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

  Plan — Now that you are settled down and ready to live the adventure, make plans to set them in motion.

  1. Select a survival campsite near an open area or your stalled vehicle.

  2. Set up a set of signals, with backups, and keep them ready for instant use.

  3. Erect your tube tent or construct shelter making it reasonably comfortable without wasting energy.

  4. Gather firewood and start a fire.

  5. Maintain a positive survival spirit.

  6. Dispel fears.

  7. Boost the will to live.

  8. Get comfortable, enjoy the unique experience and get ready to be found. It will not take long.

  6. SIGNALS

  Prepare Your Signals

  Waving bright clothing or other gear in an open area can get the attention of a search aircraft.

  You need to be able to hear the searchers, so try to avoid a survival campsite near noisy waters.

  Whether you are lost or stranded, the first step to being found is to leave a trip plan with a responsible person. Next, you need to be seen or heard. Assuming you have let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return, it won’t be long before someone will be looking for you in the area in which you are located. Your first concern should be to prepare to be seen, or heard, by the rescue party.

  Try to avoid making your survival camp near a waterfall or roaring creek. You need to be where you can hear searchers and a survival camp in these locations drown out sounds made by searchers and sometimes your signals to them.

  Signaling is a survival skill that no one should take lightly, especially since we now have excellent search aircraft that can be in the air over the search area soon after a person is reported missing. Also, hasty teams of experienced searchers can be on the ground looking for a missing person within a few hours after he or she is reported missing.

  Here are some of the best signaling methods, second only to a working two-way radio or cell phone:

  SIGNAL MIRROR — Most survival experts consider the signal mirror to be one of the best signal devices available. They are small and easy to carry in a survival kit, coat or daypack. It amazes people how far a reflection from these little mirrors can be seen.

  United States Air Force rescue planes have spotted a signal mirror from as far away as 100 miles. Distances of 30 to 40 miles are common. Several times lost people have used a signal mirror to attract the attention of rangers in a forest fire tower or searchers miles away on a mountainside or in a flat desert.

  A Texas pilot was flying home from Alaska when his helicopter crashed in a thick spruce forest in British Columbia. For 14 days he survived at the crash site. He was found due to using a piece of shiny metal as a signal mirror to get the attention of a search and rescue plane as it flew over. Many downed combat pilots and military special ops units in Southeast Asia during the 1960s and 70s owe their lives to a signal mirror.

  The signal mirror is one of the most valued signals. Aircraft pilots can see it for miles.

  Signal mirrors may be purchased at many outdoor supply stores and there are numerous sources found when you search the Web. Today, most signal mirrors are made from tough plastic and have instructions on the back. While the instructions are easy to follow, no one should wait until they get in a survival situation before they learn how to use it properly. Practice until you understand the proper way to use the mirror.

  The signal mirror is quick and easy to use. Practice the aiming and correct use of the signal mirror at home before going afield.

  Most signal mirrors have a hole in the center for aiming. They are used to reflect the sun, moon or aircraft searchlight to signal an overhead aircraft, boat or other target such as a search party that is within view but a long distance away. Here is how to use the signal mirror:

  1. Hold the mirror in front of your eye so you can see through the hole.

  2. Make sure the shiny side is toward the sun, moon or searchlight.

  3. Take your other hand and hold it out at arm’s length.

  4. Reflect light onto the extended hand.

  5. While looking through the aiming hole, turn the mirror in order to swing the reflected spot toward the target.

  6. Keep your signal mirror with you and be prepared to use it fast.

  Signal mirrors may be improvised from almost any shiny object, such as aluminum foil, a car mirror, the bottom out of a tin can with a hole in the center or even a CD. In fact, a CD makes an excellent signal mirror, due to its highly reflective surface and the hole in the center that can be used as an aiming device.

  POLICE WHISTLE — A loud whistle such as those used by police, coaches and dog handlers makes an excellent signal device. It is easy to carry, requires little energy to use, can be heard much farther than the human voice and lasts long after a shouting person becomes hoarse. The whistle makes a good signal when a ground party is conducting the search. The whistle is easily heard and if tracking dogs are being used, they can hear it from great distances.

  To use a whistle effectively, stay calm and do not blow the whistle until it is thought that someone is within hearing distance. To blow a whistle continuously for hours when no one is around only wastes vital energy and brings on frustration. When you think enough time has gone by and people are likely looking for you, try giving a few blows on your whistle every 30 minutes just in case someone is out there, and then whistle them in. When you hear searchers, stay put and let them come to you.

