Identifying those who will and those who won’t survive the wilderness doesn’t have to be rocket science. It’s as easy as daydreaming about the pure streams, wholesome games, sufficient fuel & a large condo. In fact, if you find yourself doing this often, then you are likely not to survive bugging out to the woods when civilization comes crashing.
The wilderness isn’t set in the future; it doesn’t regal you with plenty of new technologies to utilize. It’s several steps backward, sometimes way back to when man could throw around his age: simply put, the stone age!
If you’ve repeatedly heard fantasies of easing out into the wild & establishing dominance as soon as possible, chances are you’ve been misled into believing it is that easy.
Facts are: it isn’t.
This article will identify the likeliest categories of those to attain the Mockingjay label while shortlisting the most likely to fall in the trial stage of the Hunger Games too.
Let’s bug right into it!
Identifying Those Who Will Survive the Wilderness
Boy Scouts
Whether current or former, you’d expect a Boy Scout to appear on the extended list of survivors. Boy Scouts have for long emphasized preparedness, self-sufficiency & survival abilities alongside various exercises that foster confidence to equip members for wilderness survival both physically & mentally.
A Boy Scout who’s still low in rank will have a better shot at surviving than the ordinary man. This is because he is expected to know how to self-evaluate, arrange priorities, erect shelter, build a good fire & find food in his environment. These expectations are on him because he has been trained for them.
When speaking from this perspective, it is proper to regard scouting as a disaster-proofing approach to living.
Military Officers
The requirements & training undergone to fulfill specific jobs can come to play essential roles in your time in the wild, and there’s hardly a job more likely to equip you for difficulties than one in the military.
If you serve in the military, there’s no denying that you’re more suited to survive the wilderness than arguably everyone else, as basically much of your career is focused on surviving & possibly thriving in all environs under terrible conditions.
Even drone pilots who don’t leave their seats are subjected to grueling mental tests for every strike they make. How much more the ones who spend about all of their time in the wild.
It will greatly help that these persons are more conditioned to complete hard tasks, which will become the norm in a society without the emblems of civilization.
Let’s not even consider that some of these men & women undergo special SERE training, SEAL training & other unique programs like that.
Hunters
The chances of hunters having more skillsets to survive longer in the wild over the average man are quite high. They are the main group of civilians that can be classified among long-term wood dwellers.
I don’t know what movies you’ve watched, but if you hold the belief that hunting is all about climbing a tree to wait for the next unlucky animal to prowl on, you need to repeat this mantra with me: “I know something; I know nothing.”
Hunters out to make a kill statement have to put a lot of time out there, as though they were sentenced by a judge. They need to establish a familiarity with the woods that few can rival. From checking out likely routes of travel to tracking food sources & watering holes, and picking out signs that most other people would miss, even the average hunter would find the woods much more convenient to live in.
Hikers
Hikers also spend most of their time in the wilderness. This will be their leverage when push comes to shove.
Whereas the usual skill sets required for conquering the trails are not as intense as hunting, you can bet that hikers will find it much easier to get used to the rigors & challenges that come with wilderness survival, especially in the area of terrain navigation.
Hikers who’ve covered long distances will be better positioned to find ideal campsites & select the best fuels. They are also physically fit, which is what you’ll be needing when you hit the woods for survival. You’ll realize the dues to be paid when the owner comes knocking: better you’re equipped.
Note too that hikers are very familiar with the routes they’ve been hiking on, and that’s more than enough to build confidence & find solutions to certain problems. For example, bugging out to the appropriate campsites won’t pose a problem regardless of the crowd trying to do so.
Naturalists
There are many subsets under this category, ranging from regular campers to birdwatchers, foragers, game wardens, wanderers & rangers. The basic idea is those who enjoy spending time out in the wild. The consequence is that they are more likely to do well in the wilderness than someone who’s just hitting the wild for the first time.
It is like comparing students who’ve spent years in a school to a first-timer. Expect a lot of timidity & possibly bullying, this time from the treacherous terrains & prowling animals.
Even if not geared towards survival, having enough experience in an environment is always valuable in a survival scenario. You will not need to learn a lot about moving & living in the same terrain.
The fact that you’re merely looking for berries to pluck does not mean that you won’t learn whatever happens naturally as you do so, even if it does not directly concern you. The keynote here is: there’s always an advantage if you’ve explored the wilderness before.
Final Lines on Identifying Those Who Will And Those Who Won’t Survive the Wilderness
Identifying those who will and those who won’t survive the wilderness is crucial to the survival of everyone you love. This is because you’ll be able to educate whoever that’s lacking in some aspects before they find themselves in situations that require more from them. The above article has addressed those who will, and in the next part, we’ll look at those who are likely not to. Let’s hear from you: do you think you’ll fall in the categories to be highlighted later?