What not to do

[Runs With Beer]

If in a bad sit. Dont trust anyone you meet in the woods, Unless you know them. The most dangerous Thing in the woods is a Human.

[davef]

HOP,
That Izula necker looks really sweet.
Hard to tell from the picture, but is the middle one a RC4?
Just heard that the RAT Cutlery boys are starting to ship RC6's out.

Why you got to start talking about knivesGuests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

[adurbin]

never give a 100 lbs. german shepard the other half of your bean burrito. i barely survived the night.

And THAT..my friends..is something Bear Grylls aint gonna teach you. Definitely useful information

[Sarge47]

I said i would not respond, but now i feel i need to. A person is not thin skined just because they want others to show them some respect. As for being tough enough for survival, I 've probably done more than many here. What the longest you've gone without T.V., internet, electricity, and indoor plumbing? I've personally gone years. Not days, not weeks, years. That means more than one. You have no idea who your talking to. By the way i don't studder either, but I do try to show people respect. Kind of like what I'm doing here with you.

I've lived like you've just described for over a year, & that includes through the mid-west winter. No electricity, only kerosene lanterns; an outhouse & an outside pump for water, that was it. (we were learning to cope with sub-zero weather for an Alaskan adventure that never came off.) Back then the internet was something a Mississippi fisherman told you where, hopefully, the catfish go.(inter the net.) I've posted on this quite a bit, talking about my best friend who recently died of bone cancer, learning. as a 12 year-old 98 lb. weakling, how to defend myself on the tough streets of the neighborhood I lived in in Chicago, my mother who died of Alzhimers at 63, my dad who was both a diabetic and an alcoholic who died at 58, my cousin whom I encouraged to join the Marines & got his young butt shipped over to 'Nam, came back without a scratch, only to slowly kill himself at 55 (he was my age) with drugs & alcohol; my brother's oldest daughter killed 6 weeks before her 18th birthday when a semi hit her little Pontiac Sunbird broadside; & my wife's sister, murdered horribly by her soon-to-be ex-husband who's a free man today. (ironically he seems to be the only survivor.) With all due respect, you don't have the exclusive on going through tough times; just please understand, some of us might not want to keep bringing it up.

[backtobasics]

I've lived like you've just described for over a year, & that includes through the mid-west winter. No electricity, only kerosene lanterns; an outhouse & an outside pump for water, that was it. (we were learning to cope with sub-zero weather for an Alaskan adventure that never came off.) Back then the internet was something a Mississippi fisherman told you where, hopefully, the catfish go.(inter the net.) I've posted on this quite a bit, talking about my best friend who recently died of bone cancer, learning. as a 12 year-old 98 lb. weakling, how to defend myself on the tough streets of the neighborhood I lived in in Chicago, my mother who died of Alzhimers at 63, my dad who was both a diabetic and an alcoholic who died at 58, my cousin whom I encouraged to join the Marines & got his young butt shipped over to 'Nam, came back without a scratch, only to slowly kill himself at 55 (he was my age) with drugs & alcohol; my brother's oldest daughter killed 6 weeks before her 18th birthday when a semi hit her little Pontiac Sunbird broadside; & my wife's sister, murdered horribly by her soon-to-be ex-husband who's a free man today. (ironically he seems to be the only survivor.) With all due respect, you don't have the exclusive on going through tough times; just please understand, some of us might not want to keep bringing it up.

I did not bring up the hard times, you brought it up right now in this post. But since you brought it up, we have a lot in common. I broke my back in a car accident in 1987 with a year and a half old baby and one on the way. My father was also an alcoholic. My mother went through 4 husbands. My ol lady left me and the kids while i was handicaped and could not work. I can go on. This is not suppose to be a pitty party. We lived in the bay area and i was once a heroin addict. The time i speak of in the desert with out the modern amenities was not a sob story, it was a fact and i enjoyed it. I will never go back to the city. Sometimes I wish i was back there again. Thats why my handle is backtobasics.
I didn't have to live that way, I chose to. It was what was good for me at the time. There are 2 reasons i don't live that way anymore. 1) My kids
2) most woman don't want to live like that and I wanted to get laid again someday Look man we have a lot in common, we got off on the wrong foot. Lets just let it go.

[HOP]

HOP,
That Izula necker looks really sweet.
Hard to tell from the picture, but is the middle one a RC4?
Just heard that the RAT Cutlery boys are starting to ship RC6's out.

Davef the izula is a prototype I won from Rat cutlery it doesn,t have the coating and yes it is a RC4 . the rc-6 are out but slow. I have 2 Ontario RAT7s in D-2 and most likely won't get a RC6

I have to agree about the Dogs and burritos I drove the rental van with my stuff from TX to WV with two big dogs and it was ruff as they really like Taco bell.

