Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

A Christian Prepper’s Perspective on Giving- Part 2, by R2

Yesterday, we talked about how people have a desire to give to the Lord but that all gifts are not valued by Him. We looked at some early examples of our Biblical fathers giving offerings and paying tithes to the Lord as well. Today, I want to continue with one more example that we can use as we begin to build our foundation of understanding on the subject of giving. It is important to note that these are not the only examples, just the first three obvious examples of people planning and arranging to give something of themselves to God. …


A Christian Prepper’s Perspective on Giving- Part 1, by R2

Christian charity is a huge topic in the Christian prepping circles and particularly now as holiday and end-of-year giving is on people’s mind. I have seen solutions run the gamut, from churches and groups attempting to feed anyone who knocks to those individuals who refuse to prep to give anything for fear of violence against their own. There are three aspects of giving, and many confuse these, though they are distinctive. They are as follows: Giving to the Lord Giving to your family Giving to others The most complex type of giving is actually the first— “Giving to the Lord”. …


Into Bear Country- Part 2, by George Fox

In part 1 of this article series, I wrote about the likelihood of people encountering bear, the different types of bear, and began with an overview of how to detail with one in the event of an encounter. Today, we’ll go into more detail about preventing encounters and what to do if you have one. Setting Up “Triangle” Camp to Avoid Bears When you set up camp, there are procedures that should be followed to keep your food secure, to keep you safe, and to prevent bears from coming to the tent to look for snacks. I was taught to …


Into Bear Country- Part 1, by George Fox

As a result of moving into remote retreat areas, you may begin to have encounters with North America’s bear population. Even in suburban/urban areas, a lack of hunting and the return of forests has seen bears make a comeback, raising the likelihood of bear-human encounters. Even if you live somewhere with a low likelihood of bear encounters, you should know the proper actions and make preparations, because bears can turn up anywhere. Steps For Bear Camping I’m going to outline the steps for bear camping. Knowing this is helpful for keeping your homestead secure from bears, traveling in bear country, …


Acquiring Small Game Quietly- Part 2, by S.D.

We are talking about the need to acquire food, specifically small game, in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. I have shared the importance of knowing your game and how to approach them and also practicing your hunting skills. I’ve also explained the types of pellet rifles available, given that they are quieter options than a standard .22 rifle, which with its noise level might invite neighbors to want to share in the dinner acquisition. So, let’s continue to talk about the popular calibers of pellet rifles. Pellet Rifle Popular Calibers Pellets come in all shapes and sizes, but the three most popular …


Acquiring Small Game Quietly- Part 1, by S.D.

In the event of TEOTWAWKI, procuring food, including acquiring small game, can be not only a benefit and a help making supplies last longer, but it can also be a lifesaving ability. Small game is prevalent just about everywhere until the hunting pressure is on and then it disappears. I have seen this first hand on our small six-acre lot. We hunted the rabbits on the property one year with our archery equipment, and although the rabbits won overall, we harvested a few, or two, over the course of the season. Visible Rabbit Population Decline Despite our inability to make …


Thoughts on Hunting for Survival, by Ohio Country Man

Hunting for survival is a topic on my mind. I ran into an old coworker and his wife while volunteering at the local food bank the day before Thanksgiving. While exchanging pleasantries, his wife mentioned that she had heard we lived on a farm well outside the city. It’s not really a working farm, I explained, but more like a hobby farm on a lot of acreage. Our Acres Down the Road in the Country My wife and I have plans to use most of our 15 acres down the road, but with two small children we have neither the …


The Hidden Danger of Grain Storage, by Z.H.

