Primitive Wilderness Survival Guide
Edited By MEG Raven
 

BONUS: Survival Forever, Vol. 5: From Sleeping To Spiritual Survival - A guide to natural survival if lost in the wilderness.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The information contained in this guide may contain errors, omissions, and downright seriously stupid stuff. Always verify the veracity of anything you obtain on the net! Some of this information could kill you if applied erroneously. We haven't taken the time to validate any of it - just clean it up and present it to you in a format devoid of all the headers and routing garbage. BE CAREFUL!

While I take full responsibility for errors in editing, all credit & kudo's belong to the author's of the various posts. - meg.

Primitive Wilderness Survival Guide Table Of Contents

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL CHEMISTRY: Back to Top

Making Potassium Nitrate. Rob Chatburn tells you how to produce potassium nitrate from common materials with limited tools. Possible uses include tinder enhancement and black powder.

Natural Sources of Potassium Nitrate

"Manure-factured" Potassium Nitrate

Barnyard Potassium Nitrate

Poor Man's Black Powder: Ron Hood gives the basic ratio (by wgt) for black powder.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL COOKING: Back to Top

WILDERNESS COOKING METHODS © Copyright Benjamin Pressley 1997. Abbreviated but astoundingly complete coverage of 14 methods of cooking in the wilds when you find you've forgotten to bring anything to cook with.

25 Food staples for walkabouts: © 1996 Dr A. F. Bourbeau. A chef can prepare just about any modern recipe using the 25 ingredients listed in this series of tables. Hope this makes your less than primitive walkabouts more enjoyable!

Clean Water/Solar Cookers : Jim Burdine & Chris Smith discuss the use of solar cookers in the wild.

No Pot Cooking: Ben Pressley and Howard Barker discuss various methods on the theme from a post originally asking the question by Mike Andreasen.

Automatic Chopsticks! No sense in being uncivilized in the wilds. Preserve your dignity & stop eating with your fingers. As long a there's a handy bush or tree nearby, you can dine in style!

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL CORDAGE: Back to Top

Cordage From Yucca Plants: Merv Martin, Chris Smith & James E. Burdine discuss methods of obtaining & utilizing the fibers of the yucca plant. Short asides on yucca soap & the Maguey cactus.

FAST, SURVIVAL BOW DRILL STRINGS: Benjamin Pressley shares an incredible article from his "Tribe" newsletter by Barry Keegan. This is a long article covering various aspects of gathering and utilizing fibers from many different sources.

Sinew Processing and Bow String: Ron Hood & Benjamin Pressley discuss the methods & problems of using sinew for bows.

Cordage - Types & Collection: Another excellent & somewhat lengthy post, this time by Grant Goltz, on fiber collection, processing & use.

Dogbane Cordage: Rob Chatburn believes Dogbane makes the best cordage. Here he tells how he does it.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL EDIBLE PLANT FORAGE: Back to Top

Lichens: Snipped from the "Herbal Field Guide to Plant Families" by Tom Epel and complimented by some notes of his own. The Lichen Division is comprised of at least 8 orders, 45 families, and 6,000 species. Information on the edible and medicinal uses of the lichens is scattered. Many lichens are known to have potent antibiotic properties, and many are edible. However, some lichens do contain toxic substances, so you should not graze randomly on them.

A Word of Caution: Tom Elpel gives good advice on what to look out for before taking that first foraging bite - or it may be your last!

Growing Wild Rice: A slew of posts on the topic by several writers, with a final informative post from Grant Goltz.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL FIRE: Back to Top

CARRYING & KEEPING FIRES

Carrying fire: Dr. AF Bourbeau & Merv Martin discuss the practical aspects of keeping & carrying coals.

true tinder fungus & fire carrying

TINDER VARIATIONS

Improving cattail tinder Washing in KNO3 solution to improve qualities.

The Fungus Among Us (aka: Innonotus obliquus): Possibly the only reliable natural thing, that is uncharred, that will catch and nurture a spark is a type of fungus that is sometimes found in birches or cherry trees - and it is amazing to see. This white rot attacks the wood lignum and cellulose differently than brown rot and is responsible for forming a material which is similar in many ways to charred cloth. For tinder, this stuff is indeed amazing. One very fine spark into it and you can't put it out!

More Fungi Among-I: There are also several other fungi that were used for tinder and appear to be superior to I. obliquus.

