Survival Camouflage (for hunting)?

**Alaskan Survivalist** · 03-04-2010, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Ken

Save one in case you need a toothpick.

My wife is Eskimo and got me using walrus whiskers for tooth picks. Some of the primitive ways can't be improved on.

**Ken** · 03-04-2010, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Alaskan Survivalist

My wife is Eskimo and got me using walrus whiskers for tooth picks. Some of the primitive ways can't be improved on.

Nice. Now I've gotta' go out and find me a walrus that needs a shave.

**your_comforting_company** · 03-04-2010, 05:05 PM

porcupines have quills on their bellies? hmm. I woulda thought that was the only place that didn't have quills so they could ball up to protect themselves without putting their own eye out.
The quills can make good barbs (not that I've ever even seen a real live porcupine, let alone eaten one) for spears, gigs, and harpoon type stuff.

Ken I hear the walruses tend to hang out on the beaches with carpenters. you should use oysters for bait.
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/walrus.html

and save me one of them whiskers will ya?

**Ken** · 03-04-2010, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by your_comforting_company

porcupines have quills on their bellies? hmm. I woulda thought that was the only place that didn't have quills so they could ball up to protect themselves without putting their own eye out.
The quills can make good barbs (not that I've ever even seen a real live porcupine, let alone eaten one) for spears, gigs, and harpoon type stuff.

Ken I hear the walruses tend to hang out on the beaches with carpenters. you should use oysters for bait.
http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/walrus.html

and save me one of them whiskers will ya?

Walrus in Oyster Sauce? Hmmmmmmm.

We've got plenty of oysters 'round here. We've even got a few porcupines that ramble through the yard once in a while. But now, I've gotta' head out to the beach AND FIND ME A WALRUS!

**Deadly Tao** · 03-04-2010, 06:33 PM

Thanks for even more info. I didn't know walruses had whiskers thick enough to use as toothpicks... but I dont' suppose I will see any in Wisconsin.

We're not so worried about water. I am definitely choosing metal for the water bottle I am bringing, with no liner inside, and none of that double walled stuff. This way I can boil water easy. The amount of lakes and streams around should supply plenty of water.

We're doing this more for the experience of primitive life. I guess the original idea of surviving a situation for a week kind of fell into the idea of simply living primitively. In fact, if I have time left over, I plan to test my skills at flint [chert] knapping along with other skills which would be a waste of time in excaping a simple survival situation. These I have studied and intend to practice here at home before taking on the real world. Only after I try out all of these skills in the wilderness and have time left over (that doesn't sound likely) will I use the tools I've created to hunt and fish.

I've been spending a lot of time looking up some essential skills. As of now, I have learned and practiced how to make cordage, which I feel I am done with now. However, as yesterday taught me, plant fibers are more difficult to collect than it sounds, which is something that can't be said for making cordage from them which I found to be rather easy and fast. I did make a sling from cordage, but it's cheap and needs to be redone with a real pocket.

As for Bear Grylls, I feel sorry for anyone who tries to emulate any of the crap that he does. I find myself much more interested in Survivorman than Man VS Wild, but I still understand that TV is TV and a real survival experience is probably going to be much less exciting. You can't feel hunger through the TV, or cold, or sleeping on sticks and rocks, or many of the other hardships which exist in the wild.

I spent a lot of time in the woods as a kid. If there were woods around, I was in them. Unfortunately, they're suburban woods. That means no hunting, not shelter making (with the exception of small forts), and no extended stays; along with the certainty of being fed and sheltered each day by walking a couple blocks down the road. Still, I am familiar with the trees and their world (the real world) and expect this trip to be one of recollection as well as learning.

**Alaskan Survivalist** · 03-04-2010, 07:36 PM

There are a million things to know and a million things to go wrong. Just don't have the time to write it all down. I do believe you will learn a lot by doing (more than anything you'll get off the computer) but there is no reason to risk life and limb to learn these things. You need a safety net! Stay close enough to your vehicle you can walk back to it and drive home if things get to bad and live to try it again with the experience you gained. Then you can make all the dumb mistakes your little heart desires. I have made many mistakes over the years and there is no reason to add to risk by increasing the consequences of your actions. I have a lot of experience at this and still have my own safety net. Mine consists of a reusable hand warmer and a 3 wick survival candle. It has been on countless trips with me, I never use it but I have it just incase all else fails.

**wareagle69** · 03-04-2010, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by your_comforting_company

porcupines have quills on their bellies? ?

huh????????? where'd ya come up wit dat??????????? look at my profile page see my little rompter porketa? i hold her by her stomache and pet her, yes thats right i said pet her if you go from head to tail then you will not get quills stuck in you, and as with skunks they are alot of fun to play with

**Ken** · 03-04-2010, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by wareagle69

huh????????? where'd ya come up wit dat??????????? look at my profile page see my little rompter porketa? i hold her by her stomache and pet her, yes thats right i said pet her if you go from head to tail then you will not get quills stuck in you, and as with skunks they are alot of fun to play with

I THINK that you missed YCC's point, WE.

