Why the obsession with 'living off the land'?

[Jeff H]

swing at little ball, chase little ball, repeat.... nope, not for me.

Exactly.

The question is a reminder to those of us who attempt to answer the question(s) not to tie ourselves up with rationalizing a "need" or strict practicality. You kind of set up a condition - a challenge to justify it based on that and it's not necessarily or always about being completely "realistic." Sure, it would be impractical for everyone in the world to return to the wild and expect the earth's resources to support all of us, but the more one knows, the more "tools" one has to work with in a survival situation, whether they are all used or not, and, since they don't weigh anything, we can tote all of them all at once wherever we go.

A big part of it is that it is just fun to learn and to keep "lost arts" alive.
Some of it is about being less dependent and more responsible for ourselves because it teaches us lessons that are applicable in other aspects of life.

Me - I was just raised that way. Not literally in the woods, but we couldn't buy everything so we made stuff and we learned to do things we couldn't pay others to do. Of course, it never occured to us to pay someone else to do much of anything except things like grinding a set of lenses for our glasses and things like that.

I am amazed at how much less independent people in general have become in just my own lifetime of a few days short of half a century. Don't forget the "Wildernes" part of "Wilderness and Survival Skills." It's not ALL about survival and it does teach one more that the direct application of "munching ferns and squirrels."

Squirrels are quite tasty too, by the way. Mmmmm, squirrel gravy and biscuits...... now you're making me hungry.

 

[Bushman5]

why live off the grid, or live on the land? Because thats how i grew up and i was MUCH happier then than i am now in this world.......

because i enjoy the fruits of my labours, growing my own food, building my own home, etc , and NOT needing to rely on someone else to provide for me.

and because i HATE the system, the government, which in my region has made millions miserable with their 3 million laws and bylaws, their taxes and their intrusion into my privacy.

NUFF SAID!

in other words, i want people to leave me alone, esp the GOOBERMENT types. I can take of myself, i DON NOT NEED interference from anyone else.

Think Free Act Free Be Free and one heck of a thumbs up to Robert Menard.

 

[Raining]

IMO living off the land doesn't always mean the extreme examples of living in the forest in a lean-to and eating grubs and bark. There can be different degrees of it, such as having a vegetable garden at home, hunting, fishing, utilizing natural sources of power (solar, water, thermal), raising animals and livestock, etc.

For me, it means having a little more self-reliance and a little more independence. Doesn't mean I'm going to give up my home or the modern day conveniences that I've come to enjoy, but being able to derive pleasure and fulfillment from more primitive ways adds to my life rather than detracts from it.

And if some of these skills happen to come in handy in a survival situation, well, that's just another bonus. :thumbup:

 

[Kiah]

I am amazed at how much less independent people in general have become in just my own lifetime of a few days short of half a century.

+1 I was reading a site the other day where a guy was discussing overloading a home circuit breaker by plugging in too many things. While that's common sense, his rationale was that an overloaded circuit would lead to his power being off in that room until he could have someone come in to flip the breaker back for him. That's a bit extreme, but it's a good analogy for how helpless a lot of people are anymore.

I was talking to someone a few days ago about the price of electricity in the winter. I mentioned that I burn wood, so my bill goes down. That's not a big deal around here as a lot of people do. The fact that I cut, haul on foot, and buck my wood by myself with a hatchet and a bucksaw in a stove made out of a steel drum though strikes even people around here as odd except for the old timers.

People think it's weird nowadays to do anything themselves. I think it's weird that they think it's weird.

Squirrels are quite tasty too, by the way. Mmmmm, squirrel gravy and biscuits...... now you're making me hungry.

+2 Don't knock it till you try it.

 

[OwenM]

Like Acetylene said, to each his own.
Written on a shelter awning: "Follow Your Bliss".
Yours, not someone else's.

 

[j williams]

Because I dont golf.

