Odds ‘n Sods:

Joe D. sent some insight on retreat locales: West Texas becomes ever more lonely as population drops. Since domestically-produced oil may spark a post-collapse renaissance, finding West Texas land with a reliable water well might be a good idea.

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Commentary from Laurel, over at the Faith and Heritage blog: A Good Children’s Book Is Hard to Find

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Claire Wolfe comments on the botched Mt. St. Helens evacuation, in Backwoods Home. (Thanks to The Other J.R. for the link.)

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The folks at Backyard Food Production are again offering a 10% discount for SurvivalBlog readers on the DVD “Food Production Systems for a Backyard or Small Farm”. This DVD is a fast way to learn to grow food.  It is a comprehensive tutorial on home food production available showing you how much water you need, how much land, highest efficiency gardening systems, home butchering and small livestock, orchards, and more – all with the focus of how to do it when the stores are closed.  SurvivalBlog readers will get a 10% discount off the regular $28.95 price.  The discount will be available only until the end of April, so order your copy soon.

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J.B.G. recommended this: De Borchgrave: The coming geopolitical upheaval

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of values. Gold was an objective value, an equivalent of wealth produced. Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked, ‘Account overdrawn.’ ” – Ayn Rand, “Atlas Shrugged”

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Let’s Talk About Trapping: North American Furbearers, by Jason L.

My father introduced me to the art of trapping when I was just 10 years old. I remember walking the edges of rivers checking the sets that he had made and seeing him bring home red and gray fox. When I was 12, I took a safety course and got my trapping license. The first year my father did most of the work setting the traps, while I did the baiting. As years went by he stopped trapping but I continued and by definition am now a professional. Whenever I had the chance to trap where someone else was setting, I studied their sets and made mental notes of what worked and what didn’t. I was offered an opportunity in my teens to trap raccoon with a neighbor who was very well known for his trapping ability. The first year I trapped with him, I caught ten raccoon. He later showed me some sets for trapping beaver. In this article I will share some knowledge with those interested in trapping furbearers. Many of these furbearers can be used as a meat source too, with proper cleaning and cooking. Before trapping make sure you have a valid trapping permit and check local laws regarding which baits are permissible to use.

We will first discuss small and easy game, the muskrat. These little critters are pretty easy to catch and offer both source of food and soft fur. The easiest way to locate muskrats is to search along muddy creek or pond banks. Muskrat make a 6” diameter hole into the bank for their den. In ponds with fallen trees or stumps they will often make a house out of dead grasses, reeds and pond scum. I have found that muskrat dens are much easier to trap than houses. If you locate a den, house, or run where you can clearly see that they are swimming, you can set a fast and easy connibear trap. Connibear traps are the fastest and most humane way to catch and dispatch animals. Connibears used underwater will grip the body of the animal and hold it, allowing the animal to drown in a short time. I try not to use connibears on land as they most generally will kill anything that gets in them, including animals not intended to be caught. As mentioned earlier I find muskrat houses difficult to trap because of deep water, difficulty in locating there entrances and the possibility of scaring them off. I will often set leg hold traps to catch these house living muskrats when they are on floating logs they use for a toilet, or under a tree they use for a feed bed. A feed bed will usually be found under an overhang, in tall grasses, or under a tree so that they will be protected from flying predators. Feed beds will be located in shallow water normally at the water’s edge and will look like mowed grasses. I find apples make great bait for muskrats and often you’ll find slides and runs under apple trees along rivers and ponds.

Muskrat are skinned in a tub fashion. Make a slit from their inner leg to the vent, then make a ring around the tail. Make another cut from the underside of the tail to the vent. You can then simply work the fur down toward the head, pulling and cutting. When skinning take care not to pull too hard on the muskrat as you may rip his stomach open. Use your knife to cut the tissue holding the skin to his body. When you get to the front legs, just pull them through, and the skin will tear, leaving little leg holes. Once to the head you will have to cut holes for the ears and eyes. Once you are done skinning, stretch the fur by placing it on a commercial metal wire stretcher or on a homemade wood stretcher. The meat from muskrat can be used like beef as they are herbivores.  I prefer to grind it and cook it.

