Saturday, May 20, 2017

Grunt Tips

Via 4Branch

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  1. Unpredictability is paramount, never use the same NDP (Night Defensive Perimeter) twice; never use the same ambush site twice and don’t travel in straight lines. Becoming predictable could be your last mistake. No matter how careful you’ve been, it’s always possible you’ve been compromised and don’t know it. If the enemy can’t predict where you’ll be, he can’t ambush you.
  2. When you conduct reconnaissance do not go directly in the direction you’re headed. It’s a good idea to travel in another direction and then perform a zigzag with many changes of direction. Make the enemy track you and not be able to run in a straight line to your team. Even crossing your own tracks allows your team to see whether they are being tracked. Another extremely important tip is to never go back the way you came. The consequences could be deadly.
  3. Trust your instincts but do not engage in a competition on tactics. Follow all basic rules. The last man should try to repair your trail whenever possible. Make the enemy have to search harder to find you.
  4. Just because a spot looks good for a hide or an NDP, doesn’t mean you should use it. Analyze the area from an enemy’s point of view; where would you look for an enemy’s hide?
  5. Never hide near or in any man-made structures or features. They attract attention and are the first places your enemy will look when they’re trying to find you.
  6. When filling or filtering water from streams, be aware that any silt you stir up will travel downstream, alerting others of your presence.
  7. When taking a dump in the woods, always bring your weapon. The enemy may approach while you’re unarmed and defenseless. Bring along a small plastic bag for your used paper rather than burying it. You can bury the dump, but without paper remaining how can the enemy decide whose crap it is; his or his enemy’s?
  8. It’s better to have multiple canteens/Nalgenes than one and a five gallon bag in your ruck to fill from. It’s easier to exchange an empty one with a full one. A 5 gallon bag also causes loud sloshing and shifting of weight which may cause your pack to shimmer enough for the enemy to see you. Remember Murphy’s Law – If you can see the enemy, he can see you too.
  9. Watch for trip wires, booby traps and try not to step on twigs. Hearing a twig breaking can travel farther than you think.
  10. Other than health reasons, don’t smoke; the exhale of your cigarette smoke can be seen and smelled by your enemy.
  11. Don’t keep looking in one spot for too long, close your eyes or move them away from area you wish to focus on and then look again. Staring at one spot too long makes it seem as if that spot is moving.
  12. Look for anything that looks out of place. Straight line items may be a comms wire for a land line, but whose? Yours or your enemy’s?
  13. Be observant and know your surroundings. Know what sounds are natural and what changes in them can mean. Silence can also be deadly.
  14. Stay alert, it’s easy to let your mind wander and become complacent.
  15. Don’t leave tracks in the snow that your enemy can follow.
  16. Don’t let the enemy smell you coming. Use odorless laundry detergent, don’t use cologne/aftershave, don’t smoke (see above), don’t dip, don’t eat foods with heavy garlic or other ingredients that allow scent to permeate from your skin. As a last resort grab dirt and rub it all over your clothes to remove as much of the smell as possible.
  17. Use your peripheral vision and practice using it, especially at night.
  18. Back-lighting will give away your position, even during the day. Hard shadows are unnatural, so plan your routes accordingly; even in urban environments.
  19. Don’t build fires, this one should go without saying if you’re trying not to be noticed.
  20. Don’t use the old ALICE clips to secure your gear, use MALICE Clips if you have PALS Webbing or even Zip Ties.
  21. Never walk parallel to the objective; It’s much more difficult to see someone coming to or away from you than it is side to side.
  22. Use dead reckoning and terrain association as much as possible.
  23. Dummy cord your gear. Canteen/Nalgene, Night Vision, GPS, multitool and pocket knives. Type 1 Paracord is great for this purpose, cut it long enough to make the equipment easy to get to, but not long enough to hit the ground or get wrapped around something.
  24. Save the safety pins that come on the 5.56 bandoliers. They come in handy.
  25. Always carry good snivel gear. (layers, balaclava/watchcap and a straw to suck it up.)
  26. Carry a quality roll of toilet paper in a Ziploc. Use the MRE paper for cleaning patches.
  27. Learn to waterproof your gear, especially comms. Riggers tape works great on the outside of Ziplocs to make them more durable.
  28. Tuck your headlamp in your blouse in case it accidentally comes on. Same goes for those keychain Photon lights.
  29. When drinking from a canteen/nalgene, pass it around to kill it and preven sloshing.
  30. Field Strip your MREs.
  31. Carry pruning shears for cutting vegetation and creating camouflage.
  32. Have a good Escape and Evasion plan.
  33. Run IADs (Immediate Action Drills) religiously.
  34. Practice moving quietly in every environment. Get a pair of sound enhancing shooting ear pro and listen to yourself. Take your time and plan your next move.
  35. When you need to move with a purpose, stop and listen often. Move a few paces and stop briefly to listen for noise.
  36. Learn your Pace Count. In case you didn’t know, your Pace Count is counting every time your left foot hits the ground for 100 meters. This helps with judging the distance you’ve walked. It helps alot with a map,compass, and protractor.
  37. When you find a spot to set up in for the night or make a hide, go into the thick stuff. It’s harder to see you, and anybody wanting to snoop around looking for you will make a lot of noise coming up on you.
  38. Even if you’re carrying MRE’s, when practical, always supplement them with small game and things you may find to eat in the field. This will make your rations last longer.
  39. Tape up everything that’s loose on your pack or anything else you’re carrying, it will help prevent snags.
  40. Before you move out, have a buddy listen as you jump up and down to ensure you aren’t rattling and potentially giving away your position.
  41. Tuck your boot laces into the tops of you boots after you tie them. You are using square-knotted Paracord laces right?
  42. Learn to use hand signals if you’re with a group or even one other guy. Make sure each man knows the signals and use whatever works for everyone. Silent communication is paramount and the more you’re around your guys the more you won’t have to do anything other than look at each other to communicate.
Most, if not all of these things work just as well for individuals as they do for a team. Commit them to memory and add your tips in the comments! This list is far from complete. We’d like to follow this up in a few months with all the new tips you guys add. Stay safe out there!

