Hunter Gathering in 2005: Could You Survive?

[wolram]

Well, fortunately, that's all I need for my one survival skill.

HRWWB

 

[wolram]

Done it a few times in summer and early spring, in remote parts of the Peak District. I'd be happy to give it a go in anything up to Scottish Winter kinda harshness too, but I did primarily for enjoyment, the personal challenge was only part of it. I took first aid stuff, some chocolate and fresh water and some other bits and bobs just in case, but didn't use any of them. I did use a sleeping bag though, like my creature comforts. Sleeping out in anything colder than about 15 degrees below zero just starts to get painful, and isn't much fun. My sleeping bag is only a 4 season affair, and I've frozen my ass off in it in the Alps once or twice, it's just not pleasant when it's that cold.

I have occasionally made traps for rabbits and squirrels, caught a few too, but I think in the UK, fishing is the best way to live off the land (assuming you're being good and not stealing sheep or anything!). There's no really good land-based wildlife that is worth the effort, unless you're in an emergency. And hunting deer is a good way to end up in prison.

How about you, anyway, wolf man?

Nothing as yet, though i think i could, catching game around here would be
easy, and some revision on edible plants would set me up.
I would need a good knife and a few bits and bobs to start with.

 

[Lisa!]

Now, now, fellas, don't waste all of your energy arguing - you'll need it later. I'm a one ape kinda gal, but there's plenty of other fish in the sea. And if you guys go catch some, I'll clean them for breakfast.

Well, okay, I need a private word with Danger first.

Sorry Rose but I have to come along as a chaperone! But of course if someone else does it instead ogf me, I'll be grateful!

 

[brewnog]

Nothing as yet, though i think i could, catching game around here would be
easy, and some revision on edible plants would set me up.
I would need a good knife and a few bits and bobs to start with.

When I was 15 or so, I used to practice survival skills in local woods. I can make a damn good shelter in woodland (including a proper bed), and even dug a snowhole once (although I didn't dare spend the night in it!). I know how to trap and skin animals (even deer!), and can make a damn good bow and arrows. After years of trying, I finally managed to start a fire with no matches (or, before Danger asks, a lighter) using a bow, although this is much harder than it looks, and I had blisters on my hands for days! I stick to matches now. Not much good at fishing by traditional means, but can catch enough to feed myself using an improvised net.

As for "bits and bobs", a good knife is critical, although these days you have to be careful with the law and all, since in the UK you're never far away from civilisation. A good axe is a useful tool too, if you've got woodland nearby. Other than that, I probably wouldn't go on my own without a decent sleeping bag, plenty of waterproofed matches, and a full first aid kit. I could probably forego most other things, clothing aside.

 

[wolram]

When I was 15 or so, I used to practice survival skills in local woods. I can make a damn good shelter in woodland (including a proper bed), and even dug a snowhole once (although I didn't dare spend the night in it!). I know how to trap and skin animals (even deer!), and can make a damn good bow and arrows. After years of trying, I finally managed to start a fire with no matches (or, before Danger asks, a lighter) using a bow, although this is much harder than it looks, and I had blisters on my hands for days! I stick to matches now. Not much good at fishing by traditional means, but can catch enough to feed myself using an improvised net.

As for "bits and bobs", a good knife is critical, although these days you have to be careful with the law and all, since in the UK you're never far away from civilisation. A good axe is a useful tool too, if you've got woodland nearby. Other than that, I probably wouldn't go on my own without a decent sleeping bag, plenty of waterproofed matches, and a full first aid kit. I could probably forego most other things, clothing aside.

Hi Brewy, I can make fire with a bow, "well i could when i was a kid", skinning
animals is some thing i would have to learn, i think woodland is vital, i made
a nifty wattle and daub, "tent", that was mostly dry, probably not the best
shelter, but it did stay up for nearly a year. in the local woods.

 

[honestrosewater]

Sorry Rose but I have to come along as a chaperone! But of course if someone else does it instead ogf me, I'll be grateful!

It's okay. I'm very well-behaved during the day. It's only when the moon comes that I need to be watched.

