Chapter 8: Outdoor Preparedness
If You Get Lost (continued)

Signal for Help

When you decide to stay put and wait to be rescued, prepare help signals as soon as possible.

• The international emergency sign for distress is three repetitions of any signal, including three blasts on a whistle, three flashes with a mirror, or three fires evenly spaced.
• If you’re near an open space, walk an “X” in the snow, grass, or sand. Make it as large as possible so that it can be seen easily from the air. Placing branches, logs, or rocks along the “X” will make it more visible.

Once you have a shelter, fire, and your signal prepared, you can focus on water and food.

Physical Fitness

Hunting often demands more physical exertion than you're accustomed to doing. Conditions that hamper your physical ability to perform safely and responsibly while hunting include:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• A heart condition
• Excess weight
• Poor physical conditioning

If you're planning a hunt that involves fairly strenuous activity, start getting in shape at least two months ahead of time.