10 Survival Skills Your Great-Grandparents Knew (That Most Of Us Have Forgotten) After 50s

Our modern society is highly dependent upon we’ll call the “system.” Not only do we rely upon utility services to bring us electricity, water and natural gas, but also on an incredibly complex supply chain which provides us with everything from food to computers. Without that supply chain, most of us wouldn’t know what to do.

This situation is actually becoming worse, rather than better. When I compare my generation (I’m in my 50s) to that of my children, I see some striking differences. In my generation it was normal for a boy to grow up learning how to do a wide variety of trade skills from his father, and seemingly everyone knew how to do basic carpentry and mechanic work. But that’s no longer normal.

Here are 10 skills our grandparents knew that most of us have long forgotten:

Source HERE

a reply to: Mizzazz22
If we lost all the conveniences, it would be a struggle for most of us but I think when you get hungry enough, you'll find a way to eat. The ones that can't handle the emotional part of losing all their comforts will be the ones that don't survive.

a reply to: Mizzazz22

This situation is actually becoming worse, rather than better. When I compare my generation (I’m in my 50s) to that of my children, I see some striking differences. In my generation it was normal for a boy to grow up learning how to do a wide variety of trade skills from his father, and seemingly everyone knew how to do basic carpentry and mechanic work. But that’s no longer normal.

It's our job to teach our kids too.

a reply to: JAGStorm

You are right!

a reply to: Mizzazz22

That article is total trash. Anyone who thinks hunting is a way to provide food in a survival situation is living in Hollywood.

I can understand that if you do not hunt, you think animals may just jump out and strike a pose while you take aim, but if you dont have years under your belt, you will not get within range of an animal, or even know how to track it if it doesnt drop. If you need food and are under stress with a whole bunch of other idiots out there thinking hunting is the answer, you will be hungry most of the time. Feast and famine.

Truth is, if you want to have a skill to provide food during a SHTF scenario, you learn to TRAP way before the SHTF. Hunting is a total waste of time 99% of the time. Trapping on the other hand. I can put out 20 traps in less than two hours in an area with no deer and have 50lbs of meat the next day, and they work while I sleep, get gas, forage, etc, etc. Trapping is by far the most reliable way to consistently eat if the stores do not have food. It should have been #1 on the list.

I am a hunter. I am also a self taught trapper since very few do it anymore. I learned to trap years ago after learning some history. Up until the 90's, most of the old ladies in Europe could teach you how to trap. The people who survived through WW1 and 2 learned to trap stray dogs and cats. At the end of WW2 Europe was a little short on pets.

Trapping is also an art. You are not going to go get a bunch of animals without experience. You need to perfect it, learn the tricks, then you can actually get a good harvest. The steady flow of food is also easier to preserve than a moose.

Whoever wrote that article is LARPing. I cant even believe they put gardening. You actually need to use farming techniques, or very large garden techniques, NOT the same thing as what people do in their backyard. The time to plate it takes, the calories, and the amount of loss you will have make "gardening" only feasible compared to gathering if you do it in bulk, especially if you have a horse. I have had many horses. Talk about sucking up resources. Best part about a horse if the SHTF is you can eat it, other than that they are a large loss of resources compared to a dual sport motorcycle that gets 50MPG, or an old diesel that cab fun off a variety of fuels.

I could go on, I just think it is ridiculous. My 9 year old son has spent enough time off grid to know this crap wont get you very far. If you hunt and you have ever been out on opening day thinking there are a lot of people, imagine if they were all starving. Meanwhile you can trap raccoons in trash cans pretty much every night no matter where you live.

Another thing. Raising animals makes you a target. It is a weakness to raise chickens and things, unless you are in a very very safe place. The people who raise animals are consistently targeted during conflicts by fighters as a source of food. The opposite of what you want if you want to keep all your stuff.

At least 90% of Americans would die if the SHTF. We are the weakest nation in the world if you turn off the power.

a reply to: Mizzazz22

8 out of 10 aint bad.

Never been on horseback, they are pricey animals and require care that I've never learned. Someday.

Worked in steel my whole life, never a blacksmith however. Again, someday.

a reply to: TrollMagnet

You sure do think highly of yourself and lowly of others.

a reply to: Mizzazz22

The Romans put us to shame and they didn't even have long pants. I wish I could bring back a Roman builder from 2000 years ago to help me develop the roads on my property.

a reply to: TrollMagnet

Hey T.M.,

have you watched the American reality television series 'Alone' ? That is a real eye opener re: survivalism at short notice.

a reply to: TexasSeabee

Not at all. Confidence should not be confused with arrogance when my argument stands on its own merit. I think lowly of people who publish stupid information like arguing you should learn how to hunt if the SHTF. That is a stereotypical and short sighted idea that only comes from people who have done little hunting or survival training.

