Year: 2026

Raising, Hunting, and Harvesting Animals – Part 6, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.) The .223 Remington I love the .223 Remington (.223 Rem). The rounds are relatively inexpensive and can be found anywhere. There is a plethora of bullet grain weights, designs and bullet tips. There is also an unlimited amount of firearm platforms to find that best fits you and your needs. I use a bolt action Ruger American Ranch rifle. Ruger makes an excellent, inexpensive and durable rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO. It has a detachable magazine and the comes in a 1:8 twist. My rifle has consistently and accurately shot a variety …


Recipe of the Week: 

The following recipe for Spring Greens Enchiladas is from SurvivalBlog reader Kurt W. Ingredients 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped 4-6 cups of chopped greens, any variety (spinach, chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc.) 1 Tablespoon butter 1 Tablespoon flour 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, pepperjack, or Monterey jack.) 6 flour tortillas 15 oz jar (or about 2 cups) of salsa Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a casserole dish and set it aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion with a …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

  Today’s graphic: The United States of WalMart. In this map, each polygon contains exactly one Walmart store and represents the area closer to that store than any other. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) JWR’s Comments:  My family lives in the American Redoubt, where the population density is quite low, and the WalMart density is correspondingly low.  Hence, the large polygons seen in the Intermountain West.  It is a two-hour drive to the nearest WalMart from the Rawles Ranch. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 15, 2026

90 years ago, today: The coldest day in North Dakota history. Minus 60 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale was recorded on February 15th, 1936, by a coal miner and volunteer National Weather Service weather observer in Parshall, North Dakota. This remains the lowest temperature ever recorded in the state. Pictured is the Broste Museum in Parshall, North Dakota. February 15th 1809: Birthday of Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor of a mechanical reaper. Gun developer Richard “Dick” Casull was born on February 15, 1931. Casull passed away on May 6, 2018 after a long battle with cancer. Dick Casull is most famous …


Raising, Hunting, and Harvesting Animals – Part 5, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 4.) Practical Hunting Gear The basic gear I carry, regardless of season, is listed below. Clothing that fits and is proper for the environment you’re in. This includes a hat. Always have a change of socks. Firearm and spare ammunition. Every single rifle and shotgun I own has an elastic buttstock ammo carrier as well as a sling with ammunition loops sewn in. (Butler Creek makes a great sling with ammo loops.) I like these because accessing spare rounds is more convenient and it doesn’t require me to carry so much ammo in my pack. Knife. I …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: I’m Curious… In The Latest Epstein Documents Release Why are There Hundreds of References to Pizza, Beef Jerky, and Grape Soda? News Links: Hundreds of Bizarre References to ‘Pizza’ in New Epstein Documents Raise Eyebrows. Beef jerky is mentioned 383 times in the files. The New Epstein Files Are Reopening the Pizzagate Box. Tucker Carlson: Pizzagate Fully Explained in 12 Minutes. Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — February 14, 2026

On February 14, 1803, writing the majority opinion text of the landmark Marbury v. Madison case, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall declared that any act of U.S. Congress that conflicts with the Constitution is null and void. — February 14, 1804: Karadjordje led the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. — And February 14, 1942 was the birthday of the late Prepper/Economist Dr. Gary North. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This …


Raising, Hunting, and Harvesting Animals – Part 4, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 3.) Pros and Cons of Raising Animals for Food As with anything in life, there are pros and cons. Below, I have compiled a list of my personal pros and cons when it comes to raising animals for food. Pros You can control what variety/species of animals you want to raise to give you the most amount of meat. You can choose the type of meat you want to have in your household. If you like peacock meat, you can raise it. If you like ostrich eggs, you can raise it. With chickens, you can control the …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. And the glory of …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 13, 2026

On February 13, 1633, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before the Inquisition for professing the belief that Earth revolves around the Sun. — February 13th is the birthday of Robert Charles “R.C.” Sproul (born 1939, died December 14, 2017), a well-respected American Calvinist theologian — Today is also the birthday of General Chuck Yeager (born, 1923), the first man to break the sound barrier. He passed away on December 7, 2020. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First …


Raising, Hunting, and Harvesting Animals – Part 3, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 2.) Water for the Flock For the first several years of raising fowl, I had a 20-gallon rubber water tote in the chicken coop. Every couple of days, I would have to dump all the water out and refill it because the chickens would sit on the edges of the tote and defecate into the water. In the heat of summer, the water would turn green within a day or two, spoiling all the fresh water. I was wasting more water and time than necessary. I began designing a gravity fed water system with a livestock auto-feeder …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.  This week:  A graphic showing countries with the highest levels of household debt. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.         (Graphic courtesy of Reddit, based on IMF data) Economics & Investing Links of Interest WSJ: U.S. Budget Hole Set to Deepen by Trillions”.  A key quote: The U.S. is projected to run a deficit of $1.85 trillion, or 5.8% of gross domestic product, in the year that ends Sept. 30, and then stay about level …