  FIRE — One of the best-known signals, both day and night, is a fire. At night, a bright campfire in an opening can be seen for miles from the air and a fair distance on the ground, especially in mountains. During the day, the same fire can be made to smoke when wet leaves or green vegetation is piled on it. Smoke during the day is an excellent signal.

  Remember to be extremely careful when making and using a signal fire.

  The survival campfire can be a good day or night signal if properly used.

  When in a survival situation, most people are upset and excited and mistakes come easily. You are in enough trouble already without getting caught in a forest fire that you have set.

  Carry kitchen matches in a waterproof container and a fire starter with you. Know how to start a fire even in wet conditions. Building a fire in a survival situation is more difficult than most people think. Master the skill of fire making before you actually need it.

  FLASHLIGHT — One of the new generations of ultra bright flashlights, such as those by SureFire or Streamlight, makes an excellent signal at night. If the flashlight has an on-off switch that allows you to signal “SOS” in Morse code, so much the better. Three short flashes, three long flashes, and three short flashes are the “SOS” signal known to all rescue personnel. Even a small light out in the open can be seen a long way by aircraft at night.

  BRIGHT CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT — The bright orange clothing many hunters wear works well as a signal, especially if aircraft is used in a search. Even a white T-shirt or yellow rain suit can be used as a signal panel. Brightly colored equipment such as a red tube tent or orange pack has been used to signal searchers. The bottom line is to find something that stands out from the terrain you are in.

  GROUND-TO-AIR SIGNALS — Search pilots are all familiar with ground-to-air signals. These are large symbols the lost or stranded person forms out in the OPEN where they can be seen by search aircraft. They must contrast with the ground to be seen. Dark limbs on snow or light colored rocks on dark soil are examples of what has proven useful.

  The signal must be large to be seen from the air. For example the “X,” the universal signal for help, should have legs that are 3 feet in width and a single leg length of 18 feet.

  Ground-to-air signals should have lines that are 3 feet wide and 18 feet long to be seen by search aircraft.

  Ground-to-Air Signals

  Here are the symbols search pilots recognize. Remember the “X” is the one used most often:

  GUNSHOTS — Gunshots can be a go
od signal, and they carry a long distance; however, they must be used at the right time to be effective. If you are in trouble during hunting season your shots may be mistaken as shots from hunters. Save your ammunition and wait until well after dark. Then fire three shots into the air. Listen for three shots in return. If you make contact, fire only one shot when you hear your searchers shoot. Save your ammo as it may take several shots to guide them in. If you get no response, save your ammo and don’t shoot again until you hear sounds from your searchers. If there is no one near enough to hear your gunshots or if they are confused with hunters, it will only be a waste of ammo and bring no help.

  It is important to know how to use signals properly, and that you have the signals ready for use on short notice. Also, it is important to choose an open area to do your signaling. Many signals will not be seen from the air if you sit under a thick canopy of tall trees to await rescue. Select an open area, if possible, to wait for your rescuers and have your signals ready. Areas, such as old roads, fields, sites of old forest fires, sea- or lakeshore or any other type of opening will help you be seen early in the search. Remember to stay where you are, and don’t give in to the urge to travel. Signaling will bring help to you.

  7. SHELTER

  Construct a Shelter

  Shelter is often the first priority of survival. In this case, shelter from 120-degree heat is sought by digging into the ground under a disabled truck. The truck became an oven in this heat.

  Shelter is defined as a “place affording protection from the elements.” Every survivor, faced with the problem of protecting himself from the elements, must consider using every conceivable place already existing in his immediate area or using every available material at hand to improvise a place that will afford much-needed protection. When deciding what type of shelter to build, you must first consider what the shelter is to protect you from, i.e., rain, cold, insects, heat. As an example, when in hot, arid areas, protection from the sun during the day may be the prime consideration. In frigid areas, extreme cold aggravated by high winds or, in some seasons, swarms of insects may be the dangers that dictate what type of protection the survivor must seek.

  In addition to protection from natural elements and conditions, an adequate shelter also provides the survivor with psychological well-being, so necessary for sound rest. Adequate rest is extremely important if the survivor is to make sound decisions. The need for rest becomes more critical as time passes and rescue is prolonged. Rest contributes to mental and physical health, and adequate shelter contributes to sound rest. Because of these factors, adequate shelter must be placed high on the priority list if survival is to be successful.

  Constructing shelter for your survival camp may or may not be a rush matter. If the weather is mild with no rain, you may postpone constructing a shelter. However, if the weather is bad or subject to get worse, then shelter construction may become very high on your list of priorities. One plus for shelter construction, assuming you are in good shape, is that it keeps you occupied. Constructing a good shelter where you can rest comfortably out of the elements takes time and some work, but this will help keep your mind off your troubles.

