One of the most important need while hunting out in the wilderness is access to clean water. Our body is composed of approximately 75% of water. However, even with this great amount we are still susceptible to losing a lot of water as we work or sweat through the day which can lead to dehydration.
It is possible for people to survive without food for how many weeks. But one could not continue without water just after a few days of its absence. Unavailability of water for two days or less can kill you out there while you’re hunting. That’s why, once you find a source of water, it is vital to know the best way to purify water while hunting.
#1 Boiling Water Is The Safest Method
The easiest way to purify water while you’re out in the wilderness is to boil it. You only need a container and fire. In order to fully purify water, boil it up to 10 minutes.
Others will recommend you to only boil it at least one minute or seven minutes. However, it is better to be safe than sorry – the longer you let your water boil, the higher chance you are protecting yourself from getting sick. When there’s high altitude, don’t forget to extend the time you boil the water. Extending the time allows boiling to kill the bad organisms present in the water. This is foolproof if you really want clean water.
However, this might not be as effective if you don’t have a fire source in the area or if you have no fuel to create one. Another disadvantage is if you don’t want to drink HOT water on a sunny day. In addition, boiling water takes a lot of your time, unlike other methods which can easily allow you to drink water in just a short time.
#2 Survival Straws Purify While You Drink
When you bring survival straws, you will hardly experience hassle because of its lightweight. It is flexible and can easily fit into a garden hose. Considering that there are sources of water present at the forest, what it can fit matters.
The survival straws also have activated carbon filter. These filters make it possible for pathogens and bacteria to be killed and remove bad odors plus taste in the water. It is also one of the cheapest deals in order to purify your water. However, since it is small it can only be used by one person. It is also prone to being destroyed, hence it does not have a long life which might not be what you want to bring during a hunting trip.
You can order LifeStraw Personal Water Filter at Amazon.
#3 Simply Drop Water Purification Tablets
You can use tablets or drops in order to purify your water. But, I have to tell you ahead of time that this is not the best tasting method to make your water clean while hunting.
The first one is iodine, it is the most commonly used water purifying tablet. Next up, is chlorine which also yields the same outcome.
Both the tablets are great when it comes to killing waterborne diseases. You have to take note this only becomes effective above 21 degrees. It is also cheap and accessible for everyone. However, if you have thyroid problems, do not use this.
Hydrogen peroxide, sodium chlorite, potassium permanganate, and bleach are also available chemicals that are out in the market as purification tablets. All these purification tablets take 30 minutes to be effective, so you have to really wait in order to be assured that your water is safe already.
If you do not have any means to get water purification tablets, you can also use plain old household bleach (this means that it has no scents, cleaners and manufactured to be color safe). You have to take extra caution when you do this.
Just add 1/8 teaspoon of a bleach into a gallon of water. Then, wait for the bleach to be effective within 30 minutes or less.
Check out Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets
#4 Water Filters Removes Contaminants
This is an amazing option when you’re out hunting. It is also easy to use plus water filters are also available if you want one for yourself or if you’re going to use it for a bigger group. It has handy models which are created for two or more people.
When you use this, it also kills bacteria and protozoa. However, the downside is it will not filter out viruses. The process of water filtering goes through straining water even the mud also becomes filtered in order for you to have a good water drink.
When choosing a filter, it is important to choose a rating of one micron or smaller so that you know if it will remove protozoa like cryptosporidium and giardia, plus parasitic eggs and larvae too (however these two will need less than 0.4 microns in order to be eliminated).
#5 Ultraviolet Light Is Extremely Efficient
Yes, ultraviolet light is used a water purifier! You only have to be familiar with the correct intensity to fully maximize the use of this. Since the UV light has an ample radiation, it makes it possible for the bacteria and other organisms to be killed.
Other UV purifiers let water go through a UV-irradiated chamber in order to sterilize the water. However, even if it is easy to use, ultraviolet light is expensive. The benefit lies in the fact that it gives you a pure and good tasting water. However, this might also be a disadvantage while you’re hunting since deer can easily see this even from afar.
See SteriPEN Adventurer Opti UV Water Purifier
#6 Understand Your Soil Or Sand Filter
Not fully prepared for your hunting trip?
There’s still a way for you to purify your water, just use soil or sand to filter the water. In order to do this, you should have a container and a shirt over it. On top of the cloth, put sand or soil. The whole setup will be your makeshift filter.
To be successful, put the water on your makeshift filter in order to eliminate sediments and other particles in your water. You need to repeat the process until the water looks clear. However, this won’t protect you from waterborne diseases. So you have to think twice if you really want to engage this method.
The second option for this is to dig a hole near the area of your water source. You can only drink the water that is present near the hole that was filtered through the soil surrounding it. But, again, this do not kill microorganism so you have to be careful.
#7 Solar Still Do Not Need Electricity Or Filters
From the name of solar still, one can already derive that this is only effective when there’s a sun present.
It is a specialized equipment so you will only use this if you really studied how to make it effective. A solar still requires you to have a bowl-shaped hole in the ground – about 3 feet in diameter and 8 inches deep.
The water becomes purified through the underside of the plastic sheet since the water will run down and drip into the container. You can sip your water from the tubing without destroying your solar still. However, putting one solar still might not be enough for you to survive. You have to build at least 3 to 4 solar stills. You can also add vegetation near your solar stills so you’ll have more water to collect.
Remember, do not dig too much into the ground because the more you dig, the less you water you get from that soil.
Check out Survival Hydro Kit
Summary
In this list, seven methods of purification are written in order for you to choose what will work best during your hunting trip. Their benefits, as well as their disadvantages, are already specified. Sometimes, other methods will be ineffective or unavailable for you. However, you can always shift on how you will filter your water just as long as you consider what will not throw off your target kill.
Find your best way to purify water while hunting.
What do you think about the purification methods? Do you have any questions about it? Share with us your experiences regarding the purification methods or if you have more tips as well. Feel free to drop your comments below.
If you’re keen on bringing lots of bottled water when you hunt, read more information about its shelf life here.
