Outdoor Survival Info

Archive for September, 2007

Everyone needs a bug out bag. Why, you ask? The answer is simple. You never know when you might need it. Emergencies are emergencies because people don’t see them coming. The disasters strike suddenly and with great force. Then, all of a sudden, you are surrounded by crisis.

Having some gear ready in the event of a crisis can help you keep a clear head. If you don’t have to worry about your next meal, or what you’re going to use for shelter, you can spend your energies focused on the actual crisis. Ideally, this gear should be in a single bag — something with which you can just grab and go.

Later on, I’ll write up a little piece about what you should put in your bug out bag, but for now you can just take a look at this bug out supply shop and pick up a few pieces. Those pieces may save your life, or, less dramatically, make a bad situation a little easier.

Squirrels are not as easy to hunt as I thought. I have been out to the woods twice, and I still haven’t even seen one where I was. I have seen squirrels out in the woods before, but never while hunting them. They aren’t like city squirrels…these suckers hide from you.

I parked myself at a hickory tree for twenty minutes and didn’t see or hear anything. So I moved to another hickory tree and waited. Still nothing. I repeated this for two hours. This tells me that either a) I wasn’t waiting long enough, b) there weren’t any squirrels in that area, or c) I suck at squirrel hunting.

I’m leaning toward a combination of a and c, but maybe with some b thrown into the mix.

Maybe I’ll have better luck next Saturday.

Face it, squirrels are everywhere. When stuck in the woods somewhere, you’ll need to eat. The food you carry with you will only last so long. You may need to find another source of food to get you through to safety.

It seems that eating squirrel has a certain stigma to it. But I don’t care about any negative reputation. Plently of people around here love to hunt the little furballs, and enjoy eating them. I’ve personally never killed or eaten squirrel, but I plan to in a few short days. Since squirrels are such a readily available animal, I thought I would learn how to hunt them and prepare them for eating, in case I need to eat them in an emergency. Having previous experience with the animal may mean I won’t have to work as hard to win a meal.

Besides the survival training aspect of squirrel hunting, I think it will just be fun. Think about it. I’ll be out in the woods with my shotgun (I don’t currently have a .22). I’ll practice my marksmanship, my woodland navigation skills, and learn about squirrels. Those are some very useful survival skills that are also fun to practice. And as my wife will tell anyone, I need A LOT of practice with my navigation.

I’ll post a report with pictures after I go out. The season starts this Saturday, September 8th.