Primitive Survival Skills:
In today’s society we place a premium on survival supplies and cheap gear. But the fact is—what happens when we are faced with a survival situation that leaves us without gear and supplies?
For any caliber survivalist, it should already be a matter of focus to learn primitive survival skills. It might become necessary to actually use these skills at some time in the uncertain future.
Remember that all good plans have a tendency to go south—when you least expect it to. The same holds true for having survival gear and food supplies. Loose any of these critical items, and many survivalist are lost wanderers.
Some of the primitive survival skills that should be learned and practiced are as follows:
If you can’t build a fire without matches in the woods then you are basically screwed. It’s important that you learn the techniques for constructing a Fire-Bow-Drill, or some other methods of making a fire when the matches are gone. Without a fire you cannot cook food, smoke meat, boil water, keep predators away, or stay warm.
Having a weather tight shelter gives one a whole new outlook on survivability. A well constructed shelter will give you a base from which to work from, protect you from the elements, and provide you with a level of comfort and security.
Having the ability to smell impending rain clouds is one thing, but knowing what certain cloud formations mean are another. Smoke from a campfire is a very good indicator of the barometric pressure, and it’s possible to predict future weather trends just by looking at what the smoke from a campfire is doing.
Whether you are tracking small game or large game, it’s important to recognize indicators of what the game animals in your area are doing. Tracking is one of the oldest primitive survival skills, and one of the most useful skills that a survivalist should have at their disposable.
Traps & Snares:
Knowing how to construct primitive deadfalls, choke snares, and other traps will be of a great advantage to the survivalist. It’s a way to supplement food supplies, and in a worst case scenario, trapping small game will keep your belly full.
Water is essential to survival in many different ways. Without water, it’s almost impossible to stay hydrated and maintain personal hygiene. A good survivalist knows where to find potable water, and how to purify water using natural elements such as sand, charcoal, and rocks.
Primitive Tool Construction:
Having the skill set that allows you to build weapons such as the Bow & Arrow, Spears, bowls, knives, and other useful implements will go a long way towards insuring your survivability. Humans can do without a lot of things, but having homemade tools in a survival situation makes life just a little easier to cope with.
Knowing how to make cordage and rope is one of the best survival skills that you can learn. Cordage will always come in handy during a primitive survival situation.
Fish are healthy food that improve peak body functions when faced with a primitive survival situation. Knowing when and how to catch fish is also a very important survival skill that must be learned.
Wild Edible Plant Recognition:
Mother nature provides an abundance of edible food, if you know what to look for. Onions, Potatoes, Carrots, and Garlic are some of the first edible plants that come to mind. Yet, there are hundreds of other plants that can be used for eating, cleaning, medicinal purposes, and dying animal skins.
It’s just as important to know how to use landmarks, as it is knowing how to use a compass.
Having some knowledge regarding Celestial recognition—that is, knowing which stars can be used to navigate at night, will aid any survivalist in almost any situation.
Food Storage & Smoking Techniques:
Since it may become necessary to walk out of a survival situation, it is important to carry enough food supplies on your back. Smoking and curing fish and game meat becomes an essentially important survival skill in this regard.