and over the hills.



As I sit here surrounded by nylon, fleece, Gore-Tex and wool, all in varying degrees of clean and dry, I reflect on our journey and all the ups and downs with fondness. Two of us had never been on snowshoes or snow camping, so we had lots of learning going on.

Our camp was on an 84 inch base of snow, and we received an additional foot during our stay, this gave us an opportunity to find ways to manage accumulation and set up additional shelter outside of our tent.

We practiced getting water from a frozen lake and discussed many ways to do it. We built a fire in camp to get a little extra warmth and build those skills. We had decent weather until the last morning, which is always a bit of a downer just because we have to leave.

Send-off sunrise
Send-off sunrise

The last morning greeted us with a phenomenal sunrise, to give our spirits a boost. unfortunately it turned as quickly and chased us out with freezing rain and substantial wind, often biting our cheeks with the sting of the rain, it is these times that challenge your fortitude both physically and mentally. All of us are stronger for the experience.

We will be posting individual write ups on fire building, water retrieval, selecting a good spot, cooking in the snow and perspectives from a first timer.

Stay tuned for all these great write ups, until then.

As Always,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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Winter Training

It is time again for winter training. The NW Survival crew is headed out to the wilderness for some winter weather survival training. We will be practicing all the basic winter survival skills and reviewing some new gear. We have been cleaning, testing and preparing our gear for the trip.

Our 4-season Igloo
Our 4-season Igloo

We will be snowshoeing 3.5 miles into the Mt. Washington wilderness with only what we can carry and fit on our sled. The weather forecast says the night-time temperatures will be in the 20’s so it will be relatively mild. This will be nice for the rookies, a great way to expose them to the wonders of winter camping.

We will be practicing our water management skills. How best to find water, gather it and keep it from freezing before we use it. We will be practicing the art of building a fire on the snow and improvised shelter.

It is very important during the cold weather to remain hydrated, it is very easy to not drink enough water. The cold weather is sneaky at stripping the moisture from us without being warm, so we don’t think about hydration. When you get dehydrated it is very difficult to keep warm.

We are looking forward to a great trip, with lots of training and skill building. Stay tuned for our update after our return.

As Always,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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Will A Bite From This Snake Kill You?

Venomous Snakes in North America

 

When the weather gets nice, it’s time for the hikers, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts to come out of hiding… which happens to correlate with an uptick in snake activity (including venomous ones).

First things first, I’ll say that I’m not one of those people who believes all snakes should be killed on sight. If a snake is non-venomous, I’ll let it slither on it’s way every time. If it’s venomous, and too close to my house or yard, that’s when a decision has to be made.

In order to make that decision, I first need to identify the species of snake and determine whether or not it’s a venomous snake.

Despite the fact that we only have 4 major species of poisonous snakes to deal with in North America, it can be surprisingly difficult to calmly ID these snakes in the heat of the moment. In fact, that’s why I’m writing this article, to make it easier for the non-snake experts among us to avoid a nasty and potentially fatal bite.

The 4 Big Ones

These are the 4 groups of poisonous snakes that you may run across in the US:

  • Rattlesnakes
  • Cottonmouths
  • Copperheads
  • Coral Snakes

When I say that there are 4 major species of venomous snakes, that’s a bit of an oversimplification, BUT that actually makes the identification process easier.

You see, it doesn’t matter much if you’ve spotted a Texas Coral Snake or an Arizona Coral Snake, both are deadly poisonous. So stay away.

As always,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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Back from the batcave

Good morning,

Sadly it has been awhile since you have heard from me, but that doesn’t mean I have NRA Training Logo Suite-INST-3CSPOTbeen stagnant, I bring word from the batcave.

 

I have been busy in the field, we have completed a couple of gun safety classes. I really enjoy these classes because I feel very strongly about how important they are. If you feel that you need to own and/or carry a firearm, I believe it is your responsibility to become highly proficient with its use and safe handling. I believe you should have to show competence, not just a written exam. Just like an automobile, show me you can parallel park.