My biggest worry about being out in the 'wilderness' is predators and such. Have you guys ever run into any? I don't know what large animals you'd find in the UK - wild boar? big cats? The animals that come to mind first are adders.

 

[Lisa!]

It's okay. I'm very well-behaved during the day. It's only when the moon comes that I need to be watched.

My biggest worry about being out in the 'wilderness' is predators and such. Have you guys ever run into any? I don't know what large animals you'd find in the UK - wild boar? big cats? The animals that come to mind first are adders.

I don't think you would be able to be well-behaved when you're with Danger even during the day!

 

[brewnog]

My biggest worry about being out in the 'wilderness' is predators and such. Have you guys ever run into any? I don't know what large animals you'd find in the UK - wild boar? big cats? The animals that come to mind first are adders.

I've come across a few adders. They'll only bite you if you try and play with them, otherwise their priority is to 'run' away from you. Just try not to tread on one. Very few people are killed by them; more are killed from sheep stampedes.

Very few scary animals here. Angry horny bulls can be pretty scary, best to steer clear of them. Flocks of sheep have killed quite a few farmers over the years, but if you're in true wilderness then they'll not be a bother.

I'm more scared of the Black Shuck, and the Beast of Bodmin Moor, although I'm sure Ivan will snap at the chance to debunk these!

In truth, you're more at risk from being attacked by a gang of local chavs than by any wildlife in the UK.

 

[honestrosewater]

I don't think you would be able to be well-behaved when you're with Danger even during the day!

Okay, so first on the list: Find water. Second: Make chastity belt.

 

[honestrosewater]

I'm more scared of the Black Shuck, and the Beast of Bodmin Moor, although I'm sure Ivan will snap at the chance to debunk these!

I was just thinking of those stories (or ones like them). They remind me of that movie Brotherhood of the Wolf. Have you seen it? It's French but...

 

[wolram]

Okay, so first on the list: Find water. Second: Make chastity belt.

Now come on guys, we have to resist these sirens, and keep this thread pure,
survival is the game, and we all know that it takes energy ,so resist the lure
of the fem fatale, ignore the call of nookie, and survive on your tod with knife
and bits and bobs.

 

[brewnog]

I can make a lovely pot-holder out of some sturdy branches. It's counterbalanced so that it can hold a pot of water (or beans!) over a fire, and you can swing it off the heat at the pull of a stick. Clever little thing.

Also, my favourite fires are the long sort which are fed mainly by one giant log. As the log burns, you just feed more and more of it in. You can even use wet wood; the heat from the fire heats and dries the bit of the log which is about to be burnt. Also, being long, you can put a reflector behind it and use it to heat a body-length sleeping platform. Genius!

 

[honestrosewater]

Also, my favourite fires are the long sort which are fed mainly by one giant log. As the log burns, you just feed more and more of it in. You can even use wet wood; the heat from the fire heats and dries the bit of the log which is about to be burnt. Also, being long, you can put a reflector behind it and use it to heat a body-length sleeping platform. Genius!

Didn't wolram just say to keep it clean?! Don't worry, wolram, I'll stay on him. If he doesn't behave, I'll grab his bits and bobs.

 

[wolram]

I can make a lovely pot-holder out of some sturdy branches. It's counterbalanced so that it can hold a pot of water (or beans!) over a fire, and you can swing it off the heat at the pull of a stick. Clever little thing.

Also, my favourite fires are the long sort which are fed mainly by one giant log. As the log burns, you just feed more and more of it in. You can even use wet wood; the heat from the fire heats and dries the bit of the log which is about to be burnt. Also, being long, you can put a reflector behind it and use it to heat a body-length sleeping platform. Genius!

Nice one Brewy, i intend to catalogue all the ideas that this thread inspires, what would you use as a reflector?

 

[Math Is Hard]

I was just thinking of those stories (or ones like them). They remind me of that movie Brotherhood of the Wolf. Have you seen it? It's French but...

Oui. C'est triste quand la bête est détruite à la fin du film.

 

[wolram]

Didn't wolram just say to keep it clean?! Don't worry, wolram, I'll stay on him. If he doesn't behave, I'll grab his bits and bobs.