Fomes fomentarius, Inonotus and other fungus as tinder

TINDERS AND COAL ENHANCERS: by Dr. Andre-Francois Bourbeau. An in-depth analysis of various tinders and their uses. This article is a must read for survival fire starting.

Tinder can be classified into 4 categories:
1. Coal enhancer tinders (make a coal grow into a bigger coal)
2. Coal-to-flame tinders (make a coal become a flame)
3. Combination coal enhancer and coal-to-flame tinders (both of above)
4. Flame-to-flame tinders (quickly make small flame grow to big flame)

Charred Pith & Other Ember Enhancers A series of six short posts by multiple members on their favorite ember enhancers.

Cattail Fluff & Magnesium Match: Love that magnesium!

Magnesium Fire Starters: Various posts by the whole gang.

Bird down as tinder from an historical perspective.

FLINT & STEEL USAGE

Flint Supplies: A fairly decent list, by Ben Pressley, on where to get some flint & steel supplies.

Steel Strikers: Tom Elpel discusses technique for making your own steel strikers. Followed by article from Ben Pressley on his methods.

Iron pyrites and flint or quartz: Andre Bourbeau, Ben Pressley & Merv Martin discuss the found-on-the-ground uses for pyrite/quartz fire starters.

Spark Coloration: Andre & Ben discuss various striker materials & the color of sparks as they relate to fire starting capability. (color vs. spark temperature)

Historical Reference for Iron pyrites and flint or quartz: Tim Rast & James Burdine provide an interesting side note on historical use of iron pyrites.

Native American's flint and steel fire making tools: Andre provides data and links on the Am. Indian usage of flint & steel.

Fire Starting With Firearms

Fire Starting With a Flintlock: Keith Craig's method

Fire Starting With Airguns: Andre, Chris Smith & James Burdine discuss the possible use of airguns as a fire starting tool & the principles of the fire piston. Some discussion on other firearms uses.

Fire Starting With Shotguns: Ben Pressley's shotgun method of fire starting.

Fire Starting With Hand Drills

Buckeye Spindles: John Wall, John Waltz, Ben Pressley discuss the properties & use of Buckeye as hand drill material.

Mullein Hand drill fires: Andre & John Waltz on mullein use for hand drill kits.

Cattail hand drill: Kevin's cattail use & technique. Followed by observations from Kelly Harlton, Rob Chatburn, Mark Zanoni

Hand drill (& bow drill) fire Techniques & Materials: Andre & John Waltz put together a lengthy & informative series of posts, with input from Bo Gulledge, David McMullen, Matt Schoeffler.

Hand Drill (Floating Technique): By Bo Gulledge, Terry Morse, Andre & Mark Zanoni

Rob's Fire Board Notch Calculation: Rob Chatburn's method of calculating & creating efficient notches in fire boards.

Hand Drill..One more fire board: John Waltz's pick & comments by Rob Chatburn.

FIRE PISTONS: Multiple posts on the construction & use of fire pistons.

Fire Plows & Fire Saws: Multiple posts on the construction & use of Fire Plows & Fire Saws. Includes a new fire saw design/technique dubbed "The Fire Hole."

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL FISHING: Back to Top

Explosive Fishing

Fishing with Quicklime Bombs: Two posts from Jim Burdine on this weird method of nuking fish.

Fishing Fun with Explosives: Several posts from multiple members on fishing with explosive ordinance.

Fishing With Poisons

Rotenone and other Fish Stunning Agents: Multiple posts on various agents.

Saponin Fish Poisons: Lengthy, interesting, text from Thomas E. Elpel

Historical & Regional Fish Poisons: Highly educational article from Ben Pressley.

Buckeye Fish Poisons: Data from John Wall

Mullein Fish Poisons: A series of posts on the technique & efficacy of using Mullein.

Poisonous Fish: Ted Bailey warns of the danger of assuming that all fish are good to eat.

SURVIVAL FOOD PRESERVATION:

Back to Top

Smoking Recipes: Three interesting, but not very detailed posts.

Smoking and Drying Meat: Short post by Ben, followed by an excellent lengthy post from Andre.

Fetid Foods - Mmm, Mmm Good! Just because it's a little "old," doesn't mean it can't be eaten. You never know what you're gonna do, when you're hungry enough!

