For the seasoned survivalist, these may all seem too simple, too basic, but they are all vital skills to know. It is never too early to start your survival initiation and never too late to hone your skills!

Making a shelter
A prepared person would have a tent and sleeping bag in their Bug Out Bag. But what if you get caught in the wilderness without a tent? Would you know how to make a survival shelter? This is by far one of the most important outdoor survival tactics to learn. Practice making different types of shelters, such as debris shelters, tarp shelters, teepees, A frame shelters, and 90 degree shelters.

Acquiring Food
This survival tactic goes along with the one above, because a lot of plants in nature are edible. Since it is hard to identify every single plant in the wild, I recommend learning the Universal Edibility test, which has you put a small piece of unknown plant first on your lips, and then in your mouth, and then finally eating a small bit. This method takes time, but will allow you to forage food.
You’ll also want to master some basic hunting tactics for outdoor survival. I don’t expect you to be able to kill a deer with a homemade bow and arrow, but being able to fish and catch a rabbit with a small trap are good skills to master. And don’t forget that most insects are edible.

Starting a Fire
While other parents were telling their kids not to play with matches, my dad was teaching me how to make a fire. That’s because he knew what an important survival skill this is to have. You probably know how to make a fire by making a teepee out of dry sticks and lighting a bit of paper underneath. But what if it just rained – how will you find dry kindling? Or how about making a fire in the snow? Or what about in the dessert where there are no sticks? If you can’t answer how you’d go these things, then you better master the fire making skill NOW!

How to Find Water
When you go camping, you need to carry water with you. But what would you do if you ran out of water?
The first thing you need to learn is how to find water. Ideally, you would have a map packed into your wilderness survival bag so you could find a water source. If not, then you better know some tricks – like dragging a cloth on the ground behind you to absorb dew and water which can be squeezed out.

There are other tactics you need to know such as self-defense and animal attack response, which you can find over on Survival Life.

Now, more than ever before, with all of the unrest in the world – particularly in the United States right now – it is time to be prepared. You never know when something or someone is going to cause a SHTF situation and you so want to be ready for that event! Now is not the time to sit back on what you have done or will do. Hone your skills now and be ready when the call comes!