You is a naughty lady, and resistance is not futile, but the shields are weakening, so engineering divert all power, we must finish this mission
to survive.

 

[honestrosewater]

Oui. C'est triste quand la bête est détruite à la fin du film.

Watch out, I have translation tools, and I sort of know how to use them! (Don't tell me yet.)

Just to earn some brownie points, I'll make my small contribution: use water as a reflector. Especially if you want hot water for something.

 

[honestrosewater]

Oui. C'est triste quand la bête est détruite à la fin du film.

Yes, but sadder when Mani (the gorgeous, half-naked Indian) dies. :!)

 

[brewnog]

Nice one Brewy, i intend to catalogue all the ideas that this thread inspires, what would you use as a reflector?

You just build a wall of sticks and foliage behind the fire. If you've got an aluminium survival sheet you can use that, but sticks work just fine. It's obviously not terribly efficient, but still reflects a good deal more heat back towards your bed.

Also, large rocks placed around the fire (being careful that they're not explody rocks, like flint) can be useful to take to bed with you, they hold their heat for ages. Good tip for anywhere you're forced to sleep in the open when it's really cold!

 

[hypatia]

When its really cold, yet not frozen, you can bury the hot rocks under your sleeping area. Heat rising as it does, will keep you warm all night.
Both the bark of the Birch and Alder tree will light even when wet, its best to keep some in hand.
I'd love to see your pot holder, I make one of lashings that's more of a teepee shape with joints in the legs to raise and lower the pot.

 

[brewnog]

Hooray, I knew hyp would play fairly in this thread! I didn't know that about the bark though! Other good fire-lighting paraphenalia include a magnesium block and flint striker (you'll never be able to get it cold or wet enough not to get a spark), wire wool (ditto), and a nice mixture 1:9 of potassium permanganate and sugar.

Especially for you:

http://personalpages.umist.ac.uk/student/E.Smith-2/potholder.jpg

 

[brewnog]

You can also cut beech bark into strips or sheets, and fold and sew it up to make some really good cooking containers. Surprisingly, you can boil water in a pot made from beech bark.

 

[hypatia]

Now that is a really nice picture, and I will try it.

Foods.
Any water/marsh plant with a arrow shaped leaf, you may eat the root/tuber, they all are safe.

The roots of Queen Annes Lace, yummy carrot flavor, boil until soft.

Acorns, boil whole with at least 3 changes of water

wild onions/garlic

tender new shoots{ONLY THE NEW SHOOTS} of ferns

Clovers...the flowers made into tea

anyone care to add more?

 

[wolram]

Now that is a really nice picture, and I will try it.

Foods.
Any water/marsh plant with a arrow shaped leaf, you may eat the root/tuber, they all are safe.

The roots of Queen Annes Lace, yummy carrot flavor, boil until soft.

Acorns, boil whole with at least 3 changes of water

wild onions/garlic

tender new shoots{ONLY THE NEW SHOOTS} of ferns

Clovers...the flowers made into tea

anyone care to add more?

Nettles, boiled

Dandilion roots

Puff balls, mushrooms and other "fungi".

Crab apples

 

[wolram]

Thats a great pot holder Brewy, and you are really good with crayons

 

[fuzzyfelt]

nice pickie and close Brewnog, now to really boil a billy you need a billy can with a wire handle, once boiled with your bush brew inside, protect your hand and swing the whole thing over your head three times, the g-forces will send the leaves to the bottom and behold, a perfect cup of billy tea.

 

[brewnog]

Moss makes excellent stock in soup. All the little bugs in it add protein too!

Also, collect the sap from birch or maple trees (cut a few v-notches in the trunk), and boil it down to make yummy syrup!

 

[wolram]

What about them bugs Brewy? i think Earth worms are edible, i hope caus i
ate some when a nipper, are grubs edible?

 

[arildno]

What about them bugs Brewy? i think Earth worms are edible, i hope caus i
ate some when a nipper, are grubs edible?

Sure, both grubs and maggots are edible, or rather slurpable.
here's a slurping tip:
1. Hold the grub between two fingers (don't kill it, half the fun is that it remains alive)
2. Chew off its tail end

3. Put your mouth around the now opened end and SLURP!
When you get really good at this, you'll see the grub squirm as you slurp, almost to the very end, when it has been reduced to a hollow shell.

