How long could you survive?

[udamiano]

Wow, if you're up for it, I'd be fascinated to hear how you get on. You know we can all pitch a tarp, make fire, find wood and water, but I think food is the biggest challenge by miles. OK if you are up for it, tyhen the idea would be to replicate an inland foragers diet, so no poaching farm animals, no taking of farmed foods, grains, root vegetables etc, no scrumping orchards, and no coastal foraging, just a diet of whatever flora and fauna you can find growing wild in your woods. Also, no firearms or projectile weapons and no fishing rods. If you can make it with a knife, then crack on, but you cant take it in with you.

Ok agreed.

1 knife
1 axe ?
1 metal pot ?
Diary and Camera to record ?

Everything else to be made, caught, on-site,including food, water, etc

Would that be what your thinking ?

I will post the dates as soon as I check my diary for a clear week. (possibly end of March)

Da

 

[Toddy]

Martyn
"Only problem is that the coast isn't the woods."

.......and therein lies the problem.
Do not underestimate the foraging and hunting range of a extended family group; the reality of mesolithic life. Do not underestimate the sheer range of habitats that they accessed, or the crucial limits of seasonality.

There's one other incredibly nutritious resource that no one has so far commented upon. Wildfowl are not only protein rich, and provide eggs too, but they can be very fat rich and that's a huge carbohydrate boost.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[jonajuna]

I don't think you can exclude poaching farmed animals from the equation. If the land wasn't extensively farmed, there would be an awful lot more to forage and trap.

I think in a heavily industrialised country such as the UK, domestic animals have to be counted as food off the land (not for any experiment of course due to legality)

Food acquisition in less developed areas if the world would likely present less of an issue

 

[vizsla]

To survive something like this you need to be a very positive and driven person so to be thinking no i cant survive from the ofset is asking for the inevitable. For me to think no not a chance would go against everything iv been doing in my spare time since i was a kid.
Obvously you have to be honest and realistic but also positive my local river has a spot that iv fished time and time again were there is a abundance of fish im no fisherman i can only manage an hour sitting still but i cant remember ever not catching atleast one fish, thers some shallow water under a bridge thats sworming with trout. Theres an area of woodland that around november time i can sit there i see half a dozen squrral quite happily on the ground within a few metres nowing im there in fact you could just chuck a stone at them.
Im not saying i could live happily catching fish and squirral bit if your in the right location and no were to look theres alot to be had.
All about preperation and putting in the effort a few weeks ago i set up a line on the river bank pegged out out with five hooks on it and we caught two fish and it only took a few minuits to do i could of layed out a hundred between us in a few hours getting enoug fish to feed for a week, but iv fished other places were iv never had anything so all you can do is draw on your own experiances

 

[toilet digger]

Martyn
"Only problem is that the coast isn't the woods."

.......and therein lies the problem.
Do not underestimate the foraging and hunting range of a extended family group; the reality of mesolithic life. Do not underestimate the sheer range of habitats that they accessed, or the crucial limits of seasonality.

There's one other incredibly nutritious resource that no one has so far commented upon. Wildfowl are not only protein rich, and provide eggs too, but they can be very fat rich and that's a huge carbohydrate boost.

cheers,
Toddy

are you endorsing swan hunting?

 

[Retired Member southey]

Only problem is that the coast isn't the woods.

I beg to differ

Taken by me, on the shore opposite Culbin Forest at the mouth of the Findhorn estuary, given the lack of confines in your OP then i would live till I died of natural causesp)if allowed to survive to my own morals, but with the fixed confines of you challenge to udamiano, then it would get incredibly hard in a short time indeed.

 

[Corso]

Try this! Kebab is for the weak lol

http://blog.23x.net/5/what-is-a-munchy-box.html

Just keep a defibrillator next you as you do, and wear headphones to block the sound your arteries make

That would be me sorted for the week...

 

[Martyn]

Ok agreed.

1 knife
1 axe ?
1 metal pot ?
Diary and Camera to record ?

Everything else to be made, caught, on-site,including food, water, etc

Would that what your thinking ?

