I am lucky enough to live in a very rural area, and I can utilize several hundred acres that I have permission to hunt on. I do have to share this area with several other folks and with a couple miles of hiking can get away fairly easily from the main hunting area. There are some 4 wheel trails, but for the most part there are not many people who go there during the off season.
This is my training area and what I like to do is hike in and set up a base camp. Build a fire from scratch utilizing primitive fire starting techniques. Then after camp is complete I pull out my compass and practice land navigation skills. By plotting a course and hanging targets in different locations (paper plates hung from brush). After this is complete I go back to camp and prepare a meal or practice other skills, or just enjoy the beauty of Appalachia. Sometime in the evening or early the next morning I take my airsoft rifle and start running my drills through the course I have plotted. This is my preference, and the way I see it, it keeps me sharp in between FTXs with my unit. And I get to utilize skills and equipment.
Hopefully most of you have an area you can use, but you don't have to wait for any large scale exercise if you have a place, or find a place to train.


We should have freed the slaves, and then fired on Sumter. Gen. James Longstreet C.S.A.