Notice how many of these co-witness on Rules for Rangers by John Rogers way back in 1756.

--4Branch

6 comments:

  1. Wow. He seems to have gotten most of this off the internet. A few FACTS for those that don't know already. DO NOT "field strip" ration bags. Just suck it up and eat everything whether you like it or no. The sealed bags are waterproof (and can be resealed with duct tape) and will act as extra floatation in your ruck. Carry canteens and leave the camelback at home. One tiny hole and it drains out. It is also impossible to fix in the field. Carry your trash with you. MRE bags do that really well. Paracord bootlaces suck. They are easy to damage and break about 4X faster than army issue black laces. But like Multicam they look SO COOL. How can you eat "small game and fish" if you can't cook it? Look up something called a "VC Banjo" it works for ending your problem with fire. The guy who wrote this pulled this out of old FM's for the most part. But he has NO IDEA what works in the real world. It contains almost as much bullshit as it does stuff that's right.---Ray PS If you don't bath in the field you enemy WILL smell you coming much sooner than you would like. Human body's STINK after two days and REEK after four. If your enemy has a different diet than you he can track you by smell alone after two or three days of poor sanitation and hygiene. I don't know ho made up this bullshit about not washing. But its total bullshit. Use unscented soap on you AND you cloths. Its worth it and you'll live longer. (and healthier). ---Ray

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    1. Thanks and eating fish raw is not a problem with me.

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    2. In most of north America the worms in fish flesh can only be killed by cooking them. If you don't kill them they will kill you or make you wish you had died. Ether one will take you out in 12 hours (or less) and IF you live, leave you sick and/or crippled for weeks after treatment. Most wild game in the America's is rife with parasitic infections as is almost ALL ground water. Almost all of them can only be effectively killed with heat (cooking to a core temp of 165Deg F. Or boiling for 10Min.) Filters and tablets are only marginally effective and should NEVER take the place of boiling and cooking except in the direst emergency. AND: Almost all of the old strip mine and oil drilling sights in the eastern US are HIGHLY radioactive. The shale "overburden" east of the Mississippi contains vast amounts of Radium ,and in parts of Ky. at least, will kill you. They are also unmarked for the most part.----The guy above was giving advice. Well meaning I think. It is just that some of his advice is VERY wrong and will get the unknowing killed.---Ray

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  2. For our hunting clothes during season, we store them in a lawn bag with native growth so as to keep the smell as natural as possible. I've know n some individuals who actually roll around in buffle grass just before going out to the stand.

    Can't hurt - just make sure to do a tick check.

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    1. Can't hurt - just make sure to do a tick check.

      :)

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