Once my supplies ran out, I’d be in trouble. This is a country where even trained, equipped survivalists fail to find enough calories to live off. Before the modern era most people lived on the coast and made fishing and shellfish collecting a big part of their food production.
I know how to do a lot of things that would help with survival. I used to do (somewhat) minimalist camping and I know how to fish, hunt, etc. If I had some fishing equipment and a backpack with basic camping stuff, I think I could survive long enough to die of dysentery.
Assuming warm weather. I live in a hot, coastal climate with lots of rivers and wildlife. I have no idea how to survive in cold or mountain regions.
I knew a few survivalists who walked the Appalachian trail. The first hurdle is… humans are not meant to be solitary. We do best in groups, with division of labor, which multiply force. But that’s not the question. As many already said: calorie-dense food is really hard to come by in the wild. You have to know what to eat, when to eat it, how to prepare it, and how to avoid depleting it. You also compete with other forces of nature: not just wild animals, but bacteria and insects. You have to know when to rest (most of the time), and how to plan ahead, and plan ahead flexibly.
Me, personally, I know a LOT about how to survive. Enough to know I’d be dead in a week at most. Part of the problem is I am dependent on insulin and other medications to live. But even if that wasn’t an issue, I don’t know enough to survive alone. I know enough to know that. “Hiding in the woods” means “I am prepared to die in the woods very soon, but was too cowardly to jump off a precipice or something for a quicker end.”
The biggest challenge is that the woods aren’t what they used to be. 150 years ago you could walk into the forest and see animals and berries everywhere. Nowadays, you’d need to hunt for days on end to find something like a deer, or a beaver, and you’d be lucky to find a source of naturally growing berries. You can still survive in the wilderness, but it’s a lot harder than it used to be, and it was never easy.
Edit: forest animal depletion at 53% 1970-2014. That’s just in that time frame. Before 1970 was an even more dramatic drop in forest population, to the tune of 90%. We’re on our last few animals now.
Depends on how well I know the area and the time of year. My dad was a survivalist, so I at least know what to do. Knowing how to do it — that would be a bigger challenge.
I got a couple of acres of swamp with a very comfy camp setup. You could drop me off naked in January and I’d do OK.
There are a couple of guns and plenty of ammo, but I’m no hunter. Only have a vague idea on how to dress a deer, but I’d have to learn fast! Probably start by sitting still and waiting for a squirrel to wander by. Maybe a rabbit when they come out to silflay.
Since I already have a bit of food on hand, next I would mark a trail down to the river, which I’ve always meant to do. Got a few fishing hooks and simple gear, but no line or poles. I’d have to scavenge up and down the riverbanks for more gear.
No idea what plants are edible out there, probably my #1 issue. There is surprisingly little biodiversity in the plants. Maybe it’s better closer to the river?
Longer term, I would have to figure out how to make animal traps. .22s and 12/20-gauge is not going to last forever. Also, I’d have to eventually move camp to get closer to fresh water.
I’d actually be in great shape but I’m under no illusions. Acquiring food would take almost all my effort.
If we’re talking for any extended period of time I would try to seek support from others. If I’m hiding that means some people want to find me, but presumably not everyone. I’m not equipped with the knowledge or skills to survive on my own in the wilderness. Even if I have the skills, inevitably there are going to be challenges which are difficult if not impossible to handle on your own.
yeah but they have a very limited amount of supplies from a very limited selection (no guns) and its generally been intentionally in places that are very hard to survive in for one reason or another. Don't get me wrong though. Still hard but if you have yurt with sattelite internet and solar panels and guns and many buckets of survival rations and like something that gets water from humidity automatically and such. well not really as bad. so I guess it depends on how much time you could prep your hiding spot or even your stuff your going to go out with.
That’s true and it’s similar to how I took the question. If I’ve gone into hiding, I imagine it’s an emergency situation with little to no time to prepare.
yeah but civiliazation is not far away so you should be able to scrounge at the least. in the show a plastic tarp or anything that can be used as a container is a big deal.
I’d probably be happier, modern life depresses me and while I do think the first few months would be tricky the freedom of it does really appeal to me.
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