The Outdoors is Not for the Careless and Unprepared
You see, venturing outdoors whether as a hunter or bushcraft outdoorsman is as exciting as it is unpredictable. If you’re not careful and prepared, the odds are against you. There's a lot you need to know about when it comes to going off on hunting trips. Today we'll give some of the basic info you need to know before stepping out and trying it out for yourself.
Practice and Protect Your Hunting Gears
Don’t wait until you’re out there before you unbox newly bought items. Way before your outdoor trip, know every nut and bolt of your gears. Break in new boots. Calibrate your hunting rifle using reliable steel shooting targets. Once you’re out there, second-guessing your gear could be fatal.
Create a Makeshift Shelter
Believe it or not, you can only last 3 hours without shelter in a harsh environment. And when your tent fails, how do you prevent yourself from becoming a sitting duck?
The foundation of shelter:
- Something to sleep on (foliage or moss as a mattress)
- Something to sleep in (pile of big leaves and debris as a blanket)
- Something to sleep under (branches and long grasses as roof)
Procuring Drinkable Water
After shelter, water is your next priority, you can only last 3 days without it. Don’t know where the water is? Out in the wild, animals navigate best and their tracks can lead you to the nearest water source.
Be careful though. “Clear” doesn’t always mean “clean.” Always filter out sediments and boil to kill pathogens before drinking.
Making Fire
Since the dawn of humanity, fire is man’s best friend (given you don’t mess with it). It provides warmth and illumination, cooks your food, wards off bugs and predators, and boosts your morale (the movie “Cast Away”, anyone?).
For this, learn how to make fire the primitive way - hand drill, bow drill, rocks sparks - because your lighter and matches are not failsafe.
How to make a fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O3Bj8JFcTc
Tying knots
You’re nuts knowing knotting knots not (I can wait). Seriously though, knowing the basic knots like bowline and prussic is critical for building strong shelter, trapping, and general tying purposes. The best way to learn knots is thru a visual demo like on Youtube and doing it yourself.
How to tie knots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn6UcgvVzJY
