If you are alone, lost, or in a survival situation, fire is really man's best friend. A fire can keep you warm, and you can use it to signal for help. A good fire also will help keep you calm, allow you to cook, and keep you busy as you wait for help to arrive!

To start a fire, you will need three things:

1. A source of heat to start a fire.
2. Tinder and kindling to get the fire going.
3. Fuel to keep the fire burning. In your survival kit, you should have at least one ready source of heat (either waterproof matches or a disposable lighter) and some type of fire starter. You will need to find kindling and fuel to build the fire. You should find these items before you start to make your fire!

You will need about ten large armloads of firewood to keep a small fire going all night. Collect your firewood before dark! It's often very wet during hunting season, but there are many materials which will burn in such conditions. Check with your classroom instructor to find out what's available in your local area.

If you do not have very good fire-building skills, you may need to add some additional materials to your survival kit to help you get a fire started in wet, hunting-season conditions.