Planning a short survival camping trip

[Gdbyrd]

Me and two buddies are planning a short weekday stay out in the thick scrub brush of South Tx.  We plan to go in offseason, which starts in Feb, so it'll be cold at night.  We want to have fun more than stress out over stuff; so we will be bringing water and one firearm each.
 
So, we will have to work on food, shelter, and of course fire. 
 
The brush here is very thick, consisting mostly of mesquite and wahia, also a ton of cactus.  The ground is a mix depending on the location. It can be sand, clay, or solid rock.
 
We plan on staying out for 3 days and 2 nights.  Just like some advice on how to arrange a shelter out of what nature will provide, get a fire going, best way to harvest some small game..if we should try traps of some kind, or just outright hunt/scavenge everything.  I'd expect temperatures to get into the mid to low 30's at their coldest.
 
Thanks, and really looking forward to it.

[tacklebury]

Have done some similar trips in my day.  Make sure you know the hunting reg's and don't take any game outside them that can land you in trouble with the law.
 
I typically did a fast thatched hut style 3-sided shelter with a space at the rear to crawl out and a firepit about 3ft away with a reflector.  Remember that many such shelters are flammable and plan accordingly.  I haven't done this kind of thing in Texas scrub, so that style shelter may not work as well for you.  I have seen a few "shows" where in scrub desert they use rocks and fire reflector to keep warm with little building req'd.
 
Depending on what kind of firearm you take, I'd plan to spend more time seeking clean water and take targets of opportunity during this endeavor.  I think a .410 with a few slugs for defense and shot for birds/snakes and small mammals (for food) would allow you to carry the most ammo.  I'd say a .22 LR except if you run into a Mountain Lion or blackbear etc, you might need a slug.  Anything you do kill, make sure you clean it and leave the viscera well (300 yards+) away from your camp if possible.  This might draw predators in and you don't want to bring them on top of you.  I personally would probably risk the weight though and bring a 12 ga.   I usually carried one .22 rifle and had my Crosman 1377 pump .177 pellet pistol on a leg holster.  Most of the small game came from the pellet gun and I saved the .22 for better opportunities.    If you guys are all carrying different weapons and sticking together, have one bring a .22, one a 12 ga. and one a 30-30 or .45-70.  This would give you predator protection, both small and large game taking capability and defense in case of 2 legged issues.
 
I always make sure I carry a couple magnesium firestarters in my kit.  They don't care about wetness and work very well.  Mine have saved my toes a few times during falling through ice.    Finally, make sure you have a good water filtration device.  For short term, you might get by with the "biostraw" personal filter concept, but you would each have to have one.  You might pick up one good hand-pump style and then share the water.  I always keep iodine tablets in my kit also, incase the filter quits working or is broken/lost.  You can actually live up to 56 days without food, but 3 without water typically.  So energy should go to water finding and food secondarily. 
 
Just some musings.  Hope you guys have fun and stay safe.  Up here we didn't have puma or bears to worry about. 

[bilmac]

I can't help you much when it comes to Texas scrub country, but I'd like to say you have a heck of a good idea.When I worked in Alaska the staff of the Refuge I worked on had a bit of a disagreement about what kind of survival kits we needed. The other two felt that they should have a kit that fit in their pockets. That's a good plan, you are more likely to have that stuff with you, but we were talking Alaska in the winter. I had a small day pack that I thought was about minimum.

So we went out to make a test run. We separated and went our own ways. Well I was bedded down and about to fall asleep in my cozy shelter with a nice fire to keep me warm when the other two found me and suggested that we go spend the night in a nearby cabin.

[LunaticFringeInc]

Interesting planned outing.  Your taking a lot less gear than I would though.  You will have to report back and let us know how things went. 


I have made simular outings before but with a day pack and done very well, but then I am a little further North than you guys obviously.  In addition to taking a Remington 870 in 12 gauge I also took my Ruger Single Six along which I found to be indispensible for putting some "scooby snacks" on the dinner plate.

