Copyright © 2007, 2016 by Jay McCullough
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Tom Lau
Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-0743-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0748-1
Printed in the United States
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Water Procurement
Chapter 2 Food Procurement
Chapter 3 Dangerous Insects and Arachnids
Chapter 4 Poisonous Snakes and Lizards
Chapter 5 Dangerous Fish, Mollusks, and Freshwater Animals
Chapter 6 Survival Use of Plants
Chapter 7 Poisonous Plants
Introduction
When it comes to survival foraging, there is no substitute for previous research and practical experience. And when it comes to previous research and practical experience for advice on what is edible and what is not, there is no substitute for the accumulated wisdom of people who have been foraging for decades, especially indigenous peoples.
A particularly good example of this is the practice of identifying edible and poisonous mushrooms. A cursory search on matters mycological will yield twenty warnings as serious as a heart attack, all advising you to find a certified local mushroom guru for every singular piece of genuinely useful information. I’m inclined to agree on this point, as a small number of mushroom admirers are certain to win the Darwin Award every year.
In this book of materials culled from the U.S. Army, you will find an excellent basis for the study of survival foraging, touching on a variety of edibles and nasties from around the globe. If you anticipate being left on a spit of God’s own desolation and think you’ll have to eat your way out, I would recommend that you commit much of it to memory for starters; I doubt that the Complete U.S. Army Survival Guide to Foraging Skills, Tactics, and Techniques will drop out of the sky in your hour of need.
The next step is to make a detailed, first-hand study of the flora and fauna of your region of interest. Since everything is seasonal, this study would ideally be over the course of at least a year. I think you will find that it will be possible to live off the fat of the land in some cases, and that you would likely starve in other cases. But it may be sufficient to use foraging to stave off hunger for as long as it takes to be rescued or reach a food source.
In any case, when it comes to survival foraging, there is no substitute for previous research and practical experience.
—Jay McCullough
February 2016
North Haven, Connecticut
CHAPTER 1
WATER PROCUREMENT
Water is one of your most urgent needs in a survival situation. You can‘t live long without it, especially in hot areas where you lose water rapidly through perspiration. Even in cold areas, you need a minimum of 2 liters of water each day to maintain efficiency.
More than three-fourths of your body is composed of fluids. Your body loses fluid as a result of heat, cold, stress, and exertion. To function effectively, you must replace the fluid your body loses. So, one of your first goals is to obtain an adequate supply of water.
WATER SOURCES
Almost any environment has water present to some degree. Table 1-1 lists possible sources of water in various environments. It also provides information on how to make the water potable.
Note: If you do not have a canteen, a cup, a can, or other type of container, improvise one from plastic or water-resistant cloth. Shape the plastic or cloth into a bowl by pleating it. Use pins or other suitable items—even your hands—to hold the pleats.
If you do not have a reliable source to replenish your water supply, stay alert for ways in which your environment can help you.
Do not substitute the fluids listed in Table 1-2 for water.
Heavy dew can provide water. Tie rags or tufts of fine grass around your ankles and walk through dew-covered grass before sunrise. As the rags or grass tufts absorb the dew, wring the water into a container. Repeat the process until you have a supply of water or until the dew is gone. Australian natives sometimes mop up as much as a liter an hour this way.
Table 1-1: Water sources in different environments
Table 1-2: The effects of substitute fluids
Fluid
Remarks
Alcoholic beverages
Dehydrate the body and cloud judgment.
Urine
Contains harmful body wastes. Is about 2 percent salt.
Blood
Is salty and considered a food; therefore, requires additional body fluids to digest. May transmit disease.
Seawater
Is about 4 percent salt It takes about 2 liters of body fluids to rid the body of waste from 1 Titer of seawater. Therefore, by drinking seawater you deplete your body’s water supply, which can cause death.
Bees or ants going into a hole in a tree may point to a water-filled hole. Siphon the water with plastic tubing or scoop it up with an improvised dipper. You can also stuff cloth in the hole to absorb the water and then wring it from the cloth.
Water sometimes gathers in tree crotches or rock crevices. Use the above procedures to get the water. In arid areas, bird droppings around a crack in the rocks may indicate water in or near the crack.
Green bamboo thickets are an excellent source of fresh water. Water from green bamboo is clear and odorless. To get the water, bend a green bamboo stalk, tie it down, and cut off the top (Figure 1-1). The water will drip freely during the night. Old, cracked bamboo may contain water.
Purify the water before drinking it.
Wherever you find banana or plantain trees, you can get water. Cut down the tree, leaving about a 30-centimeter stump, and scoop out the center of the stump so that the hollow is bowl-shaped. Water from the roots will immediately start to fill the hollow. The first three fillings of water will be bitter, but succeeding fillings will be palatable. The stump (Figure 1-2) will supply water for up to four days. Be sure to cover it to keep out insects.
Some tropical vines can give you water. Cut a notch in the vine as high as you can reach, then cut the vine off close to the ground. Catch the dropping liquid in a container or in your mouth (Figure 1-3).
Do not drink the liquid if it is sticky, milky, or bitter tasting.