5 Important wilderness survival skills you should know!

by Patrick Bailey

Editor’s Note: Plan and Prepared welcomes Patrick Bailey to the site. Patrick is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them. He also enjoys writing about outdoor activities such as camping. You can find more on Patrick here!

Let me start this article off by saying that the main goal when you are out trying to survive regardless of the situation IS TO BE FOUND! Preferably alive. Surviving is not going to last long if you are not working towards the main goal of being found.

Trying to get the attention of those that come by the area, such as making a fire and smoke signals, trying to find your way out of the wilderness to civilization, or considering some other tips for helping you to be found. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re trying to be found while out in the woods.

Travel downhill instead of up. And visit areas with water, as this is where people tend to live.
Make sure to look and listen to find out if you can hear any people around you at all.
Do not panic while you are out in the wild if you think you are lost. Stay calm and consider how far you have come into where you are and how to make your way out.
Have something ready to signal always, just in case a plane comes by quickly. Mirrors, bright pieces of clothing, anything you can wave should be ready to go.
Stick to areas of open woods or terrain. This allows you to be seen easier and it also shows that logging and other types of wooding are happening in the area.

The more you know about the nature and world around you, the better you are going to be at surviving in any situation. Basic hunting and gathering skills are important, and having a bug out bag can all prove to be helpful in situations where you need to grab something, head out, and know what to do in any type of situation. It is also important to know more about the earth sciences – botany, geology, ecology and more. These topics can provide further information on survival in the world around you.

Those who are good at this have been practicing their survival skills for some time. These people know when to leave, what to do, and how to survive when they find themselves in a situation that requires them to do so.

Living in the wilderness is something that many people want to do. If you’re exploring the great outdoors, or if you find yourself in a new place, knowing the top survival tips is going to be a great help. Having the most basic of survival skills is ideal if you’re doing this type of exploring, but if you know which skills come in top place over all others; you might just keep them in mind when they are needed the most.

An expansive world is around you. From every corner of the world, every tree that has been planted, every person you come across and culture you learn more about. Survival anywhere that you are is important. If you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere or camping out in the woods for a few days, knowing how to protect yourself and survive in all situations can prove to be beneficial.

Do you have these important survival skills?

The Attitude That You Have

Just like waking up and starting your day on a positive attitude, the same is true for being in a situation that you might not feel is ideal. Your attitude can determine how far you can go or what you can get from this experience. Calm, level-headed, and ready for anything is what you need to be during any survival situation. Knowing the rules of threes is going to help during this time.

You can survive for:

3 minutes without air
3 weeks without food
3 days without water
3 hours without a regulated body temperature (depending on the climate)

You need to make sure that you get shelter, find clean water and then lastly, find food.

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Air is generally not a big issue, but if you find yourself in water then remember the threes. This will bring us into our next survival skills. Staying calm is definitely something that is easier said than done. There is a trick for those who find themselves in a sticky situation and do not know what to do. One of the best things to remember is SPEAR.

Stop
Plan
Execute
Assess
Re-Evaluate

These steps will help you get a clear head, find a plan that you can use and then meet the needs that you have without becoming overly anxious.

Finding Shelter

Shelter is one of the most important things to remember. If the temperatures are above or below average, or if you find yourself in rain; shelter is going to be your best friend
and what keeps you going.

If you brought shelter with you, such as a tent or tarp then you are in luck. If not, you have to get creative to find ways to minimize your exposure to the elements. There are many ways you can create shelter. Going into a cave, using brush and debris to create shelter, or many other ways.

Obtaining Clean Water Sources

Clean water is a must no matter where you are. If it rains, you can use the rainwater to drink. If you are by running water, then knowing that the water is clean is also great. Head water streams, morning dew, and springs are all healthy sources of water.

It is ideal for a person to have around a gallon of water a day. While, this might be harder to accomplish if you’re collecting water, it is good to know how much you should be getting to stay hydrated and how far off you are from that mark.

If you need to purify the water then there are many methods for this. Boiling, herbal treatments, chemical treatments and a series of other treatments can remove the bacteria and debris in the water. Water will help you survive .

Remember, alcohol can cause you to dehydrate. In addition, alcohol lowers your core body temperature. You might “feel warmer”, but in reality you should not consume it when you are cold. Use it sparingly, if at all while out in the wilderness. Do NOT consume it at all if any emergency should arise.

Building a Fire

It might not help you directly as a survival need, but fire is actually helpful in many ways when you find yourself in a survival situation. Fire can not only provide warmth, but it can make you feel more secure in many ways. It can protect you from outside harm, provide light, help with drying, cooking, and boiling water.

It is highly recommended that you practice making a fire in different weather elements. You may not be in the perfect weather to light a fire when you find yourself in a situation
where one is needed. Having the best fire-starting abilities is an invaluable skill that you are going to find is useful in so many different situations, not just survival ones.

Finding Yourself Food

Food is obviously an essential to living, especially in a survival situation. While this is lower on the list of needs, it is still needed. Luckily, if you get lost somewhere, there are things you can eat. From insects to small game, to large game and herbs around you.

Some of the plants around you, even the most common, can provide nutrients. Grasses of all types, cattails, acorns from oak trees, and conifers all provide food for you to eat safely.

It is crucial that you identify and know what you are eating before you eat it. Some plants are very poisonous to people and if you ingest them, it could mean death in some cases.