Would You Survive in the Wild?
Do you have any bushcraft skills? If you were to become lost in the wild do you have the skills necessary to erect a shelter, start a fire, locate some water and find some nutritious food? And would you be able to recognise what is safe to eat?
Living, as we do, in our supermarket served modern world many people have lost touch with the sources of their food. Some children grow up in cities with hardly any idea of where vegetables come from or, in some cases, where certain meats come from. I once taught a young guy who didn’t know that burgers were made from beef. I don’t know what he thought they were made out of.
There are no convenience stores or all night supermarkets in the wilderness. You really need to be able to identify what is safe to eat and what is potentially harmful. If you are a fan of the Bear Grylls survival television programs you will be familiar with how he makes a point of catching and eating whatever is available wherever he finds himself. Something you may have noticed is that Bear is never without his bushcraft knife, an essential survival tool.
Wild berries can be a valuable form of food. Our ancient ancestors would have gathered nuts, berries and grain when in season with expert knowledge regarding what is good and safe to eat. But there are many berries which can be deadly poisonous.
Yew berries are very poisonous causing many poisonings every year. The berries are scarlet in colour and about 8 to 10mm in diameter. The berries look deceptively appetising which has resulted in many young children being taken to the emergency room.
Another berry that results in many visits to the hospital emergency room each year is Deadly Nightshade. The clue is in the name. Also known as Belladonna this plant also produces berries in September and they taste quite sweet, making them attractive to young children.
Insects can be a valuable source of energy, but many find the thought of eating them distasteful. Most insects are actually edible, but some taste better than others. Most insects are actually very high in protein but low in fat.Crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms and wood grubs are all a safe bet. Most taste better after cooking and can even be ground up into an insect flour that can be added to a basic bread mix.
Birds, rabbits and other small animals are all generally good to eat, but not so easy to catch. This especially true if you are lost in the wild without any form of weapon. Without a weapon a trap is probably your best option for catching a bird or rabbit.
You may have read this thinking that you will never be lost in the wild, so desperately hungry that you would eat your own socks. But it really could happen to you. All you need to do is stray from a main pathway through a forest and you can quickly become disoriented and be unable to find your way back to the path. That’s when you’ll wish you’d paid more attention to Ray Mears Extreme Survival.
