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Six Materials for Field Expedient Natural Camouflage

July 23, 2012 By 2 Comments

**NOTE**  This is GUEST Post by Matthew Dermody. He is the owner of Hidden Success Tactical Concealment and author of Hidden Success:  A Comprehensive Guide To Ghillie Suit Construction.  He offers concealment courses and specializes in ghillie suit construction and tactics.  He lives in Northern Illinois.  For more information, visit www.hiddensuccesstactical.com

Camouflage is everywhere in nature.  If you have never noticed, then the principle obviously works.  Colorations and textures weave an elaborate natural tapestry in much the same way a great artist paints to make the viewer gaze upon the work longer in order to find the deeper, sometimes hidden meaning.  Most of my camouflage and concealment work is based on the assumption that most people interested in concealment have time and access to a variety of textile supplies.  However, what happens when the circumstances dictate a rapid bug-out and you can only take a few essentials?  With limited supplies, personal concealment seems like a daunting task, but I have put together six things that take up very little space in your bug-out bag and you probably already plan to carry.

 

These six items provide or aid in the collection of the necessary elements to construct a field-expedient camouflage system

These six items provide or aid in the collection of the necessary elements to construct a field-expedient camouflage system

 

1.  MACHETE – The first thing to carry with you is a good quality machete with a serrated edge.  I also carry a fixed blade survival knife, but the machete is considerably faster and designed more for fast cutting vegetation for the express purpose of path clearing and concealment vegetation.

2. MULTI-TOOL OR BYPASS PRUNER – My multi-tool manufactured by YardWorks, has a particularly unique and useful set of bypass pruners.  Bypass pruners can easily cut through saplings and small tree branches up to 5/8ths of an inch.  The pruners will not damage the tree and much quieter than trying to cut with a fixed blade or snapping the branch off by hand.

These first two items will aid in the gathering of natural vegetation necessary to effective blend in to the environment.  Keep in mind, that cut vegetation begins to wilt and brown after a couple of hours, depending on moisture content, temperature, exposure to direct sunlight.

3.  JUTE TWINE – Bring two rolls of jute twine that are at least 3-ply and at least 400 feet in length each.  In order to maximize the jute twine, separate the individual strands to produce the most material.  If you cut the twine in one-foot increments, depending on the length of the roll, you could potentially have 1200 feet of jute twine to use.  Large rolls of green jute twine used for tying garden tomatoes can produce 2400 feet of material for camouflage.  If the twine is cut in shorter lengths between 6 – 10 inches, even more material is available!  Having both green and natural colored jute twine in your kit gives you the option to blend into most environments.  If you want to add some other colors, “dye” some of the jute in a little mud.  If you have to time, you can also dye the jute with certain plant extracts.  A good resource for natural dyeing is The Colour Caldron:  The History and Use of Natural Dyes in Scotland by Su Grierson.

4.  PARACORD – Carry an extra length of 550 paracord.  This is very easy nowadays with the popularity of survival bracelets, which are almost exclusively made with 550 paracord and guarantee at least eight feet of useable cordage depending on the style of the bracelet.  The larger the bracelet, the more available length there is.  I tend to like wearing two bracelets; one with a subdued or camouflage color and a brighter colored cord for signaling and marking.

5. RUBBER BANDS – One package of natural tan-colored rubber bands can be a lifesaver in addition to making field-expedient camouflage.  Take the cut jute twine and tie it to the rubber bands using half-hitch knots.  Then slide the rubber bands to different positions on the arms and legs.  Belt loops, buttonholes and large paracord loops are also other effective lashing points for the rubber bands to hold vegetation bundles and small branches.  Looping the rubber bands through itself and the mesh bag provides lashing points for use as a headnet.

 

Two mesh bags. On the right is the author's personal ghillie headnet/gear bag.

Two mesh bags. On the right is the author's personal ghillie headnet/gear bag.

 

6.  NYLON MESH BAG – Choose a green or tan mesh bag, as this will help blend into the environment.  It is even possible to find camouflage mesh bags.  The shape of the human head is so distinctive that it must be camouflaged in order to be effectively concealed.  The mesh allows you to tie the jute twine through the holes to make a camouflage headnet similar to a military-style ghillie suit.  The bag itself can store most your concealment supplies and other essentials.  A mosquito headnet will also accomplish the same thing and is a welcome accessory in environments with a large mosquito population.

