1 month in the wild -- scenario

Rusty's post elsewhere got me to thinking -- what would I bring for a month in the woods (Or swamp, high mountians, etc.) What are the issues you would face in 30 days away from the city?

Assume late Spring and summer for the climate.

TRO

Would this scenario include moving every 1, 2, or 3 days,,or sitting tight @ 1 location for the 30 days????

To add to wildman800's question what type of eviroment?

Lets assume sitting in one place and the location would be near Vancouver; so plains or mountians, rainforest and /or ocean.

How do we get there? On foot, in P/U, family car, big rig, what? That will for sure have an effect on what I bring...

details -- OK, by canoe, so that limits things. One person, one month in the wild, assume all permits and licences are available

No email!

Echo that. A month without email would suck

Honestly, after a week, I think it is unrealistic to be packing more food. You'll have to procure it- five days of chow, and fishing and snaring gear. Maybe a .22 or high end pellet pistol or slingshot, but those are iffy if I'd include them.

Hygine. You MUST have a tooth brush at the very least. Have a set of clothes sealed up for the packing out if this is a voluntary thing. That way, you don't scare people when you get out.

Saw or axe would be critical.

But if you've got a solid wilderness kit, you should be good if you've planned things out and have the skills.

I'm with ironraven on this one. It would be smart to carry at least a couple of days worth of high energy food so you can eat while you build a camp, gather wood, set snares, etc.

The most important number one ultra important thing (even more than food) is water! You can't carry 30 days of water so you need to be able to get your own and purify it. A good filter would be recommended as you'd need a lot of tablets to clean this much water...but for this duration boiling would be best as it's hard to run out of fire...save the tablets for the slim chance you do run out of fire. In your example you're near water but if you weren't you'd need to be able to store as much water as possible.

Other than water, sanitation is next important IMO. If you want to stay healthy, you need to keep yourself clean, keep your area clean, and dispose of your waste in a safe and clean way. If you're fed, you're going to poop!

I think it's odd that you never thought about it before. I think everyone who is planning to survive should be planning for the worst. It seems to me that many people are too optimistic in expecting to be rescued relatively quickly.

I'm not an optimist. I don't bet all my chips on being rescued. That's why every single piece of gear I buy is of the best quality. I don't care what it costs. I don't want to be alone in the wilderness with half-assed craftsmanship.

Another thing I do is have a variety of fire-starting tools and an order in which they are to be used. Whenever possible, I will use my magnifier. It will last forever. If there's no sunshine, I will use my Strike Force. Next in line is my magnesium bar. And finally a Bic lighter. No matter how long I'm out there, I know I'll always have fire.

As an earlier poster said, I will carry fire making material to last forever, plus a large box of "strike anywhere" matches.

I normally wear a combat harness (fully equipped) when I go camping, along with my ALICE pack. I also carry a spare set of clothes including 6 extra pairs of socks & 6 extra underwear)

I would add the following items:
1) US Army messkit (in addition to the Swiss Army messkit (soups and water purification) that I normally carry when I go camping).
2) An extra roll of toilet paper.
3) 10 days of food consisting of:
Dehydrated meals (40%): Mountain House varieties.
MRE's (20%): Commercial varieties.
C-rats (10%): Chicken & Dumplings, Beef Stew, Ravioli's, etc.
Dry/instant (25%): Rice, Grits, Oatmeal, crackers, soups, flour, etc.
Comfort/D-rats (5%): Candy Bars/Hard candies.
4) An extra tarp-small.
5) 35 day supply of vitamins.
6) Short bladed machete.
7) Additional "Strike Anywhere" matches.
8) .22LR semi-auto rifle with 200 rounds and a .45ACP with 24 rounds (3 mags).

I normally carry my shaving kit with all personal hygiene items.
I have a 10 day supply of broad spectrum antibiotics in my FAK.

