Survivorman

[warrior1]

wasn' there some controversy with bear and his tendecy to spend a night or two in a hotel
while filming his show? as for canadians and democrats, here in mi we got a canadian governor who is a democrat, who only got elected because she sold out the state to kwame kirpatrick to get detroit's vote in her election.

[yooper77]

These shows are pure entertainment only.

A REAL person in a REAL stranded situation will not approach survival in the same manner as these actors do.  Even with good survival knowledge there is a level a panic that will happen in a REAL scenario.

These people know they are going to be picked up in 7 days, even more they know that an emergency crew is just a few miles away if not closer.

To summarize these shows do nothing for true survival techniques and just simply puts money into their pockets.

yooper77

[slim rem 7]

 i agree. if you want to be able to survive.. go out for several days and see what you need .. study all the manuals ..it cant hurt ,but use common sense..do this for several days in cold season and hot..
 then if the chiggers an ticks haven t kicked your fanny.. try it for an week. then more..a person taking it slow can learn the necessary knowledge and abilities to make it..i shudder to think of my wife being with me .. shes just not outdoorsy so im between an rock and a hard place.  :)but shes a lot of other wonderful things so i guess id really get to know the full meaning of being the provider..

[dogsoldier0513]

Ran across this show the other night on Discovery about a guy who purposely puts himself in a survivor situation (by himself) and survives for 7 days.  

He does the filming himself and if he doesn't make it back to civilization within 7 days, they come looking for him.

I liked the show.  Has anyone else seen it and what's your thoughts.

-Turtle -

Les is a Grade-A 'whiner'. However, his current shows are waaaay better than the first few seasons.

[bilmac]

Turtle  If you know how to catch a fish and dress it , if you know how to skin a critter, if you can build a raft that will keep you out of the water, you are way ahead of this guy, and the other survival "expert"on the tube as well.

[Casull]

Turtle  If you know how to catch a fish and dress it , if you know how to skin a critter, if you can build a raft that will keep you out of the water, you are way ahead of this guy, and the other survival "expert"on the tube as well.

I don't know what show you've been watching (or if you ever watched it), but Les Stroud has snared, skinned and eaten an artic hare, caught fish in a trap, started fires with flint and steel and wood on wood methods, shown how to make char cloth for a fire starter, shown various edible wild plants, and hiked it out over many miles with all his camera gear (while filming himself).  He really pissed me off early on with his "I hate to kill any living thing" crap, but I've noticed recently that he has toned that down (although I could still do without the harmonica).  I give the guy credit for knowing more than 98% of the people out there.  Now, as far as Bear Grylls, that is another story (unless your idea of survival is ordering room service at the Hilton).   

[bilmac]

I don't watch him religeously, only if there is nothing on, and then just for the giggles. Maybe he's finally learning how to do a few things. I remember him failing to catch a fish ,in about 3' of water, with a piece of soft wire for a hook, and a "line" about 1/4 inch in dia. I've never seen either of these guys build a raft that floated, and watching these guys prepare the rare animal they come up with makes me sick to my stomach.

[Casull]

I've never seen either of these guys build a raft that floated, and watching these guys prepare the rare animal they come up with makes me sick to my stomach.

I'm sure I've missed some shows, but I've never seen Les Stroud try to make a raft, and he skinned and cooked an artic hare just fine.

[bilmac]

He was in the Everglades and made a raft out of about half dozen saplings that looked like they would seperate any minute. Climbed aboard and was standing on the bottom. Next scene he's dragging the contraption behind him as he wades to carry his backpack. The hare is the only animal I ever saw him catch in all his trapping efforts, he seems to spread his traps willy nilly across the countryside. Oh yea I think he did squash a ground squirrel in one of his deadfalls once. I remember a scene where he was going to chop a hole through the ice with an ax to fish in an Alaskan lake in the winter, he didn't get er done. To their credit they both seem able to start a fire though.

Maybe I give the greybeard clan too much credit, but I think that anybody that does a little hunting and fishing and camping is way beyond anything these two oafs can offer.

[hillbill]

lol when he squashed the gopher he was afraid to skin and dress it cuz of disease.maybe just me but i dont cook stuff with the guts still in it.honestly i could prob live a week just on this excess fat under my belt.he does seem to like snake tho wich is always good in a hot enviroment.i would have to say ive seen bear grylls eat stuff that is more disgusting. thats always fun.

[Casull]

Maybe I give the greybeard clan too much credit, but I think that anybody that does a little hunting and fishing and camping is way beyond anything these two oafs can offer.

I don't know about the GB clan, but I've been hunting, fishing and camping for about 30 years and can tell you that most of the guys I do so with can't start a fire without matches (and some have a problem with matches).   

[Swift One]

Let's just say I'll take them seriously when I see them eat wormy acorn cakes and pine needle tea.

Why eat that if you could come across meat and the many other less nast stuff in the wilderness?  I watch bear eat on his show with all the gop and guts falling out of his mouth and wonder, "What does he look like eating a Whopper at B.K."   I agree that bear is quite the melodramatic when it comes to his show.  He is constantly running, jumpijg all over the place.  I would think that he would want to be conserving energy..

I have on the other hand, learned some interesting stuff from Les Stroud.  As far as his "I hate to kill anything" line.  I really believe that is for the PETA people so he doesnt come under fire for "encouraging" folks to go out and kill animals for the sake of survival practice.  Lets face it, soft America controls the TV.

[Casull]

Lets face it, soft America controls the TV.

You nailed that. 

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

i like survivor man the best, hes enjoyable to watch.  The other show with Bear, he just shows you good ways to kill yourself just incase you cant cope with your ordeal.

i enjoy survivorman even more, now that he stays put in a spot and survives.

Its entertainment gents.  If you want to see real survival, go have someone in a chopper take you out into the middle of no where, blind folded and with limited supplies *basically what you normally have in your pockets* and please report back to us on how the experience was for the months that you were out there. If you get back