The disease moved quickly around the globe with a kill ratio of 95% (c’mon, work with me - make pretend). It started with runny poop, and quickly moved to liquified intestines falling out your bum. Blech! Holy TEOTWAWKI, Batman. Batman? Nope, he was one of the 95%. What YOU need are primitive skills!
Okay, okay, I’m not quite certain that we’ll experience the big, global “die off” next month (maybe next year). I’m also not quite certain that all primitive skills are skills you’ll need after the end of the world as we know it. However, there are some skills that could become exceptionally important. I’m thinking of things like firemaking, hunting (without firearms), food gathering, water collection, and herbal medicine.
Let me also say that I DO think there is value in learning primitive skills regardless of their usefulness after the great cataclysm. You know, the whole connecting with nature bit, goin’ granola, gittin’ crunchy, and stuff. I also appreciate the historical value in learning primitive skills, being able to experience how our ancestors lived, putting daily life into perspective, becoming grounded, yada yada, touchy feely feel good crap. That being said, I don’t think you’ll NEED to know how to tan a hide with animal brains post-doomsday. If TEOTWAWKI hit you could just wander through empty homes looking for clothes that fit . . . or maybe not . . . “Honey, have you seen the brains?” Incidentally, how DO you tan a hide with brains - anyone? Dragon?
Some primitive skills are just cool, but others you need to learn - today! Stop what you’re doing right now and learn how to make a bow drill. Okay, maybe later, but seriously. Some of the skills are just plain common sense, but they don’t click in your dome until you see or hear it. You know, like going out in the field early in the morning to collect grasshoppers - for evening stew! Or grinding grub worms up and tossing them into the cast iron skillet for much needed post-TEOTWAWKI fat content. Or forget fishing, save energy and just secure a big, wide net across the stream or river and let the fish catch themselves. Or, in order to prevent having to rebuild a fire again and again (and feeding it endlessly), cover coals with dirt in the morning and undercover them at night, add twigs and - shazam - fire!
Many primitive skills have been described in the U.S. Army’s Survival Manual and numerous other books, or you can take a class on the subject. I’d particularly recommend a class for subjects like plant recognition. You can make a bow drill on your own with a little practice, but do it before you need it. Kind of like making sure you can hit a target with your rifle BEFORE your life actually depends on it.
- Ranger Man
Okay, so someone sent me an e-mail the other day and said:
“Ranger Man, I’d love to show some support, but I don’t need wicked cool field manuals, nor anything at your Amazon store. Can I just send you a hundred bucks?”
Absolutely! I added a “Donate” button in the right sidebar just for you . . . . . . . . okay, okay. Nobody said that, but hey - I can dream! Truth is, I’m still trying to justify to the Mrs. that this blog is worth maintaining. “Chill, baby,” I say. “It’ll bring in mega-bling . . . someday.”
That being said, a few people have bought field manuals, and a few people have bought books through my Amazon store. I appreciate it. Someone even used my Amazon search bar recently to do their Amazon shopping for items I don’t even have listed! I love that action. I get paid when it happens. For example, one person bought the cast iron cooking book I linked to and Amazon tossed me 67 cents. They made me pick it up off the floor, but they still tossed it to me. It’s not much, but it adds up, and there’s no reason to send it all to Amazon. God knows with two kids and milk at $3.99 a gallon I need it more than Jeff Bezos.
Thanks, and thanks to those of you that have either linked to my blog out there in cyberspace or told your friends to check it out. SHTFblog is nothing without you. Together, with our combined might, we will survive the nuke juice mushroom cloud with our sunglasses still on.
On a related (and very exciting) note, SHTFblog has a wicked cool new sponsor. Check back tomorrow for the full scoop.
Do YOU have a business you want to advertise here? Over the past 30 days I’ve had 19,425 visits from 8,109 visitors. I’ll give you a slammin’ good deal, and I mean - slammin! I’ll even build the clickable ad for you - now that’s service! 
Talk to me: ranger @ shtfblog.com
Until then - be well, do good work, and keep in touch. (Yeah, I lifted that line. Anyone recognize it? Here is the answer.)
8 responses so far ↓
1 noisynick // Mar 11, 2008 at 6:20 am
hey rangerman
Primitive skills great thought I learned the bow drill thing when my boys were in scouts it works.
I heard brains would tan a hide but I think salt and alum work better………..
I don’t have any brains to spare even counting the 10%.
