• First aid, using a map and a compass, preparing food and filtering water, and using a gun are basic survival skills
• Mastering these skills is more important than anything else in a survival situation
• Join local courses to perfect key survival skills

If you ever find yourself in a survival situation, your most powerful tool is your brain. The more knowledge you have on wilderness survival, the higher the likelihood you’ll get out of whatever predicament you find yourself in just fine. When it comes to outdoor enthusiasts, some of the most useful survival lessons come from tactical pros.
Which crucial skills do you need? And what should you never leave the house without? Here’s what the experts say.

Learn First Aid

Knowing how to diagnose and treat injuries and illnesses in the wild is by far the most important skill for outdoor enthusiasts. 

Human bodies are fragile. It takes nothing more than one missed step to sprain an ankle, and if you don’t know how to immobilize it, you’ll be stuck. A single cut, if left untreated, can lead to a severe infection or worse.

So, how do you learn first aid?

Luck’s in your favour, as nowadays you can download information packs from many authoritative sites, such as the Red Cross or, in some places, fire departments or mountain rescue. However, you should take it a step further and sign up for a course.

They say there’s no better teacher than experience, and when an expert shows you how to wrap a tourniquet or immobilize a broken bone, you’ll be much better prepared than after just reading a book about it.

Aside from reading about it and completing a course, you can also practice on your own at home. It’s crucial that if you ever find yourself in a situation that requires first aid, you know how to use every single tool in your kit.

Read: 9 DIY Project Ideas that Teach Kids Valuable Skills

Learn How to Read a Map

Reading a map is much easier than most people think, but you still need to learn how to do it. We’ve become accustomed to using a GPS for navigation nowadays, but experts maintain that we should always first learn the basics before moving on to high-tech solutions.

When it comes to navigation, the most basic thing is learning how to read a map. This is something that you can do online, and once you get into it, you’ll realize that it’s pretty logical. You just need to be able to approximate your location, recognize peaks and other markings, and all of a sudden, you can determine your direction.

The next step is learning how to use a compass. Once you know how to determine your heading and your position relative to true north, you’ll realize that you can do the same thing a GPS does. A GPS only does it quicker and lays it out on a flat screen.

Preparing Food and Filtering Water

Catching fish is very easy. It is actually the simplest way of acquiring food in the wild. What most people don’t know, however, is what to do with a fish once they catch it. It’s absolutely imperative that you learn how to prepare food in the wild. This includes:

• Gutting your catch
• Cleaning it
• Removing scales (fish)
• Starting a fire

Preparing an animal for cooking is easy enough – there are many YouTube videos that can show you how to do it. Starting a fire in the wild, though, is something you have to do on your own to realize how difficult it can get.

Although you can do it in a second in perfect conditions, it often happens that all the leaves and grasses you want to use for starting a fire are wet, and the area just so happens to be windy. Learn how to find the optimal spot for a fire (against a rock, for example, for wind protection) and how to start it in spite of wet materials.

A similar outdoor survival challenge is acquiring drinkable water. While there are plenty of natural water sources in the wild, they’re seldom safe to drink. 

To turn regular water into drinkable water, you can use the following methods:

• Water filters (most expensive, but most effective method)
• Filtering and boiling water
• Using disinfection tablets
• Use a filter straw

Tactical Lessons

Another thing worth pointing out is the tactical aspect of surviving in the wild.

Although you might not have any ill intentions, the same can’t be said for everything or everyone you’re sharing the wilderness with. Bears, cougars, and moose are known to attack hikers, and although these attacks happen rarely, it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s also always smart to keep an eye out for potentially dangerous people on your hikes.

Because of this, packing something that won’t weigh you down and get in your way too much during your hike is always your best bet. Leave your HK, Mossberg, and your AR with its fancy AR-15 muzzle brake at home when you’re hiking. Instead, carry something small like the S&W Model 610, which won’t get in your way.

Wilderness survival is more than just having the right tools—it’s about being prepared. Skills like first aid, handling a firearm, and navigating the terrain are invaluable. Practice these, and be ready to handle any challenges that come your way. If you encounter a wild animal, remember to stay calm and keep your distance. But if you’re forced to defend yourself, knowing how to use the weapon on you, whether it’s a handgun or a rifle with an AR-15 muzzle brake, could be crucial.

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