?? Outdoor survival training ??

[aironly]

I'm looking at taking some sort of an outdoor survival course
Any recommendations or tips ????

[Kid Hunter]

Go to the middle of nowhere with nothing and see how long you survive. If you can get out of it, you don't need training!!! And if you dont, you don't need training!!! hahaha other than that, no useful info for ya, sorry!

[wildprotien]

Not knowing your experience its hard to say .....
-First thing you need is a good map and compass course it will make you alot more comfortable travelling by day or night and probably save you from spending too many unwanted nights in the bush.
- starting fires is a must to know and the more ways you learn the more confidence you have in being able to survive.
- bow and string
- gun powder from your bullets
- cotton and a spark
- battery and steel wool or paper clip
- all the fancy stuff
- lenses from your binos of course the sun is need here not much good at night
- practice them all, just don't read about them.

- try to find a course on plants you can eat from the wild but not some hippy course ..... you will need to know what food is available in the area you hunt and at the time of the year you hunt.
If you are hunting in the snow there isn't much chance you will find some fiddle heads to boil up.

- alot of stuff can only come with experience in the bush, like knowing what a rabbit trail looks like to set a snare on it. Grouse also roam around on rabbit trails and get caught in the snares.
- smoke & fire attracts whiskey jacks {birds} so learn to catch them with a piece of string and fish hook if you have some scrap pcs of fat etc.
No hook, use a twig with bait on it. When they swallow it pull the string the twig might set cross ways in their throat and they can't fly away....act fast its your next dinner.
- I have practiced catching trout with the tiny red buds of the maple trees and tiny red berries that grow on the river banks { also good to eat} so I know it works. I've let horse flies land on my head, smack them dead and bait the hook. Sure enough the trout like them also......

-* practice sleeping outside this time of year even if its in your backyard in the snow with a sleeping bag{no fire} Knowing you can do this will help you gain confidence to survive ......
There are a few tricks to know also about how to keep your body warm in a sleeping bag.
Then practice it without a sleeping bag but somewhere you can build a fire...... not ten miles in the bush where if you find your skills lacking you might not make it back out.
- Food really is the last of your worries when lost. So I would say find someone to teach you " fire, shelter, finding water and a must course again is map and compass."
Remember sap flows from Maple trees so learn how to tap them. If you are injured it could keep you alive if you have no way to a water source.
Good luck ......

[Scouter Bear]

Check out Les Strouds new book Survive. Or go to the library and take out some books.

That is the best way to get the info and then get out into the woods and camp out there.

[Tripitaka]

I trained with this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mors_Kochanski

He is incredible, has written some extremely good books and in one of the most interesting and down-to-earth people I've ever met.

[Kevin So]

http://www.jungletraining.com/index2.htm

not training specifically for North America.

[Deadeye]

There's a pamphlet that the provincial govt has reprinted a couple times. It's a good size for a field guide and was how I got interested in wild edibles. It's got an obvious name like "edible plants of BC" or some such - I got it at the library. Although it's out of print now, I think you can still order them.

There's also a good booklet called "Bushcraft", put out either by the CF or (more likely) BCFS in the 70s.

Start reading up on the exploration history of BC. In the journals of early settlers there are little gems like the description of how the FN used to catch eagles (by hand !). I won't spoil it but it's an interesting read when you find it.
There is also a lot more practical info ;^)

The local museum/archives can be pretty enlightening as well - homesteaders would (obviously) build stuff that made life a little easier.
In Kamloops, apparently there's a native garden showcasing local wild edibles. I haven't seen it, but it's on my list when I'm up that way.

As for survival-specific courses, I don't know of any personally but orienteering and first aid are a great start. See if you can volunteer as a searcher with your local SAR group. You'll learn lots about being lost and how to get found if needed.

Then it's just practice - dropping your pack at the campsite and not opening unless you need to. You'll quickly see the problem with "survival kit" lists you see all over the net and you'll be amazed at how much you can figure out when you need to. After all, that's what shot us up the food chain.
Besides, most people will forget something they've been taught long before they'll forget something they learned on their own.

@wildprotein - yew and nightshade both grow on riverbanks in BC and have toxic red berries. What kind were you thinking of ?
Is it a good idea to counsel a newb to go out and set illegal snares ?

[boxhitch]

Depends what level you want to take it to

http://colt.bc.ca/

http://dev.outwardbound.ca/results.asp?CourseRID=153

[Wolfman]

Tom Brown's wilderness survival books are pretty great too. But like some of the other guys here have said; there is no replacement for experience out in the bush.

Funny tale about Les Stroud: Last summer at my daughter's baseball team barbecue, a friend of the coach was talking about Les Stroud. Apparently a couple of the guys there knew Les and told me that back in the day, Les was a total "Mamby pamby" city boy who wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near the bush.

So, something must have happened to Les that changed his attitude - and look what happened: Suvivorman ;-) I think that is pretty cool.

[knighthunter]

Join the army. They'll even pay you at the same time.