I will post the dates as soon as I check my diary for a clear week. (possibly end of March)

Da

Brilliant, yes billy can is fine. Normal tools are fine and please, please do take a camera, preferably a video camera and do a video diary - I think everyone would learn so much from it - even if you dont get much food. It'll be fascinating watching how you cope with the psychology of it.

Brilliant, thanks for volunteering and the very best of luck.

 

[Toddy]

are you endorsing swan hunting?

No, I'm saying that folks all too often seem to forget that the UK, and it's coastline, are incredibly rich in wildfowl, and the folks of the past thrived on that in season. Migrating birds find our wee islands a haven, ducks, geese, gulls.........there's enough fat rich, protein rich food there to totally ignore the cockles and whelks. I reckon folks ate the shellfish like we'd eat popcorn or peanuts, or added them to slow cook stews on the fire.

Toddy

 

[Martyn]

I beg to differ

lol - I meant the challenge is to live off the woods, not live off the coast. If you live right by the coast, then you'd need to go inland and find somewhere there isn't one.

 

[mikeybear]

Try this! Kebab is for the weak lol

http://blog.23x.net/5/what-is-a-munchy-box.html

Just keep a defibrillator next you as you do, and wear headphones to block the sound your arteries make

Where is the vomit smiley when you need it ?

 

[toilet digger]

No, I'm saying that folks all too often seem to forget that the UK, and it's coastline, are incredibly rich in wildfowl, and the folks of the past thrived on that in season. Migrating birds find our wee islands a haven, ducks, geese, gulls.........there's enough fat rich, protein rich food there to totally ignore the cockles and whelks. I reckon folks ate the shellfish like we'd eat popcorn or peanuts, or added them to slow cook stews on the fire.

Toddy

thanks toddy, when i get collared by plod with a swan up my swandri (did you like that?), i can say its ok by you?

 

[udamiano]

Ok, I've had a quick look on my online diary and the 16th March -23rd is looking clear.
I don't have a video camera, only a normal digital, but will see if I can borrow one for that week.

Will post the Monday 27th (after a nice fat steak LOL)

 

[copper_head]

Ok, I've had a quick look on my online diary and the 16th March -23rd is looking clear.
I don't have a video camera, only a normal digital, but will see if I can borrow one for that week.

Will post the Monday 27th (after a nice fat steak LOL)

Top man!
Look forward to this very much. Best of Luck!

 

[Bushwhacker]

Yeah, but there would be a shed load of p1ss3d off livestock farmers and allotment owners.

 

[vizsla]

Ok agreed.

1 knife
1 axe ?
1 metal pot ?
Diary and Camera to record ?

Everything else to be made, caught, on-site,including food, water, etc

Would that what your thinking ?

I will post the dates as soon as I check my diary for a clear week. (possibly end of March)

Da

Sounds good id be happy to give it a go although the best i could do will probably be 2/3 night due to work, possibly late feb. A short period will give an idea of wether you could do it long term as long as you didnt exhaust supplys
cheers

 

[toilet digger]

this is looking to be a very interesting thread
if anyone has the time or inclination to googlefu the nutritonal content of limpets, i for one would be very interested

 

[Martyn]

Ok, I've had a quick look on my online diary and the 16th March -23rd is looking clear.
I don't have a video camera, only a normal digital, but will see if I can borrow one for that week.

Will post the Monday 27th (after a nice fat steak LOL)

Well done mate, fantastic. I'm looking forward to this already. I know food is there as others have said, but I think the psychology of it will be fascinating - just not knowing where the next morsel will come from will be a big deal I think. Will your snares have rabbits or will they be empty? Where to get carbs from? Very best of luck with it. I dont think I've ever seen anyone attempt anything like this on here before in the 9 years I've been a member. I think it's an incredibly tough challenge.

 

[Martyn]

Sounds good id be happy to give it a go although the best i could do will probably be 2/3 night due to work, possibly late feb. A short period will give an idea of wether you could do it long term as long as you didnt exhaust supplys
cheers

Go for it. I hear what you say about fishing, but could you live off the fruit of the woods?

 

[Bushwhacker]

Apparently, all the top bushcraft schools are clamouring to provide winter classes in the uk woods. It's so rich at this time of year and they've only just cottoned on!