Here's a link to a local story about a 79-year-old hunter, found dead of hypothermia.

http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/Missing-Hunter-Found-Dead--108443584.html

Missing on Saturday, found dead on Tuesday, apparently well dressed, but got wet from standing water in a swampy area. Temperature at night went into the thirties.

The man had become confused, been unable to think. But still, who goes into the woods without the means to make a fire?

Basic survival should be a part of hunter education. Sadly, it isn't.

Tim W.

Thought about this overnight some more -- 79 years, lost, going in the wrong direction, didn't stay put -- those are some bad decisions -- but once you're in that spot -- night is coming, you're stumbling through tough woods, you've fallen and gotten soaked, and the temperature is plummeting -- that is one frightening scenario.

My question is -- assuming that you could not build a fire, what can you carry that is light enough (most hunters would not carry a heavy pack) that you could wrap yourself to make it to morning? Would a heavy mylar blanket (not a space blanket but the heavier kind with one red side and one silver reflective side) be enough?

Myself, I think I'd carry an extra pair of socks in a waterproof bag, one or two plastic trash type bags and a sportsman's blanket. A couple of hand warmers, and a small alcohol stove and a cup wouldn't hurt either.

TW

The basic essentials of going on a hunt:

- Shelter for one night, in any conditions. At least a bivvy sack or tube tent.

- Warmth for one night, in any conditions. If you're not carrying something that will burn in the pouring rain, well that's just dumb. I carry a wallet full of starter fuels - solid hydrocarbons with the words "Visa" "American Express" and "Discover Card" on them. They burn REALLY WELL as a fire starter - slice them up and get them lit with some wetfire tinder and you can dry out lots of organics.

- Signal whistle.

- Basic (stop the bleeding) first aid kit (you don't need a tongue depressor with a hunting FAK)

We had a similar situation out here a couple weeks back. From the news reports this poor soul wasn't prepared either.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=211138#Post211138

I'm not sure that burning plastic is necessarily the best bet, unless you have left yourself with no other choice (so, DON'T Do THAT!). Most plastics give off a host of pretty toxic stuff when burnt, so I would be a bit concerned, unless you have some information that proves it safe. In any case, I think I'd certainly want to ensure I was well upwind before doing so.

Assuming that you cannot build a fire then a sportsman type heavy duty mylar blanket probably wouldn't do. A dry bag containing a Bivi Jacket (British Army), Bivi Trousers (British Army), Wool socks (Marks and Spenser X-static wool), Goretex Socks (Gore Bike Wear), Primaloft insulated gloves (Trek) and a Fleece lined Gortex hat (British Army) would help though, especially if getting soaked to the skin has occurred. It does mean lugging around about 3 1/2lbs in weight though.



A Dry bag containing thermally insulated clothing)



Even in temperatures just above freezing a Goretex Bivi bag and insulating mat i.e. Thermarest would be welcome as chopping down tree boughs is hard tiring work and the calories expended are better left to keeping you warm during the night. A hot meal and drink is always welcome especially if recovering from a dunking in freezing water.

As others have suggested, it's not so much the stuff you carry that makes the difference, though a few essentials will help a lot.

Essentially, you want a bit of extra clothing and a few helpful items to make a bit of a hootch for shelter. Fire is helpful, especially to dry out or get warm, hydrating drinks inside you. But it takes a heckuva lot of wood to keep you warm all night.

The goal is to choose a place to hole up that's as dry as possible and out of the wind and precipitation. The base of a big old spruce is pretty well perfect. Build up as much insulation from local materials as you possibly can -- grass, evergreen boughs, cattail stalks, leaf litter -- to keep yourself well off the ground, and pack around yourself. A space blanket or heatsheet staked loosely over the debris pile will help a lot to break the wind, and it helps make you visible. Everybody should do this once or twice; once you realize it works, even in pretty nasty conditions, you never feel quite so helpless out in the bush.

I just burn as starter...and yeah, hydrogen cyanide is no fun...

Lots of good thoughts/suggestions. However, I think in both the story I noted and the other link provided that, as Nighthiker suggested, early symptoms weren't recognized and thinking capacity quickly deteriorated.

Tim

"...early symptoms weren't recognized and thinking capacity quickly deteriorated."

By then, you're really in trouble, and no matter what you do, it will probably be the wrong thing. You've passed the point of adjusting the situation more to your benefit.

I'm not a hunter, and one thing I JUST DO NOT UNDERSTAND is why a group of guys go hunting together and practically the first thing they do is split up. I see two problems here: 1)you give your eager buddies something to aim at when you move through the brush, and 2) there's no one near to help you if you start becoming hypothermic, sprain your ankle or break your leg, start having heart pain, etc.

"We probably shouldn't have ...(fill in the blank)" doesn't raise any dead.

And, when everything is fine, you don't want to carry excess weight. But when the SHTF, how much will you pay for a couple of extra pounds of crucial gear?

Sue

It's entirely practical. A group of hunters moving together make a substantial racket, and all they can hear is each other. But if they split up, they may surprise an animal, or drive it toward the next of their group. All pack carnivores use similar tactics. "The hounds to the hunters," or "pushing bush" as it's called up here. (No doubt we need a more PC expression.)