Living from the Land for a few months

[Shinken]

I am going to be planning a month trip on my own in the wildernes.

With me i would like to take an Axe, knife, Tarp (will be making more permanent shelter) some basic food supplies that i can supplement with wild food/hunting and gathering.

Obviously i will need some sort of communication etc but wouldnt want to use it apart from in an emergency (i think i would have to carry around with me)

Does anyone have any suggestions on anything else and where this could be done? i was thinking maybe Sweden and also what time of year would be best. Also what laws would i have to be carefull about?

Any help you can give to would be great,

Ash

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

An interesting thread

I'm planning on taking Mrs. TMKTC and TMKTC Jnr. on a summer long trip through Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Poland etc in 2008. Any info appreciated here guys.

Phil.

 

[Voivode]

A fellow and his wife here in Canada lived primitive (that is, in the pre-colonial native american way) for a year. They made a documentary of it all called "Snowshoes and Solitude". He (Les Stroud) is a relatively well known survival expert here and has done another program called Survivorman which is interesting in its own right. I digress; It sounds like he went more "native" and for far longer than you intend but if you can track down a copy of the program, might provide insight.

How divested of civilization are you planning? Are you taking a sleeping bag, rain gear, a book? You might need to sharpen your axe and knife, so are you bringing a stone or planning on finding suitable raw stones? Are you planning on hunting, and if so how? You might want to look into the rules and regulations for whatever area you do end up selecting; Taking down large game will probably be out of the question from a legal perspective. How about a cook kit, or do you plan on fashioning that in situ?

I haven't done what you plan, as I am most certainly not sure enough of my skills to do so, but I would suggest you bring at least basic kit: What you describe, plus cook kit, something to sleep in/on, some rain gear (even just a poncho) and perhaps a pack to carry it all in.

 

[Shinken]

I have had my own little holiday where i took a knife a mug and the clothes of my back and spent a week out.

So now i realise that i would like to take some equipment with me so i would be more confortable and therefore be able to enjoy the wilderness more. So yes waterproof's and sleeping back, a cooking pot etc!

Where is my biggest problem, and how to suppliment food without breaking laws, somewhere to fish maybe?

 

[dave k]

Not sure, but you could always take an air-rifle and go hunting for rabbits.. You may find green's are a problem at this time of year, but you'll probally find nettles..

 

[Ahjno]

I am going to be planning a month trip on my own in the wildernes.

With me i would like to take an Axe, knife, Tarp (will be making more permanent shelter) some basic food supplies that i can supplement with wild food/hunting and gathering.

Obviously i will need some sort of communication etc but wouldnt want to use it apart from in an emergency (i think i would have to carry around with me)

Does anyone have any suggestions on anything else and where this could be done? i was thinking maybe Sweden and also what time of year would be best. Also what laws would i have to be carefull about?

Any help you can give to would be great,

Ash

First I would decide on the location, even before starting to make kit lists (as far as you plan to take kit with you). Sweden sounds good, as do other Scandinavian countries. So I suggest to get at least into contact with Viking, Abbe and Torjus (there's another member from there that knows his stuff but can't remember his name at the moment ) . They are in Sweden / Scandinavia, and could advice you on legal issues (I remember Abbe did a hunting course before he was allowed to set snares) and interesting areas where you are allowed to do these sort of things.

As for the time of year - I think early summer (end of spring) would be best. As you haven't got snow / extreem low temperatures and ground is more accesible, more plants available for either eating or shelter (or any other use).

I assume you leave details of your whereabouts - if it all goes ahead - with relatives / friends?

 

[torjusg]

The autumn is clearly the best, at least in the pine/spruce/birch forest. Then the trout is running and there are often lots of berries and fungi everywhere.

Trout running in the streams is available usually from mid-September to mid-October. The berries are most abundant between mid-August to mid-September. So that is two months for you.

I can arrange a permission for you in an area under the condition that you follow some rules. You have to be prepared to either eat virmin (crows, magpies, rodents etc...) or stay on a fish only diet.

Send me a PM if you are interested and I will try to make the proper arrangements.

With limited outdoor experience you are likely to need either a net or a line and hooks (modern) to catch enough fish.

 

[Shinken]

That is very very kind of you! I was planning to go in 2008, I was thinking autumn too .
Would it be okay to contact you later next year to arrange this if you are still about on here? I have to organise with work the time off!

