An Outdoorsman’s Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for giving me my survival knife.

It’s one of my most prized possessions. Sometimes, life can be so distracting, and it’s easy for me to lose perspective about what is really important. When this happens I know it’s time to hit the woods – just me and my knife. There’s nothing like some “knife-time” in the wild to help me gain perspective. After all, it’s in the woods that I feel most connected. It seems I have to “unplug” to “plug in.” My knife helps remind me of how simple life can be. With this knife I can meet my most basic survival needs. I think that’s pretty cool.

 
My knife was designed specifically as a survival knife. It’s not a filet knife or a throwing knife or a shaving knife. I get frustrated when I try to use it for tasks for which it wasn’t designed. I am not much different from my knife in that respect. You have designed me for a specific purpose in this crazy world. Help me to stay on task and find that purpose. You of all people know how many times I’ve tried to do things for which I wasn’t designed. I know I’m stubborn. Maybe You could give me some trail markers so it’s easier for me to find my way along a path that sometimes seems so overgrown. Help me find exactly what I’m designed to do in this world.

My knife doesn’t mind hard work. I don’t baby my knife. I expect it to work hard when I need it to perform in the woods. Oftentimes, the only solution is very hard work. As hard as I’ve used it over the years, my knife has never failed me nor taken the easy way out. Help me to work as hard as my knife. I am thankful for the ability to work hard, and I want You to know that I am willing to do the work required of me. I don’t want to let You or anyone else down. Don’t baby me. You may have to baton me through this harsh world at times, but I won’t break. I want to and am not afraid to work hard.

I know the importance of taking good care of my knife. I know that when I do things like digging and prying, that I can dull and damage the blade. The blade will also corrode, discolor and become pitted if I leave it exposed to moisture and harsh chemicals. But when I polish the metal with oil and sharpen the blade with a wet stone, my knife is renewed. Similarly, Lord, help me to surround myself with people who polish and sharpen me. Give me the wisdom and strength to eliminate the people and habits from my life that may corrode, dull and tarnish my potential.

My knife is simple, Lord, and I like that. I’ve used a lot of different survival knifes over the years, and I’ve learned that it’s not the quantity of features that’s important. How you use a knife is far more important than any of the knife’s physical features. My knife is simple, but in skillful hands it can be extremely effective. Even though I’m simple, Lord, help me to be effective. Help me to skillfully apply myself and learn from my mistakes so that I can live a more effective and impactful life.

Lastly, Lord, at the end of my days I hope to pass my knife down to someone else who can use it in their wilderness adventures. If the world stays on its current path, someone will surely need it. It’s a good knife, and I’d like to see it provide basic needs for someone else after I am long gone. Like my knife, I want to create something worthy of passing down. Help me to live a life that will matter after I am gone from this world. Help me to design a life worthy of a legacy that outlives my short time on Earth. Help me to do things with my life that will have lasting value.

Help me, Lord, to be like my knife.

PS – Oh, and before I die I’d really like to jump Rambo-style down on a wild hog with my knife.  Just sayin’.

WARNING:  Do not read this if you are hungry or if it’s around LUNCH or DINNER!

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the most adept person in the kitchen.  I’m working on it!  It’s actually been one of my resolutions for 2013 – to taking cooking more seriously – especially when it comes to incorporating wild edibles, home-grown vegetables and wild caught/hunted game into my meals.  It all comes back to my fervent belief in the importance of understanding and knowing exactly where the food I put into my body comes from.  In the age of processed food, chemical preservatives and genetically modified produce, infusing these elements into one’s ‘lifestyle’ has never been more important.  I highlight the word lifestyle because it really is a change in the way we look at food and where we get our food.

Making a long story short…

For many years I’ve incorporated wild edibles and wild game into my meals but quite frankly I’ve never been good at it.  I’m not a good cook to begin with and using recipes that call for other types of meats like beef when I’m actually using duck or rabbit or venison makes it even more difficult.  ALL MEATS ARE NOT THE SAME!  It’s pretty frustrating if I’m being honest.

Please help!

Finally, I’ve decided to turn to the expert.  The expert in transforming wild edibles, home-grown produce and wild meats into absolutely delicious 5-star meals that will blow the socks off anything you’ll find in even the finest restaurant is Stacy Harris.  Many of you have already heard of her.  She is the author of several books, including Happy Healthy Family: Tracking the Outdoors In and most recently, Recipes & Tips for Sustainable Living.  Stacy also runs her own blog at http://gameandgarden.com/.

