Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide The (Skyhorse Pocket Guides) Read online

  The Pocket Outdoor Survival Guide

  The Ultimate Guide for Short-Term Survival

  J. Wayne Fears

  Copyright © 2011 by J. Wayne Fears

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11 th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

  Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected].

  www.skyhorsepublishing.com

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Fears, J. Wayne, 1938-

  The pocket outdoor survival guide : the ultimate guide for short-term survival / J. Wayne Fears.

  p. cm.

  9781616080501

  1. Wilderness survival. 2. Outdoor life--Safety measures. I. Title.

  GV200.5.F46 2011

  6 1 3.6’9--dc22

  2010036070

  Printed in China

  PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

  C.W. Brown/Photo Researchers, Inc. p.84

  L. West/Photo Researchers, Inc. p.86

  Scott Camazine/Photo Researchers, Inc. p.92

  Alex Bowers p.113

  To those dedicated search & rescue

  professionals and volunteers

  who find countless lost and

  stranded people each year.

  Many lives would be lost

  without them.

  Thank you.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  INTRODUCTION - Survival Is Usually an Unplanned Night in the Woods

  1. SEARCH & RESCUE - Modern Search & Rescue Works for You

  2. BEFORE YOU GO

  3. SURVIVAL KIT - Assemble Your Own Survival Kit

  4. WEATHER - Equip Yourself for Local Weather Conditions

  5. TROUBLE - You Are in Trouble — Stop!

  6. SIGNALS - Prepare Your Signals

  7. SHELTER - Construct a Shelter

  8. BUILD A FIRE - Build a Survival Fire

  9. SLEEPING - Sleeping Warm

  10. INSECTS - Dealing with Insects

  11. SAFE WATER - Making Water Safe for Drinking

  12. FOOD - Food — Not a Necessity

  13. HYPOTHERMIA - Avoid Hypothermia

  14. FEAR - Dealing with Fear

  15. WILL TO LIVE

  16. MISSING PERSON - When a Member of Your Group Is Missing

  INTRODUCTION

  Survival Is Usually an Unplanned Night in the Woods

  North America still has lots of backcountry in which it is easy to get lost or stranded. Even in the most remote country, however, most missing people are found within a few hours.

  Each year dozens of American outdoor enthusiasts find themselves in an unexpected outdoor emergency. They get lost, injured, or stranded and suddenly find themselves depending upon survival skills to survive. For most people, thanks to modern communications such as cell phones and two-way radios, it is merely a sobering two- or three-hour adventure. In fact, with today’s methods of search and rescue, the majority of missing people are found within 72 hours after they have been reported missing, most even less. However, for some who do not take the proper precautions or do not have survival skills, such an experience can end in tragedy.

  The purpose of this book is to help you prepare for that “unplanned night or nights in the woods.” Keep it with you to help you make it through the adventure. With proper preparation for any outdoor activity, there should be little reason for an unplanned night in the woods. But, should you find yourself in a situation where you will need to survive several days, this book will have you prepared to do it with style. Survival knowledge and training pays off when the chips are down. Remember the acronym, “LOST” — Lean On Survival Training.

  A sudden spill in a canoe can leave you stranded.

  Survival Training Pays

  Several years ago, when I was working as a wildlife manager in Georgia, I helped lead the search for a missing hunter in the rugged mountains along the Georgia-North Carolina boundary. We were told that this hunter had little hunting experience but had received extensive survival training. In a blinding rainstorm, it took us two days to find the lost hunter. Much to our surprise, by the time we found him he had virtually established a comfortable homestead.

  When he first realized he was lost, he stopped walking and picked an opening in the dense woods to establish a survival camp. He immediately put out ground-to-air signals. Realizing bad weather was on the way, he built a shelter under some overhanging rocks that kept him dry and out of the wind. He gathered plenty of firewood and stored it in his shelter. Next, he built a fire complete with a reflector to keep his shelter warm.

  It was his fire that led to his being found. The hunter’s survival camp was so comfortable that those of us in the search party used it for an overnight rest before packing out.

  When you first realize you are lost, stop. Do not wander around aimlessly. For every hour you wander the search area grows four times.