Food and it's Preservation: Merv Martin provides a lengthy article with several detailed methods of food preservation. Includes drying, brining, smoking & pemmican.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL FOOTWEAR: Back to Top

Tire Sandals: Excellent article by Tom & Renee Elpel on making & wearing Tire Sandals. Some details of the pattern may be a little difficult to grasp without the pictures, but most of it should be clear. To see the illustrations check out the Summer 1995 issue of BackHome magazine.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL HUNTING: Back to Top

Hunting With Boomerangs

Updated Boomerang Software: Some excellent leads from Ted Bailey.

Returning Throwing Sticks: Interesting article on techniques from Ben Pressley

Making a Boomerang: Great post by Tony Brazelton.

Hunting With Atlatl & Spear

Atlatl Workshop Review: Very interesting review (by Ralph Craig) of a day-long seminar on construction of atlatls of the type used by the Native Americans indigenous to North Carolina conducted by TRIBE. Interesting & informative!

Javelin accuracy experiment: Several posts on the Javelin & it's use as a hunting tool.

SPEAR AND POLEARMS OF THE 90'S: Kind of an ad for purchasing these items, but...

Hunting With Blowguns

Blowgun poisons: A short debate on the need for & use of poisons, with sources.

Blowguns: Construction & Usage: Several excellent posts by group regulars.

Hunting w/ a blowgun: Couple of interesting posts

40 cal. Spitball blowgun: While not exactly a weapon or hunting item, I can think of several modifications and possible uses for a liquid-filled, breath-propelled, pellet.

Hunting With Bows

Short Bow Construction & Use: Some excellent information in this series of posts.

Woods For Bow Construction: What kind of wood & where to get it.

Sinew Processing and Bow Strings: Some thoughts on making your own bow strings.

Oregon Bows : Short & not too clear, but may get you interested in following leads.

Arrow Cane: VERY interesting article includes a copy of an article that appeared in the TRIBE newsletter (TRIBE NO. 17, Mar.-Jun. 1995) that answers many questions on additional uses of cane.

Hunting With Bolas

Bola Design & Use: Great post by Matt Rapaport.

Proper bola throwing: Interesting article from Ben & Andre.

Hunting With Slings

The Staff Sling: Guidelines for Construction and Use: Another one of those "can't miss" articles.

Slings As Hunting Weapons: A couple of excellent (and funny) posts.

Grenade Slinging: When a rock just isn't enough!

The Trebuchet: A Trebuchet is, well, kind of a staff sling. Well, maybe a pivoted staff sling on a support of some kind, weighted at the end away from the sling...

Split sling pouches: Learn how to contain a missile snugly and securely until the instant of release. (I can imagine an ancient hunter being seriously irritated when dinner got away because the stone fell out of his sling.)

Sling Design & Technique: A slew of sling ideas well worth reading.

Sling projectile weights: Info for the more efficient types.

Realistic sling possibilities: What, exactly, can you do with a sling? Read these excellent posts and find out!

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL HYGIENE: Back to Top

Canceling Body Odors: Don't let them smell you coming!

Sphagnum Moss Diapers? Not exactly "Pampers^tm" , but (no pun intended) what are you gonna do?

Sphagnum Moss Dressings/Pads: A miracle bandage, or just something gross to put on a wound?

The Art of Taking a Dump In the Woods: Not for the easily offended. This is, however, a very serious subject on a fact of life. Don't let the hilarity & crudity fool you.

It Ain't "Cottonelle^TM": What do you use when you've run out of the "good" stuff (and the good stuff's run out of you)? Sometimes hilarious, often crude, and definitely PG-13 (at least) series of wild articles on possible relief for those caught in a squat.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL INSECTS: Back to Top

Insects As Food

Eating Insects - The Good, The Bad, And the Really Ugly: Multiple posts on eating various types of insects, arthropods and other slimy things.

Eating the little folks - Disease Transmission? If you're gonna eat them, you should know which ones to avoid.

Insect Food Recipes: Methods of forgetting just what, exactly, you're putting in your mouth.

Repelling Insects

Citronella & Lemon Grass: Does it, or doesn't it work? And which one is right?

Protection from insects: An "old Indian remedy" and thoughts on the thread.

Topically Applied Solutions: Insect: Nessmuk's formula.

Insect repellants: Various posts on multiple remedies.

