Living in the woods/The Bare Wilderness Numptys!

[Shifty]

Thx guys.
I'm smart, and won't put myself into any situation which I don't believe I can handle.
I am going to bring with me plenty of extra food, as a backup for the first day or so, and emergency. If it gets dangerous at all we will be leaving immidiatly. We are planning to bring a tent, (so it basically is camping), because it will be our first time.
I am planning many backups just to add more safety (lighters, food, gps. etc)just incase we cant start fire using primative skills etc.

What do you guys think?

[crashdive123]

Good deal. Here's an idea that might help you. Start out with some short trips before you graduate. Ya know - weekend stuff. That way you guys can practice your skills, figure out where you need the most work, and then go on your longer trip with the confidence that you will succeed, be safe, and have fun.

[Tahyo]

Sounds like you are thinking wisely Shifty. Like the saying goes, "Better to have it and not need it than to not have it and need it."

If you do regular camping trips and practice certain things each time, you'll get better at things as well as find the things that you are not good at and either work on those weaknesses or figure an alternate way of doing it.

There is another thread posted somewhere regarding "Weaknesses". Quite a few of us weren't so embarrassed to mention what we were not so good at.

[canid]

i also find that in general it's no fun go end up in a situation requiring the execution of tasks, skills, etc. that you know you can do but find that you're not in a rhythm for pulling them together all at once, or in non-ideal circumstances.

[Sarge47]

Thx guys.
I'm smart, and won't put myself into any situation which I don't believe I can handle.
I am going to bring with me plenty of extra food, as a backup for the first day or so, and emergency. If it gets dangerous at all we will be leaving immidiatly. We are planning to bring a tent, (so it basically is camping), because it will be our first time.
I am planning many backups just to add more safety (lighters, food, gps. etc)just incase we cant start fire using primative skills etc.

What do you guys think?

I think you're a bright young man. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading this last post, it shows me that you're not a "Numpty", but a novice. If it were me I'd take Crashdive's advice and plan a series of short outings 1st, gradually working my way up to the bigger, then biggest one. I'd keep a log/record of each activity at each site & trip detailing what we did, how it went, and what we coulda/shoulda done to make things smoother. Here's a good example. Say my 1st campout was going to involve "fire-making". Stashed away in my backpack is my waterproof match container & Butane lighter, flint & Steel, 4000 Steel Wool, etc. My log reads something like this:

"Day one: Reached campsite around 3pm in the afternoon. Had camp set up by 3:45 and we set about to find our fire-making materials: Tinder; Kindling: & Fuel. Steve wanted to try his fire drill but gave up after 30 minutes, we'll try that again tommorrow but for now have made a fire the modern way...matches, and did it by using only one match, Boy Scout style. Supper consists of____________________, and I'm the designated cook so it's my job to feed all of us hungry outdoorsmen."

"Day Two: Woke up to an awful mess, we had a regular "Gully-washer" last night and the fire got washed out as well. The guys & me are trying to figure out how to start another one out of wet wood. NOTE: When back home study up on how to start a fire under WET conditions!" You get the idea. Every trip is another classroom experience undertaken as safely as possible but with a direct purpose. I'd write down a planned organized list of each proposed outing, where it's going to be, who's going, what each person's duties will be, what the back-up precautions are. and finally, the rating of how each trip went. Ok, good, great, bogus, etc.. Good luck, have fun, and keep us all posted. Oh...BTW, welcome to the "Wolf-Pack"!

[Riverrat]

Shifty, if you are going off the beaten path, make sure you and your friend have a first aid course and a first aid kit with each of you, as a bare minimun. Sounds like ti will be a great time, good luck.

[Shifty]

Thx for all the tips!
I am definatly bringing a first-aid kit, and I have been interested in a course for a while now. Im going to take your advice and practice some skills up at a friends cottage when it starts getting a bit warmer out. I also just rented a book from the library on edible wild plants in Ontario, although i do not intend to eat a lot of plants on the trip (at least not on the first one, because you can never be too sure) Any more information i could get would be great!
P.S Would a .177 cal 495fps airgun be alright for hunting squirrels for food?

Thanks everyone for the advice! I am eager to hear more!
Shifty.

[crashdive123]

A pellet or BB gun can take small game. Don't know what the laws are in your area regarding their use and hunting. Worth checking into.

