Leaving where you are without urgent need to do so
From BearWiki
Claim: After getting stranded, standard advice you should never leave where you are unless there is a critical, urgent need for you to do so.
Bear violates this rule in almost every episode, often multiple times. Every so often, he mentions this. Usually, he doesn't.
One of the top pieces of advice for stranded tourists that virtually every survival guide mentions: Stop. Look around for shelter nearby, and do your best to set up your environment to attract attention. When a person doesn't report in, search and rescue will be dispatched -- assuming that you're not found sooner by chance, as many wilderness areas are heavily trafficked. The further you are from where you got lost, the harder it may be for them to find you. If you are dozens of miles away from your route, the odds of being found by search and rescue become very slim.
Outdoorplaces.com says:[1]
"The first rule of being lost is not to become more lost. That town on the horizon could be thirty-miles away, and there could be a gorge or river blocking your path. Moving through the woods you increase your risk of animal, insect, or snake encounters. The frustration that sets in from all of this increases the panic factor. So rule number one is very simple, hug a tree. The only time you should ever move is because your personal safety is being compromised."
On Hikingwithmike.com (written by the author of The Complete Hiking, Backpacking & Wilderness Survival Manual, Mike states[2]:
"TIP#3 - IF YOU GET LOST, unless you are expert, stay in one area, where others may expect you to be. Beforehand, make sure someone knows where you'll be and your timetable. Use emergency whistle, signal mirror, smoke from burning green or damp plants. Be extremely careful when building a signal fire - you certainly don't want to add a forest fire to your troubles. Lay out an "SOS" or "X" using branches, rocks or brightly-colored gear (tent fly, tarp, etc.). Stay calm. Take an inventory of your gear. How can it be put to good use? Seek shelter early - don't wait for dark or cold. Drink and eat at regular intervals. Don't panic. Panic is your worst enemy. Think. Rest. Drink. You CAN survive!
You can survive about a month without food - YES YOU CAN! You can survive from 3 to 5 days without water or fluid. Temperatures and activity level effect this time period. You can die within hours from lack of shelter. You can die even more quickly from panic-induced injury. STAY CALM! Sleeping overnight in the wild will likely be more of an inconvenience than a threat to your life. If you are properly equipped and prepared, the experience can end up being fun as well as a challenging event."
Commenting on survival when you are lost in a car, Tom Brown Jr. of The Tracker School was asked, "What happens if you leave your car to get help? What should you know?" He states[3]:
"In general, don't leave your car. It is the most visible thing for rescuers. You should also try to stamp out SOS in the snow, using branches to contrast against the snow."
A nice discussion of this can be found here.
The Handbook for field trips gives the same recommendation in both tips a and c [4]:
a) Stop, sit down, and try to figure out where you are. Use your head, not your legs. c) Don't wander about.
And so on. Only if you have every reason in the world to think that A) nobody will come looking for you in reasonable time before your survival needs run out (if you have water, shelter, and no "ticking clocks" like severe infections, you can last about a month), and B) there is no chance of any other trekkers finding you should you leave.
[edit] Analysis
Support: Bear's actions are particularly dangerous because it reinforces the default, and often lethal, instinct in a survival situation: to flee. People, realizing that they truly are lost, often panic -- even those who think that they won't. Your best action is to stop and plan only for your immediate survival and rescue first. Only if planning for your immediate survival involves leaving where you are should you do so.
