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Survival Priorities: Knowledge Can Make All the Difference
By Dr. John M. Weishaar

     One of the most interesting things about life is that it is unpredictable thus adding choices and flavor to how we conduct our daily business. This is true whether you are driving to grandmas for Thanksgiving dinner or planning a hunting trip. Preparation and planning can make the difference between disaster and success. Increasing our chances for an early rescue or a successful conclusion to a survival event should be of major importance in the planning of your trip.

What Does the Data Show?
According to various emergency agencies most survival events are resolved within 72 hours. After teaching survival skills to   students, agencies, and organizations for over 25 years the number one response I get to the pre-assessment question, “What will be your first level of concern in a survival problem? “ is food. Food is no doubt an aid to clear thinking and sustained energy levels, but as far as priorities in the immediate situation, it needs to move down the priority list. Proper assessment of the current situation and knowledge of survival priorities may be the difference between a hunter that runs deeper into trouble by the sheer power of panic or one that S.T.O.P.s (sits, thinks, observes, and plans). Knowledge and preparation go hand-in-hand when confronting nature at her worst.

Practice and Experience
I grew up on the Texas Coast and spent many years learning the ways of the wetlands, but in my early twenties I decided to live the life of a Mountain Man so my small family and I moved to the interior of Alaska and built a rustic log cabin deep in the bush. This was during the early summer of ’77. I took my knowledge of the wetlands and the experiences of my Scouting days deep into the wilderness. By the time the winter hit it was only by the grace of God that I did not kill my family and myself. A little knowledge can be dangerous. Checking trap lines through the next several months I learned by trial and error that proper assessment and living by the priorities were key to my every day survival. I learned that when you break through the ice and submerge in water your first priority is warmth in 10 minutes or less. Only through preparation and the knowledge of how to start a fire quickly was I able to dodge that bullet. The worry of food as a priority went out the window. I also learned that when your skinning knife slips and slices deep into your thigh, the immediate need of shelter goes by the wayside. We must deal with things in order of importance to our immediate survival.

Responses Should be Second Nature

     For over thirty years I have had the good fortune of being a teacher then an administrator in public schools. During these years I have always been able to teach students about the outdoors. I taught classes focused on outdoor survival and skill development. The students would learn the skills of fire building and shelter construction on those “chamber of commerce” days. But, when Mother Nature would offer up some of her worst, I would take the students outdoors to practice their newly acquired skills. I would tell them that if they can perform their tasks in the worst of the worst, they have truly learned their trade. The self-confidence gained during inclimate “practice” could pay great dividends in the future should a misadventure be in your future. Just carrying a flint and steel may not afford the hunter with much security when it gets dark, cold, and wet unless they know how to use it. The three most important words in survival education – Practice, Practice, Practice - until those skills become second nature.

Priorities of Immediate Importance
     Based on years of experiences my suggestion for a survival priority list would be as follows, however, I have also learned that the priorities may overlap based on the moment. For instance, if you attending to a serious medical concern when a rescue crew comes flying by, you may need to divert your attention to attracting their attention. So, my point is that there may be multiple tasks taking place at the same time. There are no cut and dried beginnings and endings to attending to a survival problem. They are ongoing and go hand-in-hand toward the completion of a successful event. You should look for stabilization of the current situation after all of the immediate survival needs are tended to in order. Once you have satisfied your immediate needs the remainder of the list will come into clearer focus. My list of priorities is as follows:

• Immediate Medical, First Aid, or Environmental considerations - Taking care of life threatening, serious injury, or potentially dangerous environmental concerns should be a major consideration.
• Positive, Can Do Attitude – The power of our mind is instrumental in overcoming this potentially deadly event. It is always too soon to say, “I quit” in a survival problem.
• Shelter – In extreme conditions our body must maintain a narrow range of temperature variance. The prevention and care of hypo and/or hyperthermia is of major concern. You must know how the body loses heat in the winter and take precautions against heat loss. Conversely, we should also learn about how to maintain lower body temperatures in hot environments.
• Warmth – Warmth is critical to preventing hypothermia and eventually death. Warmth goes beyond just making a fire. You must also know that warmth could be a killer in cold temperature if not regulated. For instance, if you are climbing a steep hill and you keep your clothes tightly bound thus not allowing venting, you will be in major trouble when you stop due to the moisture collection in your clothes. You need to know that water transfers heat away from the body 25 times faster than air. Without proper warmth regulation, you may be setting yourself up for problems even in cold weather.
• Emergency Signaling Capacity – Once the immediate needs are satisfied and stabilized you should scout around for potential signaling sights. Two things to consider when selecting your sight: a) make yourself appear bigger than you really are (i.e. by using large ground to air signals) and b) producing an extreme contrast to you surrounding environment. Have in mind constant and instantaneous signaling capacity. Ground to air signals may satisfy the constant signal requirement, whereas, as a quick and smoky fire could satisfy an immediate signaling need.
• Rest – Rest is critical to sound decision-making, rejuvenation of the body, and meeting the physical and mental challenges of stress. Caution should always be used with rest. Do not rest if you are in intermediate hypothermic conditions. Rest should only be a consideration when your situation is stabilized.
• Water – Proper body functions can only be accomplished when the body is properly hydrated. However, in order of immediate priorities, water is down the list. Usually, a person can survive approximately three days without water. As I mentioned before once stabilization has been reached water procurement should move up on the priority list.
• Food – Food is great for energy and mental stability, however, it is not on the list of immediate needs.

 

     Preparation and planning coupled with knowledge and practice will provide the hunter with the tools needed to meet the needs required to face the elements of nature. It is always best to avoid the potential hazards nature may have in store, but when situations arise your brain is the best tool in your kit. Be sure to stock it with the BEST tools available.