Seriously, people have differant interests. Some stock up and "prep", some Bushcraft, Some camp. Some do all of the above.

I dont try to understand why people watch reality TV, and eat shit fast food, and why others build hot rods, and why others collect stamps. People have interests.

 

[beef]

I think you may be confusing survival with primitive living. I don't know many people who can live indefinitely off the land.

My interest is primitive living skills: wild foods, carving, weaving, natural cordage etc. I don't believe this has much bearing on survival at all.

If I broke a leg on a trip, I'd be firing up the emergency beacon and huddling in my orange garbage bag, not creating works of art.

 

[Jeff H]

Why do so many folks here want to learn every bit of minutia about everything you can make, eat, hunt, fart, and lick off the land?.........

Thank you for the great post too.

Reading the responses I can see a restatment of what we have in common here, which reinforces our kinship. We can get caught up in debates among ourselves and completely forget that such an argument couldn't happen outside this circle - and forget about the circle.

 

[glee]

I don't understand why people play golf.

Heh, heh, heh...

Wait till you hit that first pure ball, when everything goes just right from wind up, to feel of the impact, to follow thorough and the ball sails away, hanging the in the air like it's carried on a breeze and finally lands so far away, just where you want it...
It's like a drug. You go chasing that feeling forever and just when you're about to give up out of frustration, it will happen again.


But back to the OP... For many, I believe it's pursuit of freedom and independence. For some, like mountain/rock climbing, it's a journey of discovering of who we really are.

It's hard to tell how big life is until you find the edge.

 

[dougo83]

Emergency preparedness and living off the land eating weeds and critters are 2 different things. If you're not preparing for emergencies by stocking up and know some basic skills should be required to live today.

Eating plants and hunting for all your food with a pellet rifle (yes, I exagerate) while living in a lean two in the middle of the woods seems like trying to play mountain man. Check history: they didn't live too long, or got to the city to live a bit better.

How is learning to survive off the land not "emergency preparedness?" For some of us, this is a hobby or a strictly intellectual exercise. For others, like me, it is also a chance to prepare myself for the absolute worst. Yes, I am prepared to survive out of my home, or my vehicle, for a few days or maybe weeks. However, what about when that runs out? We can sit here and say the post-apocalyptic Mad Max-esque scenario will never happen, but we never know. The way I see it, it is much better to know how to do it just in case. Not to mention the satisfaction some of us get from this type of survival training...working that hard for food brings around a certain appreciation for a time long past that you cannot get from reading a book, IMO.

 

[zachtateknives]

Show me the number of Mexicans willingly leaving the civilized world behing to eat plants and hunt for their meat, and your arguement holds water. Those displaced go to the next safe towns, cities, or wait for assistance. And yes, I could dig in for a nice period of time if all hell breaks loose. Best of all, I could do it where I sit at home, or take it on the road.

You missed the point. These people fled to the dirt, some people did perish, they had no survival skillz. They had very little warning about the fact that their would be an all out battle in their town because two different groups wanted to control, who's drugs get into the US. Their police department fled, their hospital burned, their well destroyed, and yet the Mexican Army did "patrols". Yes eventually Mexico was able to set up a refugee camp for the survivors. Saying that its a valid reason to not learn how to survive for days or a month on the run or in the wild because your gubbermint will eventually help you, is a naive. Saying its possible to dig in, at your home, at your work, or on the road, is foolish, FIRE and IED's can turn bunkers into coffins.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

From my perspective. . .

It's fun. It's a hobby like any other.

Not all of us are about carving a home out of the woods bare-assed naked except for a knife. I'm certainly not. I like to camp, and camp comfortably.

I have a black thumb. Nearly everything I plant dies. However, if I learn wild edibles, I HAVE been able to transplant things native to the soil around here back to my yard to form a garden of sorts. OK, some seed grows for me, but not much.

Wild game has flavor that you can't get from the ultra bland supermarket meat.

It's relaxing.

