Well,
1. I have a bug-out bag at work, and one in my car. But let's pretend I was robbed, or lost it when my "friend" kicked my out."
2. I carry 4 things in my pocket all day, every day:
a). a concealed carry pistol
b). a ferro-cerrium rod on my keychain
c). a micro multi-tool pocket-knife
d). a fold-out "credit card knife"
But supposing I had lost them all, or more likely, been robbed of them all. Fine.
You mentioned that were were being followed by a pickup, while in a sedan. That must mean we were on a road. So there will be some wire fencing on
the far side of the bar-ditch. If this is "the woods," even a state park, the right-of-way will have been fenced off, even if the fence is old and
crumbling.
I live in the southern US, except for some relatively small state parks, all of "the woods" in my area are some form or other of private property.
Additionally, the weather is warm, and the temps won't get below 50 F for a couple more weeks. So I put meat ahead of fire. I can eat my steak "au
tartare". And meat will take longer than finding water in my part of the world.
I'll walk along the right of way, looking for wire fence. In fact, the older and more rusted out the better. I'm not looking for strands of "bob
wire", but for the much smaller diameter wire used to make repairs on fence by whipping the larger ends of a run of wire. I may be able to make a
snare with some of this. I'm also looking for a culvert or a stack of irrigation or pipeline pipe stacked near the road; even a stack of fence
posts.
Hopefully I find pipe. I'm looking down each pipe in the stack to find a cottontail (or six!) loafing in one. Because if I do, I take off my jeans
and knot the legs. Then I'll tie my jeans over one end of the pipe, and then run to the other end and pick it up, tilting it up, and waiting for
the feel of a rabbit or rabbits sliding down into my jeans! When I was a kid, this was the way we got rabbits to fill our gunny sacks (not jeans) if
we hadn't shot any be suppertime. You have to check them to make sure they're not sick: the liver will show you whether the animal was ill. No sick
rabbit has a healthy liver.
If it's a culvert, then things are about to get real. It might be a rabbit; but more likely my find will be a badger or skunk. Most folks don't know
that a badger is mustelidae, the weasel family. They are weasels and all of them can spray you just like a skunk. You try to skewer the animal with
the wire at your discretion.
As I walk along, I'm looking for trash; specifically plastic disposable bottles. Also glass or anything I can use as rope when I try to make a bow
drill later.
Usually, I'd do water first, then fire next, then shelter, then food. But I find myself in your scenario in October, which is the ideal season for
outdoor improvisation here in the south/southwest US. It rained, but is supposed to be sunny after for the next few days. So I need to capture all
the puddled water I can find while I can. In the meantime I'm licking the water off of the tall grass that dominates the prairie here.
Later I'll rig up a lean-to against a tree base, and work on the components of a fire drill. In the meantime, I'm walking this road, trying to find a
paved road or at least a crossroads where I can find more people. Or at least their stuff.
TTFN.
edit on 7/10/2016 by redempsh because: had to edit; I just saw the Fnords!!!!