  The location of your shelter site will depend on several things. The first priority is that it be in a location where search aircraft or ground parties can easily see you. I was once leading a ground search party looking for two lost hikers. It took us two days longer than it should have to find the hikers due to the hidden location they had selected to set up their survival camp.

  If you are stranded with a vehicle, plane, boat, snowmobile or canoe, try to either use the craft as a camp or set up your shelter nearby due to their high visibility. The exception to this would be if the craft were hidden by thick brush or trees.

  If you are walking or skiing, select an open area, if possible, in which to set up your survival camp. This may require that you cut some brush or small trees. Avoid constructing your shelter in a low swamp area or in a dry creek bed. Your predicament is bad enough without getting caught in a flash flood or rising ground water. Also, in warm weather, mosquitoes may be a problem.

  Look up before selecting a shelter site. Don’t build your shelter under standing dead trees or dead limbs or branches heavy with snow. These could fall on you. Avoid thick overhead vegetation that could block the view for aircraft as well as conceal your distress signals. Avoid avalancheprone slopes. Try to construct your shelter so that you can sleep comfortably. Select a level or near level site. Remove stones and sticks. Your sleep is vital to conserve energy for survival.

  Set up a ground-to-air signal as soon as you have a survival campsite selected. If the weather is not too bad, set your signals up before you construct your shelter. Waiting may cause you to miss a chance for early rescue.

  If possible, find an opening and set up your shelter near a source of water such as a spring, creek, river or lake. Not only does this save energy in getting water, but it also is a good place to find animals and plants for food. Other people visit areas near water more frequently, thus increasing your chances of being discovered.

  The type of shelter you select to use in your survival camp will be based on several factors:

  1. What shelter material do you have with you — tube tent, vehicle, canoe, airplane, tarp, emergency blanket, sheet of plastic, etc?

  2. What equipment do you have to aid in shelter construction — axe, saw, knife, rope, etc?

  3. What natural materials are available for shelter construction — rocks, trees, poles, snow, cave, etc?

  4. What is the weather like now? What kind of weather do you expect?

  5. What is the season of the year?

  How effective your shelter will be will depend upon what you have to construct it with and what the weather is like, plus your ability to improvise and any previous training you have had in shelter construction.

  Tube Tent

  If you are traveling in the backcountry by foot, ATV, vehicle, plane, snowmobile, canoe, boat, horseback or skis, you would be smart to take a tent with you. I learned while working in northern Canada and Alaska to have a tube tent with me at all times. I have spent many unplanned nights in the wilderness. The tube tent is easy and quick to set up. You simply run a rope or cords through the plastic tube and tie it between two trees. Since they blow like a sail in high wind, it is a good idea to weigh down the front and rear openings with rocks or heavy logs.

  The tube tent you pack in your survival kit is one of the best quick shelters available.

  A lean-to made from a Space blanket or tarp is an effective shelter and is simple to erect.

  Lean-to

  A tarp, or an emergency blanket, especially one in a bright orange color, makes an extremely versatile shelter. It can be stretched over an open boat to make a cozy shelter. It can be stretched alongside an overturned canoe to form a lean-to. You can also stretch it from a wing of a plane to the ground or from the side of a vehicle to the ground. It makes a good lean-to, especially when trying to escape desert heat. A rainproof lean-to is good in cold weather because when used with a reflector fire, the shelter can be comfortable in the worst of weather.

  Space Blanket

  The MPI Space blanket, which is sold in many camping supply stores, is a good item to carry in a personal survival kit. This blanket is made from a very thin but strong space-age material that can reflect 90 percent of the heat thrown against it. It is compact, about the size of a pack of cigarettes. It can be made into a lean-to, and when used with a reflector fire, is very warm. This blanket makes a warm sleeping bag when folded properly.

  Any type of plastic that is large enough can be made into a lean-to. This includes cutting plastic garbage bags so that they make a square sheet.

  Natural Shelters

  A rock overhang or cave makes one of the best natural shelters to be found. In fact, during the 1700s, the longhunters who were exploring the wilderness west of the Appalachian Mountains spent entire winters in survival-type camps they made
under rock overhangs. By building up rock or log walls as windbreaks, these shelters can actually be comfortable. One downside, though, due to their locations: They are usually difficult to spot from the air or from any great distance on the ground, making rescue much more difficult. Locating ground-to-air signals nearby is a must when using these types of shelters.

  Many times, freshly blown-down trees can be made into a survival shelter by cutting away the limbs near the ground. If large pieces of bark are around, use them to improve the roof.