Serisouly a great blog reminded me of using cobwebs for blood stopper and soot to puify it.
good stuff might save your life if SHTF.
2 oldman in the boonies // Mar 11, 2008 at 6:33 am
At the risk of cutting in your Wicked Cool survival manuals sales, Everyone should consider having a copy of the Readers Digest “Back to Basics” book. It is a wonderful book.
3 Alphie Omega // Mar 11, 2008 at 7:28 am
ranger man please check the april meet up tab on the website you may be interested as well as the readers of your blog this is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity for all provided free of cost
4 ryan // Mar 11, 2008 at 9:50 am
I tend to go flint + steel over bow and drill but primative skills are useful. In a goodl ole TEOTWAWKI a lot more time would be spent using primative skills then running and gunning.
5 oldsarge // Mar 11, 2008 at 11:05 am
Scrape the inside of the hide (not fur) to remove fat and meat, cook brains of said animal into a paste, spread paste on scraped hide and allow to soak in, clean hide and “massage” to pliability. Not as good as tanning, etc., but works in a survival situation.
6 SurvivalTopics.com // Mar 11, 2008 at 11:09 am
I agree. The old ways, for example for making a fire, always work. Come SHTF you may find what we once took for granted - matches - are no longer available. Suddenly that primitive skill won’t seem so primitive.
7 Been around // Mar 11, 2008 at 11:32 am
Well as far as brain tannin goes you can use eggs.And the best site to check out the how to’s(I’ve just bought their stuff,I don’t work for them) is braintan.com.Best books and dvds on the subject.Ranger Man rules all others bow down.
8 Angry Mike // Jul 25, 2008 at 11:05 am
Lets face it folks, when SHTF you will only be able to work with what you already have. Skills, tools, firearms…if you dont have them, you wont have them. And it could be you are the only one that the SHTF for and not the entire world.
Case in Point: you are driving by yourself in a snow storm and realize you are completely lost. They you get stuck or break down. You only have what is on your person and in your vehicle.
I carry on my key chain a medium Swiss Army Knife, Doan Fire Starting Tool and a knife sharpener. My keys are with me everywhere I go. I also have a back pack with a space blanket, poncho, multi tool, 4 inch hunting knife, 50 feet of para cord, first aid kit, 3600 calorie food bar, water proof matches, whistle with compass, another Doan tool with tinder, another large Swiss Army Knife, a Bic lighter, a small fishing kit with hooks, line, weights and bug lures and one roll of military trip wire. I have an assortment of medication, pain relievers etc. as well. I keep at least a few bottles of water in the car at all times. Why so many duplicates? Things always go wrong or break or get lost when you need them the most.
Not much to work with and I will be adding things to it but I know I have a few things with me to get me out of a pinch. Some additions will be a hammock, a tarp, a wool blanket, hatchet, folding shovel and heavy rope. Things not listed are skills and knowledge. I can make a fire bow, I can make a figure 4 dead fall trap, I can build a variety of shelters, I can make snares and track animals and know what their tracks look like, I can make a throwing stick to hunt with, I know birds fly to water in the AM and fly from it in the PM, I know bees and hornets never nest more than 1 mile from a fresh water source, etc. etc. etc.
I break my skills/tools in to 3 catagories: Modern, Semi-Primitive and Primitive. Take fire for instance. The matches and lighter are Modern. The Doan tool is Semi-Primitive and the Fire Bow is Primitive.
Chances are I wont be tanning any hides. I might be skinning a rabbit, squirrel or raccoon though. These can be scraped, dryed by hot rocks and worn as clothing. I will probably be catching fish if there is a stream, pond or lake around. My fishing kit has only 2 bait holder hooks and the rest are really trout hooks.
Eating trout is a novel and dreamy idea but I would most likely be eating sun fish and blue gills. They are plentiful and try to eat just about anything. Game fish are picky eaters and sensative to temperature, light, etc. I could use the guts and heads to try for a catfish if the water is large enough to hold them. With the hammock (once I add it) I could stretch it across a narrow point and drive fish in to the holes, provided the air temperature is not below 50 degrees and I already have a fire and shelter. Risking hypothermia for a sunny is not worth it. The elements can and will kill you faster than anything else, next to a severe wound.
Which brings me to the 3’s of survival. If you dont know them, pay attention. 3 minutes to bleed to death, 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours in the elements, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Kind of prioritizes things a bit, dont you think?
There is no such things as useless knowledge, stuiped questions or unneeded skills. Learn, practice, survive.
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