21 Not All Survival Tips Are Actually True

“Follow flying birds to find water” They can simply be flying to spend a night anywhere, so we can’t rely on them.

If you ever find yourself in snake country, make as much noise as possible. Most people want to avoid snakes so stay quiet, but they are more scared of you than you are of them.

Talk loudly, stomp, but obviously keep an eye and ear out for any fellas who don’t want you to be there.

Herbivorous animals are friendly and peaceful, so you are safe being around them and their presence will show you where food is. Seriously everything from cows to deer can and will kill you if you make it angry.

It is usually a good idea if you are in the wilds not to get near any large wild animal, but herbivores can often be even more aggressive than the predators.

One I know of is the myth that you can drink water from a cactus. I heard it’s false and you can only drink from a small minority of cacti without having certain health consequence

Apparently some people thing the best way to survive a wolf attack is to bend down and show the wolf you’re submissive towards him and pose as no threat.

If you do this, you’re dead. The wolf will 100% kill you. Your best bet is to walk away WITHOUT TURNING YOUR BACKS ON THEM, maintaining eye contact the whole way. If you look away or turn your back the wolfs killer instinct will kick in and it’ll kill you.

Don’t make a lot of noise and aggressive movements towards a wolf the same way you’d do to a black bear because most likely it’ll be seen as a challenge, not a threat.

The first mistake is to look for food and water first before having a shelter up to keep yourself dry and warm!

Removing a bullet is more dangerous than leaving it in. Trying to remove it can tear vital organs, it can be pushed in even deeper, or removing it can cause the person to bleed out.

Don’t stand underneath doorways in case of earthquakes. Doors and door frames are just not made the same anymore, so you’re more likely to sustain more serious injuries if you do. You’re better off staying hidden underneath a desk or table.

You do not need to wait 24hrs to report a missing person. If you think someone is missing report it as such. The faster a missing person report is filed the greater the chance the person will be found.

Drinking alcohol to stay warm. You sweat, your blood will rush to your skin and you will freeze/die much faster.

“Cotton wicks moisture.” Cotton is probably the worst material to wear in an outdoor survival situation because it holds moisture and in doing so loses its ability to keep you warm.

If you have to forage for food, avoid mushrooms entirely. Odds are so slim you will find an edible kind that you’re much better off looking for things like nuts, seeds, and berries.

If you are ever, ever stabbed, DO NOT REMOVE THE KNIFE. Call 911, wrap a cloth very, very gently around the entry wound, and do not move the knife. There is a significant risk that you will do more damage pulling it out than when it went in.

This goes for glass injuries, debris injuries, you wait until you’re in the ambulance or ER and you let the professionals do it. If you try to Rambo it out of you, you’re going to open up every blood vessel that knife is blocking and you’re probably going to f@#ck up previously undamaged organs or tissue.

Don’t eat snow to stay hydrated if you’re in a winter survival situation, losing the heat to the snow while eating it is more dangerous than dehydration. Heat it up or let it melt in a container first to lose less heat.

It won’t kill you but don’t pee on a jellyfish sting.

It will actually release more of the toxin.

Sucking a snakebite, it will often make it worse.

Trying to outrun a tornado is about the worst possible thing you can do in a tornado situation. Take shelter: get underground, go into an interior room, lay in a ditch while covering your head if you have to.

Tornadoes are basically like three-year-olds throwing temper tantrums except instead of toys its cars, buses and trains they’re throwing around (but also toys too, which they can throw hard enough to literally pass through your body). A vehicle of any kind is about the last place you want to be when a tornado comes through.

Closest I can think of is brace yourself if you are about to get in an accident. Try to go limp, you’re more likely to walk away with minor injuries if you go limp. That’s how drunk drivers survive crashes.

If you ever fall off a ship/ferry at sea and were lucky enough to be spotted – don’t try to swim your way to safety. The more you try to swim, the lesser the chances of survival.

Just try to keep afloat and conserve energy (and body heat) while rescue team do what they’re supposed to. Unless you are in hypothermic waters, the best bet always is to stay afloat without trying to swim to somewhere.

What you want to do is stop the venom from traveling from the site of the bite, into the lymphatic system and then into the bloodstream.

DO NOT suck, cut, wash or otherwise investigate the wound. EDIT: Do not try to catch or kill the snake, identifying the kind of snake is NOT worth the risk of a second bite and the delay in getting to your other priorities.

Priority 1- get away from the snake.

Priority 2- get help. Get someone nearby to call an ambulance.

Priority 3- stay still. Moving your muscles is what helps pump the fluid through your lymphatic system and to the lymph nodes, where it can enter the bloodstream quickest. Ideally, keep the bite below your heart, but immobilization is the most important thing.

Priority 4. If there is someone with you, get them to apply a pressure dressing to tightly compress the whole limb. This can greatly slow the flow of lymph and buy you hours.

If done right a tourniquet should hurt like a motherf@#cker and you’re going to want to loosen it but in the words of Egon Spengler “It would be bad”.