Backpack

 

My steadfast partner in crime has been insistent that we start offering pre built Bug out Bags. So we have been doing a lot of research so we can be sure to offer what we feel are the best solutions for the different type of bags we all should have. In the not too distant future you should see a selection of prebuilt solutions being offered. We believe everyone should be prepared for the unforeseen, and look forward to offering the best bags you can get. Stay tuned.

 

As always,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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Food in the Backcountry – Trapping with snares

We live in a society that has trained us to eat meat on a daily basis. Fortunately we are moving away from this paradigm, as we have learned it is both unnecessary and problematic to the long-term health of our planet. That being said, when we are in a survival situation it may become necessary to our survival to harvest some fauna from the earth. Chances are you will not be packing around your hunting gear, if you even have any, when the need arises. So this will focus on methods that use your natural surroundings and a few basic tools.

There are many types of traps at your disposal. Snares, deadfalls and pits to name a few. If you are reading this I am assuming you have a certain level of readiness, like a pocket knife and some paracord.

Lets talk about snares, the two we will talk about today are spring snares and drag snares. Of these the spring snares are the most complicated of the two.

rabbit-snares

This is an illustration of what I call a drag snare. it is designed so that all that is needed is a well placed loop of cordage and the animals instinct to flee for successful operation. If you look closely you will see the loop is fashioned with a slip knot that will become tight when strained. This ensures that your prey does not escape. Placement is the key ingredient to success. Try to find an animal trail and place the loop so that your prey will pass through it while traveling normally. Make the loop the size of your intended prey. 3-4 inches for rabbits 2-3 inches for squirrels. You don’t want to catch a bear.
spring_snare

spring snare is quite effective but way more complicated in the setup and reduces your chances of releasing an unwanted captive, as it is more aggressive. But it tends to be more successful because it uses the critters body weight to maintain tension on the snare once it is tripped.

The single most important message I want to pass on is;

Traps are indiscriminate and must not be forgotten!

If we decide we need to set traps for our survival, we must be responsible in their placement and management. Taking life to maintain yours should never be taken lightly, be a good steward.

 

As alway,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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Food in the Backcountry – Fish

Are you hungry? Are you out in the backcountry without your normal food stores? Never fear, the NW is stocked full of all sorts of options to keep you fed and strong.

Probably the most abundant source of protein rich food is fish. In my opinion, we are blessed with having some of the best native fish in the country but then, I’m biased.

There are several methods you can use to secure your share and more of fish in the streams and lakes of the NW. If you are traveling away from your home, you should have supplies with you that can aid you in dealing with unexpected events. I call it a vehicle preparedness kit (VPK), which we will be talking about later.

Fishing gear is one of the tools I recommend having in your VPK. My kit has fishing yo-yo’s, a good supply of fishing line , assorted lures, weights, and hooks. However, you can catch fish with nothing more than paracord and a knife to start. Enough chit-chat? Let’s get specific.

  • Catching fish with a few twigs – If you know where to put them, you can catch fish with just a few twigs by setting up a trap near the bank in the slack
    fishing-trap4water. You want to make the entrance wide on the outside and narrow on the inside, like so – \ /, this will keep the fish in the corral. Be sure your twigs go far enough up the bank and are tall enough to keep the fish in the trap. Now, just get yourself a grasshopper or a worm – both of which you could eat yourself. But doesn’t a nice trout sound better?trap_3
  • You can also use rocks and the natural lay of the river or lake to trap the fish (see diagram on left). This is a great way to feed a large group seeing as it gives you the best chance of catching a considerable number of fish with minimal effort. It is relatively non-invasive and easy to remove once you have what you need. Remember to respect the natural flow of the world around you or it just might stop providing for you.
  • Using fishing Yo-Yo’s – I love these things because you set them and forget them. In case you didn’t know, fish like the water beneath the trees on the shore. This is to our advantage because Yo-Yo’s are basically automatic reels. You newmechan-1285090991-18402hang the reel from a branch hanging over the water, bait your hook, pull out enough line to put the hook where you want it, and set the trigger. When a fish hits the hook it trips the trigger and the Yo-Yo reels them in – all the way out of the water. So, once it is set you can go set another one, start boiling water, or work on whatever other chore needs doing. Check the Yo-Yo occasionally until you have caught something.
  • Of course, you can always just get yourself a long stick and use it like a pole, as long as you have your fishing kit.

