I've been through jungle survival training ( canal zone '66), arctic and mountain survival (Black Rapids, '77), and desert survival (29 Palms, '82). I've tried bow drills, etc, and have never had much luck. Most of the survival instructors I've known haven't had much luck with the natural methods, either. If they did, it was in a highly artificial "training" setting, not "in the wild".
That's why I carry firestarters and waterproof/windproof matches and pieces of highway flares.