I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard or read preppers, survivalists, and bushcrafters say that, in case there’s an emergency situation, they’ll be fine because they know how to hunt.
Of course, they then say that they have the gear stockpile already covered to back them up, so they’re good.
Then there’s the second group, who reassure everyone they not only know how to hunt, they also know how to forage, and they’ll manage, they just need to drive far enough away from the suburbs where they live to get access to what they need.
They have plenty of gas stockpiled, along with the hunting and foraging gear. So they, too are good.
Then there are the preppers who go just one step further and think they’ll be fine because they have a backup plan in case those two plans just aren’t enough. It’s to grow their own food.
And they have enough seeds stockpiled to last them a century, so don’t worry about that.
At this point, I pretty much roll my eyes.
No, you won’t. I mean, you can try. But you won’t manage to survive. I’m pretty well near convinced at this point, and not much will change my mind on the topic.
These are just not viable plans. You can’t merely hunt and forage your way into an existence. Not in this day and age.
Nor can you merely start up your own personal farm and magically make your own food at the drop of the hat when you need it with your surplus of seeds that you stockpiled.
Short term? Sure, you’ll survive. But you can survive with literally no food whatsoever for quite a long time. So that means nothing.
Long term? I think there’s only one viable option.
WHY 99% OF YOU won’t SURVIVE BY HUNTING, FORAGING, & GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD IN A LONG-TERM EMERGENCY
WHY LONG-TERM, HUNTING AND FORAGING AREN’T VIABLE SURVIVAL PLANS
I think in a true emergency, most suburban and urban dwellers would be flocking away looking for food.
It won’t take long – honestly probably a few days to maximum a few weeks in my mind – before these people manage to entirely decimate the animal and edible plant population.
There are just too many humans who need feeding for even a small percentage of us to be able to manage to live off of the wild edible resources – whether they’re animals or plants.
And I think the poor farms are going to be an easy target for anyone who’s panicked. So I don’t necessarily believe swarming a farm is going to be viable long-term either. But that’s a little off-topic.
Essentially, if people catch a whiff of “this is gonna be a long term disaster” in the press, they go mad. We know this, we’ve guessed this would happen and be true, and then COVID hit, the news said, “Don’t worry, everything is under control…” and then the panic buying began…
People aren’t going to remain calm. It’s not going to happen. And they will not be wise about how they panic. Anyone with hunting or foraging experience, and even those without, are going to try their hand at getting food this way, or through theft, if they’re hungry enough.
These aren’t viable methods because you have too much competition. And because the resource will deplete so quickly your head will be spinning.
So if you’re assuming you can just use your bushcraft skills in a country-wide or even global disaster – honestly good luck. I don’t think you’ll make it.
WHY LONG-TERM, GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD ISN’T A VIABLE SURVIVAL PLAN EITHER
100% – I don’t think growing your own food is a viable plan either.
I feel like most who assume they can grow whatever they need to eat from the seeds they’re stockpiling who haven’t actually tried to live by almost exclusively eat what they grow have no idea how hard a feat this is.
I am not kidding – even farmers have bad crops and bad years, and these are experienced. They know what they’re doing. They have all the practice they could need. Still it’s rough sometimes.
Nature is not on your side – it’s full of creatures and critters who are also trying to survive.
And those gophers, squirrels, rabbits, deer, mice, and other easy-to-remember food-gobblers are not your only enemies.
You also have snails, slugs, mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, and other pests to fight against. And believe me when I say, the fight is not easy.
To those of you who already grow your own food and manage to come up with the majority of your and your family’s diets – kudos, cause it’s a massive accomplishment and nothing to stick your nose up at.
Stupid high difficulty level for even those with green thumbs. I love gardening and yet I know I’m – at my current experience level – nowhere near capable of doing this.
And then of course, there’s the fact that very obvious farms and homes with loads of food resources will probably be plundered.
You know, like I mentioned in my off-tangent comment about farms being pillaged. Same thing if you’ve got a massive house with a visible orchard, or crops hanging out in your front yard.
And of course, most people don’t have a lot of land around their home. Maximizing the space you have to grow what you need is possible, but it’s a skill in itself. You can’t just develop it over night. It takes time.
So maybe 1% of you – the ones who are already skilled enough to grow their own food and know this because they’re doing this for the majority of their and their family’s calories already – may survive with this technique.
But the rest of you? I am absolutely convinced you cannot do it. It’s just not going to be enough. Not for a really long-term emergency.
THE ONLY VIABLE OPTION: LONG-TERM FOOD STOCKPILE
The saving grace – food stockpiles at home, long-term ones made up of foods that will last many, many years without going off – a pretty foolproof plan and I do believe the only viable option for the vast majority of people.
Yes, you have to protect your home, but I think stealth wealth and not being showy will mean your home doesn’t look like much of a target. Hopefully, you’re practicing stealth to begin with, and if you’ve told anyone about your preps, you have enough in case those people swing by for help, and maybe bring a friend or two extra.
I think it’s a lot easier to knuckle down and stay in your home, defending what you’ve got, than it is to look for resources elsewhere. Resources that I don’t believe will be around for long.
Can you supplement your diet by hunting, foraging, and growing your own food? Sure. But it’s not enough on its own. You need a food stockpile to fall back on. And the longer you can survive off the food stockpile you have, the better off you’ll be.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON HUNTING, FORAGING, & GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD IN A LONG-TERM EMERGENCY?
What do you think of my assessment? Do you think it’s fair to say that most people won’t survive if they use any of these 3 long-term emergency plans?
Do you think a long-term food stockpile is necessary? How much food would you say is the minimum you’d need? A few months? A few years?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Especially curious to see how many of you disagree/agree. And if any of you also roll your eyes at hearing any of these three survival plans, without mention of a long-term food stockpile.