It's a good sight cheaper than most hobbies.

Some of the barbarians never became civilized.

 

[reconranger]

But they did it at home! That's not the same as hiking into the woods to try to conquer mother nature. They adapted to their circumstances and overcame them. THAT is what we all need to do.

Yeah....because trying to make it in the woods would have been unrealistic, and more likely a death sentence! Besides, not everybody has "woods"??? I have lots of woods in the local mountains, but F*** that, I'm going down to the ocean and fish!!!

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Jimh

Why do so many folks here want to learn every bit of minutia about everything you can make, eat, hunt, fart, and lick off the land?

I get the interest in honing one's outdoor skills, and survival skills are a crucial part of that, BUT why plan to live out there with nothing but a knife for a year? When was the last rescue of a victim that survived that long? Why would you deliberately intend on oing out to the woods and hunt critters and eat native plants to survive for months. Not a good plan! Your body uses more than it gains in that situation.

If the shiz hits the fan, how about having a plan that involves what you have already,and not munching ferns and squirrels?

I'm about to break my own self imposed exile, but I really can't resisit.

Can I ask you some questions before answering your question?

How old are you and what sort of life did you lead when you where younger?

What is your idea of what constitutes a "wilderness" area?

I do photography to connect to things in nature, so that I get. BTW, we looked for way to get away from roughing it in the woods for a reason: it sucked....

Can you provide some pics of the sort of areas that you do your photography in so I can get an idea of the types of areas that you venture into, to be able "to connect to things in nature"?

Are your photography trips up to a day in duration or are they longer (ie including up to a couple of months at a time)?

BTW, since you find roughing it "sucks", I guess your not into extended stays into the bush

Are your trips along marked trails, or do they require "off track walking with a topo map & compass"?

Is the topography of these areas that you venture into relatively flat & clear, making carrying a large load easy (including your camera gear), or is it steep & heavily timbered (with lots of deadfall to scramble over) necessitating a much lighter load?

Do you have cell phone reception in the areas you venture into?

If not, do you feel the need to take another form of technology with you to ensure a safe return?

I ask this, because if your reliant on technology, and only venture in the "wilderness" for less than a day, you won't be able to see why others can see the merit in "being able to live off the land".

I appologise if there appears to be a lot of questions, but I would really like to get an accurate impression on your personal experience with the "wilderness" before I answer

Now that I have asked some questions, I'll give you my answer to your initial questions. :thumbup:

Personally the answer is simple.:thumbup:

I'm a dinosaur from a different time & place

....BUT why plan to live out there with nothing but a knife for a year?.....

BTW, I have consistently pointed out that I see the value in taking a small hatchet with me, so I guess I'm not included in your "only a knife for a year group"






Kind regards
Mick

 

[pitdog]

Emergency preparedness and living off the land eating weeds and critters are 2 different things. If you're not preparing for emergencies by stocking up and know some basic skills should be required to live today.

Eating plants and hunting for all your food with a pellet rifle (yes, I exagerate) while living in a lean two in the middle of the woods seems like trying to play mountain man. Check history: they didn't live too long, or got to the city to live a bit better.

Sorry buddy but I find your whole tone very patronizing.

I fall into your bracket of a weed eater as I enjoy learning about and tasting wild edibles. These weeds were often the only things that kept the first nations people alive in the days before Burger King and KFC.
I live on an Island and have heard it said that we have about enough food in the stores to feed every person for about 6 days....yeah just 6 days !!!
So if for whatever reason the shipping lanes were to close we'd soon all be getting pretty hungry after a week.
Now if you have the ability to go into the wilds and supplement what food reserves you do have with those that you can forage for then you are gonna be a damn site better off than the nerd next door who does nothing but play on his X-box.......and if the sh*t does hit the fan then those same nerds and patronizing people such as yourself had better not come knocking on my door for assistance because you'd likely end up as the protein portion next to my miners lettuce and Camas bulbs !

