This question is based on a thread in the Cave Man subforum.
Back in the late 80's, my stepbrother and I hatched a plan to spend a year living off the land. Little did we know at the time that neither of us had the knowledge or skills to survive a few weeks let alone a year. We scoured maps at the library and couldn't find 50 square miles in the lower 48 that wasn't criss crossed by asphalt, or a national monument/preserve that we felt would be a good location. Needless to say we conveniently never got around to it.
So how does one live off the land in today's day and age?
I don't expect anyone to self incriminate on the internet, so let's just keep it hypothetical.
How does one do this and stay within the laws?
For example, squatting on state, federal, or private land? Or does one buy a plot of land? And if so, wouldn't they need to be sufficiently wealthy to set up escrow for property taxes?
Does one take game when one sees it? Or stay within hunting regs? Not much game to feed a person year round in many states that can be taken without state permission. Depending on the state, the lottery system means you may not even draw tags. Could you survive on seasonal small game, birds, and fishing?
How do you get by in the winter when foraging is nill? Or do you migrate to warmer climates? Do you plant in the growing season? If you plant seeds not native to the area, are you still "living off the land"?
Maybe try your hand in Alaska? But how do you do it there without modern products and supply lines? All the shows on TV show these people using motorized vehicles of somesort...to check fish traps, snowmobiles for transportation and checking trap lines, modern rifles and ammo (need a supply line for bullets eventually).
Ultimately, I just don't get how a truly "living off the land" scenario can play out legally and especially without a revenue source...and then is it still living off the land?