Show Survival tip: PDaira Simply use good sense By JIM WRIGHT Standard By JIM WRIGHT Standard Examiner outdoors editor Staff Sgt Larry McPherson teaches wilderness survival at Hill Air Force Base a fact that must have been of small consolation when he stood shivering on the shore of a Uinta Mountain lake minutes away from becoming dangerously hypothermic Hypothermia — the lowering of the body's temperature — can strike in the dead of winter or on the Fourth of July McPherson out on a late summer fishing trip in the Uintas said he committed the same sort of sins he has advised hundreds of airmen against “I was fishing and it was raining and I wasn’t dressed for it” he said “I got wet to the skin" Better than most people McPherson knew what to do in an emergency situation He knew a loss of body heat can make a person disoriented Yet he admits that at the moment of truth he w as not completely on top of things "1 knew I had to get warm so I went over and stood by the fire" he said “But I was so cold I’d lost feeling I stood so close to the fire I burned my Levis" McPherson said his experience brought home the fact that anyone can fall victim to the whims of Nature If the ability to survive in the outdoors could be summed up in a single phrase this is what McPherson would choose: "Plan for the worst then you can expect the best" McPherson and Master Sgt Ernie Johnson teach air crews how to survive an emergency in the desert or mountains The training they give is intense and specific and Johnson said it isn’t possible to teach the basics of outdoor survival in a brief newspaper article He recommends that anyone who spends much time outdoors should read up on the subject take classes and most importantly practice what they learn "I don’t care how much knowledge you have or how primitive you’ve lived or how vast your background is In the wintertime up here there were Indians who died” Johnson said Hunters anglers hikers and picnickers face different challenges to survival many of which go by without serious incident “Everyone who has ever been outdoors has had a chance to face an emergency situation" Johnson said It's not always the proverbial “act of God" that puts an end to your earthly existence Remember the hole you stepped in and twisted your ankle when you were hiking alone on a backcountry trail the rainstorm that came out of nowhere while you were boating on Lake Powell the stream you fell into during the deer hunt the time your snowmobile broke down on Monte Cristo? These are the things you don’t plan on These are the things that can kill you Every situation carries with it different dangers If you become lost in the desert you face the danger of dehydration If you are hunting in the fall you must guard against cold and wet Johnson said that while a person must adjust to some different conditions principles are always the same “You’ve got to know your equipment and all its possible uses” Johnson said "You can't go down to a sporting goods store and buy all this See SURVIVE on 2G Cdwin GfowJdMStanoafd Many question LOGAN — Hunting coyotes in the unique Mount Naomi Wilderness Area using helicopters may be an acceptable method of predator control as far as the US Forest Service is concerned but many people who care about the outdoors have serious reservations There arc a couple of major reasons people who enjoy quality outdoor experiences arc not particularly happy or thrilled over the practice allegedly needed to control coyotes that prey on sheep One has to do with noise pollution Anyone who has been in the area cross country skiing snowshocing fishing or just enjoying the grand scenery when choppers are used to hunt chase and shoot coyotes will understand The throbbing boom of chopper blades nude peculiarly heavier by the nnuntjin terrain is sometimes enough to almost kmak a person down Ibis may be small potatoes to some but for a rather large segment of the public who enjoy quality outdoor experiences it is an objectionable nuisance if not a direct insult "9 Outdoors JT7 outdoors editor use of helicopters to hunt coyotes Bert Strand r txdTiinor Examiner If you understand the way Nature works and how your body reacts to its workings there is little to fear when you venture out of doors If you can keep warm and dry when it is cold outside you will be OK If you can keep cool and moist when it is hot you will be OK Everything else is a luxury The following tips were compiled with the assistance of Hill Air Force Base survival experts Larry McPherson and Ernie Johnson and a number of publications on the sSbjcct of wilderness survival These are very general common-sens- e hints They do not take the place of study or experience Prepare a survival kit and carry it with you Your needs will obviously differ from mountain to desert but the following items are necessary in any circumstance: good pocket knife with at least two blades compass (know how to use it) needles and thread waterproof matches in waterproof container water purification tablets plastic water bottle steel signaling mirror small candles When you are hiking note places that could be used as