NFA Pro Gun Trust
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1 – Finding and Purifying Water
In most survival situations, water is first.
2 – Building A Wilderness Survival Shelter From Scratch
Humans are not designed for extended exposure to the following conditions:
We can become hypothermic on the frozen tundra of the North within minutes, or even in more temperate regions when rain-soaked.
3 – Starting A Fire Without A Lighter
Fire gives us 3 critical survival elements:
freezing temperatures
sweltering heat
high winds
deep snow
driving sleet
heavy rains
We quickly become dehydrated in direct sunlight in a desert.
We can become hypothermic on the frozen tundra of the North within minutes, or even in more temperate regions when rain-soaked.
Shelter equals protection. Like fur to a bear or blubber to a whale.
The truth is, we have flexed our cerebral cortex over thousands of years. This flexing has led to our modern environments. This process has had the unintended consequence of humans losing our natural defenses against the elements.
So when we go into the wilderness, we must bring our shelters with us. Or quickly create them from what we scavenge.
The water countdown clock will run out in a matter of days, but the shelter clock may expire in a matter of hours or even minutes in extreme environments.
So you must learn the areas in which you travel and what materials are available. So you know how to protect yourself quickly from the elements.
Fire Survival Skill
3 – Starting A Fire Without A Lighter
Firecraft is the art of making fire.
Those of us who are serious about basic survival skills know how important the ability to create fire is.
Fire is useful in all survival scenarios and can be a life-saver in many of them.
Fire gives us 3 critical survival elements:
heat
light
smoke
Hypothermia can occur at low temperatures, especially in soaked clothing. Heat from a fire can keep us from dying of hypothermia. Heat warms our bodies and heat dries wet clothes.
Heat is also essential to kill parasites and bacteria in raw meat.
Light from a fire can be used for signaling at night, as can the smoke from a fire during the day. The light from a fire illuminates the dark which helps keep wild animals at bay.
Smoke from a fire can also be used to smoke raw meats, an ancient method of food preservation. Smoke also can help protect you from of the biggest killer of them all, the mosquito.
“Fire is Good. Fire is Good, Yes. Fire is our Friend”.
And the key to successful fire starting is preparedness and having the right survival gear. Starting a fire can be as difficult or as easy as you make it.
If you have fire starting materials with you (in your car, your backpack, your briefcase, etc.) then fire is only a few minutes away.
4 – Navigating Your Way Back To Safety
Lost is not good, but it’s also not hopeless.
If you take the time to learn the tools at hand, you hypothetically should never be perpetually “lost”. Having multiple ways to get you back on course in the wilderness is an underrated but basic survival skill worth mastering.
5- Survival Signaling To Help Rescuers Find You
What are the fundamental principles for effective signaling?
1) Contrast and 2) Intelligence.
First, you must contrast with your environment.
Second, the potential rescuer should see your signal and recognize it not as an anomaly of nature. Your signal should be a clear sign of intelligence at work.
There are many ways accomplish this. Many of these ways even compliment each other. So it’s always so sad to hear when rescuers struggle to locate the lost or missing in the wild.
Maybe the rescue team was too late and the unfortunate soul was gone before the search began.
But what about the poor souls who saw the rescuers. Yelled at the top of their lungs. Waved their arms frantically from the forest floor. Only to helplessly watch the helicopter cruise past and their rescue hopes vanish.
If only they would have taken some time to master the basic survival skills of signaling.
6 – Food Acquisition To Stave Off Starvation
To understand what foods you need, you must understand what nutrients your body requires. Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals are required to survive long term.
Fish, small game, plants, berries, and fungi are all valid wilderness food supplies.
The average man needs 2500 calories a day to sustain his weight, the typical female 2000 calories. This is based on a nominal level of activity.
However, if you are in survival mode you will be:
moving long distances over rough terrain
carrying gear
gathering food
building shelters
You will be burning considerably more calories. Perhaps thousands more.
Wild game comes in at about 500 calories per pound. Fish and seafood 600-800 calories per pound. Green plants around 100 calories or less per pound.
If rescue is not the goal, but living in the wilderness is the goal, this excessive calorie burn will make food acquisition a continuous struggle. Similar to the continuous need to find and purify water.
Food acquisition no longer consists of stopping by the grocery store on your way home from work. Or call the local pizza joint for the deal of the day.
No, finding enough nutritious calories just became your new full-time job. You better know what the hell you’re doing.
In most survival situations, water is first.
