Survial Plan in the Elk Woods

[WapitiTalk1]

WW's thread in the Doc's Office prompted this one (good web page on survival techniques by the way). You've planned your elk hunt in (insert state here) and you're finally there and hunting wapiti! On day 7, you're really into a good battle rhythm and punch in farther than you've been in the previous week. Several to many miles away from your base or backcountry camp, the weather turns bad in a hurry and you find yourself wet, exhausted, and a bit disoriented. Many a hunter has suffered the worst fate, beyond a case of borderline hypothermia by trying to "get out" when this occurs. Once you have wisely made the decision to stop and hunker down for the night, what do you do.... and, what gear are you packing to help you through this uncomfortable but survivable night? I'm not doing this out of off season boredom. It's important to have a plan, and the gear, to be able to "stop" and set up for the night. If some other elknuts have some real life experiences, please share them.

[JJ Overkill]

training has a lot to do with my planning. I always have a space blanket in my pack along with a saw, fire proof matches and fire starting material. along with that I have what I feel is a sound game plan for the worst case scenarios. if I ever find myself in that situation heres my plan. get to some good cover. hopefully some good tree cover. make a makeshift lean to. stretch my space blanket over the frame, cover the blanket with pine boughs. start a small fire in my living quarters. Im not sure how well I would sleep but ive often thought of the big piles of pine cone scraps from the squirrels shucking pine cones. I wonder if they would retain the heat like I think they could. I also have a broken down MRE in my pack, just in case something happens.

ive never been lost but as kids in northern MN my brother an I found a cool way to stay warm in the winter. clear all the snow from under a pine tree with low branches, brake off the branches of the tree about three feet from the ground, stand them up right and layered against the tree. making a small room under the tree. we would build a small fire under the tree, the pine boughs again would block the wind and keep the heat of the fire inside. lesson learned from our first attempt, shake the snow off the tree first.

[cnelk]

I carry the basics.
Space blanket and fire starter.
I would use the 2-3 game bags in my pack for more insulation or a makeshift sleeping bag
I would turn on my 2 way radio in hopes on reaching someone at the top each hour

[JJ Overkill]

thanks for the reminder cnelk, game bags! ive thought of different things to use game bags for, bandages for one. but never the sleeping bag idea, that is good as well.

on this subject does anybody have any experience with these http://www.rei.com/product/843146/acr-e ... tor-beacon

[bnsafe]

I will admit I started out the season with everything you need for the survival nite in the woods. but over the season I dropped all the weight I could including my emergency stuff. next year I will have a better plan on where to save some weight.

[kevin_t]

I carry a down quilt and an 8 ounce torso pad plus a good fire kit and sometimes part of a Lil Bug out shelter most times I plan on long days. The whole setup is 3 lbs or less. I often plan on being out all day anyway, unless there are no elk in the area. Sometimes I take a mid afternoon nap, so it's good to have.

[Indian Summer]

Besides all of the things others have and will mention... 5 Hour Energy. In case of emergency break glass and chug one! In 15 minutes you'll be on your way.... as long as your GPS is working or you can use a map and compass. I am dead serious.

[JGH]

I bring:

Calories of some sort

Fire that I can make in bad conditions

Water ... tablets

Paracord, to lash together pine boughs and make a floor, walls, and roof

Duct tape, to close wounds or brace injuries

Light of some sort (like a headlamp)

Communication ... I would bring that if there was anyone to communicate with, but ... I've been a lone hunter for the last few years.

But ... overall ... a few Clif bars, matches and firestarter, water tablets, paracord, duct tape and a headlamp are all very lightweight, and easy to carry.

I DO NOT use these for in-camp use ... there, I have other firestarter, other calories, etc. If you use your survival stuff for daily use, you might find that you have used-up the consumable stuff, or misplaced the other stuff.

[kevin_t]

Make sure your 5 hr energy has 5 hr energy in it. I opened one, totally unopened and found it empty last year.

[elkmtngear]

Something like this with a space blanket, paracord, and the SLIP System (Stolen from the "Sponsor Support" section of the Photo Contest)

[>>>---WW---->]

Jeremy: Yes, I do have the ACR ResQlink . It is nice to know if you ever have to push the button, the cavalry will be on the way ASAP, anywhere in the world. I'll admit the batteries are expensive @ $150 every 5 years. But that is dirt cheap when you compare the yearly activation fee for the SPOT that might or might not get out for you when needed.

Game bags: A lot of guys don't carry them because they can be bulky. I know! I used to be one of those guys! But if you vacuum seal them like I do now they not only take up less room but provide a good solid base for the bottom of your pack. Take a look at the picture. The coffee cup is there for size comparison. There are four Allen game bags in that package.

