Traps & Tools for Living Off the Land

Is it better to rely on hunting with a rifle or bow or to use traps instead? And should I focus on small game or big game?

With regards to food procurement tools, why not use both? This allows you to utilize both a passive and active approach to procuring wild game. Out of the two, the passive act of trapping is far more efficient as the trapline does the work for you while you are back home or out hunting. My preferred setup is to have at least three dozen snares or Conibears set out. Once those are in place, I can use the rest of my time walking the land with my .22 rifle for any moments of opportunity for taking wild game. In recent years, I have switched over to a Hatsan 125 air rifle which is a .25 caliber and has excellent stopping power for shots on small game at 40+ yards. For big game, I prefer a scoped Savage .308.

A #110 Conibear, spool of snare wire, rat trap, and commercial snare for small game.

There’s a reason that most native cultures throughout the world focused on small game procurement on a daily basis in addition to large game as the former is far more plentiful. A deer will last a family of four for seven days and is a great addition to the daily menu but squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, beavers, and other rodents are far easier to procure on a consistent basis until you can take down a deer or elk. Squirrels, in particular, have a very high amount of interstitial fat, making them an excellent meat source preferable to lean rabbit meat. So, concentrate your efforts on the smaller critters along with attempting to procure a deer or elk.

A New Survival Book by Tony Nester- Survival Q & A: Practical Solutions for Staying Alive

Now available on Amazon Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and other digital platforms

Can you really get water in the desert from a solar still? Should you ever attempt to suture a wound, Rambo style, in the backcountry? What is the best treatment for a rattlesnake bite? How do you distinguish cougar tracks from dog tracks? Should you drink from your swimming pool during an urban disaster? How do you survive a night in the snow without any gear? These are just a few of the many questions survival instructor Tony Nester answers in his informative, and at times, humorous book. Culled from the past twenty-five years of teaching, writing, and responding to readers of his popular Practical Survival book series, Tony delves into the Q & A of survival as it relates to forest, desert, jungle, and urban settings along with the often misunderstood realm of living off the land. Survival Q & A is now available as an eBook on Amazon and other ereaders.

Bug-Out Gear for Travelers

 Bug-Out Gear for Travelers

I travel a great deal in my work as a survival instructor. For much of my that time, I can easily pack up my truck and have enough gear to take care of my needs on the road for a week. At other times, I fly throughout the US or abroad and all of my well-laid plans for a bug-out bag modified drastically to comply with various federal and international restrictions.

I think this is the case for many travelers who are preparedness-minded. You have well-thought plans for handling a grid-down crisis at home or evacuating your city during an urban disaster complete with bug-out gear, a well-stocked vehicle, and contingency plans if the routes out of Dodge are congested. However, when you fly with restriction on your gear, you are thrust into an unfamiliar world where the location of medical resources, water, power supply capabilities, and major highways are vague or unknown altogether.

Having a few critical items and plans in place prior to boarding a plane or heading to another state can provide you with peace of mind and enable you to handle a crisis away from home.

A Carry-On Bug-Out Bag

I like having a small US Palm or 5.11 daypack with me on trips. These are built for rough use and are in the 2500-3000 cubic inch range allowing them to store snugly under my seat. In this daypack, I carry my laptop, shemagh, rain jacket along with extra food and clothes. These items are kept apart from the small bug-out bag that follows.

Within this daypack I have a small Eagle Creek Guide Trek Shoulder Bag that contains the critical bug-out gear. I have also used Pelican and Otter boxes and BDU Wallets but find the shoulder bag to be very compact and unobtrusive. There are also shoulder bags designed for tablets that are ideal. Remember that in a true disaster, you may be donning your gear for several days so purchase something that works for your body type and comfort level.

The diminutive Eagle Creek bag is kept within reach at the top of my pack. When I am out and about in the city or any time I am away from my hotel, it’s with me--- no exceptions. This is in addition to the previously mentioned Everyday Carry Gear in my pockets. This gear will at least allow you to deal minor emergencies in the event of a grid-down scenario where you are stuck on the couch for several days in Terminal Two.

The following is what I carry in my kit. A detailed description of each item and the reasoning behind it follows the list. I am already assuming you will have your cellphone, cash, passport, etc...on you.

Bug-Out Gear

Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets

2 N95 Dust Masks

Adventure Medical Kits Heatsheet Space Blanket

Leather Gloves

Mini-Roll of Duct Tape

3 Myoplex Meal Replacement Bars

Spare Prescription Glasses or Contact Lenses

Wet Wipes

Cellphone Charger

Universal Power Adapter

1-Person First-Aid Kit by Adventure Medical Kits

Obviously a knife is left off this list as the regulations vary tremendously from state to state as well as with international travel. You will need to check with TSA or Amtrak on their specific regulations and then for the given state or country you will be visiting. When I travel to Latin America I often come back with several machetes in my checked luggage and have never had a problem, even after an inspection. This is in addition to the Mora knife, Spyderco Endura and Leatherman that accompany me in my checked luggage. Any blades are secured in their sheath with a zip-tie or duct tape to prevent an accidental opening during baggage handling.

Additional Gear to Purchase after Arrival

When you disembark a plane or train, you already have a bug-out kit that will take care of a portion of your survival priorities. You need to make a quick stop at a big-box or grocery store to cover the rest of your needs.

Depending on the length of your trip, time of year and geographic location, you may want to flesh this list out far more than what I have here but this is a place to start for augmenting your existing gear.

Water

Three 1-liter bottles is a good place to start. In addition to staying hydrated, you have a simple means of purifying water using the Sodis Method. Visit their site and see for yourself how this low-tech method works using clear plastic bottles and UV rays. It’s an excellent technique to file away between your ears.