 

The author, standing in the center of the picture, is wearing standard camouflage and a ghillie headnet to demonstrate the effectiveness of ghillie-type camouflage.

The author, standing in the center of the picture, is wearing standard camouflage and a ghillie headnet to demonstrate the effectiveness of ghillie-type camouflage.

 

Simple Instructions:

Cut jute twine in various lengths and tie them along the diameter of each individual rubber band.  Be sure to inter-mingle the color, length and texture of the jute.  Save some rubber bands to use on the mesh bag headnet.  Lace the rubber band through the mesh and secure it with a half hitch or square knot.  Then tie the jute twine to the rubber bands.  Slide the completed rubber bands on the arms and legs.  This will help break up the outline of your body.

Camouflaging the hands and face is often done with dirt or mud.  This is only advisable as a last resort and should be kept away from open cuts/sores and the mucous membranes to avoid the risk of bacterial infections.  The best product I can recommend is CarboMask.  This is a cream-style face paint containing activated charcoal that is safer for your skin than mud and has odor absorbing qualities that are a must and therefore helps reduce detection by scent.

Jute twine is flammable and can ignite very easily.  Be sure to keep away from open flames and practice Stop, Drop and Roll in the event your camouflage suit ignites.

Be prepared, be safe and be concealed.

Matthew Dermody is the owner of Hidden Success Tactical Concealment and author of Hidden Success:  A Comprehensive Guide To Ghillie Suit Construction.  He offers concealment courses and specializes in ghillie suit construction and tactics.  He lives in Northern Illinois.   

Please visit:  www.hiddensuccesstactical.com

2012 © Matthew Dermody & Hidden Success Tactical Concealment.  Used with permission.

About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek Stewart
Creek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana.  For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE.  Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.  His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY.  If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book.  You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.
 
 

Filed Under: Featured, General Survival, Guest Posts, Survival Hunting: Know How & Tools

How To Field Dress a Squirrel – an article by Creek Stewart on ArtofManliness.com

January 17, 2012 By 4 Comments

Today, ArtofManliness.com published an article I wrote titled How To Field Dress a Squirrel.  In this article, I walk readers through a step-by-step way to field dress a squirrel.  If you are interested in knowing how to do this or would just like to see how I like to do it you can read the article by clicking on the link below:

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/01/16/how-to-field-dress-a-squirrel/

Here is also a link to a related article I wrote titled 2 Tricks to Spit-Roasting Small Game Over an Open Fire that you may find interesting.

This squirrel had a beautiful thick hide.  I took it to a local taxidermist to be tanned so that I can use it as well.  As soon as he gets it back to me I will post some photos of it here for you to see.  As you will see in the instructional photos I skinned the squirrel in what is called a TUBE and the hide is almost fully intact.  I can readily use it to make a pouch or container.  I haven’t yet decided exactly how I will use it but it will not go to waste.

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Creek

About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek Stewart
Creek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana.  For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE.  Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.  His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY.  If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book.  You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.
 
 

Filed Under: General Survival, Harvest & Processing, Survival Hunting: Know How & Tools, Wild Edibles & Recipes

2 Tricks to Spit-Roasting Small Game Over an Open Fire

December 19, 2011 By 3 Comments

Without a viable cooking container, spit-roasting small game over an open fire is your next best option.  I say ‘next-best’ option because it’s always more nutritious to stew small game to take advantage of every last drop of fats, oils, etc…  And besides, you can always toss in any other wild edibles that you may have access to.  My post today is about 2 TRICKS I use when I spit-roast small game over and open fire.  These 2 tricks are involved in choosing your skewer stick (the stick that goes above the fire and holds the meat).

If you’ve ever tried to spit-roast any kind of animal in the field (without access to many modern amenities) there can be 2 main frustrations.

  • Frustration # 1: Securing the animal to the skewer stick so that is doesn’t spin or flop around as you rotate the skewer.
  • Frustration # 2: Keeping your skewer stick in 1 place so that it doesn’t spin freely to one side all of the time.

I have a very simple and field expedient process for eliminating both of these frustrations with absolutely ZERO modern tools.  It’s all in how you choose a skewer stick.

When it comes to choosing a skewer stick for a spit-roast set-up, you need to look for 2 main features.  Once you’ve determined the length that you need to comfortably span your fire you want to look for a branch or sapling (MUST BE GREEN WOOD) that has a couple of branches about half way across the span and a couple of branches at one end.  Notice the placement of the small branches on the skewer sticks I’m cutting in the photos below.

