Have you ever?

I can admit that I have done all of the things that you mentioned with the exception of drinking fresh goat milk and killing an animal that I raised. I would add three additional things to your list that are vital in a survival situation. First, you MUST be able to start a fire as that is the key to being able to purify water for drinking and to cook your food. Second, having some basic knowledge of edible fruits/vegetables that you can find in a forest or other environment can provide enough sustenance in a desperate time. Third, some knowledge and ability to treat minor maladies is a must .. basically having the ability to perform routine first aid.

 

Some nomadic communities survive on milk straight out of the cow as well as drinking fresh blood. Diseases are rare in such cases unless the cow is sick. With normal hygiene in farm operations, this should not be a challenge. Raw milk is more hygienic than water though there is a slightly altered taste. The physiological processes of milk secretion ensure that most pathogens are eliminated in a healthy cow.

 

Milking a cow is easy, finding one to milk not so easy! and finding one that will let you milk her will be even harder!

 

That's very true but playing video games and reading books do help us to an extent, by playing video games, your problem solving and strategic skills will be put into practice so dealing with real life survival situations will be like an extension of the video games, in some way. Reading books about survival 101 gives us plenty of idea what to expect, which plants are safe and whatnot.

 

I have taken water direct from a stream but I have never drank raw milk. I know that I can, when I will be forced to. In my country, civilians are never allowed to buy or own guns. It will be difficult for me to shoot if I am given one but I can easily make a bow and some arrows to protect myself.

 

I live in suburbia so i have never had a reason nor opportunity to do those things.

 

I've fired a gun, raised animals (not for killing as I'm vegetarian), raised a garden, and have spent a great length of time of my childhood wondering forests. As for the milk thing, I'm unable to stomach the flavor of even processed milk. Almond milk or bust for me, haha. Drinking straight from a stream was nothing something I sought to do. Most of the streams where I've lived were either cedar water or heavily polluted. You were advised to not even stick an appendage into the water lest you contract some kind of terrible disease. No joke.

 

I was born and raised in a rural area so I've experienced doing all of the things you mentioned except firing a gun. Guns are strictly prohibited in where I live. You can legally own one but showing it around is some sort of a taboo. Anyway, I agree with your assertion that actually doing things is the best way to prepare yourself for uncertain times. Merely reading books or watching videos are great but they can only do little in preparing you to the real world.

 

I have never! I've actually never even drank fresh milk. I've only had the type you buy at the store. My grandma grew up with a dairy cow and she always described her love of the milk. When she got older she eventually had a goat that produced milk as well. I'd love to try it someday. Milk is my favorite beverage.

 

I've not raised an animal or killed them myself but I have seen it done. My great grandparents are Germans who settled on the island of Jamaica in the early 1900s. Because of this I visit my German-Jamaican cousins every so often. They own land, several goats and chickens and have witnessed the handling of these animals for food multiple times. I have not yet been an active participant in the killing and cleaning of the goats or chickens, , but I do know that I can do it when it is time to.

 

I had to do this a lot growing up. My family was from the country and use to grow there own food and go and kill pigs and sometimes chickens. I never killed a land animal but have gutted fish and things like that. Now I no longer eat meat so I wouldn't have to do that , but if I had to I could scale and gut fish.

 

In my opinion, knowing that you will be able to when necessary is all that matters.
For now many of us are just being knowledgeable first,
which is equally important in my book.

 

Knowledge goes hand and hand with experience at least for me. There are those of us that learn better by being a bit more hands on.

 

Exactly. Being more hands on happens to be the only way that I learn anything in its entirety. Retaining a bunch of information can seem unnecessary if you do not see its use.

 

I totally agree. I haven’t been able to deal with animals yet, but I have been trying out various ways to build fires and even some of the off grid energy generating methods. Those topics peaked my interest most, I plan on touching on everything eventually.

 

Understood. I do learn in the same way,
In fact I doubt there is none who doesn’t.
Unless you are a prodigy of some sort this is the most common method.

 

Yes and first time all good until I tried to sleep late that night! got the shakes a bit then!
not since!

 

I have done all of these things except drink straight from a milk. I mean, I'd love to give a try I'm sure it's packed with nutrients and tastes most likely good am I right? Probably.

 

A Cambodian man said that his nephew lived largely because of the milk he was drinking directly from the cow's udder, after seeing a calf do the same.

Um Oeung said the nearly two-year-old boy, Tha Sophat, started sucking cow's milk in July 2011 when his parents left the village where they lived to find work.



The grandfather said that at first he removed the child, but he cried very loudly and since then let him do it twice a day, informs metro.co.uk.

Um Oeung specified that the cow is not disturbed by the fact that the boy sucks from her, but she is worried about his health if she continues to do so.

 

Never done the cow thing... but I do remember seeing a chicken having its throat cut live by my neighbour's aunt. *shudders* I don't recommend the experience, but we are in a survival forum.

Oh, please don't be deceived by my cute avatar. I just couldn't resist the puppy.

 

where i come from, we set traps in the forest for antelopes and other wild animals. I remember vividly the first time my trap caught a rabbit, i was forced by my dad to prepare it which i did just to prove to him that i am no longer a kid. I have drank water from the well a lot of times in the village when i was a kid, and even had a garden to my name. All these are just normal where i come from.

 

No I have never done all those things you listed. The one I came to living in the wilds is visiting my grandparents who own a farm. I worked at the farm during my schools break and helped take care of pigs, chickens and goats. I was asked to kill a chicken once, but I just could not bring myself to using a knife on that chicken. So yeah. I guess I still have a lot to learn..

 

I only have drank from the well, raised a garden and raised an animal that was killed by my relatives to eat when I was a kid. I haven't tried using a gun nor tried milking a cow or goat and drank it. Though, I haven't done all that you mentioned, it feels good to remember my childhood days were I was able to do some of the things you have mentioned.