Sunscreen

A small tube, rather than a spray bottle. According to the latest research, SPF 30 is all that’s needed.

Bic Lighters

Enough said! One of anything critical is a weak set-up so I pick up two lighters and then leave them behind when I fly home.

Three Days of No-Cook Foods

Purchase some packets of tuna, jerky or freeze-dried meals. I also add in bouillon cubes which are a great additive to hot water for making a quick broth on cold days and it helps with replacing lost sodium. If you are a fan of MREs then, by all means, bring some along. From past experience, there is no way I am going to get that “food” down my gullet and my menu reflects that. If you have rations in your kit, then try it out long before you plan on using it. Some of the items on the market are comparable to chalk and will be hard to gag down in a true crisis.

You want to strive for roughly 2000 calories a day. Yes, you can live on survival rations averaging 1000 calories a day, as the packages indicate, but that’s a road to mental anarchy. Survival is hard enough so don’t skimp on quality food when assembling a bug-out bag.

My usual menu is to purchase one packet each of tuna, jerky and a freeze-dried meal per day. Even when I am traveling throughout the U.S in my truck I have three days’ worth of this chow in my rig.

Preparedness Gear to Have in Your Rental Vehicle

When I need to rent a vehicle during a trip, I purchase the following items (*) prior to leaving the city near the airport. The remaining items are brought with me from home and placed in my checked luggage.

2+ gallons of water depending on location and time of year* 

Can of Fix-a-Flat* Tire Repair Sealant 

18 ounce Coleman Stainless Steel Mug for heating water, melting snow, and more. 

Cellphone Vehicle Charger

This article is an excerpt from Tony's eBook, Bug-Out Gear for Travelers

9 Meals To Anarchy

The title I picked up while watching an intriguing docu-drama on the History Channel called "After Armageddon." A good show illustrating what a global pandemic might look like and the challenges of life in the years after the event. I am not one for these doom and gloom movies but this show had a panel of contributors which made it all the more interesting.

The term "9 Meals To Anarchy" was used by survival instructor Kevin Reeve (don't know the man but I liked the expression) when referring to how most people in the U.S. only have a 3-day supply of food on hand at home. During a disaster, after the grocery stores empty and your 3-day supply of grub is gone, then things fall are gonna get ugly for the unprepared.

Brings up the point of how much food to have on hand in your house? It all depends on YOUR living arrangements- are you in a house, apartment, dorm (with roommates), cabin, senior living center, etc.... I tell people in my urban survival classes to strive for 30 days if possible (again space dependent) at the minimum and then build up from there. I have some friends who live in a small town with a population of 200 who keep a 6 month supply on hand while others I know have 2 years. Adjust for your lifestyle, space, and budget but at least go beyond this often-touted three-day supply of food that is bandied about.

What kind of food, you say? There are three main areas to gather up:

1. Canned Goods (especially veges like corn, green beans, etc...)
2. Dehydrated or Freeze-dried (jerky or backpacking-style meals from Mountain Home)
3. Dry Goods like rice, beans, lentils, oats, millet, quinoa and so on.

We have a blend of all three at home and the above is identical to what we eat on a regular basis. Don't just buy a 60-day supply of MREs. Your body is already going to be stressed to the max during an urban crisis  and will need some decent, comforting foods so stock up on chow you normally consume. Plus MREs, to me, have a serious Gag factor!

Lastly, don't forget to look at how you are going to cook your meals when the grid is down for a week. That's the nice thing about the dehydrated and freeze dried foods is that they can be quickly rehydrated with a few cups of boiling water. The rest of the food can be heated on a campstove or campfire.

Buy a few extra cans, grains and supplies each time you shop and you will be on your way to increasing your food supplies and avoiding the "9 Meals" predicament. Your belly (and family will thank you). Oh, and don't forget about your four-legged friends and their food requirements.

Stay safe,
Tony Nester

Recent Urban Survivor Course in Scottsdale, AZ

Just taught a one-day Urban Survival class at the Scottsdale Gun Club this past weekend. We had a full house of 39 students! Along with many good questions on pre-disaster issues, there were considerable, useful tidbits by several EMTs in the audience.


The class was a blend of lecture, group activities, and individual evacuation planning strategies. The focus was not on looking at each individual disaster type but on how to develop a self-reliant mindset and lifestyle by acquiring the necessary skill sets.

It wasn't hard to find a personal example as we, as a family, had to pull out of our home two weeks prior due to the annual, summer wildfire threat. This one caused by an arsonist on the loose who started 20 fires only 1/4 mile from where we live in the woods.

I led off with this and we delved into other areas listed below

-Planning and preparation as the keystone to self-reliance and a look at successful survivors
-When to stay put at home and when to bug-out
-The 7 critical priorities for surviving a disaster
-Home preparation involving food and water storage, meds, and more
-Evacuation planning for your neighborhood
-Bail out kits and shoulder bags for the office, home, and vehicle
-Water purification methods
-Sanitation and hygiene issues for long-term living
-Roadside survival
-First aid kits and common injuries
-Urban trapping

A question arose on how wilderness survival differs from urban survival. One could argue over the radically different environments and the obvious personal defensive considerations in a long-term urban disaster, but the fact is that the body needs certain things to stay alive. Dehydration, hypothermia, medical and hygiene issues, and caloric intake will rear their heads in both urban and backcountry settings. The body doesn't care where it's at! There are many parallels but the goal is the same: Surviving and extricating yourself from the immediate danger. More on this to come...

Thanks to SGC for hosting the course. They have hosted my 1-day Desert Survival courses in the past and are a pleasure to work with.

The next Urban Survivor, run by our company, will be on October 8 in north Phoenix as well as several others throughout the US in the coming year.

Stay safe,

Tony

Ancient Pathways, LLC
http://www.apathways.com/