Plants
Many plants are edible and can provide valuable calories in a survival situation. Plants also have medicinal purposes but you must have confidence in your identification skills. Eating the wrong plants can have deadly consequences. Only eat plants that you can safely identify and avoid all plants with white berries or white sap as it may be poisonous. The best method of improving your edible plant identification skills is to take a course on the subject. You can also buy an edible plant identification guide and practice by collecting small amounts of a plant and eating it in a safe environment. This exercise will help boost confidence and prepare you for a survival situation.
Insects
Insects are not the first meal choice for most people but the calorie rich food source is ideal for survival. Grubs, grasshoppers, ants and anything that does not have a poisonous bite or sting will provide the energy necessary for survival. Locating and collecting insects requires you to lift rocks and break through dead trees. You can find grubs, ants, grasshoppers and termites by thoroughly searching the ground area. Insects are easy to collect and are ideal for collecting while you are finding a way out of the wilderness.
Fish
You can find fish in most survival situations with the exception of extreme deserts. Look for running or still water that has habitat and insect life. Catch fish with spears, lines and traps. Traps are ideal for catching multiple fish with minimal effort. The initial building of the trap will require concentration but you can use the finished product repeatedly. Construct spears from wooden branches. Use a knife to make a spear with multiple barbed prongs and search for schools of fish in shallow areas. Spear fishing is effective but requires patience and accuracy. Ideally, you will carry a fishing line and several hooks and weights. Tie the line to a stick or control it with your hands. Find bait by searching for insects, and you can catch most species of fish.
Game
Mammals provide proteins necessary for long-term survival situations. Kill large and small mammals using traps or a bow and arrow. Build traps along game paths. Constructing a bow and arrow is labor intensive and requires practice but is an effective hunting method.
Article Written By Zach Lazzari
Zach Lazzari is an outdoor writing specialist. He has experience in website writing as well as standard newspaper writing. He wrote an outdoor column for the Silver World in Lake City, Colo., and articles for Colorado-mountain-adventure.com. Lazzari is currently completing his bachelor's degree online through Arizona State University and lives in southwest Montana.