[Swede]

It has been years since I hunted that far away from my vehicle, but I still carry the basics including a space blanket and fire starter. BTW, I candle makes a good fire starter. If there is a chance of rain or snow, a garbage sack will make a decent rain coat in a pinch, and they don't take up much space or weight.

[Z Barebow]

Related question.

This year was my first year I have ever dug into my survival kit. (Emergency firestarter to build a fire with tough conditions- IE wet fuel from rain and snow)

I used up all of my firestarter and I for additional reasons, I pulled up camp. I talked to some other hunters at the TH and they said they never worried about emergency firestarter because they said they would use "pitch" from pine trees. (Use a knife and cut it off). What were they referring to? I know of the sap that weeps, is this something different? (I think the sap would a mess to deal with)

[Indian Summer]

Sap is the same. but there will be pieces of wood where it's coated on heavy.. not just the sap or pitch itself. My take on that... what if there is none handy? Buy those starter logs from Home Depot and cut off chunks. Include with that cotton balls soaked in Vaseline to really get things going and you'll be fine.

The most important thing: Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you'll be back.

Call me crazy but I don't do much. Yeah I carry fire starter and one of those tiny space blankets. Other than that I consider myself a mountain man and depend on my never ending care to NOT GET HURT. Exhaustion is my most likely problem. I tend to hunt like a DOG with no limits to where I go. If I drop too much elevation I down the 5 Hour Energy and pound it out. I've only had to do that once.

I carried all that crap for over 20 years. Blah blah blah. If I die in the mountains my wife and friends will know it was meant to be and I didn't mind.

OK let the criticism begin.....

[Mojostylee24]

Im with Indian Summer... I make a map for my girlfriend, and a copy for the neighbor, carry a film canister w/ the petroleum cotton balls and a water filter. I am really only scared of falling trees...so I started carrying a folding hand saw too this last year.

[Swede]

I agree with Indian Summer here. Besides I.S. should be fine wearing his Stormy Kromer cap. He would be warm and comfortable until help arrived if he ever got into trouble. That is, unless I happen to be wearing it when his problem shows up, in which case, I would be ok until I.S. showed up. Since Reliable Joe would surely let someone know where he left me, I too would get rescued, and be fine. I that case Joe's cap would serve as an insurance policy for at least two people. I apologize if this is getting confusing.

[Njdiverdan]

In 2008 I broke my leg whitetail hunting in NJ. Luckily I was with some buddies and we had cell service. I was also only 200 yards or so from where the rescue squad could get an ATV. But from that experience and knowing just how incapacitated I was from the injury I always carry a survival kit.

I carry two of the double size space blanket sleeping bags. I am a bigger guy so I need the double to fit. One for me, and the second as a weather shield if needed. I always have my jetboil and a meal or two. I have my water filter and tabs and I like to keep my 3 liter hydration bladder topped off as much as possible. Weather proof matches and a butane lighter. 10 solid fuel tabs. These are great fire starters. I also have 2 (55 gallon) drum liners.

I also carry a SPOT. I have had it for two seasons and i use it to check in with home twice daily. It has always worked so I have pretty good confidence that in an emergency either the beacon would work or after the second missed check in someone would be looking for me.

Water is always my biggest concern. Especially this past year. Later in the season the elk were up high and the water was at least a mile or two away. Would never be able to get there if my leg was broken like in 2008.

-dan

[Bullnuts]

All good stuff guys, but I would add a CAT 5 tourniquet and some combat gauze. I think it was two years ago that an outfitter in Alaska was dressing an animal, his knife slipped, and he ended up stabbing himself in the thigh. He bled out before help could get to him. A tourniquet is easy to use and WILL save your life if you end up with a devastating injury. The combat gauze is another good one. If you fall on an arrow, put a hole in your abdomen, or some other type of major bleed, you can stuff this gauze in the hole and stop the bleeding. It has blood clot in it and the new stuff doesn't burn like the old stuff did. Last, a chest compress is a good addition to anyone's survival kit. These things will come into play if you or your partner accidentally gets stuck through the chest by an arrow, knife, bullet, etc. They are sticky on 3 sides and will adhere to the chest. The 4th side is not sticky, which allows the dressing to burp. Having one of these will be a life saver if your partner ends up with a sucking chest wound. This is pure survival stuff, which I hope to never use on myself or anyone else, but I have all this stuff, along with chest needles, gauze, and some other stuff and it all fits in a small 6" X 6" nylon bag.

