James Henry - Badass Survival Secrets: Essential Skills to Survive Any Crisis

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Jane Sheppard

Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-733-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62914-864-9

Printed in the United States of America

CHAPTER 1

SURVIVAL IS USUALLY AN UNPLANNED NIGHT IN THE WOODS

Each year dozens of American outdoor enthusiasts find themselves in an unexpected outdoor emergency. They get lost, injured, or stranded and suddenly find themselves depending upon survival skills to survive. For most people, thanks to modern communications such as cell phones and two-way radios, it is merely a sobering two- or three-hour adventure. In fact, with todays methods of search and rescue, the majority of missing people are found within 72 hours after they have been reported missing, most even less. However, for some who do not take the proper precautions or do not have survival skills, such an experience can end in tragedy.

The purpose of this book is to help you prepare for that unplanned night or nights in the woods. Keep it with you to help you make it through the adventure. With proper preparation for any outdoor activity, there should be little reason for an unplanned night in the woods. But, should you find yourself in a situation where you will need to survive several days, this book will have you prepared to do it with style. Survival knowledge and training pays off when the chips are down. Remember the acronym, LOSTLean On Survival Training.

North America still has lots of back-country in which it is easy to get lost or stranded. Even in the most remote country, however, most missing people are found within a few hours.

SURVIVAL TRAINING PAYS

Several years ago, when I was working as a wildlife manager in Georgia, I helped lead the search for a missing hunter in the rugged mountains along the GeorgiaNorth Carolina boundary. We were told that this hunter had little hunting experience but had received extensive survival training. In a blinding rainstorm, it took us two days to find the lost hunter. Much to our surprise, by the time we found him he had virtually established a comfortable homestead.

A sudden spill in a canoe can leave you stranded.

When he first realized he was lost, he stopped walking and picked an opening in the dense woods to establish a survival camp. He immediately put out ground-to-air signals. Realizing bad weather was on the way, he built a shelter under some overhanging rocks that kept him dry and out of the wind. He gathered plenty of firewood and stored it in his shelter. Next, he built a fire complete with a reflector to keep his shelter warm.

It was his fire that led to his being found. The hunters survival camp was so comfortable that those of us in the search party used it for an overnight rest before packing out.

When you first realize you are lost, stop. Do not wander around aimlessly. For every hour you wander the search area grows four times.

Due to his survival training, he lived comfortably through a two-day storm. He stayed positive and worked toward being found. He used the resources at hand to make a survival camp. Will you be like this hunter if your time comes to spend an unplanned night or two in the woods?

HOW TO USE THIS LITTLE BOOK

1. When you first get this book, sit down and READ it . Think about what you are reading and how it can apply to you and your outings.

2. Reread the chapter entitled Survival Kits and make a list of the items you need to purchase to put one together.

3. On a weekend you want to do something that is fun and educational, take your survival kit into the woods and spend the night using the items in the kit. Upon completion of the overnight test , be sure to replace any items that may be difficult to repack into a compact package. This exercise may also help you discover items you will want in your survival kit that my list did not include. Remember it is YOUR survival kit, so modify it to meet your needs.

4. This book covers only the most basic navigational skills . I feel this requires training that, like first aid, you should have before you start exploring the backcountry. If you havent had training in the proper use of your GPS or map and compass, get it ASAP. That alone can keep you from ever needing this book.

5. This book covers only the most basic first-aid skills . It is my belief that everyone who ventures into the backcountry should have successfully taken a Red Cross first-aid course. Also, those who have special medical conditions should be skilled in managing them.

6. Place this book in your survival kit so it will be there if, and when, you need it to guide you through a survival situation. It was designed to be small enough to fit into your kit, and concise enough to be a quick and easy resource when you are in trouble.

7. If you find yourself in a lost or stranded situation, stop, sit down, think, remain calm, dont panic, and plan to stay put . By gaining control of yourself in these first few minutes, you have increased your chances of survival by 50 percent.

8. When you first realize you are lost and in trouble is the time to dig this book out and use it to guide you toward a safe wait until you are found.

9. As a Maine game warden once said, Even in todays modern world there are many trappers and guides that spend the night in the woods with little more than what is found in a basic survival kit, they spend their lives doing it. Relaxyou may even enjoy your unplanned stay in the woods.

Take a first-aid course and keep your training up-to-date. You may have to treat your own injuries in a survival emergency.

CHAPTER 2

SEARCH & RESCUE

MODERN SEARCH & RESCUE WORKS FOR YOU

If you have taken the time and precaution to file a trip plan with a responsible person before your outing, then should you not return on time, you will not go unnoticed for very long. This will begin a series of events that will result in your being rescued quickly.