Month: March 2023

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 24, 2023

March 24th is the birthday of Dr. Art Robinson, who was born in 1942. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 …


Foraging for Fun & Survival – Part 2, by Hobbit Farmer

(Continued from Part 1.) Foraging Best Practices 1.) Make sure you are collecting in a legal manner. Many state forests or public lands allow foraging for personal use (not for profit/resale) and as long as the plant is not endangered/protected. It is your responsibility to find out those details. 2.) Ask for permission on private land just like you would if you were hunting. Be responsible, be reasonable, be considerate, and be ready for people to think you are a weirdo. When possible share a taste of your harvest. People will more readily understand why you are foraging if they …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, some more coverage of the ongoing banking crisis. Precious Metals: Posted back on March 16th: Gold sparkles in stormy week for markets. Some Observations by JWR: The prices for precious metals have been quite solid, and are showing signs of starting a stair-stepping pattern. There is a whiff of bull market in the air. To …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 23, 2023

Today is the anniversary of Patrick Henry’s famous Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death speech. It was delivered to the Second Virginia Revolutionary Convention meeting at St. John’s Church, Richmond, on March 23, 1775. This is also the birthday of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. He directed 30 films. His samurai films (many of them starring Toshiro Mifune) such as Yojimbo, Sanjuro, The Hidden Fortress, Rashomon, The Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, and Ran are considered legendary in the cinema world. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for …


Foraging for Fun & Survival – Part 1, by Hobbit Farmer

This article is meant to be an introduction to the world of foraging. My goal is to use my own journey to show how approachable and safe foraging can be and to inspire others to learn these skills. I am not writing this article as an “expert,” but as someone who has gained enough confidence in my skills to regularly gather wild food. A number of the “wild” foods I will mention grow in my yard or garden and I have simply stopped weeding them and started eating them instead. Here is what we are going to cover together in …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, a closer look at the threat of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). An Extremely Rare Farside Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) Over at Spaceweather: Extremely Rare CME.  Here are a …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 22, 2023

March 22nd, 1821 was the birthday of Benjamin Tyler Henry. He was an American gunsmith and manufacturer. On October 16, 1860, he received a patent on the Henry .44 caliber repeating rifle. The first Henry rifles were not produced for Union Army use until mid-1862. Henry died on December 29, 1898. This is the birthday of Louis L’Amour. (Born 1908, died 1988.) Some of his novels have survival themes. One of particular interest to survivalists is Last of the Breed. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes …


Basic Handgun Proficiently Training – Part 2, by Steve A.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) When you practice you need to use the firearm, holster, belt, and clothing that you will use when you are carrying a firearm. This will vary with the weather. Use exactly the firearm holster positioning you will use in the real world. Cover the firearm with an outer garment such as a coat or shirt as you will be wearing when carrying. Ear and eye protection are mandatory at the range. You may wish to include a baseball-type hat to better protect the eyes from things like hot brass during ejection. Unless …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — S.4986, the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act (SHORT) Act needs more co-sponsors. This bill would remove short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and other weapons from regulation under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Given the ATF’s recent arbitrary redefinition of arm-braced pistols as SBRs, this bill is quite important. If elected, it …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 21, 2023

On March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, was burned at the stake for violating heresy laws revised under the Roman Catholic queen Mary I. (“Bloody Mary.”) — We’ve reached the Vernal Equinox, so Spring is officially here. Though there is still some unusually late snow still on the ground here at the Rawles Ranch, it certainly feels like Spring. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing …


Basic Handgun Proficiently Training – Part 1, by Steve A.

After much thought and research you have decided to carry a concealed handgun. You are of sound mind and have met all the legal requirements to carry a concealed handgun and understand the risks and potential liability. You have some exposure to informal shooting but no structured training. Your decision to shoot or not shoot is a binding decision. The aftermath of even a justified shooting will include at minimum dealing with the police, your lawyer, and almost always a grand jury. There is much more to this decision on many levels. And never forget that you are responsible for …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, some more discussion of the Greater Idaho partition plan. (See the Regional News section.) Regional News Gem State lawmakers seem to be taking the ‘Greater Idaho’ movement seriously. Should Oregon? An excerpt: “Greater Idaho was always a longshot, and it’s come a lot further than …