I can say you can never tell how accurate the info is on the internet usually best taken with a grain of salt, some times you get salty truth and some times you get salty BS , I do think most on this forum are good honest folks that are trying to share things that will help. The realistic facts are that many don't see things from the same plain or think their experence trumps anothers and when you step on someones toes it is silly to think that everyone should give you a by on it. A thick skin helps but being out of line is being out of line , you can never really take back things you say assuming you sincerly wanted to and comparing scars doesn't fix much.

[klkak]

OK, I've been out for a few days. I get back and......,

I'm sorry I wasn't here to take some of the heat off you Sarge. You know I'm a sucker for "dumb questions", "thin skinned newbies" and folks who can't figure out how to use the spell check. Man do I love this forum!!!

[Sarge47]

OK, I've been out for a few days. I get back and......,

I'm sorry I wasn't here to take some of the heat off you Sarge. You know I'm a sucker for "dumb questions", "thin skinned newbies" and folks who can't figure out how to use the spell check. Man do I love this forum!!!

Newby wants Survival stories, I gave him the nutshell version of mine & I don't know if it accomplished anything. You got any? I forgot to mention the time the Semi slammed into my School bus & totaled it out. It was on the highway and we were both doing 55 going in opposite directions. Driver fell asleep I guess. I was back to work 2 hours later & made the front page of our local paper with them calling me a hero. All's I did was live through it.

[Fletcher]

OK, I've been out for a few days. I get back and......,

I'm sorry I wasn't here to take some of the heat off you Sarge. You know I'm a sucker for "dumb questions", "thin skinned newbies" and folks who can't figure out how to use the spell check. Man do I love this forum!!!

ditto !!!!!

[davef]

Shameless thread hack...

Davef the izula is a prototype I won from Rat cutlery

Ahh....so you were one of those who won the prototype eh?

I've got an Ontario TAK in D-2.
Came with worst edge I've ever seen on a knife. Took lots of re-profiling
to get it fixed up. Convexed it (by hand).

it doesn,t have the coating and yes it is a RC4 . the rc-6 are out but slow. I have 2 Ontario RAT7s in D-2 and most likely won't get a RC6

My knife buying days are over. I've got what I want now, and don't see a
need for anything else. I remember in my grandpa's day, you got something
that worked, and you used it. When it broke, or wore out, you went and
bought something new. "Collecting" was like a dirty word.

[klkak]

Newbie wants Survival stories, I gave him the nutshell version of mine & I don't know if it accomplished anything. You got any?

Have I got survival stories! You are asking me if I got survival stories? Yea, I got survival stories. I just have to be in the right frame of mind to share them.

[go2ndAmend]

Don't feel too bad Backtobasics. You have just received a typical response. Go ahead and ask your questions, many who view this forum like to hear them.

[Sarge47]

Don't feel too bad Backtobasics. You have just received a typical response. Go ahead and ask your questions, many who view this forum like to hear them.

Yo Go! I've just checked & couldn't find an "intro" by you. Maybe that's why the rest of the group has not warmed up to you. Why don't you quit whinin' about things that are of your own making?

[Runs With Scissors]

I lived in the high desert of Nevada. North west of pyramid lake. 60 miles from the nearest grocery store. 30 miles of that 60 was dirt road. We went in once a month unless we needed something right away. I did have a propane frig. Some of our light was oil lamps and toward the end i hooked up some 12volt lights and 12volt water pump to pump water from a storage tank. Eventually i built a small septic out of a 55 gal drum so that when the weather was real bad the kids would not have to go outside. I left there in 1999. So I'm kinda spoiled now and getting a little soft. I still own the property and now live about 65 miles north of there in a small town of about 12,000. Before I left I was working on drilling my own well with one of those rigs with a lawn mower engine. I never did finish that and sold the rig. I don't make it out that way much anymore. I've been spending more time in the sierra mountains. I'm thinking about scouting out a place to build a camp up there and would like to learn some living off the land skills, thats why I'm here.

I can already tell you that just reading stories won't help a whole lot with what it is that you want to learn.
The only education is seeing and doing.
I learned a lot on solo camps not far from the house when I was a kid. Especially about how quickly hypothermia can snake it's way up your back.

The main thing I tell people NOT to do is get excited. Keep a cool head, don't rush (you'll only end up f--king up or hurting yourself or both). Follow the three C's: Calm, cool, collected.

I say the Shepard's Prayer a LOT...and I mean Alan Shepard's prayer: "Oh Lord, please don't let me f--k this up...Amen."

Books are excellent and I'll recommend "Bushcraft" by Mors Kochanski or "Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Living" by John and Geri McPhereson to anybody. That way you've got a visual reference, pick one skill a week and learn it. Then practice the dog s--t out of it until you OWN it.

There is no substitute for two things: Knowledge and personal experience.

Hope that helps.

[backtobasics]

I can already tell you that just reading stories won't help a whole lot with what it is that you want to learn.
The only education is seeing and doing.
I learned a lot on solo camps not far from the house when I was a kid. Especially about how quickly hypothermia can snake it's way up your back.

The main thing I tell people NOT to do is get excited. Keep a cool head, don't rush (you'll only end up f--king up or hurting yourself or both). Follow the three C's: Calm, cool, collected.