Is there an unseen danger in food storage that could render you and your family with serious health conditions when the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) hits? I believe the answer to this important question is yes, and as I sincerely attempt to show you why, I ask that you read this article to its end and weigh it carefully. Glyphosate– The Most Used Weed Killer in the World Round Up, also known by its chemical name glyphosate, is the most used weed killer in the world. Its maker, Monsanto, claims that it is harmless. However, …


Survivalism, Prepping, and OPSEC: An Alternative View, by Todd

The topic of OPSEC (operations security) comes up all the time on SurvivalBlog, and I wholeheartedly agree that it is an important topic for all of us. But I believe it is an important topic with potentially more than one right answer, depending on your particular situation and mindset. Standard OPSEC Based On Secrecy The standard answer to OPSEC on SurvivalBlog (and just about everywhere else) is based on secrecy and the general concept of keeping your preps, your location, your networks, and sometimes even your survivalist mentality all to yourself, or at the very least known to as few …


Start Now, While You Can, Because You Can, by Old Bobbert

These short published blog articles, these pieces of myself, of ourselves, concerning preparedness, survivalism, self awareness, and personal readiness are created to help the reader to start taking action and learn to fight ignorance and greed. From my side of these entries, I do not promote myself as an expert; I’m just another concerned guy who wants to help others and perhaps showcase my personal opinions. Not even a little of the real me has ever shown completely through these prepper pages, these pieces of our lives,. Prepper Achievement Judged Moving on, there’s a well justified question begging to be …


Don’t Be Prey, by L.H.

Nobody wants to be prey when things go wrong. I don’t have a cabin in the woods stocked with ammo and dried food with a well out back. I don’t have a pickup and trailer loaded with extra fuel waiting for the great escape. Where I Live I live in a city of a million. Here, we have street people living under bridges and dope shops on every other city block. (It’s legal here.) It’s also freezing cold in the Rockies and dry. All in all, it’s not the perfect place to weather TEOTWAWKI. But it’s what we have. The …


Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 4, By Alaskan Gardeners

My wife and I have developed a mid-scale grain garden and have shared much of the crop operations earlier in this article series. We are in the middle of disclosing modifications to the Rodale Thresher as part of our Threshing and Winnowing operation. Let’s continue. Threshing and Winnowing (continued) Exit Modifications To Avoid Lost Grain I used ½” galvanized hardware cloth for the exit screen as shown in Figure 10. Most of the grain lost from the thresher is via sweeping out seed along with threshing debris. Counter this by installing finished 1” X 1” boards across the screen to …


Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 3, By Alaskan Gardeners

My wife and I are convinced we need to pursue self sufficiency, and a large part of that is food self sufficiency, including providing our own protein, vegetables, and grain. I’m writing about our family’s grain gardening and am in the midst of detailing our crop operations. We’ve gone over soil preparation, planting, and reaping. Let’s now continue with drying. Reaping and Drying (continued) Mild fall weather during harvest time as shown in Figure 3 is unusual in the Copper River Valley, Alaska. It’s usually cold and sometimes wet; we had three inches of snow on the ground during our …


Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 2, By Alaskan Gardeners

We are continuing on with this article about my wife’s and my journey in mid-scale grain gardening. Yesterday, I explained our reasons for believing it was time to build self-sufficiency, and now let’s move on to the food production part, specifically our grain gardening efforts. Definition of Mid-Scale Grain Gardening Grain plots may vary in size, ranging from, at the minimum, a small plot using a rototiller or shovel and rake for soil preparation, hand sowing the grain, reaping with a scythe or sickle, threshing with a flail, and winnowing with a kitchen fan or a windy day. The small-scale …


Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 1, By Alaskan Gardeners

Food sufficiency is a large part of self sufficiency, so my wife and I pursued mid-scale grain gardening, though our home was in Alaska. Here is our story and how we have done this. Breakdown of My Article My article will cover the following: Preamble: Why We All Should Become Increasingly Self-sufficient– The First Steps Definition of Mid-Scale Grain Gardening Crop Operations Reaping and Drying Threshing and Winnowing Scaling Up Harvesting Operations So, What To Do With All This Grain? Disclaimer Preamble: Why We Should All Become Increasingly Self-sufficient People’s outlook and actions are largely a product of their experiences, …