 

[torjusg]

That is very very kind of you! I was planning to go in 2008, I was thinking autumn too .
Would it be okay to contact you later next year to arrange this if you are still about on here? I have to organise with work the time off!

Contact me whenever you want or have questions about this.

 

[Big John]

Sounds like a fantastic trip, make sure you let us know how you get on.

In addition to what's already been said, how's your first aid knowledge? Might be worth brushing up.

If you're going to be using a proper radio for you emergency comms (as opposed to a mobile phone which might be a liability in the wilderness) then you might need a license for it - don't forget the spare batteries as well!

 

[weekender]

Shinken
It sounds fantastic what you are planning to do, good luck and keep us all posted on your developments, have you thought about having a 'practise' (as much as one can practise these things) in scotland or somewhere.
Weekender

 

[Tengu]

How would you survive without books?

I could do well enough being out of touch with the modern world (I take very little notice of it anyway), and people, but I could not be without my books.

 

[Shinken]

Weekendee, i have already done this in scotland!

It is the plant side of things i am less confident with really, the rest will be fine. Just need to practice edible plant identification

 

[pierre girard]

My brother is quite good at this kind of thing, but he has a cast iron stomach and will eat anything - lots of grubs, grasshoppers, etc. We usually do a "starvation trek" once a year for a week. Lots of times we just starve.

PG

 

[Shinken]

Ive experienced the starving bit. The thing is, animals are much better at surviving (they do it all the time) than we are catching (most of us dont do it all the time)

 

[pothunter]

Hi Shinken

I’ve been following this thread with interest, as I understand it surviving and living off the land are two quite different concepts and require different mindsets.

Surviving, arriving in an environment with little or no equipment and then waiting to be rescued or returning to safety by what ever means available.

Living off the land, prepared life style or journey ensuring that you have with you all the necessary things that will make you existence comfortable ie. shelter, clothing, basic food etc. this may well be limited to the contents of a rucksack.

On the food front I would definitely take rice, flour, dried meat, herbs and tea enough for the first week at least but after that you should be well into hunter-gatherer mode In my humble opinion if you go into this without the basics you will spend most of your time just trying to keep body and sole together.

Additionally hunting and travelling don’t go well together you are better to make a camp and hunt, trap, fish from there exploring all points of the compass, if you travel and hunt this often confines you to a narrow corridor and a rucksack (larger than a day sack) can make you a pretty in effective hunter.

When I did a similar thing on a much smaller scale 5 days, I found that two tarps worked well, one was a low sleeping shelter the other was my work shelter I chose the Galloway forest and it rained so was grateful for the second.

Torjusg’s offer is excellent and with his local knowledge and practical experience is one that you must definitely consider.

 

[Shinken]

Yep the trouble is getting life out the way for long enough to do it!

It's amazing how many people arent happy with the idea. But its something i just gotta do!

 

[torjusg]

If you go stone age, without having much tools pre-made you will starve for quite a while until you have made enough equipment.

On the spawning runs however, the story is very different. You can take lots of fish every day with very simple equipment. I have made speared fish with a spear made on the spot. Clubbing them is sometime effective too. And of course. If there is little water in the streams; tickeling them is the ultimate no-tools method. With some skill it can keep you with more fish than you can eat.

The idea about a "breaking in" week is a good one. Going hunter-gatherer is though stuff with even a fair amount of experience. I don't feel ready for it, but I will have a go at it next summer.

 

[Bushwacker]

Good on you Shinken. Go for it. And take a small bow, or learn to fashion one from whatever`s available. Apart from small game, birds etc. you can use it for fishing as well. When it`s lost its` tension, use it for firewood and fashion another.(keep the string though).

 

[pothunter]

Hi Sinken

Following on, the month need not start with your arrival with Torjusg if that’s were you are going, there is the making of fishing tackle, pack frames see current thread all these are part and parcel of the trip and will reduce the introduction time and give insight into how they perform over the month and how they can be adapted for different environments.

Torjusg commented on the hunter gatherer comment that I made, I don’t think you can go full primitive in the time frame that you have without some great hardships, I would expect that you would rely on the items that you take with you but reliance would be less over the month as you adapt to your environment.

One area where I would not compromise is water purification, I watched somewhat concerned when my brother had to cut off his underpants and I think that it was only the scotch that cured him.

Best regards, Pothunter.