Cutting a stick with small branches in the middle allows you to use these smaller ‘skewers’ to secure the animal to the main skewer without the need for wire or cordage.  Notice how I’m using these smaller branches to secure the squirrel in the photo below so that it doesn’t fall off, spin, or flop around when I spin the main shaft.

Securing the game to the skewer is only half the battle when it comes to spit roasting.  Making the skewer stay where you want it to is the other struggle.  When you just place the skewer across your ‘Y’ supports like in the photo below, the skewer will automatically rotate to the heaviest side.

This is where the small branches at the end of your skewer stick come into play.  The addition of a simple ‘positioning stick’ as seen in the photos below can give you complete control over when the skewer stops.  This way you can set your skewer and take care of other camp chores instead of having to constantly baby-sit the skewer.

Conserving energy and giving yourself the option to multi-task are both priorities in a survival scenario.  This is just one simple trick that helps with both.  I hope you’ve found it insightful.  For those of you signed up for our SurviVacation Clinics next season we will review this set-up as well as other great tips and tricks first hand.

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About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek Stewart
Creek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana.  For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE.  Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.  His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY.  If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book.  You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.
 
 

Filed Under: Featured, General Survival, Survival Hunting: Know How & Tools, Wild Edibles & Recipes

Gigging for Survival: “It’s all about the SMALLS.”

November 16, 2011 By 10 Comments

I have a friend who makes a living selling items at flea-markets, fairs and festivals and he always says to me, “The money is in the smalls.”  What he means by this is that he makes his living selling the $1 and $2 items – not the $100 big ticket items.  Of course it’s great to sell a big ticket item every now and then but if he depended on big ticket sales to pay the bills he’d be out of business.

The same is true with Survival Hunting.  It’s all about the SMALLS – the little critters like fish, frogs, snakes, cray-fish, crabs, rabbit, lizards, squirrel, mice, rat, rodents, bats, birds, turtle, possum and raccoon.  It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of a Big Game Hunt with some fancy fashioned hunting set but at the end of the day it just isn’t all that practical.  Your survival will depend on your ability to hunt, kill and eat the SMALLS.

When hunting small game, SIMPLE seems to be most effective in my experience.  One of the most effective primitive hunting tools I’ve ever used has been the GIG – especially for fish and frogs.  Don’t underestimate the ability of a simple GIG to put food on the table.  You’ve probably seen Commercial Gigs (Tridents) like the one shown below.  They are sold in the fishing section of almost any outdoor retailer.

These typically come with a bolt or screw which you use to mount it to the end of a 6-10 foot pole.  They are only a few bucks.  If you don’t have one, get one.  They only weigh a few ounces and it’s a great piece of kit to have for a rainy day if you ever need it.  In this post, however, I will present you with 2 primitive survival gigs made from natural materials with limited resources.  There are literally dozens of ways to make a primitive gig but these 2 will at least get you thinking…

Primitive Gig # 1: The Split Gig

The name is pretty self explanatory.  The Split Gig is simply a long pole with the end split into sections which are then sharpened.  This pole can be anything from urban trash such as piece of PVC pipe to natural bamboo.  If it’s long (6′ +), fairly straight and you can split the end then it will probably work.  In my example below I used an 8 foot maple sapling.

 

I split the end down in 4 sections about 10 inches or so.  I then wedged a small rock in the middle and drove it in with a smaller stick.  This helped to spread the ‘tines’ into the shape you see.  You could also use a small stick wedged in each split.  I then sharpened each ‘tine’ to a point.

I then wrapped the base of the split with a natural fiber twine to prevent it from splitting further down the shaft.  For short-term use this isn’t necessary.  Bamboo is perfect for this kind of gig and has been used by many primitive cultures for gigging and spearing small game since the beginning of mankind.  I recently planted a small Bamboo grove at Willow Haven so that we can harvest Bamboo for training during our courses and a primitive Bamboo Gig will definitely be on the training menu.

Watch as Creek demonstrates how to make a Split Tip Frog Gig on WISH-TV 8:

How to make a frog gig

 

Primitive Gig # 2: Hollow Shaft Gig

Many different versions of this gig can be made, but the basic principle is the same.  It all starts with a long pole or shaft that is either hollow or that can be hollowed out at the gig-end.  In this example I have actually used a weed – to demonstrate the versatility of gig materials.  For the pole I used Giant Ragweed – often called Horseweed – which grows as a weed in most of North America.  I featured this invasive weed in a different post HERE if you want to learn more about it. In it’s maturity, Giant Ragweed is very stiff and develops a woody-like stem.  The center is pithy and can be hollowed out with little effort.

