Trout lilies are in the Erythronium genus along with 30 other species of flowers. They grow in temperate forests and meadows throughout the Northern Hemisphere, typically flowering in the spring. They can vary greatly in flower color, but they tend to have a six petal flower with a speckled center, two oblong leaves with … Read more
Being able to determine the range of a target is crucial when firing at long distances. The greater the distance between you and your target the greater the effect both gravity and wind will have on your round. For most defensive scenarios this won’t be an issue since you would be defending an area … Read more
Many people that are relatively unfamiliar with less than lethal self-defense tools think of stun guns and tasers and virtually the same thing. But there are major differences between these two kinds of defensive tools that anyone interested in using them for personal defense needs to be aware of. Here is a basic overview … Read more
As temperatures continue to drop this winter, everyone should have an alternate method of heating their homes. Those who only have their heat through electric sources are particularly vulnerable, something as simple as a snow-laden limb falling on a powerline could have you without heat all night. A larger storm that affects your entire … Read more
In some areas, fishing will be the most reliable means of obtaining meat in the wilderness. It can be done with little, and even no specialized gear. Here are some tips for success while survival fishing. Set passive traps whenever possible. This way you can spend your time and energy on other essentials … Read more
They say it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. These two short videos offer evidence that this adage is true. In the first video, you see a man that is bold enough to attempt a home invasion in broad daylight run for … Read more
Hammocks aren’t just for relaxing on the beach or in the backyard. Hammocks can be a useful piece of gear for camping or survival. But they aren’t without their shortcomings, here is a short list of some of the benefits and drawbacks of hammocks for camping and survival. Benefits You don’t need to … Read more
This video demonstrates in a detailed manner the materials and methods to make your own copper coil alcohol stove. Having an alcohol stove is great for disaster preparedness whether you are sheltering in place, or bugging out. With an alcohol stove you will have a reliable alternative fuel source for cooking indoors, and a … Read more
Last month, 77-year-old Paul Meiling from Utah was driving on a snowy side road in an isolated area of Idaho when his truck became stuck. Temperatures were well below freezing while he was stranded for days, but Meiling was able to survive by taking shelter in an abandoned farmhouse nearby and starting a fire. … Read more
I just wrote about the importance of being armed, even if you know how to defend yourself in a one on one unarmed attack. But the unfortunate truth is that there are all sorts of places these days that limit, or completely restrict your right to protect yourself. While I will always take my … Read more
Self-defense is a factor of survival that everyone needs to think about. But when some think about self-defense, they think about learning a martial art, or krav maga, or even mixed martial arts. All of these are a good idea and will add to your ability to survive an attack, but the reality is … Read more
When most people of clams they think of the beach and the ocean, but there are hundreds of freshwater species of clams and mussels in North America. They should not be overlooked as a potential survival food. They can be found in muddy banks of rivers, and unlike fish, you will not need any … Read more
Yucca plants are usually associated with their native arid environments, but they actually grow as far North as Alberta Canada, and into the semi-tropical and temperate areas of North America. The ability to find these plants all over the continent makes them ideal for survival since you are likely to come in contact with … Read more
If you are just getting into living a prepared lifestyle it can be difficult to know where to start. Developing goals or milestones in your preparedness can help you stay on track in a practical way and avoid a one-dimensional or incomplete strategy that can drain your budget long before it offers any real … Read more
Kidnapping is not the most likely event that you will need to survive, but it isn’t always something that happens to other people. It isn’t something that only happens to those who are wealthy enough to pay ransom, or people living in the third world. Even in countries like the United States, people have been … Read more
Carrying a knife is a pretty common thing to do. Though most people only ever use their knives to open packages or cut their finger nails out of boredom, many people carry a knife in the thought of using it as a defensive weapon. Arming yourself is an important aspect of survival, especially for … Read more
In April of 2016, Caroline Lloyd and her daughter Rachel were vacationing in New Zealand. The two decided to take in some of the natural beauty in the area and went on what was meant to be a day hike. After misreading signs on a marked trail, the pair got lost late in the … Read more
Most of the time, fires are going to require some level of attention and maintenance on your part to continue to burn. But this won’t always be possible or practical. Having a fire that requires no maintenance to burn through the night when inclement weather is rolling in and might make starting a new fire … Read more
This video is of a brazen daytime home invasion. It shows two men with knives in hand enter a home and search it room by room. Luckily the intruders never get a chance to assault, or kill, anyone inside the home. When you watch this video take note of these things: This attack … Read more
Geraldine Largay and a friend set out from West Virginia on April 23, 2013, headed to Maine on the Appalachian trail. Her friend was forced to stop her journey do to family issues with only 200 miles remaining of the nearly 2,200 mile trip. Largay continued on by herself, but sadly she never made … Read more
