The Rules of "3"

THE THREE KILLERS


Hypothermia:  Hypothermia is a condition in which an organism's temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and bodily functions.  In warm-blooded animals, core body temperature is maintained near a constant level through biologic homeostasis.  But when the body is exposed to cold its internal mechanisms may be  unable to replenish the heat that is being lost to the organism's surroundings.

Heat Stroke:  Heat stroke or sunstroke is an acute condition which occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate.  It is usually due to excessive exposure to heat.  The heat regulating mechanisms of the body eventually become overwhelmed and unable to effectively deal with the heat, and body temperature climbs uncontrollably.  This is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention.

Shock:  Shock is a serious, life-threatening medical condition where insufficient blood flow reaches body tissues.  As the blood carries oxygen and nutrients around the body, reduced flow hinders the delivery of these components to the tissues, and can stop the tissues from functioning properly.  The process of blood entering the tissues is called perfusion, so when perfusion is not occurring properly this is called hypoperfusional (hypo = below) state.



THE RULE OF 3'S:  The rule threes is a simple concept to help you PRIORITIZE in an otherwise uncomfortable situation.

3 Minutes:  the human brain can for the most part go 3 minutes deprived of oxygen without suffering damage.

3 Hours:  the human body can usually stand 3 hours of exposure (depending on severity) before suffering from one of the 3 killers above.

3 Days:  Our bodies can go 3 days without water, unless in severe conditions.

3 Weeks:  Our bodies can go 3 weeks without food (depending on severity).

These become important facts to remember when you are "prioritizing" what you will need to do first to become comfortable in an otherwise uncomfortable situation.






3 WAYS OF SECURING FOOD


Hunting/Trapping:  To become a good hunter/trapper, you must fully understand animal behavior.  You need to know what the animal feeds on, what time of day or night it feeds, what type of lair they prefer, and that their postures are.  Camouflage and Scent Control are two other important strategies in hunting and trapping.  These go from self camo to trap camo as well as self scent control as not to alert the animals being hunted or trapped to human presence.  One thing to remember is that smoke from fire is a very common smell in the woods and being around and close to this in your camp will give you a very good cover scent on a daily basis.  As for Camo, you need to understand which certain colors and patterns animals will have trouble differentiating, and will break up the human outline.  Wear earth tone colors and stay away from harsh colors like black or white.

Fishing


Gathering/Harvesting:  refers to wild edibles and plants, gathering eggs from wild birds.



PLANTS WITH 3 LEAVES:  STAY AWAY FROM PLANTS WITH 3 LEAVES (Poison Ivy, etc).  "Leaves of Three, Let it Be."






3 ANIMAL POSTURES:  Animal postures are MOODS, or behavioral patterns that you can observe to understand whether getting closer will scare the animal away.  It will also serve as a basis for building a personal notebook of patterns for hunting/trapping and Food Procurement.

Relaxed:  Relaxed posture for any animal will be seen only when you can learn not to be invasive into the animal's personal space.  Feeding, preening/cleaning, nest building, courting, and sleeping are all things that animals will do only when they are in a relaxed posture.

Companion/Mating:  This is a form of relaxed posture, but they will often appear more excited due to mating behaviors.  It is very important to understand as many animals are distracted from every little nuance of their surroundings during this time (much like humans).

Alarm:  Stiffening of the back, ears perked, growling, barking are all signs of the alarm posture.  When they assume this posture, you have gotten too close for the animal's comfort or you are not blending in properly to the environment and seem strange or out of place to them.



THE TRIANGLE OF FIRE (3 ELEMENTS NECESSARY FOR FIRE)


Heat


Oxygen


Fuel






3 TYPES OF DIRECTION:  When using a map, it is very important to understand these three types of North direction as they are used differently and must be accounted for.

True North:  This is an absolute straight line from your location to the North Pole.

Magnetic North:  Magnetic North also known as Compass North is the magnetic direction the compass points.

Grid North:  Grid North or Map North is the Northern top edge of any map.  There will be a declination diagram on most good maps at the bottom explaining how to convert this to and from magnetic and true north.  This is important as your compass will most likely not be pointing to Map north and long distance travel with compass aid will not match the map location chosen to go if you do not understand these principles.