Next, the idea is to jam in and wedge or glue a variety of thin sharp objects that form a gigging tip.  Again – this can be almost anything from urban trash like coat hanger wire or nails to natural materials such as wood splinters or thorns.  I decided to keep things au naturale and use only natural found materials.  I used Locust Thorns for the gig tines and pine sap/charcoal glue to hold them in place.  If you missed my post about how to make Pine Pitch Glue – you can see that HERE.   Below is a photo stream of the process:

The thorn tines were rock solid once the pitch glue dried and I wrapped the end with strips of Mulberry bark.  If you don’t already know, the bark from limbs of a mulberry tree peel off in strips and makes excellent ‘quickie-cordage’.

All in all, I was really happy with the result.  Not too bad for a weed, some thorns and a little bit of nature made glue.

This Gig definitely took more time and resources than a Split Tip Gig but it’s a good option none-the-less.

I pushed on a few sections of corn cob to protect the tines (and me) while in transit.

Conclusion

If you’ve never used a gig, I would suggest trying it at least once simply for the experience.  Check with your local DNR office about Frog Gigging rules/regulations/season for your state.  Most states don’t allow the use of a primitive gig but using a commercial gig is good practice just in case you ever have to draw from your survival knowledge in a desperate situation.  I used a Commercial Gig for the ones below earlier this year but practiced my aim on some cattails while I was out.

 

Besides survival practice, the bonus is delicious frog legs.  If you’ve never had them you are definitely missing out on one of the most overlooked delicacies in the world.

Below is a link to some frog leg recipes just for kicks:

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/650/

As always, tuck it away – because it’s not IF but WHEN,

Creek

About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek Stewart
Creek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana.  For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE.  Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.  His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY.  If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book.  You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.
 
 

Filed Under: Fan Favorites, Featured, Fishing & Coastal Survival, General Survival, Survival Hunting: Know How & Tools

4 Reasons To Add a Pellet Air Gun To Your Survival Gun Arsenal

March 9, 2011 By 52 Comments

You read the heading correct – I said Pellet Gun. Yes, the kind powered by air – just 1 step above a BB gun. I own many guns of many calibers and styles for many different purposes. Among these is a good quality Pellet Air Gun and it’s not just because I still have it from when I was a kid. I INTENTIONALLY have added this gun to my survival rifle options for very specific reasons…which I have detailed below.  If you’ve never considered a Pellet Gun as a survival rifle option, you might change your mind after reading this post.

Next to my 12 Gauge Mossberg and my Ruger 10-22 sits a very cool and collected Benjamin Sheridan 392 .22 caliber Multi-Pump Pellet Gun and I treat it with the same respect as it is a very specialized soldier in my arsenal.

Benjamin Sheridan 392 .22 Cal Multi-Pump Pellet Gun

Benjamin Sheridan 392 .22 Cal Multi-Pump Pellet Gun

As a student and instructor of survival living, I take my gun choices very seriously and only add one to my cabinet if it deserves to be there.  Below are 4 reasons (in no particular order) why a Pellet Gun deserves to be including in your Survival Rifle selection:

Survival Reason # 1: Excellent Small Game Hunter

A pellet gun, especially .22 caliber, is an excellent weapon to take down small game.  While people have taken larger game such as wild boars with air guns, they are best suited for small game.  Hunting small game is perfect for any survivalist.  Rabbit, squirrel, dove, quail, duck and the like are excellent food sources and are readily available in most of the country.  With practice, hunting small game with a pellet gun is absolutely no problem.

Small Game Hunter

Small Game Hunter

I have taken many small game animals with my .22 cal pellet gun.  It requires better stalking skills, but that is a good skill to learn anyway.  It requires better shooting skills, but that is also a good skill to hone in on.  Hunting with a pellet gun will force you to be a BETTER hunter and it will also put dinner on the table.  For an interesting photo gallery of pellet gun hunting kills visit: http://www.adventuresinairguns.com/gallery56-i-12.html

Survival Reason # 2: The AMMO

The Pellet Gun’s AMMO is one of the more convincing reasons to have one on hand.  Pellets, no matter the caliber, are very cheap.

