permanently moving to the woods and back to nature.

[tsitenha]

Llwyd is spot on, nature is what it is. even aboriginals starved in bad years (they were experts and had history, knowledge). Enjoy the bush/wild go camping, trekking, canoeing etc... it will be nice to go home. Add wilderness skills, practice them enjoy them but realize they are but a very limited entry into the lifestyle.
I can change the oil, spark plugs, tires etc.. in my car but I do not have the knowledge to build one.

 

[rg598]

Read the book mate, he had permission of a farmer to use his land, and hunt and catch what he could, like he said that there is food every where here, the amount of rabbits we have in my area is rediculous.
when you get chance have a read, he did not have it easy bud but he got there in the end.

Aren't there hunting seasons in the UK? Here in the US we have hunting seasons for just about everything. Rabbit will not be in season in my area until Fall.

 

[widu13]

Rabbit is a "pest species" here and there are no closed seasons. Other animals have seasons, but with 6 different species of deer you can shoot deer in the UK all year round.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Brief history lesson:
We've lived like that in the past and we didn't like it - working constantly in order to live and having no free time.
Eventually we started to use labour saving devices, making life easier for us, so that we had more free time to relax and enjoy doing the things we like ............ such as bushcraft.

 

[Satyr]

What always strikes me when people mention this is that everyone posts about living in the UK or possibly Canada or Scandinavia but no-one mentions Africa, South America or the South Pacific. These are locations where there are large areas of rainforest/woodland and hunting would have no restrictions if you wandered far enough into the trees. Alongside this the basic infrastructure or amenities in these areas are less than what is available in 'Western' countries so the potential distraction or temptation for rummaging in supermarket skips disappears. A huge number of people live in conditions that we would consider 'back in the day' and some in the deep jungles are stone age, people can and still do live like that in modern times so if you want to try it why not do it there instead of going through the same debate about lack of resources in these modern times.

 

[Llwyd]

I did a year on my own almost 2 decades ago now and it had its highs and lows. The 7am to 11pm non stop work in the summer did not leave much time for writing and crafts to say the least. Autumn was better but winter was horrific. I ended up taking a part time job to supplement food etc.

I came to the conclusion that a family unit or small community was needed to keep sane, motivated and get things done. Still though, modernity has to be accepted. Do you let your girlfriend die of appendicitis, appoint a healer (much the same as option 1) or evac to the nearest road and let NHS deal with it?

Even with a thriving community in place you still cannot be a total island. Even modern towns and cities are not self sufficient. Back in the day, villages traded. One group may have surplus cloth another surplus food and still another surplus pottery. A group of modern persons attempting to live off grid, on the land, and by simpler means would be well advised to sell off surplus for modern cash, to "trade" for things like toilet paper, antibiotics, and sugar. Just to name a few...

I just got home from a year in western Canada where there are a lot of Amish communities. Where roads and highways cross their lands they set up restaurants, modern stores and sell things like hand made socks, pies and jam. Just to name a few...

I also think embracing the modern world has other benefits to such as not marginalizing your group in the eyes of society. Civic projects, open house day, and trips to town in the minivan for supplies reassure people that you are not some doomsday cult. Go too far away from what society deems normal and they send in door kickers dressed in black to arrest everyone on false charges of brainwashing and abuse.

Really what they are saying is pay your taxes so makes sure your group has a business number and sells some jam.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I just got home from a year in western Canada where there are a lot of Amish communities. Where roads and highways cross their lands they set up restaurants, modern stores and sell things like hand made socks, pies and jam. Just to name a few...

At what point did the Amish think that things were getting too technical? I mean, they've got wheels and carts, clothes, oil lamps and suchlike.

 

[oldsoldier]

What always strikes me when people mention this is that everyone posts about living in the UK or possibly Canada or Scandinavia but no-one mentions Africa, South America or the South Pacific. These are locations where there are large areas of rainforest/woodland and hunting would have no restrictions if you wandered far enough into the trees. Alongside this the basic infrastructure or amenities in these areas are less than what is available in 'Western' countries so the potential distraction or temptation for rummaging in supermarket skips disappears. A huge number of people live in conditions that we would consider 'back in the day' and some in the deep jungles are stone age, people can and still do live like that in modern times so if you want to try it why not do it there instead of going through the same debate about lack of resources in these modern times.

This issue is, they live in communities. When you have a division of labor, among a tribe, lets say, you have a better chance at sustainment-hunters, fisherment, farmers, people working on upkeep, etc. When you have only one person doing that-its hard. Les Stroud did it for over a year, in Canada-he had a hard go of it, and said he wouldnt do it again. It was just him & his wife. When its only you, you are, literally, fending off starvation & dehydration, every single day. In a community, you arent, because you have more people doing the same thing, increasing your chances of making good. Even here in the US, the famous mountain men, and the voyageurs, didnt go it alone. They traded among each other, with natives, etc-as well as carrying a LOT of supplies with them, on mule trains. I think, and, this is my personal opinion, that people who want to return to a simpler life, are looking only at the idealistic view of it-the romanticized view. In reality, subsitence living is just that-scratching, day to day, for something to eat-and, again, being alone, or with only 1 or 2 other people, thats not living-thats merely surviving, when you are spending every waking minute hunting/fishing/gathering. Doing it for a weekend is fun-its a break from the realities of life. Doing it every day, is a job-one where, if you fail, you can potentially die.

