Texas has a number of outdoorsy people, many of whom try to follow the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. But sometimes you can’t be prepared for things that occur in the wilds of the Lone Star State, and often some well-meaning people have given advice in advance of those situations that present a problem.
You may have heard the phrase “urban legend.” Well, in fact, the list of survival tactics and stories we’ve often heard sometimes can get blown out of proportion–much to the detriment of those that try to copy or repeat the very tips that were advised as beneficial. In the video “5 Survival Myths That Could Get You Killed,” posted by Tech Insider on their YouTube Channel so-called helpful advice for dangerous situations is proven to be anything but helpful.
How many of you thought the best remedy for a poisonous snakebite was to suck the venom out? Some of us here at TexasHillCountry.com were guilty. There’s a slight possibility that someone hiking in Texas somewhere has had a run-in like this, and perhaps employed such survival myths, only to find the opposite holds true.
And how about the bear tips? Many hikers make use of such things as “bear bells” to ward them off in advance, however it truly depends on the nature of the bear, the direction you’re headed in comparison to it, and if the bear feels that you’re impeding on something it’s doing (i.e. eating or caring for its young).
In the case of shark attacks off the Texas Gulf Coast, stories of the past told of survivors administering a quick punch to the nose to dissuade an attacking shark. What are your thoughts on this and the other details noted? Do you feel confident that you could survive such tricky situations in the far-off corners of Texas?
