How to Train for Wilderness Survival
Wilderness survival is obviously a matter of life and death. No one expects to find themselves in a survival situation, but if you are an avid outdoorsman, a hunter or a fisherman, your chances of becoming lost or stranded in the wilderness are greatly increased. If you are so unfortunate as to find yourself in a survival situation, knowing fundamental techniques and practices for finding shelter and water may be the difference between living to tell the tale, or tragically becoming another missing persons file.
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Instructions
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Learn how to find or build shelter. One of the most important aspects of any survival situation is your ability to stay warm, dry and protected from the elements. Lean-tos, wigwams, or just an alcove in a rock face to huddle against are common structures that can provide cover in a survival emergency.
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Practice gathering water. Your technique will vary greatly depending on the climate and terrain. Training should involve methods of gathering water, conserving water, and rationing water. Learn how to build stills, construct collection devices and identify plants that yield a high volume of water.
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Learn several methods for starting a fire. After shelter and water, a fire is actually more important to survival than food. The human body can live for weeks without food, so long as it has water. A fire will keep the body warm, conserving energy that might otherwise be expended through heat loss. Common fire-starting methods include the use of flint and steel, a D battery and steel wool, a fire bow or even the use of a magnifying glass. Know how to start a fire in rain, snow or any other climate.
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Learn how to gather food. Any survival training should include an education on what is good to eat. Again, location will largely dictate what food supplies are available. Know how to set snares, dead fall traps, and fish traps. Learn to recognize animal tracks, animal runs, and animal dens.
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Practice methods of emergency signaling. Signal fires take too much effort to maintain. Arraying rocks in a clearing in a "X" or an arrow pointing to your present location will be visible by air. If you have an emergency whistle, sound it in the international distress code of six blasts, followed by silence. Repeat as often as you can manage, but at least once an hour while you are awake.
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Familiarize yourself with basic first aid treatments.. Treating wounds and ailments is a vital part of any survival situation. Learn how to clean and dress a laceration, a puncture wound or even just a festering sore. Know how to wrap sprains, how to immobilize broken bones and how to reset dislocated joints.
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Tips & Warnings
The more you know, the better your chances for survival. Any survival training should diversify your studies.
Wilderness survival is quite literally a matter of life and death. Don't purposely put yourself in dangerous situations as part of any training regiment.
The best survival situation is the one you avoid, not the one you survive. Don't endanger the lives of your rescuers by putting yourself into difficult situations.