 

[Ivan...]

Good old, lets-move-to-the-woods, He joined, no introduction, not that rare, at 1651 hrs, with this post, his last activity was at 1836 hrs on the same day,talk about a response to something that has been posed a few times, think the poor old chap, may have had a quiet look as a visitor and thought, blimey! They take it a bit seriously on here, i personally would have loved it(thats coz i am a mouth on a stick) But alas i fear we have heard the last of him, never mind provoked a good old fashioned BCUK debate.

Ivan...

 

[Llwyd]

At what point did the Amish think that things were getting too technical? I mean, they've got wheels and carts, clothes, oil lamps and suchlike.

I think Family Guy explained it best.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I think Family Guy explained it best.

Hahahahahahaha! Excellent!

 

[didicoy]

I would like to blame Bear Grylls and Ray Mears. At the end of each TV program. The disclaimer after the credits should read, Filmed on location, choreographed from the hotel room. Make up and wardrobe next to the catering truck on location. But all this would be just too small to read from the settee. I did question his wisdom when he first posted. Maybe he is on the run from the police.

 

[boatman]

Those that have a supermarket nearby you mean ?................anyone who relies entirely on hunting & gathering to eat will spend most of their waking lives looking for food.

Not so, in the specified resource rich environment the hunter-gatherer works less hours than anybody. There is a FAO report confirming this but I haven't located it yet. Of course a female partner would certainly assist the gathering part of the project greatly especially if the traditional roles were adopted.

 

[Tengu]

Yes, but women are too smart to do that.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Not so, in the specified resource rich environment the hunter-gatherer works less hours than anybody. There is a FAO report confirming this

Hahahaha..............a FAQ report eh ?............then it must be true

When you say "specified resource rich enviroment" is that the kinda place where fruit perpetually hangs off the trees & the animals jump into the traps ?

 

[boatman]

Given that the Food and Agricultural Organisation is the best source of statistics on such information it is reasonable to mention them. They even included in their survey the iKung or Bushmen of South Africa whose environment gave them a living but was sparser in resources than some others.

From the levity I assume you have a better source of information, please share.

 

[Joonsy]

There is a great book about the same thing and in the west midlands called the second meadow, a fantastic book I could not put it down.He got on great by the end.

the author of that book is ''Archie Hill'', now dead he sadly commited suicide, he wrote a number of books on the Black Country, one called ''Summers End'' i particulary liked. ''Second Meadow'' was located at Kinver and more of a philosophical look at human nature, where his camp was he observed the rabbits and noticed that some would not venture out farther than the first meadow, but most would venture out farther into the second meadow, but very few would venture further out into the third meadow, the further they were from their burrows the less safe they were, he concluded that most people live in similar fashion regarding risk and that most people live in the ''Second Meadow''. I first read the book thirty years ago and it is a great read on human nature.

 

[luckylee]

the author of that book is ''Archie Hill'', now dead he sadly commited suicide, he wrote a number of books on the Black Country, one called ''Summers End'' i particulary liked. ''Second Meadow'' was located at Kinver and more of a philosophical look at human nature, where his camp was he observed the rabbits and noticed that some would not venture out farther than the first meadow, but most would venture out farther into the second meadow, but very few would venture further out into the third meadow, the further they were from their burrows the less safe they were, he concluded that most people live in similar fashion regarding risk and that most people live in the ''Second Meadow''. I first read the book thirty years ago and it is a great read on human nature.

Fantastic, that brought back some memory's of the book, didn't no he committed suicide.

 

[Llwyd]

Not so, in the specified resource rich environment the hunter-gatherer works less hours than anybody. There is a FAO report confirming this but I haven't located it yet. Of course a female partner would certainly assist the gathering part of the project greatly especially if the traditional roles were adopted.

South of 30 maybe...

I am at N46 and wild food other than fish and meat is minimal. There are lots of things with no actual nutritional value you can eat but if you don't hunt then you die. So here at least you are a hunter grower.

I have gone whole seasons without seeing game as animals are affected by seasons and shortage too. The only season with leisure time is the winter if you have prepared well. If you live in the tropics and do not need much for clothing, shelter, firewood, etc. and your growing season is 300 plus days you can fall asleep drunk in a ditch every night and survive. In my locality if you try that you die in October.

 

[treadlightly]

Hahahaha..............a FAQ report eh ?............then it must be true

When you say "specified resource rich enviroment" is that the kinda place where fruit perpetually hangs off the trees & the animals jump into the traps ?

There is evidence to suggest that the hunter/gatherer lifestyle was far less arduous than that of early agriculturalists. Not sure where it is, but I have read this.