.177 cal Pellets - 500 Count for $10

.177 cal Pellets - 500 Count for $10

You can buy 100s of pellets for just a few bucks.  Spend $50 and you’ve got enough to last a lifetime of small game hunting.  If all hell breaks loose, traditional ammunition will become increasingly difficult to get your hands on.  Not to mention that it will be ridiculously expensive.  If the world we live in ever gets this way, why waste your traditional ammo on hunting squirrel or other small game?  That would be wasteful and careless if there was a smarter way.  There is – PELLETS.

1000s of Pellets Fit into Small Spaces

1000s of Pellets Fit into Small Spaces

Not only are pellets DIRT CHEAP, they are very small.  You can carry 1000s and not even know they are there.  You can store 10s of 1000s in just 1 shoe box.  To top it off, pellets have a shelf life of pretty much FOREVER!  Traditional ammunition can go bad over time.  Especially with the talks of giving ammunition an expiration date, stocking a few 1000 pellets isn’t a bad idea.

Worse case scenario you could use all these extra pellets to reload your shot-gun shells.

Reload Empty Shotgun Shells With Pellets

Reload Empty Shotgun Shells With Pellets

 

Survival Reason # 3: Silent Shooter

Forget the earplugs.  These guns are silent.  In many survival scenarios, a silent weapon is a good thing.  Not only can you hunt without drawing attention to yourself or your family, but shooting a silent weapon often means you can get off more than 1 shot if there are multiple targets.  Both of these are positive.  People pay 1000s of $$$ to make their guns silent.  No extra charge for the pellet gun.

Survival Reason # 4: Powered By Air

You don’t have to buy air.  And, it’s never going to be out of stock.  For this reason, I prefer either a MULTI-PUMP or BREAK-BARREL Pellet Air Gun.  I have opted NOT to purchase a CO2 or pneumatic powered air gun.  Needing to refill canisters or tanks doesn’t make any sense in a survival situation.  You want to keep it as old fashioned as possible.  It’s hand pump all the way for this survivalist.

Break-Barrel Survival Pellet Guns

Break-Barrel Survival Pellet Guns

There are tons of options when it comes to Hand Pump or Break Barrel guns.  They both come in .177 and .22 calibers.  The fps varies depending on the gun.  My Multi-Pump Sheridan shoots 850 fps but there are models out there that shoot upwards of 1250 fps which rivals some rim-fire cartridges.  Like anything, the details are personal choices.  However, I definitely suggest a PUMP or BREAK-BARREL so that you can manually charge your air chamber rather than being dependant on other air supply products.

So there you have it, 4 solid reasons why I keep a Pellet Gun in my survival arsenal.

I hope this has been useful information and as always I would love you hear your thoughts and comments.

Cheers-

Creek

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About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek Stewart
Creek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana.  For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE.  Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.  His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY.  If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book.  You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.
 
 

Filed Under: Fan Favorites, Featured, General Survival, Survival Guns, Ammo & Weapons, Survival Hunting: Know How & Tools Tagged With:

The Take Down Survival Bow & Arrow: 6 Reasons You Should Consider Owning One

January 22, 2011 By 38 Comments
Survival Bow: A Versatile Tool

Survival Bow: A Versatile Tool

I am a big fan of the Bow & Arrow for many reasons. I personally think that anyone who has an interest in primitive survival skills or modern urban survival should seriously consider purchasing a good Bow & Arrow and become proficient in using it. There are 100s of bows to choose from. My Bow of choice is an October Mountain Blue Ridge Hunter Take Down Recurve Bow. Below are 6 Reasons why I think you should consider owning a Survival Take Down Bow.

1. PORTABILITY
“Take Down” means that the bow comes apart in 3 pieces: the middle grip section & the 2 limbs. It is super simple to ‘take down’ – just the twist of a couple lug screws and voila. The fact that it comes apart makes it very portable. You can stash the bow in your pack or Bug Out Bag. It’s perfect for a Bug Out Vehicle or BOL (Bug Out Location) cache. And, it weighs very little. My bow weighs only a couple of pounds – if that.

