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© 2009 MPIoutdoors.com
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WINTER SURVIVAL FOR HUNTERS
- If you get lost or separated from your party then the best advice when you realize it is to stay where you are. STOP… Sit, Think, Observe and Plan.
- If you have let others know where you were going by leaving an itinerary, a search party will be on the way. A stationary object is much easier to locate than a moving one.
- Always wear or carry with you bright color outerwear that is warm and always layer your clothing applications.
- Make sure you have a stocking cap and extra gloves in your coat or pack pocket for emergencies. Most loss of body heat is from your head… wet gloves should be changed while wet ones dry over a fire or placed against your body under a coat to dry.
- In winter, lay down on your back in a fetal position (arms and knees drawn across your body, and adopt a running motion when you get severely cold) this helps improve the blood flow to your extremities.
- If you are with a group you should always huddle together in cold weather to conserve and share expended body heat. Gather around a fire to absorb and concentrate the heat output. Three small fires are not only a recognized distress signal but will provide more body warming heat with you in the middle than one large fire.
- Shelters can be built from both brush and snow. Snow is actually a good insulator. With a little care and planning a deep trench can be easily dug out and you can cover it over with extra clothing or tree limbs. This will provide some additional protection and insulation from the biting cold winds.
- The body can do without food for an extended period of time, but it cannot do without water for more than two days. There is no immediate need for food gathering, do not expend the energy until you get shelter from the elements and a fire in place.
- To be wet and exposed to the wind is the worst possible condition you can experience. You loose body heat 200 times faster in wet clothing than in dry clothing. It is important that you get out of wet clothes and into dry clothes. If dry clothes are not available in your pack, then take off as much as you can of your inner clothing and dry it first, then dry your outer layers.
- Never start a fire under snow-laden trees, outcrops or directly in your shelter. Dig a pit if possible for your fire to shield it from the wind.
- Before you venture out make a pocketsize fire starting kit in addition to the one in your survival kit. Take two small zip-lock poly bags; put 8 to 10 strike-anywhere matches into one of the bags (a small box of waterproof matches will also do (not paper book matches they absorb moisture). A disposable lighter but with a clear tank so you can see the fuel supply can be a second choice. Put a small pocketknife for shaving tinder, or you can take a few MPI Outdoors Solid Fuel Tablets or neatly folded toilet paper or dryer lint for a secure ignition source. Put this one bag reversed into the second bag, (now it’s waterproof) put it in your jacket pocket and only use when needed. This is your backup-only source, not your main fire starting kit that should be in your survival kit. Another method is to place these same items into an SPACE Brand EMERGENCY BLANKET. Carefully open, slip out intact, unfold the first wind of the blanket, and place in the fire starting items and then carefully rewind. Reseal the blanket and contents into a small zip loc bag or wrap the blanket and all the contents in several layers of aluminum foil. Keep this in your pocket, just in case it is needed. This fire kit also provides you with the needed availability of the SPACE Brand EMERGENCY BLANKET for added warmth, comfort, shelter or a giant signal mirror when wrapped over a flexible tree branch or as a panel marker for air to ground visibility.
- Water from melted snow or ice can cause cramps and digestive problems; it is devoid of mineral salts. When possible accompany the drinking of any melted snow or ice with the intake of food. On food always have a few high-energy bars stashed in your gear.
- Do not put snow or ice directly into your mouth to melt, but put it between your hands to melt and then drip into a container. It is always best to melt it over an open flame in a cup or form one from the aluminum foil in your survival kit or wrapped around your back up Emergency Blanket fire starting kit. Boiling also adds some degree of sterilization. Cold in your mouth will cause local cooling and chill your insides more than it will quench you. It also causes diarrhea and that aggravates potential dehydration.
- Never allow yourself to fall asleep unless your hands, feet and ears are warm. When choosing an outdoor cold weather coat try and find one with a series of closures, a zipper, snaps and Velcro if possible. The reason being that in extreme cold weather conditions and combined with altitude you could loose some finger dexterity, this way if you cannot get your cold hands to zip up you can easily pound on the snaps or press on the Velcro closure.
- If stranded it is always best if you can stay in one place, make a signal fire and if snow cover is available in a field or mountainside, slowly tramp out or place branches, rocks, clothing, etc. to form SOS in large as possible letters that can be seen from the air. Most initial searches for those lost in the wilderness are conducted from the air. Most all rescue searches are conducted by utilizing a grid-by-grid search pattern, and if you are moving chances are 50% against you that you are moving away from the rescue teams.
- Remember in winter you have to adjust your pace and exertion levels to a rate that keeps perspiration to a minimum. Control your outflow and you can conserve on your intake.
- 500 million people live in the mountains worldwide. About 20 million of them at altitudes above 10,000 feet. So day-to-day survival at higher altitudes is not improbable or impossible. You just have to always stay positive.
- The primary key to winter survival is preparedness and a lot of common sense. The air is dryer during the winter and this makes it essential that you re-hydrate frequently. It also is important that you have the proper clothing, equipment and food necessary to withstand the climatic and physical pressures at higher/colder altitudes. If forced to spend the night outside in winter, having a SPACE Brand ALL WEATHER BLANKET with you will provide a level of additional warmth, comfort and protection from the elements, and keep the biting wind from penetrating through your clothing.
- At higher altitudes it is extremely important that you keep yourself dry, as dampness increases the effects of the cold and will rapidly sap your energy.
- Temperature and weather conditions can and do change quickly at higher altitudes. Always keep an eye on the horizon for approaching systems by changes in the cloud patterns. Note carefully any sudden drop in temperature (one of those thermometer zipper pulls is a good idea to have) and be prepared to seek shelter or go immediately to lower elevations if you are sure you have time. It is always better to wait out a storm than to walk through it.
- Saving your life and those of others comes down to the basics, ALWAYS BE PREPARED – never assume it can’t or won’t happen to you and always keep your head… stupid gets you dead in the outdoors.
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