Woods Walk with a Hummingbird Hybrid Longbow

Watch the vidoe below to see how to make your own hunting archery range for simulating hunting. Good for practicing bowhunting.

Filling your Bug Out Bag

A Bug Out Bag is for people who want to get out of town in an hurry. Other names for such a bag are a BOB, 72-hour kit, a grab bag, a battle box, a Personal Emergency Relocation Kits (PERK), a go bag or a GOOD bag (Get Out Of Dodge) INCHBAG (I'm Never Coming Home Bag). The most commonly used term however is simply "Bug Out Bag".

Essentially the concept of a bug out bag is for when you need to leave in an hurry and you want to grab everything you need all at once. So instead of spending an hour looking for things and stuffing everything into your bag, you have a prepared bag which is ready to go - which you just grab and go immediately.

The suggested contents of a bug out bag vary depending on the website or group which prepared the list, but the commonly quoted items are as follows...

Enough water to last for 72 hours. In Canada the recommended amount is 2 litres per person per day for drinking plus an additional 2 litres per person per day for cleaning and hygiene. So 12 litres of water (12 kg) will add quite a bit of weight to your bag and make it quite bulky in an hurry. To save space many people only pack 2 litres of water with the intention of finding water as they go along - but that water could be contaminated by radioactive nuclear fallout dust.

Non-perishable food for 72 hours.

Water purification and sanitation supplies (toilet paper, etc).

Cooking supplies.

A first aid kit.

Fire starting tool (eg. matches, ferrocerium rod, lighter, etc).

A pocket survival guide.

Map of the region you are in, including waterways and railway tracks.

Camping equipment.

Weather appropriate clothing (eg. poncho, headwear, gloves, etc).

Sleeping bag and blankets.

Any medicine you require for 72 hours or more.

Battery or crank-operated radio.

Flashlight (crank or batteries) or glow sticks.

Cash and change.

Positive identification, such as passport, birth certificate, drivers license or social security card.

Fixed-blade and / or folding knife.

Small tool kit.

Duct tape, rope and / or fishing line.

Plastic tarps for shelter and water collection.

Compass.

Optional Weapon / Hunting / Fishing Gear (eg. slingshot, pellet gun, firearms + ammo, archery equipment, crossbow, etc).

Camping Off The Grid

One of the fastest ways to get off the proverbial grid is to go camping - and make the tent your permanent or semi-permanent home.

In which case I have some advice and tips for you...

#1. Get a big sturdy tent.

Because having lots of space inside there is definitely a plus. Especially if you have multiple people living in there. The extra sturdiness means it will be less bothered by wind and rain. You can even get a ridiculous multi-room tent like in the photo above.

#2. Get extra tarps.

I don't know why but even the nicest tents sometimes leak - or have condensation that sneaks through. Having extra rainproof tarps going over the tent will keep out the excess damp.

#3. Learn how to build a large traditional teepee - complete with chimney and firepit.

Honestly, this is the logical progression from the "big sturdy tent" to something you can actually cook food in without having to go outside. The fire means you can have extra heat in the tent, and the chimney means you aren't choking to death on smoke. Huzzah.

#4. Learn how to cook over a fire.

 Trickier than you think. Hence why I am recommending the following book.



#5. Learn how to forage for Food.

This is the quickest and most obvious choice for finding your own food. You will need to research this in detail but in the meantime here is a book I recommend.



#6. Learn how to Fish



Or Bowfishing




#7. Learn how to Hunt / Bowhunting





#8. Learn to skin, butcher animals and COOK THEM!

Try these books!







#9. Basic Survival Skills






#10. Remember to bring lots of toilet paper.

Yes, okay, you could use leaves - but remember to learn what poison ivy and poison oak looks like before wiping it on your bottom.

Huzzah!

PVC Longbows and Double Limbed Bow

PVC longbows are a great way to make a cheap yet powerful longbow. They're very easy to make and surprisingly powerful.

They do break sometimes however, but with practice you can get really good at making them.

Another fun thing to make - if you love DIY projects - is to make a double limbed bow which is much more powerful. See the videos further below to see what I mean.

For hunting purposes please remember that your bow needs to be over 40 lbs to be legal for hunting (over 48.5 if you want to hunt for moose, elk or black bear) - otherwise you are more likely to injure the animal and not actually kill it. Most deer hunters use 45 lbs and most moose hunters use 50 lbs. Some hunters go over that, but it is unnecessary and overkill.






Below are some photos of similar double limb bows, made from wood / etc.