These are just some of the ways you can catch fish in the wild, but I consider them the most practical.

 

As always,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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Skill Development – Water, finding it and making it safe

As usual, one post leads to another, you saw me mention finding water in my last post, if you read it. So, today we talk about water. Water is the third of the 3’s, the only two more important are air and shelter. Here in the NW we tend to dismiss the importance of water due the usual abundance of it. But, let me tell you, from first hand experience, when you need it and can’t find clean water to drink, you will realize just how scarce it is. Now, I realize most of us are in either an urban or rural setting where potable water comes straight out of the faucet, so we spend little time thinking about the acquisition of water. We don’t think about how we will find water when the pipes run dry.

In the wilderness there are no artificial water pipes, but there is plenty of water, even in the desert. Nature has a way of finding water, it is the only way it can survive. So, keep your eyes open and look for the signs. Mother nature will show you where the water is, or at least where it usually is. Animals need water looks for signs of activity. Small birds that are grain eaters like finches will lead you there in the mornings.

In the forested wilderness that is most of the gorgeous NW, finding water can be as simple as traversing (moving laterally across the slope) a hillside or mountain. you will most assuredly find a stream or pond. In the desert you will want to look for what appears to be a stream bed or dry river. These will usually be found near strips of land that have larger vegetation growing, the greener and bigger the better.

If you find what looks like a dry stream bed there may still be water there. Just as in the desert, dry streambeds with green vegetation are good places to look for water if a readily available source has not been located. The greener the vegetation the better.

A Seep is going to be your go to method of getting water where there is naught.

  • In the dry stream bed, at a low spot or the outside of a bend, start by removing the bulk of any rocks lining the stream bed in the area you have decided to dig.
  • Now, dig your seep about one foot deep and two to three feet wide. Start by digging an exploratory hole. Look for the soil to start getting darker as you dig. Once you get to about a foot deep you should see either moist soil or if lucky you will see water starting to fill the hole. Sometimes you need to give it a few minutes, take a break and relax, come back to check in a few minutes. You may need to go deeper than a foot. If you don’t see signs of water, find yourself a better spot to look.
  • Once you have your seep dug, line it with the smaller rocks you cleared out earlier, this will reduce sediment from getting stirred up when using the seep.
  • Filter the water or boil it if you have the means, but in general this water should be fairly clean and safe to drink.
  • You can use a t-shirt, kerchief or any piece of fine knit material to filter out particulate.

A Seep or Egyptian well can be used to filter water from an active stream or river, if you find yourself without a filter or means to boil your water. Just dig it about a foot or so away from the water on the bank. The water from your active source will be filtered through the earth and you seep will gradually fill. When you have an active source of water the seep does not need to be as wide, but always go at least a foot down.

If you source of water is a lake or pond, it is best to add a secondary seep about a foot further away, in line with your first seep. Now, take your water from the second seep, it has been double filtered. Since the water in a lake or pond is static, it is more prone to bacteria and parasites.

Remember, it is always best to be prepared for these types of emergency and carry the appropriate tools to make your water safe to drink, whether a filter, tablets or a pot and fire source. Although, we don’t get to decide when bad things happen, we can choose to be versed in the skills that will get us through them. These are the basics, nothing replaces hands on experience. go out there and try it out before you need it to survive.

As alway,

Stay Vigilant and Be Prepared

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