To stay in 1 place for a month allows me to set up a Base Camp. I would construct it as follows (roughly);

PHASE I (Upon deciding on a camp site)
1) Use entrenching tool to provide drainage (around shelter and a ditch from fire pit), fire pit, and a large latrine (on side of camp opposite of water source).
2) Use zip ties/paracord, short machete, hatchet, and knife to build a semi-permanent shelter using the natural (and man made) materials at hand. In the NW, I would tend to make a small version of the houses that many of the NE Indian Tribes built and resided in. The final shelter type would depend on what materials I found when I got on scene (type, age, number, & layout of trees).
3) Use tarp to provide ground insulation inside of shelter (if tarps aren't used on the shelter itself).
4) Use short machete and knife to provide bedding insulation.
5) Construct a windbreak around the firepit, opposite of my shelter opening (Shelter opening to face Eastward).

PHASE II (nicetie's)
1) Develope a clothes and dishwashing station downstream of the camp.
2) Construct a windbreak/privacy enclosure around the latrine.
3) Utilize any soda cans found (w/pebbles), to make an early warning system around the camp perimeter (in case of Lions, Tigers, & Bears, oh my!).
4) Conduct a general scouting survey of terrain and available animal, fish, and vegetable food resources.
5) Construct and place animal and bird snares, and fish traps, trot lines, etc.
6) Construct a sheltered concealed Observation Post.

Phase III (productive anti-boredom purposes)
1) Establish a daily routine:
a) Check snares and traps twice daily (release any excess of needs, live catches).
b) Conduct a short range recon from the camp area daily, in a different direction each day (usually after lunch).
c) Keep camp policed and neat!!!!
d) Prepare at least 1 hot meal per day.
e) Work on preparing animal skins/bones to make useful products.
f) Clean all weapons daily (before lunch).
g) Clean all mess gear after each use.
h) Man Observation Post daily from 1 hr prior to sunset until 1 hr after sunset. Make celestial observations w/naked eye & binoculars. This is key to making weather forecasts.

That's basically how I do it!!!!

OK, I'm not going then, my back and canoes do not compute. Have fun...

I like the way wildman800 thinks.

Something I haven't seen discussed much (if at all) on this website is the danger of wild animals. I'm not going to knife fight a mountain lion. My weapon of choice is a .357 magnum. If in brown bear territory, I would also make sure to bring bear spray. Even a combination of bear spray and a .357 magnum won't guarantee to stop a brown bear, but it's a better defense than my knife.

It's EXTREMELY hard to kill a bear with a knife...it's been done but the guy with the knife usually dies too or is mauled very badly.

It's hard to kill a bear with a gun for that matter...but easier than a knife.

Its not really discussed because wild animal attacks are really not a survival issue. Wild animal attacks are generally the result of human stupidity and inapproriate behavior. You really are more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked and killed by a bear in the wilderness for example. Just follow some common sense precautions. And if your lucky enough to see a mountain lion you should regard it as a privilege. Just give the animal enough space so that it can make its retreat.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/10/ap/strange/mainD8I56AVO0.shtml

+1

Knowledge is your best weapon.

Great list and a very well thought out plan. But why would you release anything that you caught alive in a snare? Even if you didn't need it at the moment You could build a pen of some sorts(far enough away from your camp, of course) Then, for anti- boredom purposes you could have pets to play with, and you will always have a fresh meal to club the heck out of on the days that your snares are empty and food is hard to find,LOL

I hadn't really thought of trying to homestead but I think you're right about this.

There are no reasons that I can think of that would keep me from setting up/constructing a rabbit hutch,,,or a corral for stray cows (mavericks), horses (mustangs), or the occasional lost buffalo (unless it was a white buffalo). LOL!!

All surviving critters can be released when it's time to go home.

One thing I didn't address and perhaps I should, for the benefit of getting people's opinions:

I tend to leave the shelters that I make, intact, when I leave. I can see someone in a bad way, finding a shelter, in whatever condition, with some firewood standing by, being able to make use of it.

