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It's just far to easy to get injured sulking around in the dark with no maps, once injured foraging will be extremely tough and he will only grow weaker with a slower recovery. Should he get hurt while trying to avoid being the guest of honor at a community hanging, hunger would be the least of his worries.
Traditionaly those that "foraged" for food lived very short lives and they were born to the life. The modern digestive tract just isn't up to the task. It won't be long till the "forager" is weakened by intestinal parasites and other problems brought on from his diet. Simple Poison Ivy or mosquito's could lead to infection without proper care and hygene. The backpacker isn't going to be able to carry what would be considered even a bare bones med kit.
Just a simple case of Giardia would be enough to kill the lone "backpacker". I've had a relatively minor case. I lost a bunch of wieght and got so weak I couldn't see straight and it took a few weeks to get completly over it with the proper antibiotics. Had I been alone and living in the wild, no med care and having to hunt my own chow, I probually would have died. Giardia is only one of many water born diseses that would be a problem.
Of course there would always the be the risk of dying of lead poisoning as well. A common ailment among thieves, just one little bitty nick by some scared husband trying to protect his families food with his 7mm mag hunting rifle would be the end of the road. Not to mention well the organized efforts that are sure to result from mass stealing.
Once a few folks are shot for thier garden produce or pig, "strangers" are going to have a tough time of it. Shoot first, talk later will again be the rule of the day. Not hard to imagine just rounding up and shooting any loner types in the area. Such scenes were not uncommon in the frontier west if "things" started going on. It's still considered rude to get out of your pick-up when you pull up to a strangers yard, till someone comes out to meet you. In the rougher days a dismounted man wandereing around the yard of a remote ranch would likely be shot.
I really don't think the life expectancy of such loner types will be all that long, in some area's they may enjoy some initial success killing Amish folks or displaced city people trying to get to some rural family memebers place. Once folks get over the initial shock of the situation though the thieves will be killed off like the wolf.
Teuf,
Traditionaly those that "foraged" for food lived very short lives and they were born to the life. The modern digestive tract just isn't up to the task. It won't be long till the "forager" is weakened by intestinal parasites and other problems brought on from his diet. Simple Poison Ivy or mosquito's could lead to infection without proper care and hygene. The backpacker isn't going to be able to carry what would be considered even a bare bones med kit.
Just a simple case of Giardia would be enough to kill the lone "backpacker". I've had a relatively minor case. I lost a bunch of wieght and got so weak I couldn't see straight and it took a few weeks to get completly over it with the proper antibiotics. Had I been alone and living in the wild, no med care and having to hunt my own chow, I probually would have died. Giardia is only one of many water born diseses that would be a problem.
Of course there would always the be the risk of dying of lead poisoning as well. A common ailment among thieves, just one little bitty nick by some scared husband trying to protect his families food with his 7mm mag hunting rifle would be the end of the road. Not to mention well the organized efforts that are sure to result from mass stealing.
Once a few folks are shot for thier garden produce or pig, "strangers" are going to have a tough time of it. Shoot first, talk later will again be the rule of the day. Not hard to imagine just rounding up and shooting any loner types in the area. Such scenes were not uncommon in the frontier west if "things" started going on. It's still considered rude to get out of your pick-up when you pull up to a strangers yard, till someone comes out to meet you. In the rougher days a dismounted man wandereing around the yard of a remote ranch would likely be shot.
I really don't think the life expectancy of such loner types will be all that long, in some area's they may enjoy some initial success killing Amish folks or displaced city people trying to get to some rural family memebers place. Once folks get over the initial shock of the situation though the thieves will be killed off like the wolf.
Teuf,