I say the Shepherd's Prayer a LOT...and I mean Alan Shepherd's prayer: "Oh Lord, please don't let me f--k this up...Amen."

Books are excellent and I'll recommend "Bushcraft" by Mors Kochanski or "Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Living" by John and Geri McPhereson to anybody. That way you've got a visual reference, pick one skill a week and learn it. Then practice the dog s--t out of it until you OWN it.

There is no substitute for two things: Knowledge and personal experience.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the insite. I figured i should take baby steps, but I thought that someone might have some advice that i did not think of. That is why i posted this thread in the first place.

[Dennis K.]

All fixed, all's well...

[Runs With Scissors]

Thank you for the insite. I figured i should take baby steps, but I thought that someone might have some advice that i did not think of. That is why i posted this thread in the first place.

It's hard to give advice when we don't know what your skill level is. When you say "noob" most of automatically think you're a follower of the Discovery Channel and think that's all there is to it.

It's also damned near (if not completely) impossible to teach someone these types of skills over the internet.

So recommendations and trying to relay personal experiences are the only "advice" we can give, and really about the best we can do.

I noticed in your intro you'd asked for plant books. Peterson's Field Guides are always great, and anything by Christopher Nyerges is excellent. Chris knows his stuff.

"Living off the land" has a technical name, which is "Bushcraft"...which is why I recommended Kochanski's and the Mcpheresons' books. They've been there and done it for many MANY years, and their instructions are A-1. They show you everything from how to hold a knife for certain jobs, to cordage making, to how to knock spalls out of Obsidian and Chert. But for the most part, "Living off the land" takes years of practice and learning before you can do it right. Not just a few words from seasoned vets.
You have to know the seasons of the plants, when it's best to harvest them. Where they grow, what they look like, how to prepare them for storage, etc...
What materials make the best fire the quickest.
Where the small animals run, as well as the deer or elk.
Do certain bodies of water disappear at certain times of the year?

This is just a knick in the surface. There's so much more to it than what I've just described. I learned from my grandparents and have been doing this kind of thing my whole life. So it's a little hard to gauge what somebody means when they say (to the effect): "I'm new, I need some advice."

My first advice is usually: "Take a course and then practice what you learn. Then talk to as many old folks as you can and see if they'll teach you. If you can't afford that, buy all the books you can find and read until your face goes numb. The practice, practice, practice. And when you think you're done, practice some more."

I will give you this piece of advice on firewood, I learned it quick: build your fire, before you make your fire. As well: when you think your wood pile is big enough to sustain you over night, make it 5 times bigger.

Not trying to be a *****, so I hope you don't take it that way.

[backtobasics]

Yo Go! I've just checked & couldn't find an "intro" by you. Maybe that's why the rest of the group has not warmed up to you. Why don't you quit whinin' about things that are of your own making?

Sorry Sarge I thought you were talking to me. I'll delete the post. Still a little harsh tho

[backtobasics]

Let's get back to basics...
The question was..."what not to do" yes ?

This question can be troubling...because it is the negation of "what to do".
If i tell you what to do...then you should understand what "not to do".
This forum is a "what to do" kind of place...which in turns points to, suggests, a "what not to do".

Both forms are of the same stick...just opposite ends of that same stick.

Personal experience can be tricky to recall and share, especially when most here are modest. These experiences are seen in the thousands of posts about "what to do"...since they speak of the personal discoveries each and everyone made during their journey.

"What not to do", is also troubling due to the vagueness of its implications.
The first thing that came to my mind upon reading your first post was...well...it depends.
Survival is funny that way...and the evolution of survival skills and their understanding is often "counter intuitive".

Did you know for example, that in the dark ages, monks started making vows of silence, because "to speak", was to express your own will...and "to will", was a sin.
Today, especially while talking about survival", the will is the foundation of survival...so "what not to do" is still a work in progress...for we are works in progress.

Thats a fair answer, and looking back I guess the question was a little vague. Things just got out of control. I just thought that maybe there were some rules of thumb that one should not do. For instance I was a mechanic and i could give some rules of thumb that one should never do. At this point i don't even care about this question. I'm a smart guy I'll figure things out. Thanks for your reply tho.

[backtobasics]

Of course there are rules of thumb...and things did not really get out of control...you are still here, and we are getting to know each other.

You know what people like ?
Lists.
A "top 10" list really gets people going...i don't know what it is about lists...

Here is my top 10 lists of what not to do:

1-do not eat if you are dehydrated.
2-do not eat plants you do not know or plants you think you know but have never tried.
3-do not go anywhere without telling someone.
4-do not go anywhere without the proper clothing.
5-do not make camp in a dry river bed.
6-do not underestimate your level of stupidity.
7-do not feed the wild life.
8-do not make hastily decisions.
9-do not exert more energy into a task, than that of the result of the said task could yield in energy.
10-do not jab a stick in the eye of a sleeping bear.

How hard was that? Thanks Remy No insults, no games, just info.