One location given very early for the Gadianton homeland is “the wilderness” (Hel. 2:11). The implication in Helaman is that the Gadiantons fled out of civilization into an area without cities. However, they have certainly become associated with cities since that time. When they enter Nephite lands, however, they must come in from outside the protective ring of mountains that create the Grijalva River Basin. In this valley, the Nephites have removed all domesticated animals and all harvestable crops. The land of Zarahemla has been continuously inhabited for hundreds of years, meaning that game had either been hunted out or had retreated from the urban areas. The wisdom of the Nephites in taking their “flocks and herds” to the place of refuge becomes apparent. The Gadiantons had evidently been counting on living off the land—by “plunder” (see v. 4)—but must now supply themselves, either from their homeland or by going deeper into wilderness areas to hunt wild game, a chancy and time-consuming business.