I’ve seen, browsed, bought and read several other wild game cookbooks over the years but no one has come close to presenting wild game recipes in such an easy to understand, common sense, simple and yet fantastically delicious way as Stacy Harris does.  Maybe it’s because she’s from the south.  Who doesn’t love southern cooking (or southern women for that matter)?  Or maybe it’s because I love how she incorporates her family into her writing.  These aren’t just boring recipe books.  They describe a lifestyle that is so unbelievably contagious you’ll consider quitting your job and moving to a small farm in Alabama after reading them.  Her love for naturally fresh food from the garden, woods and water is so evident that you might even try eating the pages.  I’m ashamed to report that they are not flavored so don’t try it.  I’m also ashamed to admit that the pages of her cookbooks actually taste better than some of the wild game I’ve cooked over the years.  But, this is CHANGING!

I really hope you’re not reading this around lunch or dinner.  If you are, I warned you because whatever you’re about ready to eat is probably going to be disappointing after you read the next few paragraphs.

Western Venison Open-Faced Sandwich with Fried Egg

What makes Stacy’s cook books & recipes so special?

She lives this stuff.  This isn’t a side project for her.  She fixes these meals for her husband and 7 children.  (Sorry guys, she’s taken.)  Her family consists of avid hunters, gardeners, back-yard farmers and foragers.  You get to know her family while she shares with you the recipes she uses to keep them all fed.  These recipes are proven winners from someone on the front lines of what defines farm to table, or also in this case, wild to table cooking.  If you’re ready to take your wild game cooking to the next level, her wild game recipes WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!

Wild Duck Meatballs

Creek, why are you torturing me?

Sorry, it’s going to get worse.  Now for some of my favorite recipes!  I wish I could type these with the same southern draw in which Stacy says them but you’ll just have to imagine it:

• Dandelion Greens, Arugala, and Crispy Fried Goat Cheese
• Wild Blueberry Pie (I literally licked the book page.)
• Stuffed Venison Loin
• Western Venison Open-Faced Sandwich with Fried Egg (I’m officially selling my house and moving South – screw it)
• Venison Sausage Patties (My stomach just ate itself)
• Venison Korean Wraps (Actually, I’m just abandoning my house.  Selling takes too long.  Bye.)
• Skewered Wild Turkey with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce (I tried to eat another page again – still no favor!!!)  Stacy if you ever read this can you please make books with flavored pages at least!
• Wild Duck Meatballs (This is ridiculous and completely out of control.)
• Rustic Quail Pizza (CANNOT wait to try this one.)

Venison Korean Wraps

 It’s not just recipes folks!

In her new book, Recipes & Tips for Sustainable Living, I enjoyed her tips and tricks just as much as the recipes.  The book is filled with great tips from an experienced veteran of wild game cuisine!  For example, these excerpts:

Stacy’s discussion of foraging and inclusion of wild edible plants makes her cooking philosophy even more appealing to me.  I am really looking forward to using wild edibles in a completely new and different way on the table – NOT just for survival applications, which I am so wired to do.  Why pigeon hole such amazing wild resources!

If you’re like me and wanting to up your “Wild Game” game in the kitchen, Stacy’s books are worth a serious look.  And, Father’s Day is just around the corner too.  If your Dad likes hunting, fishing AND cooking then this would be a perfect gift.  You can’t have MY COPY – so don’t ask.  I have an autographed one and I’m keeping it!

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering what John 6:35 says.  I looked it up for you.

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Pretty freakin’ cool.  Don’t worry, you too can get a signed copy at: http://gameandgarden.com/shop/recipes-and-tips-for-sustainable-living/

When it all falls apart – at least we can still eat like kings.  I’d better start practicing!

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,

Creek

Is there a special graduate in your life?  A brother, niece, son, daughter, wife, mom, dad?  Looking for a unique graduation gift?  Consider a survival and preparedness themed gift that will pay life-saving rewards.  Who knows, your survival gift just may save a life one day.  Below are some useful, cool and affordable survival themed graduation gifts:

Survival Knife

For many, graduation marks a transition period in life – a coming of age of sorts.  There’s nothing like the presentation of a survival knife to say “Congratulations, you’ve made it!”  Though I didn’t get a survival knife as a graduation gift, I remember everything about the moment when I got my first one.  It was special, and over 20 years later – I still have it.  It’s the RAMBO First Blood knife.  A great first survival knife is a Mora Clipper that only costs about $15.  I use my clipper all the time and love it.  It’s a beast for the price.

A Good Wild Edilbes Field Guide

Instead of Dr. Suess OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!, consider a wild edibles and foraging guide.  A good field guide should be in every young survivalist’s library.  My top three picks are:

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides) by Lee Allen Peterson
• Wild Edibles: A Practical Guide to Foraging, with Easy Identification of 60 Edible Plants and 67 Recipes by Sergei Boutenko
• The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer

I own all three and highly recommend each.

Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit

If your graduate is moving away from the home nest, a Bug Out Bag might be the one tool that gets them back safely one day.  I moved away from home many years ago but my Bug Out Location will always be my parents house.  This step-by-step guide, written by yours truly, is a no-frills manual about how to build that life-saving kit that every graduate making a fresh start at life should have.  Buy it on Amazon for only $13 or buy it from my web-site for $16.99 and I’ll personalize it with a memorable graduation message for you.