[Gun Runner]

I have a pack made up that weights about 4 lbs, contains a sleeping bag, chain saw, water pruacation(sp) kit, fire starting materials first aid kit and a tent. Now before any body says Iam crazzy (my friends might agree with you) the sleeping bag is two space blankets sewn to gather, the tent is a plastic tube tent, the chain saw is a length of chain saw chain with nylon straps at each end, and comes in a rubberized box. The fire starter also comes in a rubberized box with a bunch of heat tabs and a sparker (they work better if their wet) also this pack comes with a very high pitched whistle and a signal mirror. The water kit is a small pump type. First aid kit is a very small plastic one that I added a couple extra things, their is also a 4in hunting knife and a compass, plus about 30 feet of parachute cord.

Gun Runner

[mannyrock]

 
 
    Be sure to carry food and water in your vehicle.  No reason in dying just to run an experiment.
 
   I have found the folding Gerber saw to be far far superior to any other type of saw to carry.  It is extremely light and can cut trees up to 8 inches in diameter with ease.  Pulling a chain back and forth will take great energy and sweat, and dehydrates you.
 
   Also, I have a feeling that if I slept in a sleeping bag made of two space blankets, I would be soaking wet in the morning, from the fact that all of my perspiration would be trapped between the two non-permeable blankets.
 
   I believe the old timers on the great plains kept their survival kit slung over their shoulder,  wrapped in a single wool blanket and a waterproof ground sheet.  They stayed out for weeks at a time.
 
Best, Mannyrock

[Rock Home Isle]

I've done experimental capming on many occasions. It's fun, you and your friends will have a great time.
 
What I reccomend is that you pack for your experimental trip, but also pack food, water & emergency materials that you do not necessarily have with you in your immediate possession while camping....but that you could easily fall back-on and have at your disposal should something go terribly wrong. Its fun to explore and try new things, back have a back-up plan until you learn the basics of your new interest until it becomes 2nd nature and is predictable.
 
I commend you on your endeavors...I think that you will have a fun and develop a lot of good memories. 

[SHOOTALL]

Great idea , if you have decided to be ready they you should/may have a bug out bag. This would be a great time to see what works. it should have shelter - I like 2 military pochons and one liner. one can be the shelter the other with liner a sleepig bag. 3 ways to start a fire ( your choice . My choice is 2 liters, matches and mag glass with vasoline and cotton balls. Water carry 2 qts in bag with filter as back up. Food same thing maybe some MRE's or freeze dried food. Of course a change of clothes , soap I carry ivory as it works for body/hair , clothes and dishes. Extra socks . Coat and hat. Building shelter is good if you plan to stay in one place a BOB is better if on the move. Of course add medicine and other personal items like a first aid kit etc. As for a gun if only one maybe a AR . if 2 add a small handgun . If it was a reall bug out then a min of 250 rounds for rifle and 50 for handgun. Now if you go for 3 days and carry the above you will see if it works for you or not. If not then what could you do with out ? great time to test when the chips are still up.

[SHOOTALL]

BTW don't forget snares and fishing line , very quiet way to secure food over a gun shot ( a dinner bell to some)

[no guns here]

My scout troop camps south of San Antonio in those conditions all the time (well about 8-10 per year).
 
Fire is not a problem right now.  It is plenty wet right now.  When you go, check with the county fire department concerning burn bans.  Plenty of downed mesquite anywhere there is mesquite.  Shouldn't need more than a hatchet to get plenty of limbs.  Break them smaller for the fire.  They will be plenty dry inside.  Use the hatchet to make kindling.  Candle stubs work well for fire starters.  That being said, I can almost always get a one-match fire going here.  Bring an entrenching tool.  Dig a pit for the fire, about 1 foot deep and about 2 feet across.  That helps keep the wind from blowing sparks around.  KNOW an exact address so you can call the FD if something get going and you can't put it out.  Remember...  tinder (lots of it), kindling (small and large) and fuel.
 