Miner’s lettuce, or Claytonia perfoliata, is a dark leafy green wild edible. The common name comes from its widespread consumption by miners during the California gold rush years. Here are some of the characteristics and benefits of miner’s lettuce that make it a valuable addition to anyone’s survival menu. Miner’s lettuce is available from … Read more
This CCTV footage is reportedly from Brazil and shows what appears to be an off-duty cop fighting off two “armed” robbers. The video description says that the guns they had were fake, and this seems likely since they point their weapons but never fire them. While the final outcome is that no innocent people are … Read more
The purpose of a “get home bag” is, as the name implies, to carry the items you would want if the worst case scenario took place while you were out, at work, the store, or running errands. It is not meant to be a long-term survival kit, or even a bug-out bag, it is only … Read more
72-year-old Charles Cosgrove, a hiking safety instructor, set out for a day hike at Crescent Lake not far from his home in New Britain, Connecticut. During the hike, he slipped on some wet leaves on the trail and fell some 30 feet onto a large rock. He suffered a multitude of scrapes and bruises, … Read more
As I’ve confessed before, I have a slight addiction to CCTV footage. It’s a little morbid, but not without its benefits. A lot can be learned from watching attacks and attempted robberies. You don’t have to wonder about what works in the real world (on the street instead of in the gym), you can … Read more
Colloidal Silver is one of the more controversial alternative medicines these days. The FDA has issued multiple warnings against using it, but despite this, high priced store bought colloidal silver continues to sell and plenty of people continue to report increased health from its use. I’m not a doctor so I’m not going to … Read more
Watercress is a nutrient rich, and widely available wild edible. It grows in moving water and can be found year round in most areas, as long as the water continues to flow. It is related to other cultivated vegetables such as mustard and wasabi. Other than the leaf pattern it can be identified by … Read more
This video is of an attempted armed robber at a gas pump. “Attempted” because of the would-be victims was armed and put an end to the threat. Take a look at the video and watch as this armed defender reacts perfectly to the threat of an armed attacker. The man in blue is the … Read more
60-year-old Wally Fosmore was snowshoeing in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state when he took a wrong turn and got lost in a blizzard. He was at one point able to reach his son using his cell phone and was reported missing. But the rescuers were not able to search for him because the area he was … Read more
Ground Cherry is the common name given to a variety of different species of plants in the Physalis genus. They are related to tomatoes and therefore have several visible similarities that make them easy to spot, though specifics will differ from species to species. Ground cherries grow wild all over the world, though usually … Read more
32-year-old Nicole Glenn was missing for 6 days before detectives found her in her SUV, stuck in the snow. Her mother reported her missing to Siskiyou County authorities after she failed to check in after arriving at a planned destination. A helicopter was used to search for her, and detectives were sent to the … Read more
While almost everyone that carries a firearm for self-defense spends nearly all of their training time practicing putting rounds down range, that’s not what statistics tell us is the most likely scenario armed defenders find themselves in. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be practicing your draw, aim, and trigger control, I’m only … Read more
Part of survival is preparedness, another part is adapting. If you are venturing off into the woods you should always bring with you an axe, hatchet, or a saw, but you might have forgotten them or lost them. In that case, you will need to use a knife for jobs that generally require a … Read more
When I write about a particular fire building method I usually mention that if the only fire you know how to build is a tee-pee fire then you don’t know enough about fire to stand much of a chance in the wilderness. But that’s not at all to say that the tee-pee fire is not … Read more
The threat of martial law has hardly ever been higher for those of us in the West. Glimpses of this have been seen after events like the Boston bombing, hurricane Katrina, or the Paris attacks. While martial law is done under the guise of increasing safety, it will often put one in greater danger, there … Read more
Generally speaking, it’s sound advice for survival to stay healthy, avoiding drinking, smoking, and drugs. But, there are times that you might want to get “high” to increase your survivability. Survival situations can call for more than you have to give, more energy, more stamina, and more concentration. Hitler’s forces were able to blitzkrieg … Read more
Days ago a Pennsylvania family that set out to visit the Grand Canyon was plunged into a wilderness survival scenario. Luckily for them, they all survived. Luckily for us, we can learn from their experience, what they did right, what they did wrong, and what it is really like to face to face with survival … Read more
Some items are just cooler than others, and because of this we give them more attention. But when disaster strikes and you are digging into your supplies it won’t matter how cool an item is, all that will matter is if you enough. For this reason, you might want to spend a little less on … Read more
Not all wood that you come across in the wilderness is the same or will offer the same benefits. Green wet wood is no good for starting fires, and rotten wood does not have the strength you will need to build most shelters. Developing an eye, and touch, that is sensitive to the differences in wood … Read more
In this video, step-by-step instructions and explanations are given for how to construct a gas mask out of material and supplies that you probably already have around the house. You will need a 2-liter plastic bottle, soda can, duct tape, cotton rounds, rubber bands, and activated charcoal (which you should have around already with your … Read more