 LifeStraw

The gift of EXPERIENCE is ALWAYS better than STUFF

SmartWool Socks

Conclusion/Thoughts

Sorry, no flashy pictures with this post – just a good solid discussion about Survival Mentality.

The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule has been a popular buzz phrase in the business and self-help realms for many years. But what if I told you that understanding this rule could actually save your life?

A quick history …

In the 1800s an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, noted that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. Ironically, he also observed that 20 percent of the pea plants in his garden produced 80 percent of the peas (anyone feel like the 20% of pea plants right now?). This universal ratio ultimately became known as the Pareto Principle and simply states that “80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes.” It’s also been dubbed as “the law of the critical few and the trivial many.”

I’ll leave the business and self-help application of the 80/20 rule to those who have gone before me. Many people have written and spoken about how this principle can improve your performance and effectiveness in life and business. Today, I will discuss how it can actually save your life.

In a survival scenario, prioritizing your time and resources is critical. You must make the absolute best use of the resources both inside of you (like energy and thoughts) and around you (like natural tools and gear). Understanding and applying the 80/20 rule to survival skills and resources not only helps one prepare and train, but also perform. It all starts with mentally identifying 80/20 patterns. Below are a few of the more prominent patterns that I’ve noticed in my years of practicing and teaching survival skills.

Twenty percent of all survival skills offer 80 percent of the life-saving value

There are literally just a handful of skills that can determine whether someone triumphs over a survival scenario. Then, there are hundreds that are nice to know. There are the critical few and the trivial many.

The ability to provide shelter, source water, make fire, signal for rescue and stay mentally motivated are among the critical few.

Oftentimes, people focus on learning the skills they want to know before the ones they need to know. It’s not always the easy and fun activities that produce the most rewarding results. In fact, successful people (in life and survival) typically do what others don’t want to or aren’t willing to do. Understanding the concept of sacrifice will pay survival dividends.

I use 20 percent of my tools 80 percent of the time

Let the 80/20 rule guide how you prepare for an adventure. I spend a lot of time in the field, and I can report matter-of-factly that I use 20 percent of my gear 80 percent of the time.

Knowing what I use more often helps me prepare in advance for adventures, but it also gives me a keen understanding of what I really need in a survival scenario. If ever faced with a sudden and unexpected survival scenario, I will be able to identify the critical few quickly and clearly. A cutting tool, container, fire starting tools, cordage, water and shelter materials are immediately at the top of the list. Anything else is a bonus.

Twenty percent of the steps in a survival skill produce 80 percent of the results

This 80/20 observation comes directly from students who attend our survival training courses. Often, students will arrive who have read all of the best survival books and watched all of the best survival videos but have never taken the opportunity to practice these skills ‘hands-on.” They may understand the concept, know the basic steps and even have seen someone complete the skills successfully, but they still are missing the 20 percent of critical knowledge that only comes from personal trial and error. Often, the trivial many are meaningless without the critical few. Spend time on the 20 percent that really matters.

Twenty percent of your food sources provide 80 percent of your calories

Understanding this principle alone can save your life. Energy conservation and risk reduction are at the core of survival. It’s easy to lose common sense when your brain teeters at the edge of fear and panic. Understanding when and when not to spend valuable time and energy is critical. It makes no survival sense to spend valuable resources or take considerable risk to hunt or gather food that has little to no calorie reward – but people do it all the time in survival scenarios. Often, survivors will spend more calories sourcing food than it will give them back. Hunting and gathering with the 80/20 rule in mind can help quell the urge to be overzealous and prioritize target foods.

Learn to identify 20 percent of the wild edible plants that you see 80 percent of the time

There are literally hundreds of wild edible plants in any given geographic area – except for some desert, high mountain and arctic regions. It’s just not practical for the average person to learn them all – and certainly not necessary. It can be time consuming, overwhelming and confusing. Focusing on being able to positively identify, harvest and prepare the 20 percent of the wild edible plants that you see 80 percent of the time is a much more effective use of your time. This principle allows you to intensely study a select few plants very easily. An intimate knowledge of the critical few is much better than a marginal knowledge of the trivial many. Start with these: cattail, dandelion, Jerusalem artichoke, wapato, thistles, mustards, docks and nettles.

More 80/20 survival patterns certainly exist. Even 20 percent of the wood species in an area can provide 80 percent of a fire’s heat and longevity. The 80/20 ratios exist on many different levels when it comes to survival and preparedness. As you study, practice, prepare and purchase survival supplies, try to identify the 80/20 patterns that can help your efforts be more effective.

What other 80/20 survival patterns can you identify?

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN.