Underestimating ones
skills seems to be a common thread, from what I have observed. From the new
wave of TV shows, to the correspondence I have received, to several books and
blogs I have read, to interviews with several folks I have had who are trying
out living in the wilderness, we can pick apart any of the TV shows but one has
a few things right. Believe him or not Mick Dodge has several caches. I have
written about such things in my Feral Woodsman articles. This is a smart plan.
Backup in real life is a fact, and you want to cover your collective ass.
“Live free or die”
also highlights the fact most are not that well prepared, or did not have prior
knowledge about what they were about to take on.
Flitting into this
type of lifestyle is not to be taken as a lark, it can and will kill you, or
make yourself so miserable as to walk away from it. Trying to fix up a make
shift shelter one day before a storm is not prudent or very smart and can be
disheartening if caught in a storm.
Having food is a big
problem for most of these folks. Being properly prepared by planning in advance
seems not to happen much. Living hand to mouth is not romantic or fun, just a
bad adventure.
If on a day hike and
bad weather strikes imagine having to stay out there, find dry shelter and
warmth.
Trying this life
style without any money is a fact some have not taken into account. Take the
time to get a job and set yourself up. Sure you may hate it but it is only for
a short time.
Dining on fried flat
rat is not a goal but a means to the end, meaning it is an emergency only. No
need to have to live like that. Proper hunting skills and pre-planing would
eliminate that problem. Having a stash of canned and dried foods is much more
acceptable in the long run. Very few, in reality, have the real primitive
skills to be a true hunter/gatherer day in and day out. Short term yes, but
long term I think not. Thinking that you are going to generate some sort of
income from chickens or what have you, is not being realistic either. Hunting,
at best, is hit or miss deal, so you are responsible to fill in the gaps. On
top of that laws stop us from the harvest all year long. Canned goods have no
hunting limits, might not be the perfect feral answer but you wont go hungry
and that is the name of the game.
Trying to set
yourself up on a shoestring is a hard row to hoe. Can it be done? Sure but with
the proper knowledge that projects the dangers that lurk.
Training with a
master or mentor will aid one for the rest of their lives. Being naive is no
excuse either. The information is out there you just have to track it down it
is all over the net and a library is in every town. Then you practice a few
weekends at a time extending into weeks as you test your self. What I see is
folks brushing off some of the skills as a waste of time or they wont need that
skill. I don’t have a crystal ball but it is easy to see the future for some of
these Pollyanna non thinkers—Dead, and miserably so for days before the dead
date. We all have an expiration date you just don’t need to hurry it along.
It is a tough life
some of these folks have set them selves up for, and I for one don’t think they
will last very long at this experiment. Getting out alive is questionable for
some. Learning on the run does not offer much in return. Mick Dodge,has
people that back him up and makes no secret of it, a network is a viable option
that one should always try and build. Not many can live like exactly how they
wish, but a few small compromise options might be key. Education of your
lifestyle is an option one should grab and hang on to.
I do applaud the
efforts, of these folks but with some trepidation. Try to foresee any heavy
duty problems that can slap you down. Think of it as a profession and no one
gets into any profession with out study. Study is the key to a successful
career as a feral woodsman. These TV shows are going to bring a large number of
people to try and live like this in the wild. Mostly the young who think that
nature will take care of them, nature includes life and death.
By Dude McLean
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