Mosquitoes: The scourge of the wild & how to cope with it.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL KNAPPING: Back to Top

Various Techniques: Three posts on various methods of knapping.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL MEDICINE: Back to Top

Diarrhea Remedies: Dehydration from diarrhea can kill you quickly in the wild. These posts discuss various methods of halting the runs with natural remedies.

Willow Bark as Aspirin: Feel a fever coming on? Here's some in-the-woods remedies for hot-heads.

Misc. Natural Remedies: Several posts on multiple remedies.

Balsam Natural Remedy: This Fir you don't have to skin.

Medical Use Of Maggots: Gross as it sounds, it beats losing a limb (or a life) to necrosis or gangrene.

Jewel Weed Remedy for Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Reaction: I don't know about you, but I'd try anything once.

Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Reaction: Understanding what's going on is half the battle, and may help lead you to a remedy.

Reducing Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Sensitivity: This sounds dangerous to me, but some folks swear it works.

Plantain for Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Reactions: Starting to sound like an all-purpose herb, but if it works...

Stinging Nettles: Nettles are one of the most common itch-weeds, so it's good to know how to reduce the irritating results of inevitable contact.

Tannic Acid for Nettles & Poison Ivy: Great articles on using tannic acid.

Misc. Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Remedies: Various tried, and possibly true remedies.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL OILS & LUBRICANTS: Back to Top

Rendering Oil From Animal Fat: Oil for cooking & lubricants are often forgotten when it comes to survival - until it is desperately needed! These posts will help you make your own.

Rendered Oil/Tallow Storage: Rancid oils are acidic and no longer useful for cooking or lubricating (although there are other uses for rancid oils). This post provides a number of solutions to keep your oils fresh.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL ORIENTEERING & NAVIGATION: Back to Top

Archeo-astronomy: "Primitive" direction finding wasn't all that primitive.

Plant Navigation?: What side does moss grow on again?

Primitive Direction Finding: Various methods & tactics.

Following Streams: While it would probably work 5 out 10 times, it is often the hardest route. Are you SURE this is the stream on the map?

Primitive Weather Prediction: Build a barometer or get out your weather rock.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL POTTERY: Back to Top

PRIMITIVE POTTERY CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE By Steve Watts (1989):Some good stuff, but incomplete.

Indigenous Ceramics Book: Ditto, above.

Pottery: Finding vs. Buying Clay: Backyard trials and tribulations.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL SHELTERS: Back to Top

Favorite Emergency Shelters: Name you shelter!

Debris huts: More than you ever wanted to know on debris huts.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL TOOLMAKING: Back to Top

Hide Glues: Couple of posts on making your own glue.

Crooked Knife: Use & production techniques

Tempering: Not exactly comprehensive, but still good info.

Finding Iron Ore: Interesting posts.

Foxfire Metallurgy: Making iron the old fashioned way

Primitive Lathes & Turning: Some excellent info and some really bad graphics.

Bone Needles, Awls & Techniques: Gotta get clothes somewhere - better learn how to make & use the tools.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL TRACKING: Back to Top

Stalking people game: An excellent way to develop your tracking skills (just don't get lost!).

Tracking and Primitive Skills: Some really good posts here.

A definition of tracking: Just in case you didn't know...

Muskrat bait & tracking: Muskrat is abundant in the wild, and highly nutritious.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL TRAPPING: Back to Top

Deadfalls: Making them more efficient - the pro's & con's of design.

Figure 4 Dead fall: Everybody loves the figure 4 - NOT!

Muskrat Acquisition: Go get 'em!

Muskrat question? What's the big deal about Muskrats? Find out here!

Natural Baiting: It may be illegal for every day work, but in a survival situation...

The Art of Nothing Traps: "no-carve-'em traps"

Traps, Deadfalls, Snares: A little bit on each, and where to find more.

Rabbit snare: Great ideas for bagging that pesky wabbit.

PRIMITIVE SURVIVAL WATER: Back to Top

Sap From Grapevines

Warning About Solar Stills

Clean Water?

Back-country water treatment to prevent giardiasis

GIARDIASIS

Digging Water

water filter

One more word on human scat, water, and filters

 

Please Read The Website Disclaimer!
Copyright 1986-2012, The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute (SSRsi), All Rights Reserved
Site conceptualized, designed, created & maintained by MEG Raven
Snail Mail: SSRsi, PO Box 2572 Dillon, CO. 80435-2572