[SGTD00m]

Shifty if your interested in First Aid i can hook up with some great Army first Aid manuals and take at home course to get threw basic first aid. However nothing beats hands on practice with first aid skills. Also you said u planning practicing your skill up at a friends cottage when it gets a lot warmer for some skills all u need is your back yard. When ever i get new hiking gear or before i go on extended trips i always spend some time in my backyard practicing. I am sure my neighbors wonder y i am out back using a fire plow to light my barbeque or y i am setting tents up in the pouring rain but it helps to sharpen skills before u really need them.

[beerrunner13]

Shifty if your interested in First Aid i can hook up with some great Army first Aid manuals and take at home course to get threw basic first aid. However nothing beats hands on practice with first aid skills. Also you said u planning practicing your skill up at a friends cottage when it gets a lot warmer for some skills all u need is your back yard. When ever i get new hiking gear or before i go on extended trips i always spend some time in my backyard practicing. I am sure my neighbors wonder y i am out back using a fire plow to light my barbeque or y i am setting tents up in the pouring rain but it helps to sharpen skills before u really need them.

Great point I trained my nephews out in the fields at the farm before they ever got to go into the woods with me. My wife gets "classes" in the back yard almost every weekend. She likes little campfires and sitting and watchingthe fire sometimes, now instead of asking me to make one she goes out and starts gathering wood and starts it herself, she learned to set up the tents the same way. You don't have to be in the middle of nowhere to hone your skills.

[DOGMAN]

No, "Nimrod" is a "Tenderfoot", "NUMPTY" is "UK" for "Idiot!"

I was taught in Sunday School many moons ago that Nimrod meant "master hunter" and that there was some ruler named Nimrod who was the grandson of Noah. I don't remember much from those classes, but since I was always sitting there dreaming of hunting and fishing that kinda stuck in the ol' memory bank.

[Rick]

Hey, Montana - Right on the money. I had to look it up and it's just as you say.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod_(king))

[Sarge47]

I guess I'll have to change that to "novice" then, huh?

[Rick]

Hey, that's between you and the lightening bolts.

[Deadfall]

Hi everyone firstly id like to say that this is a great forum and i ve learned alot from reading it.
I am shifty's friend who will be accompaning him on the trip. We have done alot of research and practice and i think we are starting to get on the right track as far as our survival skills go, (trapping, plant identification, first aid etc) We have taken Crashdive 123's advice and we are going on a short trip one weekend in may to test our skills.
Thanks for all the great advice
Deadfall
BTW i chose the name because i was practising making deadfalls in my backyard b4 i made my account

[marberry]

im back after 2 weeks living in the sandilands wilderness and i already hate suburbia again might just go back tomorrow if the weather clears up (it was -13 last night) i actually made a prety nice shelter considering id only been there 14 days, sorta like an enormous lean to with 3 1/2 walls. after 2 days straight of rain i had to abandon it >_<.

[Aurelius95]

im back after 2 weeks living in the sandilands wilderness and i already hate suburbia again might just go back tomorrow if the weather clears up (it was -13 last night) i actually made a prety nice shelter considering id only been there 14 days, sorta like an enormous lean to with 3 1/2 walls. after 2 days straight of rain i had to abandon it >_<.

You can't just say that! We need details and pictures, if you got 'em.

-13C?

[Sarge47]

Hi do you want to go outghg

Your posts are sounding like Spam and you sound like a Troll! Please quit playing around & follow the rules which, BTW, include properly introducing yourself on the "intro" page or risk getting banned and your posts deleted!`

[Ccole420]

i would probuly bring

-small tent
-artic sleeping bag
-tarp
-dont feel like listing all the clothes, but enough
-fishing pole
-scoped 22 cal/ with enough ammo
-10 pound bag rice/ raman noodels
-skinning knife
-folding saw/ shovel
-estwing ax
-pot/pans
-10 diposible lighters and a refilable one/ flint striker
-flash light
-knife
-9mm pistol
-eating untesals
-Half ounce of Chronic along with a medal pipe

[skunkkiller]

skunkkiller here I think you guys should tell them some food to fined while out there and stop telling them what you think they should do .If they do this they will need some help on food . I would take a cup to boil water because drinking from a mud puddle sucks! I have live off the land in alaska for 6 month it is not easy but I took more then a knife . I took flint and steel , tin cup ,hawk fixed blade knife , pocket knife and parched rice and a 32-20 rifle for small game oh and a small fishing kit. I live in a small a frame cabin I build .DON'T COOK IN CAMP AND DON'T SLEEP IN CLOTH YOU COOKED IN OR YOU WILL MOST LIKELY WAKE UP OR NOT WITH BEARS OR OTHER CRITTERS!!!!!!