 

[Moosez45]

I live on an Island and have heard it said that we have about enough food in the stores to feed every person for about 6 days....yeah just 6 days !!!
!

If the SHTF, Pit, I would want to be where you are, on an island. Food maybe short, but at least you don't have to deal with much in the way of people. I am learning my wild edibles, and around here where I live, just about everything is digestible, if not palatable. Some things are just downright delicious, like morel mushrooms. Easy to identify, taste like chicken, and grow in abundance. Persimmon trees, walnuts, deer, rabbit, squirrel, are just a few to name. Pitdog, islander cannibal, I can dig it, bro, I can dig it.

Moose

 

[crackerjax]

Emergency preparedness and living off the land eating weeds and critters are 2 different things. If you're not preparing for emergencies by stocking up and know some basic skills should be required to live today.

Eating plants and hunting for all your food with a pellet rifle (yes, I exagerate) while living in a lean two in the middle of the woods seems like trying to play mountain man. Check history: they didn't live too long, or got to the city to live a bit better.

Living long aint all its cracked up to be if you do it in a cubical all day....I long for the woods its a time I can reflect, I make my own decisions. If you dont understand than you never truely will I think your born with it. I live a "regular" life but if I could find a way to live in a cabin with no main power on 30 acres of land id be there yesterday check out les strouds house thats what I want.

 

[SouthernCross]

G'day Pit

... live on an Island and have heard it said that we have about enough food in the stores to feed every person for about 6 days....yeah just 6 days !!!
So if for whatever reason the shipping lanes were to close we'd soon all be getting pretty hungry after a week.
Now if you have the ability to go into the wilds and supplement what food reserves you do have with those that you can forage for then you are gonna be a damn site better off than the nerd next door who does nothing but play on his X-box

Who would have thought, that those who had the knowledge to live before the days of McDonalds & Supermarkets, would have actually been in a better position to stay alive if the Sh!t ever hit the fan

Makes me wonder, how ever did humans manage to stay alive before fast food chains & being able to buy what they needed from stores?

I guess we all just got lucky

But then again, I'll readily acknowledge that I really don't know what I've been talking about for the last couple of years :thumbup:


BTW: I've already acknowleded that I'm a slow learner, but I reckon that I have finally come to understand why the type of questions that have been asked by the OP will continue to be asked.:thumbup:

When an individuals experience of the wilderness is limited to day walks along marked trails, there will always be questions asked about why individuals may actually need the same skills that the indigenous / aboriginal peoples needed.:thumbup:

They simply don't seem to get the point, that there are still people in other areas of the world that may actually need to put these skills into practice :thumbup::thumbup:




Kind regards
Mick

 

[kg4ghn]

I smell a troll.

I do wilderness stuff because I enjoy it, and I can. I don't need any other reason than that.

You have gotten several good answers and your replies are just patronizing and downgrading as if whatever you like to do is better than what we like to do. Who cares?

Life is too short to not enjoy it. I enjoy being in the woods. I have since I was a kid.

Oh, if only this was in W&C.

 

[dnhald]

For me, its fun. There's a very fulfilling feeling that I get, living with the minimum amount of modern conviences. I like making bow drills and traps. I smile and feel good inside when it renders me food, and fire to cook it on. I like making a shelter out of nothing but what nature gives me. I feel good inside when I stay warm, dry, and cozy in said shelter. I like waking up to birds and squirrels going about their day, as if I wasn't there. I feel good inside when they pay me no mind, as I am apart of the surroundings. Its self reliance. Its primitive. Its substance. Its making your brain the most valuable tool in the shed. Its about knowing what I am capable of.

I can't say it better than that.

Moose

that my friend is the poetry that that would have came out of my mouth as " cause i like to kill s***, build s***, and figure s*** out. there is only two places i can get complete my check list in one afternoon and they wount let me enlist. that leaves me with the bush." i think yours might be better