The next water-dwelling furbearer I would like to discuss is the beaver. Many of the same principles of trapping muskrat apply to beaver. Beaver also make dens and houses. Their houses are made of mud and sticks. In my state it’s illegal to set a trap within 25 feet of a house. The connibears for beaver are much bigger, and special care should be taken when setting them. If you get caught in the trap, you will not get out on your own. Never fasten a large trap until you have finished your set, in case you get caught and need to go for help.  You can set connibears in runs (large muddy cuts in the river or pond bottom), and in front of dens (again in my state if the den has sticks on top it’s considered a house). Leg hold or pan traps can be set where beaver enter and exit the water. You can bait beaver with poplar tree branches.

To make this set drive several fresh cut 3”-4” diameter sticks in the bank where water is shallow. Put smaller branches behind the larger sticks. Using a knife peel some bark away from the sticks so the scent of the poplar sap can be picked up by the beaver. Push two sticks into the bank in a “V” shape parallel the water so to guide the beaver into the trap. I will usually place a small rock in front of my trap (beaver swim with the legs facing backward, when they bump into the ground, they place both front feet down to support themselves), by placing the rock you can be assured the beaver will bump it and place his feet in your trap. Otherwise you may just catch his chest hair and educate him.

When using flat/pan traps you need to make drowning sets, as beavers will simply chew off your stake and leave with your valuable trap. I make a wire slide using a 90 degree bent washer with a hole drilled in one side. You need to position the washer so when pulled down the wire it will slide freely but when pulled backward it will bind and not slide. Stake the wire to the bank on one end with a metal post. You can use cement blocks, a burlap bag filled with rocks or any other means for the other end but make sure the deep end of the slide is at least 3” deep and heavy enough a beaver cannot pull it out. I once walked up on a livid 55-pound beaver that had pulled my drowning set up onto the bank. Every tree, shrub and piece of grass in a 6’ diameter had been chewed, spit on and put in a pile that he was sitting on top of as if to say, “I dare you to mess with me!” To dispatch a live beaver I prefer a .22 short out of my H&R 9-shot revolver. The .22 Short bullets enter the skull but do not exit and does less damage to the pelt and in a survival situation less damage to the meat.

Beaver will often have fleas so keep them away from your body and dogs. I place mine in a contractor style garbage bag followed by a three-day deep freeze in my chest freezer before skinning them. You can also use flea and tick spray by spraying it into the bag and then sealing the bag. Beaver are skinned differently than muskrats. To skin beaver, ring their tail then lay them on their back. Make a single cut from head to tail and peal the skin around to the back side. Once you’re past the legs hang the beaver by his tail and work the skin off the back. The back has a lot of gristle and works hard. To process beaver you need to flesh them out by removing the fats and meat from the skin. Then stretch in a circular pattern on a piece of plywood. Cook beaver similar to beef, they are an herbivore as well.

Raccoon will be the final animal I’ll discuss. They are a curious animal and are relatively easy to catch on land and water. I prefer to trap hillside seeps (wet springs) and river bottoms. I use natural cubbies such as uprooted trees, or stack stones to make a cubby. If trapping along a stream with a high muddy bank, I make a pocket hole cubby by digging a 10” diameter hole at a 15 degree upward angle.  Use your hand to smooth the entrance of the pocket cubby so it looks like something has been using it. For bait I use Jack Mackerel, a marshmallow and some homemade fish oil. To make the oil I place several small feeder fish chopped into 1” chunks into a old jar. Leave the jar in direct sunlight with the lid on loose (this allows for the oil to outgas, keeping it bug free). When baiting my set I place a spoonful of meat on a rock in the back of the cubby then make a small hole in the top of the marshmallow with your pinky finger. Put your fish oil in the center of the marshmallow (this keeps the oil from evaporating or running off the rock) the white marshmallow servers as a visual attractor to the raccoon. You can also use Jello powder at sets to draw in a raccoon and make him work the set more giving you increased time to catch him. I place a pan trap in the entrance of the cubby or pocket hole (preferable covered by 1” of water). If no water is available take care where you kneel and what you touch so your human scent is not left behind. Cover with leaves or a thin lay of dirt. Fasten your trap with wire to a drag so they can get away from the set without destroying it. I have used some set locations for several years allowing them to look more natural over time. I have also just placed a pan trap in shallow water with a piece of aluminum foil over the pan.