  Due to his survival training, he lived comfortably through a two-day storm. He stayed positive and worked toward being found. He used the resources at hand to make a survival camp.Will you be like this hunter if your time comes to spend an unplanned night or two in the woods?

  How to Use This Little Book

  1. When you first get this book, sit down and READ it. Think about what you are reading and how it can apply to you and your outings.

  2. Reread the chapter entitled “Survival Kit” and make a list of the items you need to purchase to put one together.

  3. On a weekend you want to do something that is fun and educational, take your survival kit into the woods and spend the night using the items in the kit. Upon completion of the overnight test, be sure to replace any items that may be difficult to repack into a compact package.This exercise may also help you discover items you will want in your survival kit that my list did not include. Remember it is YOUR survival kit, so modify it to meet your needs.

  4. This book does not go into navigational skills. I feel this requires training that, like first aid, you should have before you start exploring the backcountry. If you haven’t had training in the proper use of your GPS or map and compass, get it ASAP. That alone can keep you from ever needing this book.

  5. This book covers only the most basic first-aid skills. It is my belief that everyone who ventures into the backcountry should have successfully taken a Red Cross first-aid course. Also, those who have special medical conditions should be skilled in managing them.

  6. Place this book in your survival kit so it will be there if, and when, you need it to guide you through a survival situation. It was designed to be small enough to fit into your kit, and concise enough to be a quick and easy resource when you are in trouble.

  7. Be sure you always read, then practice the information found in the chapter entitled “Before You Go.” This will help keep your time in a survival situation short.

  8. If you find yourself in a lost or stranded situation, stop, sit down, think, remain calm, don’t panic and plan to stay put. By gaining control of yourself in these first few minutes, you have incre
ased your chances of survival by 50 percent.

  9. When you first realize you are lost and in trouble is the time to dig this book out and use it to guide you toward a safe wait until you are found.

  10. As a Maine game warden once said, “Even in today’s modern world there are many trappers and guides that spend the night in the woods with little more than what is found in a basic survival kit, they spend their lives doing it. Relax—you may even enjoy your unplanned stay in the woods.”

  Take a first-aid course and keep your training up to date. You may have to treat your own injuries in a survival emergency.

  1. SEARCH & RESCUE

  Modern Search & Rescue Works for You

  If you have taken the time and precaution to file a trip plan with a responsible person before your outing, then should you not return on time, you will not go unnoticed for very long. This will begin a series of events that will result in your being rescued quickly.

  Many missing people give up hope quickly because they think no one is looking for them. Modern search and rescue is usually on the site within a few hours.

  One of the most common, and dangerous, fears most lost or stranded people have is that no one will know to come looking for them. If you have followed the steps in the next chapter of this book, then you can put this fear to rest; trained people will be looking for you soon. If you stay put once you realize you are lost, then it will take even less time to find you. Trying to walk out, panicking and running will work against you; and it will take much longer for rescuers to find you. For every hour a lost person walks, the search area grows four times larger. You should stay put and wait to be found!

  Here Is How It Works

  A search starts quickly when you are reported missing to local authorities. In most cases, this is the county sheriff, district forest ranger or conservation officer. In Canada it is usually the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Today, many of these officers have received formal training in search and rescue organization and know how to respond quickly to a missing outdoorsman emergency.

  When a missing outdoorsman report is turned in, the first thing that usually happens is a “search boss” is designated. This is someone with a lot of experience and training in backcountry searches. He organizes the search and establishes priorities. He will ensure that the site where the person was last seen is quickly protected, set up a search headquarters and interview those people who were last with the missing person.

  Protecting the “last seen” area keeps wellmeaning people from destroying tracks and other important signs expert trackers will need for tracking the lost person.

  The interview with the missing person’s friends/family is most important, as this is where the search boss learns much about the missing person. If a trip plan has been left with someone, it will cut down on the time it takes to get an organized search started. They will have a good idea where to begin looking.

  The search director will quickly establish the “area of probability” and the search will be centered there.

  Early in the search, specially trained dogs may be used to trail the missing person. Two to four aircraft are used to quickly locate missing outdoorsmen.