[wildprotien]

Hey DEAD EYE !!! @wildproten
Is it a good idea to counsel a newb to go out and set illegal snares ?[/quote]

- Illegal snares ??? In a survival situation ??????
Is it illegal to teach someone the proper way to set a simple slip snare?
Is it illegal to go in the woods in July and show someone what a deer trail looks like and how to set up a tree stand ?
Oh I guess I should add whatever you do don't shoot that Grizzley charging you its illegal to shoot Grizzley without a tag.
Its Survival the topic was survival he wants to know how to survive in the bush !!!! get it !!!!! Survival !!!!!

Got some news for "ya pal" get it ??? "Pal" its a joke .... if its a survival situation down to a choice of me starving to death or killing something thats not in season or its an illegal harvesting method Im coming home to my family.
I will call you when Im home safe and you can report me to a CO .....
By the way snaring rabbits is not illegal in alot of proviences so do we get to choose where we get lost ??????
DON'T WE HUNT IN DIFF PROVIENCES AND COUNTRIES !!!!
Some proviences have snaring seasons , open and closing dates !!!! People sell rabbits on the side of the road yes in Canada.
Ah gee I know there are trout under that ice but fishing season is closed so I think I will just sit here and die cause a guy on HBC said its illegal to feed yourself when you are lost or injured in the bush.!!!!

-Berries as with mushrooms are something you need field knowledge in to identify not just pics in books.
Judging sheep horns .... field practice is better than a book but a book is a starting point.
Yes berries come in all colors.... and alot are poison so if a person doesn't know what they are they shouldn't eat them no matter what the color is!!!!
My red berry comment you referred to: I really honestly God forgive me pls I don't know the proper name. It grows everwhere I been in Canada and we called it "cracker jack" . Thats not the proper name.
Main thing for me is I can I.D. it in the field and eat it.
- Why didn't you also comment on me giving the guy "fire starting tips" ?
You know sometimes there are fire bans while we are out hunting or hiking. Does this mean we can't start a fire to keep warm at night if we are lost or to signal someone to our where abouts ? Its illegal to have a fire durning a fire ban !!!!!!
- SURVIVAL tips ........... tips ......
Oh isn't it illegal to burn money in Canada and I think its illegal to burn the flag { not sure} don't sue me if Im wrong pls.
But if Im lost and thats all I got Im starting a fire with it .....
**** A Canadian Flag patch sewn on some Proud Canadians back pack was cut off and used along with a twenty dollar bill to start a fire this weekend by a lost skier on Whistler Mt.
A HCB member said it might be illegal to burn money and the skier should be charged under the criminal code of Canada.
Skier was also found to have a piece of picture wire in his pack believed to be otherwise commonly known as a rabbit snare in some parts of Canada.
HCB poster also wants this skier charged with "intent to snare".
- Can ya tell Im bored ....
-Your comment about the first nations people catching Eagles by hand, that wasn't meant to teach this poster how to catch an Eagle was it ?
Should I read between the lines did it mean something else ?
I don't care what it meant .....
--- Over and out ........ rant is over ... if lost don't use a trappers cabin it might save your life .... just sit on the deck near the door and freeze to death. Your family will be happy you didn't enter the cabin to save your life...... Im sure the trapper who owns it might call you stupid for not using it. He would rather shake your "warm" hand some day as you thank him then to touch your " cold dead hand" finding you dead at his front door.
Sorry Im giving too much illegal advice .... and thanks for trying to make me look like a guy that breaks the law for the fun of it.

[Wolfman]

Indeed, survival is quite a different thing from other forms of outdoor recreation and subsistence.

If your life is on the line, you do what you gotta do to make it through alive.

[One Shot]

I trained with this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mors_Kochanski

He is incredible, has written some extremely good books and in one of the most interesting and down-to-earth people I've ever met.

Was invited by Mors to attend one his courses to see if the agency I was with could see using his program. X2 on down to earth praticality.

[Deadeye]

Hehe...wildprotein...check your fire

Read my question:
"counselling" "newb" and "illegal"
Is that a good idea ?
No...not just cause it's site policy (that's for the mods to deal with) but because it makes us all look bad.

And the survival-at-any-cost stuff ? ...
That's kind of a no-brainer, isn't it ?
Hell, if the SHTF I'd probably gnaw on YOUR arm if you weren't such a bitter bugger :mrgreen:

Most of us here can probably tie up one hell of a productive string of trebles....but I'm sure as hell not going to suggest someone else should practice it enough to get good at it because, if they're reading it here, they're probably breaking the law to practice it and if it's legally in their toolkit and they're thinking about "what ifs", they already know how to use it and keep it on hand.
Showing someone how to make a snare will only show them how to start practicing. The illegal part comes in the practicing, not in the surviving.
We've all done it, but this ain't really the place to suggest that if someone hasn't then it's about time they should. IMO.
THAT is why I didn't address your 'firestarting' tips - getting proficient at it doesn't mean breaking the law.

The best thing the OP can do is get his ass outside as much as possible. Spending it in a class or reading opinions online won't do nearly as much. Grab a field guide and get outside and learn this stuff.
Get out on a search and learn how to move while keeping a straight line and paying attention both to what you're doing and what's around you.