Raccoon are curious and grab for the shiny object (make that 102 uses for aluminum foil). Raccoon can also be trapped in blind sets on trails by placing the trap on one side or the other of a stick they need to step over. This assures a clean front foot catch (though you may catch any animal traveling the trail). I have had deer set traps off this way before. Skinning a raccoon is similar to skinning a muskrat with the exception that you keep the tail. Ring all four legs then make a cut from the underside of the legs to the vent. Make a triangle type cut around the vent and continue the cut up the tail. Then work the skin off the animal. To pull the bone from the tail use a clothespin or a tail puller and place around the bone and pull down. The fats on raccoon are very flammable. I have heard of people using the carcasses for heat. The oils could be used to coat boats from leaks, canvass tarps and oil for lighting. I have no idea how the smell would be from the oil light. The meat can be cooked and should be cooked thoroughly as they are omnivores and eat both meat and wild edibles. Most people I know bake raccoon and place the meat chunks on a cookie rack above a plan so the fats drip off (can be used later). If the animal appears to be mangy or have distemper, there is a possibility of rabies and I would dispatch of the creature and bury it where nothing could dig it up.

Many other animals can be trapped using the above methods and most are skinned using the tub type discussed. Snares can be used as well but 95% of the time anything caught in a snare will be dead upon arrival including domestic animals. You can feed the meat of animals to pigs as well but again rabies could be transferred so make sure the animals your trapping are healthy. For a beginner looking to get started I would recommend reading Guide to Trapping by Jim Spencer, Into The Primitive: Advanced Trapping Techniquesby Dale Martin, and Trapping North American Furbearers by S. Stanley Hawbreaker (my personal favorite and can be found at yard sales and library book sales). Also get several different size traps 110 connibears, 330 connibears, #1 ½, #2 and #4 pan traps. A couple dozen traps and a little practice will make sure you can catch and eat animals others might not have access to. As stated before many times on survivalblog.com, knowledge is useless unless you know how to use it.

Letter Re: It’s The End Of The Welding As We Know It

James:
It is the “End Of The Welding As We Know It”.   For a while anyway…  There was an accident at the Louisville, Kentucky plant which supplies most of the calcium carbide to North America. Calcium carbide is the main raw material used for for making acetylene gas for oxy-acetylene welding and more importantly oxy-acetylene cutting. Most welding is done with other processes and most cutting can be done with propane, MAPP (Methylene Acetylene Polypropylene), or natural gas. The cutting torches will require different tips and even when up and running there are those who will dislike the longer preheat times.  

Suddenly the things I was doing and planning to do have changed. There are other, smaller sources of acetylene so critical uses should still get enough to get by though none have enough excess capacity to meet all the demand. I expect prices to rise of course. Funny how the other sources suddenly find it more expensive to produce acetylene. It will be interesting to see how far reaching the ripple effect will be. You don’t have to think too long to see how all of society is affected by, if not dependant upon, metal fabrication/welding. A couple times in your novel “Patriots” you mention using welding gases to do a job. This is fortunately not not the sudden and final end but it is a good time to come up with switch to Plan B at least as a trial.  

My side line is repair and light fabrication and for that I use a variety of processes. In case of a major disruption I have a very basic AC/DC transformer welder and a growing collection of welding rods. My Listeroid powered genset runs primarily on diesel but my fuel supply can be easily extended by supplementing it with furnace oil, vegetable oil, propane, methane or woodgas. With just the welder I can of course weld but also do a surprisingly good job of cutting and piercing. Well, the word “cutting” may be a bit generous but “severing” is a fair description and is better than nothing.  