**Deadly Tao** · 03-04-2010, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by Alaskan Survivalist

There are a million things to know and a million things to go wrong. Just don't have the time to write it all down. I do believe you will learn a lot by doing (more than anything you'll get off the computer) but there is no reason to risk life and limb to learn these things. You need a safety net! Stay close enough to your vehicle you can walk back to it and drive home if things get to bad and live to try it again with the experience you gained. Then you can make all the dumb mistakes your little heart desires. I have made many mistakes over the years and there is no reason to add to risk by increasing the consequences of your actions. I have a lot of experience at this and still have my own safety net. Mine consists of a reusable hand warmer and a 3 wick survival candle. It has been on countless trips with me, I never use it but I have it just incase all else fails.

I am glad to hear this advice because that's what we plan to do. Not only will the car be less than a hike away, but there will be enough equipment in it to camp in the Mohave desert for a few days, even though we're in a much more forgiving forest. This and the supplies at our site, which includes all sorts of first aid, some tents, food, water, etc.. Basically, we're going to bring camping equipment with us, but just try not to use it. Furthermore, we will have first aid, glow sticks, whistles, knives, and more on person at ALL times when we are away from the site. The challenge is simply to not use any of it or else we've 'failed to survive'. I am contemplating two-way radios, but I think we can save a lot of money by simply not being too far away to yell or use a whistle (the only time we plan to be a quarter mile or more from each other is if we find time to hunt or have camped that far from a lake where we plan to fish).

Again, I am glad to hear your advice, because it means we have the same things in mind as you, and I trust that you're more experienced than us.

**wareagle69** · 03-04-2010, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by Ken

I THINK that you missed YCC's point, WE.

maybe i did , i went back thru the posts looking for whoever put that down, was just curious who said it? not saying YCC did, thought he got it from someone

**wareagle69** · 03-04-2010, 10:49 PM

jeeze i keep forgetting my profile page is porky at a few weeks, but as i look at my profile i see my girl at several months old walking towards me

**SurvivalFaith** · 03-05-2010, 12:00 AM

The most important camouflage in hunting is actually smells and sounds that you caused. human smell is strange and weird things to animals.

**Rick** · 03-05-2010, 12:02 AM

I guess that would depend on where you are. In many places, human smell is quite common to animals.

**SurvivalFaith** · 03-05-2010, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by Rick

I guess that would depend on where you are. In many places, human smell is quite common to animals.

especially for people who rarely bathe lol

**your_comforting_company** · 03-05-2010, 12:33 AM

WE I was pointing out that I didn't think it would be necessary to burn the quills off in the fire in order to skin one.
If I can get to the belly side of any critter, I can get the skin off it. I'm that confident in skinning. And usually without too much injury lol.

**Alaskan Survivalist** · 03-05-2010, 01:33 AM

The whole porcupine quill thing has been interesting for me. This is a belief that I heard from dozens of old timers. Nobody eats porcupine here. The comments have been revealing as to human nature. I once heard truckers talk for hours on the radio as to whether goats could climb trees.

**Deadly Tao** · 03-05-2010, 02:37 AM

Originally Posted by Rick

I guess that would depend on where you are. In many places, human smell is quite common to animals.

Very true. Yesterday I was walking and wanted to try out some stalking on my friends who were walking in the opposite direction to meet me at further down the road. I walked to my left a little, behind some trees and suddenly I heard a stick break further to my left. It was a doe about 5 meters away looking at my friends (same direction I was looking).

I'm not about to think it was good stalking, but rather the familiarity the deer around here have with humans. I bet it became fixed on the sound and movement of my 3 friends and I bet it just didn't think anything special of my scent if it had picked it up.

I spooked it when I walked back onto the sidewalk and tried to tell my friends to stay quiet to see if I could get closer. The deer around here have patches of woods all less than an acre large to live in. They're so good at living with humans, nobody ever hits 'em with their cars because they've learned when to cross the street.

It seems as though every time I get close to a deer, it's when I am just walking naturally on a hard, quiet surface. I guess that's some obvious evidence that it isn't the image of you that cues a deer to run. Of course I won't fool myself; these are city deer and they don't just live near humans, they live literally surrounded by them.

**wareagle69** · 03-05-2010, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by your_comforting_company

WE I was pointing out that I didn't think it would be necessary to burn the quills off in the fire in order to skin one.
If I can get to the belly side of any critter, I can get the skin off it. I'm that confident in skinning. And usually without too much injury lol.

thanks YCC apparently i still need help with reading and observation

Originally Posted by Alaskan Survivalist

The whole porcupine quill thing has been interesting for me. This is a belief that I heard from dozens of old timers. Nobody eats porcupine here. The comments have been revealing as to human nature. I once heard truckers talk for hours on the radio as to whether goats could climb trees.

actually goats can climb trees seen it right here on this very homstead, naw you say goats can't climb trees, sure they can just a particular kind, anyone care to hazard a guesss?