 

[honestrosewater]

Sure, both grubs and maggots are edible, or rather slurpable.
here's a slurping tip:
1. Hold the grub between two fingers (don't kill it, half the fun is that it remains alive)
2. Chew off its tail end

3. Put your mouth around the now opened end and SLURP!
When you get really good at this, you'll see the grub squirm as you slurp, almost to the very end, when it has been reduced to a hollow shell.

I knew someone who ate -slurped- squirrel brains, but he had the decency to kill them first.

Do you guys eat squirrel when camping? They're all over the place around here. IIRC, squirrel meat tastes like chicken, but I was a little kid when I had it.

 

[brewnog]

Pretty much all bugs and creepy crawlies are edible, and very nutritious too. Avoid any which smell bad, are already dead, or produce a rash when handled. They're fine to eat raw, but more palatable when cooked, - boiling is safest, but you can roast them on hot stones from a fire too. Remove the legs and wings from large insects to avoid irritation of the digestive tract. Do NOT eat the skin of a hairy caterpillar, do as arildno suggested and squeeze out the goodness! Similarly, remove the armour from big beetles before eating. Ickle tiny insects can be ground up into a paste, or roasted and ground into a powder to thicken soups and stews.

Never collect insects which are feeding on carrion or dung, and avoid grubs feeding on the undersides of leaves; use them as fish bait instead. Very brightly coloured insects and caterpillars often have poisonous skins/cases.

Termite mounds: Food goldmines. Break off pieces of the termite mound, and dunk them in water to drive out the termites. You can also put pieces of termite mound on a fire to make smoke to keep other biting insects away! Alternatively, suspend some termite mound above a fishing spot; falling termites will attract fish to the surface. Termites' eggs are also nutritious.

Bees are edible; honey is too but is hard to collect: Attack bees' nests at night, - make a smokey torch from wet grass, and hold it next to the opening of a nest to fill it with smoke. Then seal the hole. Wait a bit, then crack it open to reveal your dinner of bees and honey. Remove legs, wings and sting before eating. Again, boil or roast to improve the flavour. Eat the honeycomb too, it's gorgeous. Make candles or waterproofing out of the wax. Use the smell test and standard plant edibility test for honey, - it's not guaranteed safe.

Don't bother pursuing wasps or hornets, it's not worth the risk.

Cook ants for at least 6 minutes to break down their poison, then tuck in.

Eat slugs, snails and worms FRESH: Either starve them for a day, or place them in a strong saltwater solution for 10 minutes to clear out the guts. Then boil for 10 minutes with herbs to make them taste nicer.

 

[arildno]

I knew someone who ate -slurped- squirrel brains, but he had the decency to kill them first.

Do you guys eat squirrel when camping? They're all over the place around here. IIRC, squirrel meat tastes like chicken, but I was a little kid when I had it.

EAT SQUIRRELS??
Sacrilege..






Just consider how expertly those little hands handle nuts and the like..

 

[wolram]

Any one have a recipe for snail and worm stew? i will give it a try if i can
find the stuff.

 

[wolram]

I knew someone who ate -slurped- squirrel brains, but he had the decency to kill them first.

Do you guys eat squirrel when camping? They're all over the place around here. IIRC, squirrel meat tastes like chicken, but I was a little kid when I had it.

No brains for me, i will eat the flesh but not the offal.

 

[arildno]

Here's something cool to do with snails (the large soft ones):
(that's slugs, right?)
Stuff one into your nostril, and block that exit.
Slowly, the snail will start crawling upwards, creating the most delicious sensation in you. It all ends with a plop and a gobble when it ends up in your throat.
Be careful not to get it in your breathing tube!

 

[wolram]

Here's something cool to do with snails (the large soft ones):

Stuff one into your nostril, and block that exit.
Slowly, the snail will start crawling upwards, creating the most delicious sensation in you. It all ends with a plop and a gobble when it ends up in your throat.
Be careful not to get it in your breathing tube!