Why a stick welder? Well, there is no denying the ease and speed of wire feed MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding but simplicity, reliability and versatility will be more important to me. I will have no contact tips, liners rollers, guides, shielding gas or squeaky clean wire to worry about. If some one has a better set up and stockpile that will be great but on my budget this will be quite sufficient. If I have a box of rods I can keep going and do so even in conditions that MIG welding is simply not possible.   As for versatility working on different metals means just switching electrodes and no concerns about needing a particular shielding gas. 7018 electrodes are sort of the benchmark for steel but they need to be kept perfectly dry for inspected welds and at least very dry for decent home welds. Electrodes like 6013 and 6011 though are happy on the shop shelf and will run on the most basic, low cost welders. Some may scoff at these two rods or at stick welding in general but in a pinch (or a crunch) they will work pretty well and no one will be X-raying the welds. No big commitment is necessary for diversity; just whatever quantity of specialty electrode you think you can justify. I’ll have to admit that aluminum is no fun with a stick welder but it is sometimes possible.  

One especially nice angle is that this survival skill pays me to practice. As it pays I can expand my preps related to the skill or preps in general besides just making ends meet in these uncertain times. Add to this set up a few hand tools and basic supplies like gloves and lenses and the situation is quite capable and sustainable. If there is anything left of society after the crunch I expect to supply a service which is valuable to myself and others. A second welder would make good sense but it’s already on my list.   Cheers, – Groundhog

Three Letters Re: Maps of Caves and Mining Districts

Mr Rawles:  
Well, this is an area of knowledge where I do in fact have some expertise, being a caving professional.  I hadn’t ever really considered caves to be of much use from a prepping standpoint, but as an expedient shelter with a constant temperature they could have their uses.  

A bit about my background –   I have logged about 3,000 hours in caves during the past 5-6 years during which time I have been a ‘wild cave guide’ – meaning that I run tours through rugged and undeveloped caves – not the wheelchair accessible type.  I am also an active and trained member of the regional and national cave rescue organizations.   

The disclaimer:  Caves are inherently risky.  If you manage the risks properly, the danger level goes down, but if you ignore the risks they can be one of the most dangerous environments a person can enter into.  This danger chiefly arises from the darkness, the rugged terrain and from the remote nature of caves.  There is no recourse for help when in a cave – no cell, no 911 – except the people you have with you and the trip plan that you (hopefully) leave with a trusted loved or friend on the surface.   

That said, I love caves and think they are marvelous places.   Caves of any reasonable size are a constant temperature year round.  They generally take on the average temperature of the climate that they are located in.  Caves in the Bahamas are about 90 degrees Fahrenheit while others in the Rockies can be 30-40 or below freezing.  Some caves have permafrost – a relic of glaciations.  Practically every cave has critters, usually in the form of wood-rats, bats, or bugs (like cockroaches in warmer climates).  

Most mine shafts would have the same characteristics of caves, unless they are particularly deep, in which case they can get very warm.  

You might have difficulty finding resources on cave locations, because cavers are tight-lipped and keep their cards close.  That is because they have been burned time and time again by some bozo learning where a cave is and partying/spray painting and trashing the place.  Particularly at risk are the speleothems – the stalactites and stalagmites and so forth.  They take many, many, many years to form and a careless second to be destroyed.  They are irreplaceable.  But this thing called the Internet was invented and it seems to be great at searching out information and disseminating it to all.  Treat the caves you find with respect, I beg you.  

Clubs:  The best place is your local ‘grotto’ of the National Speleological Society (NSS).  Membership is inexpensive, their training is top notch and if you show them you are responsible they will open wide the gates for your area.  In Canada there are equivalent regional caving organizations.  Just about every nation in the western world has a caving organization.  Caving clubs also survey and map every cave they find, usually to a very high standard.  A map (or “survey”) is indispensable.  

