Wildlife survivalist

Discussion in 'Science & Society' started by birch, Oct 2, 2017.

  1. sweetpea Valued Senior Member

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    1,329
    Me, first a weapon, pointy stick, how to make point? Then food and water. Shelter next.?? I would be scared not to be near a tree. But then, how long would this pack of wolves sit there waiting for me to come down??
     
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  3. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    I've just been re-reading The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. The castaways do all of that.
     
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  5. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    You must be an American.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    You need tools first, to make a weapon. Or you can cut out the middleman and use your tools as weapons.
     
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  7. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I would put water first.
    You need a litre of water a day. It might not be that easy to find before dark sets in, so I would make sure I've got that nailed down first.
    You can go several days without food, but not having shelter could be a problem sooner, depending on the environment and weather. I'd put that second. Once you have a place to retreat to for the night, I'd use it as a base to go looking for food.
    If a fire could be made by rubbing sticks, that would likely serve as shelter (from cold and animals, though less so from wind and rain).
    A crude spear could be made by grinding a stick on a flat rock.
     
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  8. origin Heading towards oblivion Valued Senior Member

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    One of the best weapons/tool is a sturdy walking stick of about 6 ft. in length.

    And if you are ever confronted by an animal that is acting aggressive - do not ever run. People cannot out run anything dangerous (OK, except insects or a rabid vole, but you get my drift). Running triggers a chase response in predators and you are easily brought down from behind. Just back away talking in a loud voice and make your self look as big as possible.
     
  9. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Unless it's a gorilla. In which case, avert your eyes, turn your back and look passive. (Of course, they are not predators, but they are territorial.)
     
  10. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    I didn't disagree with you.
    I know of two since 1960.

    Did you look up bears?
     
  11. Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Waving that stick in big circles is one way to look bigger.

    Also, let the critters know you're coming. My walking stick has rattles on it to let them know something unusual is on the way.
     
  12. birch Valued Senior Member

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    5,077
    one would need to use their shirt as a sieve (particles, dirt) and then find some way to boil the water or else you could end up with diarrhea. what would you use as a container to boil water?

    if one were next to a seashore they could use a large shell but what if you are not near one?
     
  13. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    That would be a chance one would have to take.

    Sure, in ideal circumstances, you'd have a pot and a fire and find water on the first day.
     
  14. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    You could drink rain, or find a tin can, or use iodine, or drop it a bit at a time on a hot rock, gather the steam in a cloth, wring it out. Or drag a cloth through the dew early in the morning. Alternatively, you can wring out a fresh fish, or eat snow.
     
  15. birch Valued Senior Member

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    5,077
    there are no tin cans or iodine. you must fashion everything yourself from the earth. there is no civilization in this scenario. imagine pre-history but with no dinosaurs like t-rex chasing you.
     
  16. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I want to hike where you hike.
     
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  17. Randwolf Ignorance killed the cat Valued Senior Member

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    It could be done by some - not many. However, if you start with a million Homo sapiens, you will probably end up with sufficient breeding stock - nature does not care about individuals. The species would survive. What's your point?
     
  18. birch Valued Senior Member

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    5,077
    aye, there was nothing. the thought of having to do everything was quite depressing. in that scenario, I probably would find the nearest cliff to jump off of as I wouldn't want to live for long without some modicum of modern amenities.

    I can't even sew and I don't want to wear fur. even as a caveman might be okay for awhile but I could live with medieval luxuries. if there was a cabin and some cast iron pots/pans, axe etc, I think I would have some glimmer of hope of happiness/comfort to live.

    if I knew how to weave, at least and grow flax and have an ox to pull a plow, I could be okay with the situation. I would need to fast-forward to a time when these amenities exist already. I also need a wheelbarrow which means I would need to fashion a wheel. do you know how time consuming that would be?

    having a tudor cottage (log cabin is fine) in the woods with a vegetable patch in the back and a fenced in yard with domesticated animals, well etc sounds romantic if all those amenities exist and I could learn how to sew, grow crops, chop wood, forage for edible plants etc. I would need parchment paper and ink as well as a lyre or some type of musical instrument. I would get tired of this eventually and I would need a canvas and paints to create art to hang pictures. I would have a cat, dog, chickens, squirrels and maybe deer as pets.

    I would not want to live for long just surviving.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2017
  19. birch Valued Senior Member

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    5,077
    there is no one but you so it would be hard.
     
  20. Randwolf Ignorance killed the cat Valued Senior Member

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    That is a view from the microcosm - namely, one individual. If there is only one individual in the gedanken then the trials and tribulations of that individual matter not. Extinction has already occurred...

    (Unless you have somehow preserved cloning)
     
  21. birch Valued Senior Member

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    5,077
    so you are saying you wouldn't be able to do it on your own or would want to. it puts into perspective the realization that the simplest items you take for granted would be most likely monumentally challenging to make from start to finish on your own and from the ground up.

    but being able to and having that knowledge would be very rewarding, increase confidence knowing that you have the ability to create something from the very root to completion.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2017
  22. Randwolf Ignorance killed the cat Valued Senior Member

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    I'm quite egotistical and have survival training so I believe I could survive. Beyond the rule of threes and into winter. After that, who knows? We all have a limited life span. Hopefully, I could find a willing chickie before I expire and pass my genes on.

    But again, it all depends on sample size. If it's only me (and perhaps a hypothetical female) then it's irrelevant - we have passed the genetic bottleneck and it matters not if me and mine survive - too late. If I am but a cog in the genetic wheel of a million, I believe I would survive long enough to seed. If I'm mistaken, no problem - my million brethren will even the odds.
     
  23. birch Valued Senior Member

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    5,077
    no, this scenario is similar to being stranded by yourself or being dropped on a pre-historic planet.
     

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