shelter or sources of fuel or water in an emergency If you get lost do not wander aimlessly in search of a way out Accept the idea that you are lost before it gets dark and find shelter (under a tree against a cliff) fire' wood and water Natural fibers such as cotton and down will not keep you warm if they get wet Wool however can keep you warm even when wet Wool is good for socks pants and upper garments Undergarments should be able to “wick” perspiration away from the body There are e a variety of fibers that accomx plish this including polypropylene Capilene etc Boots should be lined on the sides and bottom Footgear is perhaps the most often overlooked piece of equipment but one of the most important It is important to put a layer between your socks and the bottom of the boot Rubber soles may keep you dry but they don’t keep cold away Felt bottoms should be kept clean they lose insulating ability when compressed Jackets should be water resistant but not waterproofed Perspiration can collect inside a waterproofed garment and can freeze when you stop moving around Bring a sleeping bag if at all possible fill — down sleeping Use quality bags take a long time to dry and will not keep you warm when they are wet In hot weather your body can lose up to two quarts of water an hour Loss of water can affect your ability to make decisions If your water supply is limited don’t ration it You can ration yourself into dehydration Avoid dry foods — cereals granola chocolate nuts etc — that require water for digestion You can go much longer without food than water commentary Another has to do with the fact the Forest Service is apparently v iolating its own regulations when it comes to the use of helicopters to indiscriminately kill coyotes that may be spotted in the area Forest Service regulations stipulate that only the "ofTending individuals" be killed There is no way under the sun for hunters using helicopters to determine whether or not the coyotes they are killing have ever harmed sheep Aerial hunting of coyotes usually takes place in winter when there is some snow covering the ground and no sheep are around oyotes aerial hunters shoot may nev er have been in the area when sheep were present They may have just arrived or are just passing through In other words the killing is indiscriminate They may just happen to be in the area when hunting is being conducted This is a mighty poor court of justice for wild creatures to say the least On the positive side a Forest Service ruling declaring that helicopter hunting is an acceptable method of predator control also specifies the public should have a say in whether the controversial aerial gunning is formally approved This however brings up another question How come aerial hunting is permitted before being formally lo argue that aerial gunning is acceptable because it has been common practice lor years does not hold a heck of a lot of wuter Just see what would happen if a private citizen who never paid taxes used that argument to justify not paying any tjxes in the future R Max Peterson chief of the forest Service who issued the ruling regarding aerial predator hunting also points out the Wilderness Act of 1964 states that livestock grazing and necessary activities in support of livestock grazing have been interpreted to include predator control as long as it complies with “reasonable regulations" Based on this interpretation Peterson says the Forest Service has concluded predator control by aerial gunning may be a permitted activity in support of the livestock grazing within the Mount Naomi w ilderness if all regulations manual and handbook provisions have been fulfilled This being so maybe it’s time the public took a hard look at the interpretation of that portion of the Wilderness Act relating to “support activities" Given the obvious public interest in using aerial gunning to control predators Peterson said it is very important that public involvement pljy an important role in any future process However Peterson’s decision dismissed an appeal by the Utah Wilderness Association and the Cache Group of the Sierra ( tub objecting to a I9K0 I I decision to permit aerial gunning of coyotes in the wilderness area However the conservation groups called Peterson's finding a “major victory" because of his call for public involvement in any final decision In handing down the decision Peterson also said an environmental assessment should be prepared to demonstrate a need for the killing something that's a big question in a lot of minds The assessment also should call for outlining alternative control techniques and include a cost analysis and documentation of compliance with all relevant Ijws and regulations The I9H6 hunt never took place because of the appeal by the conservation groups and poor weather conditions As a result said Peterson the conservationists’ challenge was "moot" and he declined to rule on the merits of the case Considering the obvious interest and objections of the public it may be that the continued indiscriminate killing of predators suih as coyotes by such methods as aerial gunning may instead be "moot " |