Publications:  Books like “Caves of Montana” are usually outdated, as the caving clubs lobbied governments in the 1980s to keep from disclosing new caves that are discovered due to conservation concerns (the bozos I mentioned earlier).  The caves are still there, but access may have changed.  Topographic maps will give you cave locations that were discovered long ago – but the caves are still there.  They are also the best source I know for local mine shaft and adit locations.  There is such a thing as ‘Mine Exploration’ that is becoming more popular (‘Mine Ex’ or ‘MinEx/MinX’).  Mines are often an order of magnitude more dangerous than caves due to unstable and loose rock from the mining and blasting process.  Mines cave-in, but caves don’t.  

Internet:  There are a number of sites where cave locations are posted, usually by amateurs, such as Facebook or personal web pages.  Seek and ye shall find.  There are also several good kml files for Google Earth that users have created.  

Check land ownership and BLM, National Forest or other governing bodies before traipsing out to a cave – there are often restrictions for environmental conservation, such as endangered hibernating bats, and some caves have seasonal restrictions on them.  

From a prepping standpoint, I have cached first aid and hypothermia treatment equipment in caves, bundled in garbage bags and stuffed in five gallon buckets and covered with rocks.  We check it yearly for any problems and in the past 10 years or so have had none.  I can’t say it would be the same if the buckets smell like food, though, as the critters have sharp teeth and nothing but time on their hands.  Caves are also usually very, very humid – up to 99% humidity in some.  So keep that in mind.  And they are, again, generally public.  So you might get pilfered by the five-fingered bipedal rats, too, if you’re thinking of storing anything in a cave.  

Above all be careful.  Join the NSS or local caving club and learn the risks and how to deal with them before you go.  Please, please, please.  The last thing I want is to hear of another cave-related fatality in the news. – E.B.

 

Hi Jim,
The geological term for areas that have natural underground caves and passage ways is Karst, A German named Karst first described these areas where this type of underground passages exist. It is called Karst Topography. Usually found in geological formations that can be dissolved away with rainwater. Such as limestone and alabaster [gypsum] formations.  

Use a search engine to locate areas of Karst Topography. This kind of topography often shows up on topographic maps if you know what to look for. Areas of Karst Topography that are aged will have many of the structures collapsed. This creates a number of large “dimples” on the surface. The topographic maps will show the larger ones with a broken topographic line indicating it is a lower elevation than the surrounding area. In northwestern Oklahoma north of Woodward and Mooreland is a vast area of Karst Topography. There is an natural underground cave system called Alabaster Caverns State Park north of Moorland.  

You may want to use a search engine to locate alabaster caves also.   I have explored a group of these caves on private property north of Woodward. Most of the Karst Topography in that area is private property. Never came across snakes, coons, possums, bobcats, dogs, cats, insects, rats and other rodents in the caves. However I did encounter large colonies of bats. Many many of them banded with metal leg strips that were different colors, sizes and evidently from differing study groups. Quantities of guano on the floor in some places. Bats carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.   Be aware that caves formed in alabaster may contain water that looks clear and fresh. This is what is called “gyp” water. Dissolved gypsum which is a superlative transbowel movement piece of music set to moans and flatulence if you mistakenly drink it. It will produce an ovature of movement of feces that may be uncontrollable.

In the Malpai areas of New Mexico exist large lava tunnels and caves created when air bubbles were formed in the molten lava. But this type of geological structure is rare and confined only to areas of Malpai [lava runs on the surface] Karst Topography is much more common.   Cordially, – J.W.C.

JWR Adds: There are also large lava tubes in Hawaii and in the Pacific Northwest, but most of them are very well-known.

Hi Jim,  
Robert R. asked about resources for locating caves, mine shafts or other underground shelters.  I don’t have such a resource to offer but would like to point out that many such excavations and formations are on private property and it is unlikely that he will be welcome in the event the SHTF.   

We have a hundred year old horizontal mine shaft (10’w x 7’h) that goes about 500 feet into a mountain on our retreat property.  It borders National Forest land and most who climb the mountain probably assume it is public land. It’s not, and neither is the mountain.  I’m quite certain a lot of folks have decided that’s where they will go if the balloon goes up.  They will be met with the stark reality that it’s not theirs and they will be removed using whatever level of force they make necessary.   Best, – Matt R.

