Bash, Crush, Destroy, Hang, Slash, Stab, Mangle, Tangle, KILL

-In Most Survival Situations, Weapons ARE NOT Essential.

In most survival situations, food is not an essential; therefore most weapons are not needed or even wanted. 

You can live only a few days without water, but you can live for weeks without food and the energy used to find and hunt for animal food sources can often burn more calories than are given back.

But, if you have plenty of water, are not sick or injured, and your camp is set up, you can spend some time looking for food. ALWAYS START WITH PLANTS; because while water is a prime need to  human survival; drinking it is not always  necessary; hydration (water) can and will be derived from consuming vegetation. 
Many animals; especially birds and reptiles, do not actually drink; they have little need for "FREE"water, except to bathe, play, or dunk their food in.

There are many edible plants, and while there also exist many that are poisonous; at least to some degree; the actual danger- in Canada, is probably less than from animal sources.  You do need however to identify edible plants before eating any of them.

Later, streams may provide you fish or crayfish.

You can use worms, grubs or insects as bait: or you may eat them if absolutely needed.

Canada, and most civilised countries, have very stringent laws concerning the carrying and or possession of firearms and other deadly weapons; therefore you are very unlikely to have any available in a survival situation-as previously stated; they are not usually needed or wanted in any case(remember they would have to be carried).

Snares and traps do require some expertise, practise and skill to use successfully; but with most game it is easier to trap than to stalk and kill, in a survival situation you do not want to be hunting large game in any case.

While setting traps leaves you with time to attend to other duties like foraging or shelter building, the title of this page represents the principals of hunting trapping; your trap must effect to either bash, crush, dangle, destroy, hang, slash, tangle, mangle, strangle, KILL, your quarry-or, perhaps, acquaintances, friends, relatives, or other would be survivors. Yes, traps are dangerous; lethally so. Using them is also, in all likelihood, illegal. Don't attempt to use them except in an extreme survival situation; when the survivor’s own preservation must take precedence over humanitarian principles. It's not big; it's not clever; it’s not macho.

Putting up several traps around your shelter/retreat gives you more than one opportunity at a time to catch a meal, check all traps regularly to prevent escape and or undue suffering.

If, not overdone, starting a routine of regularly doing the rounds of your traps can provide you with a positive activity and mind set, however BE PATIENT, you will need to study the habits of animals to site traps effectively. ©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved..

I Am, Forever Grateful to Jesse and Corin-Always be Prepared-I Was Not.

April 27, 2013, while on a fishing trip on the Chilliwack (Vedder) River I suffered a fall, causing a dislocation and minor fracture of the left shoulder. At the time of the accident, I was about 3/4 of a mile off the main road, on a dyke, it was raining heavily, and there was absolutely no one else around. Fortunately for me, I was able to get up, and did manage to drive myself back to the main road; where Corin and Jesse, two young people, young enough to be my grandchildren, (to whom I am forever grateful), not only offered their assistance but DID drive me to the hospital. Then, nine or ten hours later, they Did drive me home, in my own vehicle (Jesse drove my vehicle, while Corin followed in theirs-they still had to drive themselves back to Chilliwack) to my residence in Vancouver, after the shoulder had been treated in emergency. They DID NOT expect any remuneration; in fact, they balked at the very suggestion of such.
The point I wish to get across, through relating this, is that I was not adequately prepared. MY personal survival Kit was not complete. I WAS NOT CARRYING A MOBILE PHONE, ON MY PERSON. I was able to get up and was still fairly ambulatory.  But, suppose I had not been. I might well still be there, still requiring assistance- if indeed, that is; I still required anything at all 

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan 2013. All rights reserved.