I just threw up in my mouth

 

[arildno]

I just threw up in my mouth

Oh, that's a very common reaction for the first 5 slugs or so.
Some prefer to continue this practice even when they are able to suppress their gag reflex, because they want to see how far they can spit the slug. The record for post-nasal-injective slugspitting length is currently 12.7 yards.

 

[wolram]

Oh, that's a very common reaction for the first 5 slugs or so.
Some prefer to continue this practice even when they are able to suppress their gag reflex, because they want to see how far they can spit the slug. The record for post-nasal-injective slugspitting length is currently 12.7 yards.

Can it get any worse

 

[honestrosewater]

Is that safe - sticking things up your nose? I was just looking at a cool sinus tutorial this morning, and it seems there's lots of places for the slug to crawl and get stuck.

 

[arildno]

Can it get any worse

Oh, sure; next stage is to get a ladybug to crawl up your urethra..

 

[wolram]

Is that safe - sticking things up your nose? I was just looking at a cool sinus tutorial this morning, and it seems there's lots of places for the slug to crawl and get stuck.

I am sure arildno is out to shock with these tricks, i preferred the other type
of thread degeneration, that makes me smile instead of puke

 

[arildno]

Me?? Out to shock?
Perhaps just a little..

 

[brewnog]

Oh, sure; next stage is to get a ladybug to crawl up your urethra..

On a serious note, don't piss if you're swimming in the Amazon.

The Candiru, a transparent Catfish (about 2.5cm long) can swim up the urethra of a person urinating in the water. It then gets stuck by its dorsal spines, where it will cause muchos pain, infection, and death.

 

[wolram]

On a serious note, don't piss if you're swimming in the Amazon.

The Candiru, a transparent Catfish (about 2.5cm long) can swim up the urethra of a person urinating in the water. It then gets stuck by its dorsal spines, where it will cause muchos pain, infection, and death.

Ok no peeing in the amazon or putting things in strange places
To get back on track Bewy, how do you build a shelter.

 

[arildno]

On a serious note, don't piss if you're swimming in the Amazon.

The Candiru, a transparent Catfish (about 2.5cm long) can swim up the urethra of a person urinating in the water. It then gets stuck by its dorsal spines, where it will cause muchos pain, infection, and death.

And males shouldn't go skinny-dipping in waters with pike in.
There was this Norwegian lieutenant back in the 18th century who stripped down and took a bath, and then..okay, you get the rest.

 

[wolram]

And males shouldn't go skinny-dipping in waters with pike in.
There was this Norwegian lieutenant back in the 18th century who stripped down and took a bath, and then..okay, you get the rest.

yes they have a wicked bite, another no, no.

 

[brewnog]

Shelters eh.

Depends entirely on where you are. Not only because your location will determine what kind of protection you need (from cold, the elements, wild animals etc) but also what kind of materials you're likely to be able to work with.

Generally speaking, don't set up shelter on exposed hilltops (too windy), valley bottoms (cold and damp sink to these), hillside terraces which are at risk of moist ground, too close to water (trouble from insects, risk of flash floods), near solitary trees (lightning), or near hornets' nests!

My favourite shelters for woodland are those built in natural hollows, you have a ready-made space, and all you need to do is build a roof (sloping if you like) and a sleeping platform inside. For long-term shelter, sods of grass make a great waterproof roof.

 

[hypatia]

I too would look for a natural place to build shelter, a simple opened front leanto would work for a while{make sure your backs to the wind} as would a brush shelter. For long term, I would want at least one back wall of stone at least 3 to 4 ft high. To support heavier timbers and to act like a reflector for fire/heat.

 

[juvenal]

There have been times when I've been so entranced by the beauty of the natural world that I wanted to live like a native off the fat of the land. Whether I was sober or not is a completely different matter.

 

[wolram]

I think i would choose wood land for shelter , like Brewy, there is lots of
building material, i have never built a stone wall Hypatia, it sounds easy
but i think it needs skill, I think i would attempt a wattle and daub round
house, with the door way facing sun rise, i saw a reconstruction of one
in a program called time team, all about "archeology", the construction is
hard work, but they are good for ten plus years,