Green Beret Skills (cont) · Wilderness Mastery School

Patrick Russell

29d • General discussion

Green Beret Skills (cont)

"What about [X skill]? Shouldn't that be on the list too?"

You're right. There are WAY more than 5 critical survival skills.

So here's the deal: I kept it to 5 because those are the foundational skills that everything else builds on.

Master those, and you can survive.

Period.

But since so many of you asked, here are the next-level skills that separate someone who can survive from someone who can THRIVE in the wild:

6. FIRST AID & TRAUMA CARE

Why it matters: You can have all the survival skills in the world, but if you bleed out in the first 10 minutes, none of it matters.

What Green Berets know:

-Tourniquet application (when and where)

-Wound packing and pressure dressings

-Fracture stabilization

-Hypothermia and heat injury prevention

-Improvised medical supplies

The skill that separates amateurs from pros: Staying calm under pressure and treating trauma with limited resources.

What you should practice:

-Take a Stop the Bleed or Wilderness First Aid course (I have in-person workshops coming up soon!)

-Build a proper IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) and know how to use every item

-Practice tourniquet application until you can do it one-handed, in the dark

7. FOOD PROCUREMENT (Hunting, Trapping, Foraging)

Why it matters: You can survive 3 weeks without food, but your decision-making, energy, and morale collapse long before that.

What Green Berets know:

-Edible plant identification (and what will kill you)

-Primitive traps and snares

-Fishing techniques (improvised hooks, nets, spears)

-Game processing and preservation

-Caloric prioritization (fat > protein > carbs in survival)

The skill that separates amateurs from pros: Knowing which plants are safe to eat in YOUR region – and having actually eaten them before you're starving.

What you should practice:

-Learn 5 edible plants in your area (and their poisonous look-alikes)

-Build and set primitive traps (figure-4 deadfall, Paiute deadfall, snares)

-Process small game (squirrel, rabbit, fish) from field to table

8. SIGNALING & RESCUE

Why it matters: Survival isn't just about staying alive – it's about getting HOME. Knowing how to signal for rescue can cut your ordeal from weeks to hours.

What Green Berets know:

-Signal fire construction (3 fires in a triangle = universal distress)

-Ground-to-air signals(GTAS) (rocks, logs, bright materials)

-Mirror/reflective signaling (can be seen for miles)

-Whistle protocols (3 blasts = distress)

-When to stay put vs. when to move

The skill that separates amateurs from pros: Knowing when to signal and when to stay hidden (context matters – not all "rescue" is friendly downrange).

What you should practice:

-Build a signal fire that produces thick, visible smoke

-Practice mirror signaling (aim at a target 100+ yards away)

-Carry a whistle on every outing (louder and longer-lasting than your voice)

9. MENTAL TOUGHNESS & SURVIVAL PSYCHOLOGY

Why it matters: Your mind quits long before your body does. Panic, despair, and poor decisions kill more people than exposure or hunger.

What Green Berets know:

-The Rule of 3s (priorities under stress)

-STOP method (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan)

-Task fixation (stay busy, stay focused, stay alive)

-Positive self-talk and realistic optimism

-Acceptance and adaptability

The skill that separates amateurs from pros: Staying calm when everything goes wrong – and making rational decisions under extreme stress.

What you should practice:

-Put yourself in controlled discomfort (cold showers, fasting, long hikes)

-Practice decision-making under fatigue and stress

-Learn to recognize panic responses and override them

10. MISSION PLANNING & PREPAREDNESS

Why it matters: The best survival situation is the one you avoid entirely. Preparation and planning prevent 90% of emergencies.

What Green Berets know:

-Route planning and contingency planning

-Gear selection (function over flash)

-Weather and terrain assessment

-Communication plans (who knows where you are and when you'll be back?)

-Risk mitigation (what could go wrong, and how do I prepare for it?)

The skill that separates amateurs from pros: Always having a Plan B, C, and D – and the gear/skills to execute them.

What you should practice:

-File a trip plan with someone you trust (route, timeline, emergency contact)

-Pack redundancy (two is one, one is none)

-Do a "what if" drill before every outing (What if I get injured? What if weather turns? What if I get lost?)

So, What's REALLY Essential?

Here's the truth: All of these skills matter.

But if you're just starting out, master the original 5 first:

-Firecraft

-Sheltercraft

-Watercraft

-Fieldcraft (knife skills)

-Navigation

Then layer in the rest.

Because survival isn't about knowing everything – it's about mastering the fundamentals so well that you can adapt to anything.

What You Can Do Right Now

Pick ONE skill from this list (or the original 5) and commit to practicing it this week.

Can't make fire in the rain? Go practice in the rain.

Don't know 5 edible plants in your area? Learn them this weekend.

Never built a signal fire? Build one.

And if you want to learn these skills hands-on, the way Green Berets do – with real instruction, real tools, and real results – I teach monthly workshops here in Kentucky/Tennessee.

Bladesmithing. Survival skills. Primitive fire. Knife skills. Shelter building.

You'll leave with a knife you forged yourself and the skills to use it.

Next workshop coming soon. DM me "WORKSHOP" or comment below for details.

Plus: My Wilderness Mastery program on Skool drops January 1st – structured video courses, live Q&A, and a community of people who take this seriously. LEGACY pricing is available now (locks you in at the lowest rate before it goes up).

DM me "LEGACY" for details.

No fluff. No gimmicks. Just proven skills that work.

—Pat Russell

Former U.S. Army Green Beret

Migizi Outdoors

Elite Survival Made Simple

P.S. – What skill are YOU working on this week? Drop it in the comments. I'll respond to every single one.

1 comment