[Indian Summer]

I agree with Indian Summer here. Besides I.S. should be fine wearing his Stormy Kromer cap. He would be warm and comfortable until help arrived if he ever got into trouble. That is, unless I happen to be wearing it when his problem shows up, in which case, I would be ok until I.S. showed up. Since Reliable Joe would surely let someone know where he left me, I too would get rescued, and be fine. I that case Joe's cap would serve as an insurance policy for at least two people. I apologize if this is getting confusing.

Careful what you wish for: I have fleas!

[SilverDollars]

Howdy All.
It just happens that I put together an Emergency Kit / Survival / First Aid list recently. It has everything I might need at the house and things I might wish to carry with me in the backpack, truck, etc. other places. I hoped to make it as complete as possible. It might spark and idea or two for you in making yours!!! Here is my list:

Survival Kits:
[ The Kits Below are from http://www.firstaidstore.com AND compared to differences between the two kits]

SKU 0140-0707 for $26.99 --> Contents differences from SKU 4052 (below)

Instrument
1) Pencil

Sewing
(1) Sewing Needle, #18, Chenille
(1) Sewing Thread, Bobbin #69, Nylon

Survival Tools
(1) Fresnel Magnifier
(1) Signal Mirror, Rescue Flash
(1) Snap Swivel, Size 12
(1) Spark-Lite
(4) Tinder Quick
(1) Waterproof Paper

===============================
Compare the differences for the above and below kits
===============================

SKU 4052 for $11.40 --> Contents differences from SKU 0140-0707 (above)

+++ (1) Survival Blanket
+++ (1) Box Waterproof Matches
+++ (1) 50' 10lb Fishing Line
(5) Wound Closure Strips


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++ Extra Kit Balancing Gear +++++++++++++
===============================
SKU SH77BG
Mayday Solar Sleeping Bag $3.33

OR

SKU 0140-1222
SOL Emergency Blanket - One Person Price: $3.59
SKU 0140-1701
SOL Emergency Blanket - Two Person Price: $4.99

===============================
SKU L21
Waterproof Matches Box of 40 $0.67


************************************************
************** Additional Gear *****************
===============================
SKU 0140-1138
SOL Emergency Bivvy(tent) [ $13.99 ]

===============================
SKU 0140-1139
Survive Outdoors Longer 2-Person Emergency Bivvy(tent) $18.99

===============================
More below:

* My Survival knife and sheath (already have it)
* Leatherman wave (already have it)
PLEASE CARRY YOUR CELOX TO PREVENT BLEEDING TO DEATH!!!
* Celox packages(assorted)
-> 2 gram package $ 3.99 http://www.redflarekits.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?
10 X 2 packages $23.99 http://www.campingsurvival.com/cefiaidprstb.html
-> 8-Inch X 8-Inch gauze pad $24.96 http://www.redflarekits.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?
$22.99 http://www.campingsurvival.com/cefiaidprstb.html

-> 5-Foot By 3-Inch gauze roll $39.99 http://www.redflarekits.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?
$32.53 http://www.campingsurvival.com/cefiaidprstb.html

* Fingertip(cable) saw
http://www.campingsurvival.com/sportsmanssaw.html search: sportsman saw $3.38

* My folding compact saw
* water purifying bottle ->
Soldier Water Purifier OR
Mini Portable Army Soldier Emergency Cartridge Water Filter Purifier For Hiking $31.99 EBAY
ALSO * New Pure Ceramic Replacement Water Filter Purifier [For above] [$15.99] EBAY

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ First Aid Kits ++++++++++++++++++

[ Below from http://www.firstaidstore.com ]

205 Piece Outdoor Kit, Large Softsided Case - 1 Each
SKU FAO-440 Our Price: $21.83

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


THE OTHER ITEMS LISTED BELOW ARE ALREADY AROUND AND AVAILABLE TO ME.

* Flashlight(batteries)
* headlamp(batteries)
* NEW GPS maybe on phone
* Energy bars/foods {sm box}
* Ink pen
* Water bottles(4)
* Epi-Pen ???
* antihistamine tabs/capsules
* aspirin
* ibuproben
* oxycodone
* sunscreen
* skin lotion
* Carmex lip balm
* insect repellant
* eye drops
* antacids
* anti-diarrhea
* laxative
* steel wool

END END END

[Litenfast]

I am pretty minimal on my survival and first aid kit, but I do believe it necessary. The more you know the less you need, and none of it is any good if you've never tried it out or studied on how to. I also try to prevent the need for any of it if at all possible, but I don't think you can rule out getting hurt by being careful.

I try to have the minimum of Shelter, fire, water and some first aid staples or the woodsmanship to make these things.