  The interviewer will be looking for detailed information on the missing person. The person’s name, address, description, clothing worn, boot type (sole information is important to trackers), age, equipment he has with him, medical conditions including medications, experience in the outdoors, physical condition, personality traits, etc. All of this information is important to experienced searchers because it tells them a lot about where to look for the missing person.

  Usually the first searchers to hit the trail include trackers with dogs and a hasty team. The hasty team is made up of highly specialized people who go into the most likely areas the missing person is believed to be. This is why it is important to stay put when you first realize you are lost.

  At the same time, lookouts and road check teams are posted. Lookouts are located at observation points in the search area and road search teams ride roads near the search area looking for the missing person.

  As quickly as possible, aircraft will be brought into the search; often aircraft with specialized equipment to electronically help find the missing person. At that point, the search boss may set up grid searches supervised by professionals and carried out using volunteers.

  Many people who are lost fear searchers will only look a few hours then give up, thinking the missing person is dead. This is not true. Most search bosses estimate how long the missing person can survive under the conditions and then plan to search three times that long, if needed. Search efforts go far beyond reasonable expectations.

  Lost and stranded people should never give up hope. The search will go on until you are rescued. How fast that search begins, however, depends upon how well you prepared before you went into the woods!

  Aircraft are used to quickly locate missing outdoorsmen.

  2. BEFORE YOU GO

  File a trip plan with a responsible person. Let him know exactly where you are going and when you plan on returning.

  A quick rescue actually begins before you get lost or stranded. It begins with you taking some precautions before you leave home, camp or your vehicle. Here is a checklist of precautions:

  1. Study maps and get to know the territory you will be going into. Take the map and navigational equipment that you know how to use with you. USE IT FROM THE BEGINNING OF YOUR OUTING.

  2. Learn the area’s weather extremes. Know what to expect in sudden weather changes. Dress for it.

  3. Listen to an NOAA weather report for the period you expect to be in the area.

  4. Carry a freshly charged cell phone and/or a two-way radio with fresh batteries.

  5. Pack a survival kit.

  6. Carry a knife on your belt.

  7. MOST IMPORTANT: FILE A TRIP PLAN WITH A RESPONSIBLE PERSON!!!!

  Always use a GPS and/or map and compass on all outings. Make this a practice and chances are good you will never need to use survival skills.

  Sample Trip Plan

  ❒ Name:

  ❒ Address:

  ❒ Emergency phone number:

  ❒ Coordinates of destination:

  ❒ Further description of destination:

  ❒ Purpose of trip:

  ❒ Mode of transportation:

  ❒ Departure date and time:

  ❒ Return date and time:

  ❒ Name of others with you:

  If you are departing from a vehicle, be sure to park the vehicle in an area where it can be found easily. Leave a slip of paper in a clear plastic bag with your name, emergency phone number, date and time of departure, description of destination and expected return date and time. Place this bag under the windshield wiper of the vehicle. This will probably be the starting point of the search when the person you left your trip plan with notifies the authorities you are missing. Also, this serves as a backup in case something happens to the person you left responsible to monitor your trip plan.

  Taking these precautions are as important as packing a survival kit. If a responsible person doesn’t know you are overdue from your scheduled return, regardless of how short the trip, then no one will know to start looking for you. People have been lost for days before anyone realized there was a problem. In these cases survival ceased to be a short-term emergency and became a long-term nightmare, often with a disastrous ending.

  DON’T

  FAIL TO TAKE

  THESE

  PRECAUTIONS!

  3. SURVIVAL KIT

  Assemble Your Own Survival Kit

  The individual survival kit weighs only two pounds and contains the items necessary to survive an unplanned night in the woods. It will keep you safe if you know how to use it and take it with you.

  Go on outdoor adventures prepared to spend three extra, unexpected days in the backcountry. To do this, you need to take with you items that will:

  1. Provide quick protection from inclemen
t weather.

  2. Retain body heat.

  3. Help start a fire.

  4. Provide safe drinking water.

  5. Offer protection from biting insects.

  6. Provide two methods of signaling for help beyond a cell phone or two-way radio.

  These items make up your personal survival kit. When combined with your belt knife or multi-tool, map, compass and GPS, they give you the edge you’ll need to survive.