30 days isn't enough time to bother building a 'homestead'. Hell you could technically this whole time without any food if you had to.

Cool, I thought I was the only one who left camps intact for others. More often than not when I re-visit such places I find them occupied by our fuzzy friends. I have never actually tried to build a kennel to store catches of live rabbits etc. On a lot of rabbit hunting trips I often build a simple debris hut and spend a night or two in order to sharpen my skills as well as get meat for the freezer. I shoot the odd rabbit for eating while there, just to practice dressing small game and cooking over fire and such. I always lay the odd snare as well. The rest of the rabbits I bring home. I have a great respect for that sort of thing and would never harm something I don't plan on eating. (as I am sure everyone on this forum does) So building such a contraption would be something hard to accomplish for the sole purpose of training. It is something to think about should the need ever arise I suppose. I am glad to finally find other people who have the same thoughts as I do. Not many people sit and wonder about what to bring to the woods for a month. Maybe I am not as crazy as my friend tell me I am. LOL
I look forward to hearing more about your scenario.

Shouldn't there be tons of wild berries and nuts growing in that area in the spring? I'd think a good way to occupy time would be scouting edible vegitation and integrating it into your diet. Also, I'd make sure and bring lots of mosquito netting for the shelter, as I understand it (with the wet climate) the bugs are out in force that time of year.

Well, the canoe issue solves the gear carry in problem, the water problem - with the canoe I'm camping near water, and the food issue - with careful planning and packing I'd have 30 days food. Plenty of shelter gear can be carried in the canoe.

If you were packing with the intention of staying 30 days...and you had a canoe full of gear...your list can get quite a bit bigger.

I have never tried building a hutch either, Necessity being the Mother of Invention, I would gather young pliable branches and weave six "walls". I'd use paracord or vines (preferred) to tie the walls, floor, and to hinge the top panel as a lid.

Corrals are easy as long as there is dead brush laying around.

I don't necessarily concur with this. Mountain lion and bear attacks do occasionally occur with no provocation. Saying, "they only happen infrequently and it won't happen to me", is akin to saying, "people rarely get lost in the woods - I don't need to carry all this crap". I do, however, agree that if every effort should be made to let the animal retreat, but acknowledge that this may not occur.

Just because it doesn't happen often doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

FWIW, I don't frequently hike in lion/bear country, but when I do (and where legal) I pack a Glock 20 (10mm) stoked with 200-grain LFNs.

Interesting information about pepper spray here.

I especially like the section about how much work is it to kill a bear legally...skinning, turning in the claws, paperwork, etc...in Alaska anyhow.

Good read either way.

Don't get me wrong. I have much respect for the animal. I'm not some trigger happy redneck who goes around shooting animals just for the sake of shooting something. If I see it from a distance, I'll keep my distance and hope it does the same. But if it comes after me, I'm going to shoot it.

Like I said earlier, I plan for the worst. Out in the wilderness I don't want to needlessly waste my ammunition. I'm not going to shoot unless I have to.

I've only seen a mountain lion once (med. distance) while camping in Yosemite backcountry and in about 15 seconds it was gone. From what I understand you're not likely to see them coming until they're on top of you so the idea of shooting one coming at you probably isn't gonna happen. Just hope the other guy gets pounced so you can do the shooting.

30 days without food...

In a life boat, being the ocean's rubber ducky toy, yes. On the couch, flipping channels, yes. Doing heavy physical activity, you'd be in trouble.

you don't have to be faster than the hungry furry, just faster than the other guy.



if i were anticipating staying out for a month, i'd forget the gun as a hunting tool and save it for defense. for hunting I'd bring bow and arrow. If you run out of bullets, that gun is good for nothing but a club. A good synthetic arrow is practically indestructible, and of course reusable. A quiver full of carbon fiber arrows with good broadhead tips will last forever. If you do break/lose your arrows, you can make more. You can't do that with bullets.

Thats he way it is with any game you kill. It's all fun going hunting till you actually kill something then the real work begins.