Creek's Survival Take Down Recurve Bow

Creek's Survival Take Down Recurve Bow

Takedown Recurve Bow & Arrows in the WillowHavenOutdoor Utforska Bushcraft Pack

Takedown Recurve Bow & Arrows in the WillowHavenOutdoor Utforska Bushcraft Pack

2. AFFORDABLE
A good Take Down Bow should only cost you a couple 100 bucks and if you take care of it, you can expect it to last your lifetime. Not only is the bow itself affordable, but the ammunition (arrows) are cost effective too. Once you hone your shooting skills, you should be able to retrieve your arrows after shooting….and reuse them over and over again. With a little practice, you can easily make your own arrows using wooden dowels or even natural found wood and plant shafts.

Take a Survival Skills Course at Willow Haven this season – Click HERE for the Course Calendar

3. VERSATILITY
Modern arrows have come a long way. Most new carbon fiber arrows (ultra light weight) have a tip that accepts different screw in arrow tips. I have an extensive selection of tips to choose from: small game stunner tips, broad head razor large game tips, standard practice tips, hook tip and line for bow fishing, etc… I’ve killed both squirrel and deer using my Take Down Bow with different arrow tips. A good selection of arrow tips can be easily kept in a pack or vehicle. I practice flint knapping regularly so that if I was ever in a situation when I need to make my own arrow points I would know how.

Some modern arrow points as compared to flint arrow-heads

Some modern arrow points as compared to flint arrow-heads

Variety of Arrow Tips: Offers hunting versatility

Variety of Arrow Tips: Offers hunting versatility

4. LAWS, RED TAPE & PAPERWORK
Legal limitations and laws are much more lax on the Bow & Arrow than they are with guns and bullets. You don’t have to mess with paperwork and permits even though in the right hands the Bow & Arrow is equally as deadly. The less you have to deal with this stuff the better – especially if things get messy.

Take Down Recurve Bow: A Great Survival Bow

Take Down Recurve Bow: A Great Survival Bow

5. SILENT
The bow and arrow is very quiet weapon. You never know when you might need the convenience of a weapon that is silent & deadly.

6. MULTI-USE
Some pieces of a Take Down Recurve Bow Kit can be Multi-Use items – this is always a plus. I like for everything I pack to have at least 2-3 other uses. The first and most obvious is the Bow String. Bow strings range in length from 4 feet to 6 feet and are incredible strong. You could use a bow string in a variety of ways. Below is just a brief list:

- Bow Drill for Fire
- Snares/Traps
- Cordage for Shelter Building
- Trot Line Fishing

If you are packing a bow then you are probably packing a few arrows as well. Arrows can be used as spears and gigs for small game & fish. They can also be lashed to a longer shaft and used as a larger spear for big game such as wild pig. This larger spear can be used in self defense as well. Imagine a spear with 3 Arrows lashed to the end and each of the arrows had a razor broadhead on the tip – you can’t even buy a spear that effective. I’m sure there are some more multi-use features but these are the few I could easily think of. I would love to hear any ideas you have on the subject of Multi-Use with a Bow and Arrow Kit.

We sell compact 3-piece Take Down Aluminum arrows that are perfect for a compact Bug Out hunting rig.  CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.  Here is a photo below:

My Final Thoughts:

Positives:
- Very Portable for such an effective long range weapon
- Silent
- Affordable
- Multi-Use
- Can reuse arrows
- Can make arrows in the bush
- Lax laws

Negatives:
- Requires practive and skill to be effective
- Arrows can be a little cumbersome to pack

A few good movies that feature a Bow & Arrow in a Survival Situation are:
- Book of Eli
- Red Dawn
- Rambo – pretty much all of them

What I enjoy most about a Bow & Arrow is that it requires skill to use. It is a weapon that carries a certain amount of respect. 99% of being able to effectively use the Bow & Arrow is the skill itself – not the equipment. The skill will always be with you. Even if your bow is damaged or broken in a survival situation or stolen in a bug out situation, you can make a bow as long as you have a nice strong piece of cordage. In the photo below I made this bow from a hickory sapling using only my knife. I also made the arrow. Making a bow and arrow in the bush is definitely an option. However, it will do you know good if you don’t know how to shoot it. Preparation is the key. Practice now for the situation later.

Creek with Home Made Hickory Bow

Creek with Home Made Hickory Bow

Hopefully this was useful content if you are thinking about getting a Survival Take Down Bow. If you have any questions on the matter – just let me know. Would love to hear your thoughts…

Cheers-
Creek

 

About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek Stewart
Creek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana.  For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE.  Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit.  His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY.  If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book.  You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.
 
 

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