Me and my friends are going to try and survive in the wilderness for 3 days for a school project. We are filming all of it and it will be somewhat in the same vain as survive shows on television.

None of us don't know that much about the wilderness or the forest in general.

So I hoping some of the knowledgable people on this forums could give us a few hints and answer to a few of my questions.

1. We are trying to survive in the forests of northwestren Ontario. What is eatable and what is poisonus in this region?

2. What predators should we be aware of during the spring time? What are the most dangerous?

3. How to catch small animals to eat?

4. How to cook plants and animals we find?

5. Good material for building shelters and burning?

Thank you for your help

Hi Ziggy,

Your post has actually caused me a little bit of concern. I think you may need to provide a little bit more information before answering some of the specific questions you have given.



This has actually caused me a little bit of concern. The first thing to ask is what ages are you and your friends are, as you have mentioned that you want to 'try' and 'survive' in the wilderness for 3 days as part of a school project.

What level of navigation skills do you have? Navigation in wilderness forests is actually quite challenging. 3 point resections are notoriously difficult in wooded and forested areas.

What level of survival equipment are you going to carry? (Man V Wild is a definitely not for beginners and trying to emulate some of these survival techniques shown on this TV show is going to yourself or your friends into trouble.)

How much time have you spent in the wilderness previously? Have you used traditional modern camping equipment before for example.

Sorry to ask these questions but the questions you have put forward appear to be quite naive. (We have all been there before of course and most survival knowledge is really just common sense combined with a few specific skills, navigation being one of the most important !!)

Hey Ziggy,

I would also warn on the side of caution...remember "proper preparation prevents poor performance". Always have several escape plans if anything goes wrong including having your location and a return timeline with a responsible person willing to call SAR if you are late upon return.

With that caveat check out Michel Blomgren's site: http://www.bushcraft.se/

He has a similar approach to you and your friends. Head out to the woods for lessons and film yourself in the meantime. The films are in Swedish but have English subtitles. He experiments and comments on hunger, minimal tools, getting lost and other scenarios.

Michel also lists some of his topics at: http://survival.tigerteam.se/index.html

Take care, :^)
Cheers,

Ziggy,

My advice:

Don't.

Part of survival is knowing how to not put yourself in more danger than you already are.

Take some time to learn from those experienced (classes, find a mentor, etc) and practice the skills you will need before you put your life on the line (that is what is at stake with "wilderness survival").

Start off with day hikes (equipped adequately) and move on to camping, backpacking, then work your way to survival situations.

It looks like fun on TV and it can get real ugly really fast and 3 days is plenty of time to die or worse (such as having to live a long life with the memory of watching a friend die).

If you read the past posts from those in the forum, you'll see where they've practiced certain skills in the backyard or park and found out what worked and what didn't. There is no substitute for hands on experience.

I'd hate to see you and your friends as candidates for the Darwin awards.

Hi Ziggy:


My first respnce is for you to hook up with the local Boy Scouts, as they can answer all of your questions pertaining to your local area.

Then I would talk to the local RCMP and ask them where a good area for you to try your survival experment would be.

Then like most of us here on this net would do is leave a detailed plan as to where we are going to be, how we are going to get there, how long we will be gone and when we will be back.

Make 2 copys. one for your parents, and an extra one to give to the RCMP if you have trouble and require them to help you if you don't come home by the time you said you would.

Get a good book and read up on the subject, My I suggest a book call 98.6 degrees by Cody Lundin. This book will also tell you some of things you should have with you.

Reading some of the artical on this fourm will also give you alot of information. Learning about what you are trying to do is also part of your school project.

come back soon and let us know how you are doing, I know there are a lot of people here that would like to hear form you again.

I'm with samhain exactly here. Don't.

Ziggy,

I too would strongly caution you against taking this action. By your post you don't have the requisite skills or knowledge to undertake such an adventure, yet...The good news is that by taking baby steps...you could gain such knowledge and isn't learning the whole point of school?

I would read a few books and then have a weekend "survival experiment" in your own back yard. That way your parents can keep an eye on you for your safety and if you decide to "throw in the towel" you can just walk inside and get a nice warm bath and a stomach full of food.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't go through with this project until you learn a bit more about yourself and the wilderness.

P.S. If you insist on making this film...You can make it appear to be a "survival" video but have your parents and an experienced hiker/camper in your "technical crew." They can stay off camera but keep an eye on you.

I have to give you credit for asking......

3 days is a long time for a newby since it's a psychological shock to the newby. But 3 days isn't all that long. For instance, many of your questions imply gathering or catching food. After you do some reading you'll find that you mostly won't really require food for a 3 day survival period.

You DO need to know how to stay warm & dry and hydrated. Those items right there can be a big job if you don't have much equipment or know how to use what you have.

As others have said, unless you're filming an episode of Jackass Survivor, please start small with Boy Scout info and work up to 3 day adventures.

Unimogbert

Are you nuts, don't even think about it for now!

That's the first reaction most of us have based on what you are asking because “wilderness” and “forest” mean different things to people. Without hearing more, stay close to home at the tree line, keep the camera pointed into the woods for the audience benefit and practice the skills you research on tape. Be safe and by all means have fun!

Oh, and if you are asking in the hopes we will write your end of year paper on wilderness survival skills, good try, get to work!

I'd advise against doing it. But, IF you do insist on it, find someone who is a good outdoors person, or better yet 2 someones, and take them with you.