Everyone should take a read on

Nessmuk's Woodcraft and Camping

Google it or to to Project Gutenberg. 30 days in the woods was old hat a century ago.

Bill

That's a good idea... if you are skilled with a bow. But if you've never used a bow before (like me) then you'll probably have the same amount of luck that you would throwing a rock.

As for making your own arrows... that's a whole other skill. Anyone can widdle a stick, but to make a proper arrow is something else entirely.

If you’re planning on making arrows better not have a compound bow. Compound makers tell you not to use wood arrows because they will split the arrows. When I was 20 I tried it and it did split the arrow and part of the arrow ran under the skin of my left arm but it could have been much worse.

In all the time I have spent in the woods I have seen a bear only a handful of times, and a Cougar only once (very brief). Moose in the rut are more of a danger here, as they will gladly stomp you if you get too close, but even that is very, very rare. My biggest concern often comes from one of the smallest creatures we often encounter in the woods. Bees and wasps. Seems that there is a huge increase in the amount of these here in Alberta. They are absolutely EVERYWHERE. I've been in the woods hunting with all my fancy gear thinking that my 12ga 3 inch solid copper slugs would protect me from most any type of animal, and then stumbled upon a hidden wasp nest only to find myself running and screaming like a little girl and flapping my arms like a bird trying to get away from the relentless little B@#T%&dS. I am a fairly good shot, but not good enough to take out 100 angry bees or wasps on the run with a shotgun. I hear about more people dying in the woods because they get swarmed, or even due to allergic reaction etc. I consider this a far bigger threat to my survival in the forest than animal attack. Does any one here have tips on avoiding Bee/wasp/hornet attack ??

a horny Moose or a calving Elk is way more dangerous than the average bear...and you see those things way more often. This spring I was camping in Jasper and we had calving Elk walking right through the campground at all hours like they owned the place...the authorities considered it to be quite dangerous.

ROFL

It's not available via project guttenberg but I did find an interesting site called www.nessmuking.com about Nessmuk.

Seems like ultralight hiking was invented not by modern nuts but by the native Americans. Nessmuk traveled with a 28 lb pack...including his canoe!!!

I happened across a very large Moose not long ago while deer hunting(unfortunately no tag for Moose) He lowered his head, grunted a lot, and made it very clear that I had best step off in a hurry. I took my trusty old .30-06 and gave him his space and that was that. I respect them but never have really felt threatened by a Moose. (yet) I've heard tell of hunters being chased quite some distance by Moose, but have actually never heard tell of any one being killed by one.(although I am certain it has happened)This summer I was cutting fire wood, and being very careful to check each tree before felling for nests. About a half hour of peaceful cutting went by and then I heard the buzzing sound that would make even the toughest SOB crap his pants. I must have fell a tree on a nest in the ground. Once I realized that I was being enclosed in a cloud of angry death I dropped my saw and covered the 100 yard distance to my truck in about 3 strides. I managed to do an impressive superman dive UNDER my truck and then managed to get into the truck on the opposite side. The wasps chased me most of that distance, although I did not dare turn around to look. Of all the wildlife that will kill someone in the woods, these guyS must be somewhere at the top of the list.

Don't forget about snakes. Right in my own backyard I almost stepped on a copperhead. Didn't even see it until I was standing right next to it. Don't know why it didn't decide to strike. I just got lucky.

Not many dangerous snakes in Canada Thank Christ, except the odd few Rattlers you may find in some places. Even these are considered "diet" rattle snakes I am told, as they don't pack near the amount of poison as some found in the USA. I honestly have yet to see one in all my travels. Still wouldn't want to test that theory by being bitten thought.

http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_topic.php?id_rubrique=30

i only own a composite bow. never liked the compund bow. too conplicated; if it gets messed up in the field, it's impossibel to fix. Plus, unless you're hunting rino, you don't need 60+ lbs of pull. a good, sharp head will enter a body just as easily with less force(talk about a double entendre).