THAT's what's important, not snares and berries - especially for someone new to the whole thing. Most importantly, HE will figure what skills he has he can draw on and what he needs to bone up on. Hence my suggestion about dropping his pack in the campsite and ignoring it - it's there if you need it: a stressed mind can't learn worth a sh*t.

@knighthunter: +1. Reserves are as little as a few days a month.

[gamer]

There is a local company called Redhawk training institute. They offer several courses. I personally have not used their services, but, I have looked into what they offer. They are located in Maple Ridge.

[wildprotien]

Deadeye get over yourself pls.
If you can help the guy with some tips to stay alive or where he can get info on Survival courses post it.
You can pick on me in private and I can tell you there what part of me you can start eating first if you have to in a Survival situation.
Have a nice day .....
To the guy who started this thread sorry it went a little sideways.
You can also search alot of things on Youtube.com on survival that might help you get a few tips you don't already know.... good luck

[Deadeye]

Hehe, ME get over myself ?

Too funny. :lol:

Sideways indeed

[fearnodeer]

#1 thing i bring is a handheld gps
#2 first aid supplys
#3 someway to start a fire

[IslandBC]

Hey DEAD EYE !!! @wildproten
Is it a good idea to counsel a newb to go out and set illegal snares ?

- Illegal snares ??? In a survival situation ??????
Is it illegal to teach someone the proper way to set a simple slip snare?
Is it illegal to go in the woods in July and show someone what a deer trail looks like and how to set up a tree stand ?
Oh I guess I should add whatever you do don't shoot that Grizzley charging you its illegal to shoot Grizzley without a tag.
Its Survival the topic was survival he wants to know how to survive in the bush !!!! get it !!!!! Survival !!!!!

Got some news for "ya pal" get it ??? "Pal" its a joke .... if its a survival situation down to a choice of me starving to death or killing something thats not in season or its an illegal harvesting method Im coming home to my family.
I will call you when Im home safe and you can report me to a CO .....
By the way snaring rabbits is not illegal in alot of proviences so do we get to choose where we get lost ??????
DON'T WE HUNT IN DIFF PROVIENCES AND COUNTRIES !!!!
Some proviences have snaring seasons , open and closing dates !!!! People sell rabbits on the side of the road yes in Canada.
Ah gee I know there are trout under that ice but fishing season is closed so I think I will just sit here and die cause a guy on HBC said its illegal to feed yourself when you are lost or injured in the bush.!!!!

-Berries as with mushrooms are something you need field knowledge in to identify not just pics in books.
Judging sheep horns .... field practice is better than a book but a book is a starting point.
Yes berries come in all colors.... and alot are poison so if a person doesn't know what they are they shouldn't eat them no matter what the color is!!!!
My red berry comment you referred to: I really honestly God forgive me pls I don't know the proper name. It grows everwhere I been in Canada and we called it "cracker jack" . Thats not the proper name.
Main thing for me is I can I.D. it in the field and eat it.
- Why didn't you also comment on me giving the guy "fire starting tips" ?
You know sometimes there are fire bans while we are out hunting or hiking. Does this mean we can't start a fire to keep warm at night if we are lost or to signal someone to our where abouts ? Its illegal to have a fire durning a fire ban !!!!!!
- SURVIVAL tips ........... tips ......
Oh isn't it illegal to burn money in Canada and I think its illegal to burn the flag { not sure} don't sue me if Im wrong pls.
But if Im lost and thats all I got Im starting a fire with it .....
**** A Canadian Flag patch sewn on some Proud Canadians back pack was cut off and used along with a twenty dollar bill to start a fire this weekend by a lost skier on Whistler Mt.
A HCB member said it might be illegal to burn money and the skier should be charged under the criminal code of Canada.
Skier was also found to have a piece of picture wire in his pack believed to be otherwise commonly known as a rabbit snare in some parts of Canada.
HCB poster also wants this skier charged with "intent to snare".
- Can ya tell Im bored ....
-Your comment about the first nations people catching Eagles by hand, that wasn't meant to teach this poster how to catch an Eagle was it ?
Should I read between the lines did it mean something else ?
I don't care what it meant .....
--- Over and out ........ rant is over ... if lost don't use a trappers cabin it might save your life .... just sit on the deck near the door and freeze to death. Your family will be happy you didn't enter the cabin to save your life...... Im sure the trapper who owns it might call you stupid for not using it. He would rather shake your "warm" hand some day as you thank him then to touch your " cold dead hand" finding you dead at his front door.
Sorry Im giving too much illegal advice .... and thanks for trying to make me look like a guy that breaks the law for the fun of it.[/QUOTE]
Actually I found all that info listed by you to be useful, I also agree in a survival situation it's fair game to do what ever it takes to keep alive.

[Surrey Boy]

Funny thread to revive.

[IslandBC]

I never read the date on this thread lol I kind of read the while thing then commented . Impulsive thread commenting I guess