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 …


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 …


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 …


Raising, Hunting, and Harvesting Animals – Part 1, by Lodge Pole

In late 1929, when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began, the population of the United States was around 121.7 million people. All through the Great Depression, it was unheard of to leave roadkill on the side of the road left to rot. With high unemployment,  the hunting pressure was heavy. Small game, like rabbits and squirrels, nearly went extinct in large parts of the United States from being over-hunted, to feed desperate families. Today, in 2026, the estimated population of the US is 348.3 million. If animals were being hunted to near extinction when the population was …


The AR Super Safety – Part 1, by St. Leibowitz

The following is an overview on the installation of a new gun part known as the Hoffman Tactical Super Safety. It is a do-it-yourself open-source forced reset mechanism characterized as an “active reset trigger system.” It makes your AR go fast. If you do not approve of guns going fast, then please don’t read this article. You can desist from clutching your pearls and return with alacrity to the closest available nursing home, the banned books section of Barnes and Noble, or the United Methodist Church. Your cat misses you. Everything discussed in this article is currently legal at the …


Some Extreme Cold Weather Advice, by Hollyberry

We have all seen the media drama these past few weeks regarding the weather. Until about 10 years ago, I never even heard the term “polar vortex”, it was just winter. Living in Maine for the past 20 + years and making through the harsh winters has been a humbling and rewarding experience. Every spring you can hear people sigh in relief. I feel sorry for the lower portion of the country that has been experiencing the extreme cold, ice and snow. It’s something that takes getting used to and it helps to have the proper clothing and gear to …


Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 3, by Hoofer

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) In Part 1 and Part 2, we hit a few of the “How it works” or “Why it works” stuff.  Proven by experience, or our family ham antenna business would have failed immediately.  So, what do you have laying around the house, farm, garage – that can be turned into a high performance antenna for just listening? In the basement / garage, Metallic stuff, old copper pipe that burst from freezing, Telephone wire, cable TV wire, Ethernet cable (4,6,8 strand stuff), Iron pipe… will work, again not as good. Old extension cords! …


Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 2, by Hoofer

(Continued from  Part 1.) A typical Trucker’s dual-mount CB antenna has 2 coaxes down to one connection to the radio.  We want the signal from both antennas, unified exactly for a nice strong signal / in phase voltage pulse, into the radio. Because the antennas are on the sides, like mirror mounts, the strongest, best signal (in phase), will come from the front and rear of the truck, while signals from either side, will cancel each other out (a little bit). The same thing happens with our Vertical antennas, 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 of them.  We want to get rid of the noise …


Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 1, by Hoofer

As an introduction, I started building Vertical & Yagi Beam antennas in the early 1980s for CB radio.  When the FCC dropped the ‘Morse Code’ requirement in 2007, many ‘tone deaf’ people like myself, transitioned to ham radio. My entire family are either General or Extra Class hams.  Having this license and operating ability is an essential ‘Life Skill’, like the ability to read, write and speak the native language. No tool is useful, in unskilled hands – unless you’re planning on selling/bartering it away, right?  Our family and I have taught Technician, General, and Extra classes – but, none …


Some Thoughts on Batteries and Flashlights, by Hoofer

We’ve read SurvivalBlog for several years, my wife first (she’s the farmer), and more recently, me… the last 4-5 years. (I’m the farmer’s husband, but, grew up on 250 acres, farming). I took particular note of the recommendation ‘not’ to use/buy appliances which use 18650 batteries (Li-ion rechargeable). We bought four of these 18650 batteries 2.5 years ago, and use them nearly every day. This particular variety is not in stock on Amazon – however, the replacements are well worth considering, if you’re actively using flashlights. Our old standard flashlights, were Mag-Lites, 3, 4, 6 D-cell versions, which we’d had …


Senior Citizen Fitness: Preparing Our Bodies for Hard Times, by P.D.M.

Introduction My wife and I have been into prepping for over twenty years. We lived in Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and we were without power for ten days. That was our impetus to prepare after struggling with the basics when everything we had taken for granted failed. The suffering was immense, and the lessons keen. We vowed to never be unprepared again when niceties of civilization ceased to provide comfort. We started reading the Survival blog and the excellent articles soon after recovering from our hurricane wakeup call. The Problem Fast forward twenty years, and now living …


Are You Emotionally Ready for the Coming Collapse? – Part 4, by Peter Cannon

(Continued from Part 3.) In Part 3 of this series, we reviewed the Antichrist, the False Prophet, the Mark of the Beast, and the One-World Money System. In this installment, we will look at the Merchants of the Earth, the Persecution of the Saints, and the Harvests of the Righteous and the Unrighteous. The Merchants of the Earth One of the most overlooked topics from the Book of Revelation is that of the “merchants of the Earth.” (Revelation 18:11) This term appears repeatedly in Revelation, which shows the importance of certain types of commerce, especially during the Tribulation: “And the …


Are You Emotionally Ready for the Coming Collapse? – Part 3, by Peter Cannon

(Continued from Part 2.) In Part 2 of this series, we reviewed the Trumpet Judgments, and how the people on earth will be affected by these catastrophic events. I sincerely hope that the pre-Tribulation rapture believers are correct, and that Christians will be gone to heaven by this point. However, what if Christians end up having to endure part or all of the Tribulation? If so, are you emotionally prepared for this possibility? In this installment, we will look at some of the specific events associated with the False Prophet, the Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast and the One-World …


Are You Emotionally Ready for the Coming Collapse? – Part 2, by Peter Cannon

(Continued from Part 1.) The Trumpets In part 1 of this series, we reviewed excerpts from my book “Revelation: Illustrated and Explained”. I discussed the Seal judgments upon the earth. Now we will discuss the Trumpet judgments, the difference between the Seals and Trumpets; the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation; and finally, the timing of the Rapture. “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” (Revelation 8:1-2 KJV)


Are You Emotionally Ready for the Coming Collapse? – Part 1, by Peter Cannon

Introduction Much has been written about physical prepping for a future societal collapse. However, what about the mental and behavioral side of preparation? Is it possible that Christians will live through part or all of the Tribulation? If your children are crying due to hunger, would you accept the mark of the Beast to feed them? Are you willing to die for your faith and/or other convictions? These are tough questions, but we need to face them. In the future, whether it’s a grid-down blackout, an economic depression, riot-ravaged neighborhood, war-torn country or a pandemic-plagued world, are you emotionally ready …