You would have too many problems of other types to deal with to spend time sitting in a tree, and then trying to preserve and travel with 50lbs of venison. If you learn how to trap, you can supply a large family without sitting in a tree all day. Thats why it was a staple in the average persons life up until 50ish years ago.

I am annoyed at hearing this popular misconception repeated frequently. Out of hunting, fishing, and trapping, hunting is the last one you learn if you actually need food and dont have experience.

I'll boast a little. My son - 36 y/o now- learned a lot from me. He does all of his auto mechanic work. He helped his girlfriend remodel her house. A lot he learned on his own, but it was my pushing him to learn and to do that gave him that impetus.

My generation largely abdicated its parental responsibilities to the state, and the state is an anal orifice.

originally posted by: LogicalGraphitti
a reply to: Mizzazz22
If we lost all the conveniences, it would be a struggle for most of us but I think when you get hungry enough, you'll find a way to eat. The ones that can't handle the emotional part of losing all their comforts will be the ones that don't survive.

Yeah, those people will find a way to eat, bit it won't be by planting a garden or raising chickens or rabbits. It'll be by looting the grocery stores first, then invading comes where they think there's food.

Just watch.

LOL, 'Blacksmithing', 'Horseback Riding'. Sure, because when the SHTF the first thing I'll do is throw some new shoes on Sugarfoot and ride out looking for victuals.

originally posted by: HilterDayon
a reply to: TrollMagnet

Hey T.M.,

have you watched the American reality television series 'Alone' ? That is a real eye opener re: survivalism at short notice.

Yes, I watch that. They have their hands tied though when it comes to trapping. How they do hunting is realistic though, and they are often experts. If you actually had to trap for survival you would use indiscriminate snares that can catch whatever hits them. It is extremely illegal to set that type of snare most places. There are also other ways you can setup routes for small game to cross water, climb a tree, or other things where you can take multiple animals in one spot, but are often illegal due to how effective they are.

Everyone on Alone has to follow all the local laws and have their permits. If the SHTF, you would not be worried about that and could take as much food as you need with little experience. But the hunting, as you see, the laws dont make any difference when they couldn't even find any decent game big or small.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but telling people to hunt is a bad idea that will disappoint 9 out of ten people compared to other methods.

Actually, I know how to do all of that stuff...and I am a grandpa and also a great grandpa and I was born in the fifties. I guess that being the son of a farmer and liking all the trades helped a lot. I do have a blacksmith forge but have not used it, I did some work making some tool with my uncle when I was a kid on his forge, and have known people who had forges and fabricated stuff. We used grinders though, but I also have an antique bicycle type grinding cycle with a big stone on it and a few extra big stones for it somewhere in the garage attic..

I also have a meat saw, hand saws, auger drills and bits, and lots of nails in stock. I am sort of prepared to do stuff if things fall apart, but I will probably be too old to do the stuff at that point.

All depends on ones location, but a boat and fishing gear should be handy if necessary.

the nature of civilization is one of an ever growing distance from nature, sure at one time old skills were useful but as civilization progresses those skills become obsolete and useless. unless some great catastrophe befalls mankind we'll never have use for most obsolete skills or knowledge of the past, sorry to bust your bubble but many skills and knowledge from 80 years or so ago would've also been useless in such a situation because they also had many conveniences compared to ancient times.

the way i see it, the faster we advance and the further we get from nature, the sooner we can take grasp of our own fate and stop fearing the whims of nature, when that happens humanity will no longer be dependent on nature.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
LOL, 'Blacksmithing', 'Horseback Riding'. Sure, because when the SHTF the first thing I'll do is throw some new shoes on Sugarfoot and ride out looking for victuals.

Sometimes the most crazy skills are the ones that are needed most in a survival situation, didn’t you ever watch MacGyver?

a reply to: TrollMagnet
In cities a victor rat trap will be worth more than a fifth of scotch.
pan traps? worth 100 rounds of ammo.
The secret to survival in post shtf will be for others to not notice you.
That means no shooting to draw attention for miles.
No fishing (everyone will be at water sources).

a reply to: Mizzazz22

Gonna' make all of us go to the link, huh? Couldn't even give us a hint in the OP??? (Bad form, sorry).

I'm only guilty of one item on that list, #1 Gardening for food. I can garden (sort of), but aside from Zuccini, I've never been successful enough to say I could rely on my harvest through the winter.

All the rest of the items I have well in hand. Some of them I don't particularly care to do, but I can do them without issue and have done them. Dressing and butchering for example; dressing out a rabbit, or a deer, or a goose, is easy-peasy. But dressing out and butchering a full grown steer, on the other hand, is a HUGE undertaking...and once you've started you can't stop until you're done. If you're doing it without help, let me tell you...that is going to be one REALLY LONG day (if not two)!!