Sasquatch's Survival Tips

Laramy “Sasquatch” Miller's Boy Scout mentality of always being prepared is sage advice. The host of Sasquatch: Mountain Man hasn't been in a dire survival situation, but he did get lost in Arkansas once. He offers these important tips.n one place and use your surroundings to your advantage.

Adjust your attitude

The biggest fight you will face when either stranded or faced with a survival situation in the outdoors will be your attitude. 

WHAT SASQUATCH SAYS “Your attitude will make the difference. Mother Nature is brutal, and if you let her, she will mentally tear you down. And if you lose your mental toughness, the fight is lost.”

Keep dry

A string of bad things can happen if you get wet.

WHAT SASQUATCH SAYS “You have to stay dry. If you let yourself get wet, you are in serious trouble. If you do get wet, you need to dry off as soon as possible.”

Stay put

You have a better chance of survival if you stay in one place and use your surroundings to your advantage. 

WHAT SASQUATCH SAYS “Mother Nature has everything that you truly need to survive. Just stay calm and use your head. The biggest killer for lost individuals is hypothermia and weather exposure. If you build a shelter – or find a natural one, cave, deadfall, etc. – and stay put close to main trails or markers, someone will find you.

Yes, you can eat that

If you are without food, you should make deadfall traps around camp for small rodents. 

WHAT SASQUATCH SAYS “It would be great to be able to kill a deer or elk, but more than likely you have no weapon. And even with a weapon, you will use more energy trying to hunt for bigger animals than trapping for small rodents. Field mice and pack rats can save your life. I know you don’t like the idea of eating a mouse. But if you are starving, I promise you won’t mind one bit.”

Stay hydrated

The body can go two weeks or more without food, but you can only go a couple days without water. 

WHAT SASQUATCH SAYS “Keep in mind when looking for water, if water has traveled through moss or rocks for 50 yards, it works as a natural purifier, so drink water from fast moving water rather than puddles when possible.”

Fire starter

Knowing how to build a fire can be the difference between freezing your tail off and having a comfortable warm night. It can also save yours or someone else’s life.

WHAT SASQUATCH SAYS “When building a fire, it helps to have a basic understanding of the science of fire. In the simplest terms, when you add heat to fuel, a gas is produced. When this gas hits the oxygen in the air, it burns. Fire is created. There are three elements necessary to make and maintain a fire: air, heat and fuel. Without any one of these, the fire will not burn. There is a certain ratio of each of these ingredients, but the only way to learn it is to build fires.

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