2 – Building A Wilderness Survival Shelter From Scratch
Humans are not designed for extended exposure to the following conditions:
- freezing temperatures
- sweltering heat
- high winds
- deep snow
- driving sleet
- heavy rains
We can become hypothermic on the frozen tundra of the North within minutes, or even in more temperate regions when rain-soaked.
3 – Starting A Fire Without A Lighter
Fire gives us 3 critical survival elements:
- heat
- light
- smoke
freezing temperatures
sweltering heat
high winds
deep snow
driving sleet
heavy rains
We quickly become dehydrated in direct sunlight in a desert.
We can become hypothermic on the frozen tundra of the North within minutes, or even in more temperate regions when rain-soaked.
Shelter equals protection. Like fur to a bear or blubber to a whale.
The truth is, we have flexed our cerebral cortex over thousands of years. This flexing has led to our modern environments. This process has had the unintended consequence of humans losing our natural defenses against the elements.
So when we go into the wilderness, we must bring our shelters with us. Or quickly create them from what we scavenge.
The water countdown clock will run out in a matter of days, but the shelter clock may expire in a matter of hours or even minutes in extreme environments.
So you must learn the areas in which you travel and what materials are available. So you know how to protect yourself quickly from the elements.
Fire Survival Skill
3 – Starting A Fire Without A Lighter
Firecraft is the art of making fire.
Those of us who are serious about basic survival skills know how important the ability to create fire is.
Fire is useful in all survival scenarios and can be a life-saver in many of them.
Fire gives us 3 critical survival elements:
heat
light
smoke
Hypothermia can occur at low temperatures, especially in soaked clothing. Heat from a fire can keep us from dying of hypothermia. Heat warms our bodies and heat dries wet clothes.
Heat is also essential to kill parasites and bacteria in raw meat.
Light from a fire can be used for signaling at night, as can the smoke from a fire during the day. The light from a fire illuminates the dark which helps keep wild animals at bay.
Smoke from a fire can also be used to smoke raw meats, an ancient method of food preservation. Smoke also can help protect you from of the biggest killer of them all, the mosquito.
“Fire is Good. Fire is Good, Yes. Fire is our Friend”.
And the key to successful fire starting is preparedness and having the right survival gear. Starting a fire can be as difficult or as easy as you make it.
If you have fire starting materials with you (in your car, your backpack, your briefcase, etc.) then fire is only a few minutes away.
4 – Navigating Your Way Back To Safety
Lost is not good, but it’s also not hopeless.
If you take the time to learn the tools at hand, you hypothetically should never be perpetually “lost”. Having multiple ways to get you back on course in the wilderness is an underrated but basic survival skill worth mastering.
5- Survival Signaling To Help Rescuers Find You
What are the fundamental principles for effective signaling?
1) Contrast and 2) Intelligence.
First, you must contrast with your environment.
Second, the potential rescuer should see your signal and recognize it not as an anomaly of nature. Your signal should be a clear sign of intelligence at work.
There are many ways accomplish this. Many of these ways even compliment each other. So it’s always so sad to hear when rescuers struggle to locate the lost or missing in the wild.
Maybe the rescue team was too late and the unfortunate soul was gone before the search began.
But what about the poor souls who saw the rescuers. Yelled at the top of their lungs. Waved their arms frantically from the forest floor. Only to helplessly watch the helicopter cruise past and their rescue hopes vanish.
If only they would have taken some time to master the basic survival skills of signaling.
6 – Food Acquisition To Stave Off Starvation
To understand what foods you need, you must understand what nutrients your body requires. Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals are required to survive long term.
- Carbs and fats provide the necessary energy.
- Protein assists in the building and repairing of muscles.
- Vitamins and minerals are critical for efficient bodily functions. Functions such as the immune system to prevent diseases.
- A certain level of fiber is also required to keep everything moving through your body.
Fish, small game, plants, berries, and fungi are all valid wilderness food supplies.
The average man needs 2500 calories a day to sustain his weight, the typical female 2000 calories. This is based on a nominal level of activity.
However, if you are in survival mode you will be:
moving long distances over rough terrain
carrying gear
gathering food
building shelters
You will be burning considerably more calories. Perhaps thousands more.
Wild game comes in at about 500 calories per pound. Fish and seafood 600-800 calories per pound. Green plants around 100 calories or less per pound.
If rescue is not the goal, but living in the wilderness is the goal, this excessive calorie burn will make food acquisition a continuous struggle. Similar to the continuous need to find and purify water.
Food acquisition no longer consists of stopping by the grocery store on your way home from work. Or call the local pizza joint for the deal of the day.
No, finding enough nutritious calories just became your new full-time job. You better know what the hell you’re doing.
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