Ground pad and a good sleeping bag will get you through the night.  Better with a tent or a tarp.  It's pretty easy to make a lean-to or rubbish shelter and incorporate a tarp into it.  Prop up a long log or limb to make the ridgeline.  Lean shorter limbs against it every foot or so.  Drape tarp over.  Use para cord to tie it out and stake it down.  Cover with cedar boughs or lots of small branches to help hold the tarp down.  Snuggle in and sleep.  Lots of old tin laying around most places if you look around.  Stomp it flat and prop it up to make a wind break or hard roof for your shelter.  Can be dug in the ground a couple of inches to divert water around you if rain is running off.
 
If you get lucky and are in the right place, you might be able to take a small hog for meat.  That would be good over the fire.
 
Small game and trapping in Feb?  Check regs first.  Hogs are open year round and legal 24/7.
 
 
Good luck.  My troop will be out there in Feb too.  Planning on a similar overnight with 3-4 of my older scouts at about that time.  Too bad we can't hunt as Scouts.
 
 
NGH
 
 

[blind ear]

The chainsaw saw is a no other choice option. It can injure you. ear

[mechanic]

As a young teen, I routinely spend up to 10 days in the woods alone with minimal gear, just to see if I could.  Here in Ga. I had plenty of places to fish, and tree rats galore, so food was never a problem.  The real problem, especially if you are alone, is injuring your self so that you need assistance.  If you are a long ways in, and no one knows exactly where, that might present an issue.
 
Water is the most immediate need, and it needs to be clean.  TP runs out quickly when you drink bad water.
 
Take salt, it makes the meat more palatable, and a coating will keep critters away overnight most times.
 
Ben

[Gdbyrd]

I think the overall plan is to pick a general location near an old settlement on our deer lease that's currently uninhabited.  It's smack dab in the middle of our 6k acres.  We'll have our truck there with plenty of water available, and we will look for water and ways to get usable water but not drink it(we're all nurses and can't afford to miss work, lol).  Also we will take extra food, just in case.   There's some stuff that's been left around the old camp we'll try to use to settle up in. 


I'm still stuck trying to come up with a way to stay warm and a way to stay covered there.  The lean to idea is probably our only option.  I want to make this as rough as possible so I really want to avoid sleeping bags.  The ground in this area is mostly rock with some sand mixed in.  There are huge wash outs here and there, and I've thought about using one of the wash outs as a camp..set up in one of the areas and build a roof with branches(the washouts are deep, over 10' in places.  Then we could use larger branches to make a sort of cover to the front of our man made cave.


The only issues here are being low in the ground(rains unlikely but I'd prefer high ground).  And where to place a fire here.  We put it in front of us and we block some of our exit.  There are a lot of advantages to this though.  The only shelter we'd have to build would be a roof and stacking some limbs out in front of us.  Plus the ground where there is barren, so worrying about the potential for the fire to spread would be nill.  It'd also block a lot of our ridiculous winds we get here in south Tx.


There's that..and there's food.  I'd like to look into edible plants as well, but I don't know where to start.  Our brush is fairly unique.  NOGUNSHERE, I'm gonna send you a PM about this. Hopefully you can help me out here.


I did this a long time ago with a friend when I was in high school, but it was for 5 days and we slept in a tent with sleeping bags, and made it easy with the fire making.  Our only real struggle was finding food.  Our first day we found nothing.  Day 2 and 3 we had a couple sparrows.  By day 4 we did a ninja attack back into camp and stole some food and never told anyone, haha.  I'm not doing that this time.  It's just amazing how little game there can be out there when you need it!  Just worried about that and the shelter more than anything. 


There will be three of us, so spending energy will not be as much of an issue building a nice shelter.  For food, with rifles we will not be able to split up much, I worry about people getting turned around and shooting in the wrong direction, etc.  Plus the other two guys are not as used to trecking into the brush as I am and getting lost for real out there would not be fun.


So, advice?

[Hooker]

When I was young we tried the pocket knife and shoelace camping, it sucks.
As we got older we graduated to taking our normal camping equipment and rations then seeing how much we could make due without using any of it.
Makes for a more enjoyable trip and eliminates the desperation. Which allows you to concentrate on skill development and tweeking you technique, without the harsh reality of failure. Survival is not only about planning for the worst case ,but having a backup plan in case that excrement re encounters  the  the oscillating rotisserie.

Pat