I am reading a book "Wild" edited by Clint Willis. There is a story "Savages" by Joe Kane. He got lost with his native american guides in jungles (more or less modern time). They are hungry. They have machetes, but they neither hunt nor gather food. As he explains, travelling between communities is one thing, but if you want to gather food, then you have to make a base camp, find material for weapons, make weapons, then begin hunting. In opinion of his guides, it is waste of time - it is better to find some community where you can get the food.
There are his thoughts: hunting is too hard work which requires long-term planning and a lot of efforts. This idea is ignored by his local guides. As I understand, the reason is the guides think they had better travel further within this time than staying in one place hoping to be found.
I come again to my thoughts: on military training I was told that if I got lost, I should try to get back as soon as possible, especially in dangerous situation. Therefore, I need to be as light as possible to move faster. I do not need to try to find anything to get me food unless I find it on the way because it will slow me down.
And I am thinking what would I do if I really get lost while walking? First of all, I will think that I am not lost, so I will try to track my steps back. Once it did not work, I will try to orient and then move out of the area, so I won't stop in one place. It might be mistake, but I think this how most people would do. Is it really worth learning how to set snares then if I move? Yes, it catches food while you sleep, but how long will it take to find animal footpath, set the snare, walk safe distance and in the morning get back to collect it?
I also read a book of ex-SAS guy, he also thought snares were just waste of time...
I agree you can use wire from snares for other purposes, but it is a bit different discussion.
Regards,

"I will try to orient and then move out of the area, so I won't stop in one place. It might be mistake, but I think this how most people would do."

You may be right that moving might be the normal human reaction to being lost, but it's also the wrong thing to do. The advice of most Search and Rescue folks is to stay put .

I'm not a big believer in snares either but they at least would give you something to occupy your mind while you waited for rescue. And rescue will come, because you did let somebody know where you would be, right? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I guess it depends on what you are hunting for. We had no big trouble hunting down armadillos using sticks and rocks without any tools. The hard part was then trying to dress and cook the beastie (ugh).

You're probably not going to have much fortune catching things like big game or prime small game species (waterfowl, rabbits, squirrels, pheasant). You gotta think to scale. Armadillo was easy to catch because he's designed as a deterrent, like skunk and porcupine. Catching small to medium non game species of birds and rodentia isn't all that hard, most of em's stupid as a box of rocks. Of course, there's insects and other squigglies that are more gathered than hunted, I don't suppose you can count those as prey really.

That survivorman is catching and eating mice and such all the time on his show using little bait bits from the bottom of his pockets and such (like a spare frito chip). It ain't much granted, but it is something, and it doesn't require much effort.

It would seem that the situation would determine whether or not you would need to hunt. If you know where you are and where you need to get to, you probably don't need to waste time and energy hunting. If you are lost and need to hunt for food that moves, you will probably discover that hunting takes a lot of time and effort, and even with that, you may come up empty-handed. Hunting sounds a lot easier in your living room than in the middle of the Mohave Desert.

I would tend to think that it probably isn't necessary if it's likely that someone is looking for you. If it's a matter of waiting until you're found, park your butt, build a fire, collect some moss or green leaves that will make a smoke signal and set it beside the fire for when you see/hear someone.

However, if no one knows you're gone or even where to look for you if they figured out you were missing, the chances are probably pretty good that you have nothing to build a fire, have nothing to use to catch any kind of game, have nothing in the way of signaling device, and are planning on surviving by sheer dumb luck. It happens. Or not.

The advantage that the guy traveling with the locals had, was that they probably knew the country and knew that if they sacrificed eating for one extra day, they would know where to find a community with food. Knowledge counts.

Sue

I think everyone has the right idea. If you're putting together a PSK for short term survival situations then snares probably aren't necessary. On the other hand, if you're putting together a BOB, perhaps something with a LTS situation in mind, or you're on a long trek out in the bush and won't be considered overdue for some time, the more options you have the better.

One of the bonuses of snaring is that if you know what you're doing it's a more passive than active way of hunting. By that I mean once the snares are set they do the work themselves and only need to be checked, maintained, moved and so on. In other words, they tend to take more knowledge than energy to be successful. Another bonus is that in areas where winters may be harsh, this may be one of the few ways to get food.

When I put together PSKs to be given as gifts I included snare wire "just in case". However, as I stated in another thread, I myself am a touch paranoid. LOL

Of course this is all personal opinion. I could be wrong. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Survival is not a scripted set piece of protocols . Pilot A crashlands in Alaska. Pilot B crashlands in Alaska. Everyone tell me what pilot A and pilot B. do next. I am going to make a seperate post with more information, but make a brief plan based on this information.

O.K. Everyone have a signal fire going? Are you busy building a shelter? Pilot A is Lt Yuri Tselikovskaya and through navigation error went down in Spruce tree covered Kodiak Island, in summer at a time of tense cold war hostility. He sees two Coast Guardsmen playing decadent rock and roll and packing rifles. Meanwhile pilot B was hunting caribou on the tundra when he ran out of gas. There are NO trees and the wind is blowing.

I'm neither a pilot nor have I ever been to any part of Alaska. But, for fun, my answers:
A. If I'm Yuri, I'm stripping down to shirt, trou and boots, and walking toward the Coast Guardsmen slowly with hands up and one of those hands waving a white hanky. If I've got the English for "I Give up", I'm saying it repeatedly. If they don't shoot me, I'm now saying "asylum" frequently, 'cause you know the Reds aren't going to be happy with someone who loses his MIG and surrenders.
B. If I'm the bush pilot, I'd do the STOP thing, wait for my adrenalin to subside, then tidy up my plan and start executing. I'd tend to shelter in place, since the only thing I've repeatedly read about the "rules" for pilots downed on land is "Stay with the plane."
Limited answers, I know, but my own knowledge outside of upland hunting and fishing in the Midwest is pretty limited.

If I'm Yuri then I am going to assume that the two Coasties think I am a defector. I go ahead and let them think that until I am safely tucked away in a nice, warm place with a full belly. Then I go into POW mode--unless of course I do decide to defect.

If I'm Pilot B I stay with the plane, but beyond that it depends on what gear survived the crash, particularly radio or beacon.

Vince

Around here the stupid game of choice is the grouse aka pine hen. They stand there looking at you until you get to within 10 feet or so--reasonable rock range. But I'd still prefer a .22 LR. The other two likely meat critters, rabbit and squirrel, will require a firearm or snare. The only snare I would probably bother with is the squirrel pole.

Regards, Vince