# what NOT to do when faced with a survival situation



## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

We have a lot of people that know from experience or training things that are toxic or just flat out "touch this and you will die" so lets see if we can capitalize on that... I don't think we have any stickies here in this part of the forum so if we get some really good posts maybe this will be a good place for people to go learn some real quick tips on how not to become a casualty or part of a bigger problem while getting themselves sick or injured in the process...

I'll go first: 

Do NOT burn wood from a house for firewood, there are nearly TWO DOZEN toxic fumes given off from a house fire, do not burn pressure treated construction lumber for heating fire or cooking fuel. You'd be better off using it to make a better shelter for you or for critters.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Very good Idea, another thought about Canada Moonseed, It looks a lot like wild Grapes, with a couple of differences: first, on Grapes look for the little curly stem that helps the vine cling, Moonseed does not have them. Second: Grape leaves are finely toothed, moonseed is not. The fruit are potentially fatal if eaten in large enough quantities.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

There just aren't very many things imo that are black and white. For instance the vast majority of lumber in a home is likely to be completely safe. The toxins in a house fire are almost entirely from the contents although some building materials like vapour barriers and such may contribute. Treated lumber and lumber that has had certain finishes applied to it certainly must be treated with caution but most of the structure of a house is simply kiln dried wood, at least in this part of the world.

So many of the old "Rules" like "cotton kills" make me shake my head. The countless days I have spent outside with -40 windchill or worse wearing nearly all cotton clothes it truly must be a miracle I have survived If cotton kills it sure isn't very good at it. Absolutely cotton has drawbacks, and these days I wear a lot more down and wool but on the other hand I will never be able to get the images of some widely recommended "modern" fabrics melted onto burn victims out of my mind. 

About the only thing I can think of as a hard and fast rule is;

"DON'T PANIC"


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

When asked about what they would do in a survival situation, many people would answer that they would try to find food. In a survival situation food is the last thing on the list of things to do. A person can live a long time with out food, but can die in three hours from Hypothermia, so the first priority is shelter, even if you have to crawl into a hollow log. The second thing is water, a person can only live about three days with out it, and if it's hot maybe only half that time. With those two things taken care of, one could then think about a fire and food. And as CBH said don't panic.


----------



## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

cowboyhermit;324092About the only thing I can think of as a hard and fast rule is;
"DON'T PANIC"[/QUOTE said:


> That was exactly what I hoped would be a follow up post
> 
> thank you sir


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

As most of you know, I have a passion for collecting wild edible plants, which has occupied a large portion of my life. Some are concerned that there are so many "poisonous" plants that it prevents them from collecting, however there are only a hand full that are known to have caused fatalities. With that in mind here is a list of plants that are know to have cause fatalities:

American Yew
Azalea
Bane berries
Black Locust
Canada Moonseed
Castor Bean
Common Tansy
Ergot
False Hellebore
Horse chestnut, Buckeye
Jimson Weed
Lantana
Laurel
Mistletoe
Monkshood
Mushrooms
Nightshades
Poison Hemlock
Poke Weed
Rhododendron
Water Hemlock
White Snakeroot
Wild Cherries
Yellow Jessamine
Learn to Identify these plants and your foraging should be uneventful. Note that these plants are from Eastern and Central North America.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

After shelter, water is the most important, as mentioned above, but what if it's winter and every thing is frozen? The obvious answer would be to eat snow and or ice, however eating snow in a survival situation is dangerous in that it takes to much energy for the body to warm the water, where energy is at a premium. So don't eat the snow, melt it first and then drink it. This can be accomplished by putting snow and ice in a metal container and melting it over a fire, but what if you don't have a metal container? One way to melt snow is to heat a stone and place it on a snow bank and heap more snow on top, as the stone burns through the snow it will leave a column of drinkable water. This brings us to the next "don't". Never use a stone from the river bank as the heat from your fire can cause explosive spalling, which can result in serious injury.


----------



## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*The rule of three's*

You can live:

Three minuets with out air

Three hours without heat

Three days without water

Three weeks without food

Three months without hope

Always remove yourself from eminent danger first.

Stop and consider the rule of threes .

Throw nothing away , you will have a use for it that may not be evident at the time.

You have to know where somewhere is to go there so never expend energy and resources going nowhere.

Start right away eating the bait. People become weak and make poor decisions as a result of expending huge amounts of energy attempting to find their way out of the wilderness while surrounded by worms, grasshoppers, snakes and lizards. They don't eat disgusting things until they have lost body mass and then they have no chance to catch up. Choke the bait down right away.

The first priority is to stay alive . Your second priority is to be found alive.


----------



## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Many things not to do....

Wrestle a bear
play with snakes (right now it's lawyers)
try and pet the big kitty
get wet when it is cold
try and raid a neighbor


----------



## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Never get in a land war in the middle east, and never bet with a Sicillian when DEATH is on the line! 

Seriously tho, dont panic is probably the best advice, after that most things become pretty common sensical.. stay hydrated, keep eating, try to avoid blood loss, keep warm, ect.

maybe a couple of other less obvious things... concealment is not cover, shooting very likely will give away your position, some bears have learned that a gunshot means an easy meal...


----------



## WeekendSurvivalist (Mar 14, 2013)

cnsper said:


> Many things not to do....
> 
> Wrestle a bear
> play with snakes (right now it's lawyers)
> ...


Id say that's the best advice so far.

Sent from my iPhone using Survival Forum


----------



## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

No the don't panic is


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

A person could be as calm as a Cucumber in the face of a survival situation, but if that person does not have the skills, mental fortitude, and a measure of physical ability, that person will perish. You must have the skills, how to make an effective shelter, find and purify water, make and maintain a fire, and how to find food that is safe to eat, along with a calm spirit to effectively survive and thrive in a survival situation.


----------



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

A huge one after not panicking is look at your situation if it is cold you need to maintain your body temperature, you might live 3 days without water but you will be pretty helpless after 1 day.


----------