JWR Replies: As previously discussed in SurvivalBlog, there are precious few caves or horizontal mine tunnels on public land that don’t fall into any these categories: 1.) Sealed-off, 2.) Well-known, or 3.) Seasonally restricted. In essence, “secret caves”are just about mythical. I suppose that given lots of research, scouting, and logistical planning, there could be some utility in short-term use by families or small groups in the event of a nuclear event. But don’t be surprised if someone else has the same idea for the cave or mine shaft that you have in mind.

Letter Re: Some Investment Options for the Prepper

JWR:
Regarding the article “Some Investment Options for the Prepper”, K.P. suggested: “Real Estate Rentals – Buying real estate now? Are you crazy? No, not at all.”

No, K.P. isn’t crazy, but I believe that he is uninformed.

For many decades I have been bullish on real estate, but the rules have changed, and this time those changes are permanent and come with very serious consequences for those who hold a mortgage. Details of “The forever mortgage” were quickly spelled out, and then any information of “The forever mortgage” disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Real estate is great and offers so many more advantages than any other investment vehicle but the rules have changed!

Please, please, please do not buy investment real estate in this market! If you think the prices are great right now just wait until next fall! The prices will be yet lower, and those new rules hiding in the shadows are a friend to no investor.

We had a beautiful view home and the sale of that home came with much anguish but at that time (December of 2009) we knew we were doing the right thing. The house sold for an unbelievably low price, but today the price would be even lower, and now sometime before closing the lender would not even grant the loan.

Real estate is not selling, the prices are still dropping, and new rules will strip away many benefits, and chain you to a mortgage forever.

I always want to own, and despise renting, but the truth is that in any but the best markets it is actually cheaper to rent than own.

One last thing. The word “mortgage” means to engage, or pledge till death. This time our government really means it! – Rick

Economics and Investing:

Reader Linda U. sent this: Five Things that Will Happen to You When America Goes Bankrupt

Pierre M. spotted this: Faux job numbers could lead to real trouble

G.G. suggested this piece: How Safe Is Your Roth IRA?

Also from G.G.: Charles Plosser and the 50% Contraction in the Fed’s Balance Sheet

G.P. recommended this New York Post article: Taxpayers foot $850M bill for Wall St.’s pension fees

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks Edge Higher on Better Economic Data

Fed Survey: US Economy Improves in Spring

Oil Falls as Hopes Grow for Libyan Cease-fire

Gold Advances to Record on Weakening Dollar; Silver Tops $40

Odds ‘n Sods:

Trapper Mike sent this: Future farm: a sunless, rainless room indoors

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Pierre M. sent us a link to an interesting site on van modifications–showing real world experience with both four wheel drive and photovoltaic power systems.

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Bill in Virginia sent this: Hanging out at the Sensible Preppers Conference (in South Carolina.)

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F.H. recommended this article: North Dakota the First to Pass New Tactic Against Federal Debt

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G.G. liked this one: Feral chickens have proliferated in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute." – Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1791

Letter Re: Let’s Talk About Trapping: North American Furbearers

Letter Re: Let’s Talk About Trapping: North American Furbearer

As a fellow trapper I enthusiastically read the article on trapping and although I have never eaten Raccoon. I can vouch that beaver and muskrat are good meat sources. Muskrat, I do not eat regularly, but beaver is more substantial and I do regularly take the meat and the skin is durable enough to be used for hats, mittens, coats, etc. When skinning beaver take care not to cut the castor glands, first these smell awful and would taint the meat, second you can sell them, and third you can use these to make your own lure for predators. Here is a link to a nice diagram showing where the castor glands are I often harvest part of the beaver for cooking, the skin for tanning and use the remaining parts for bait for predators. It seems to be a universal bait good for lynx, fox, wolves and wolverines.

For a novice trapper, there are three basic ways to trap critters two of which are lethal and the third is not. First there are snares, which can be made with a variety of gauges of wire and can catch anything from squirrels to wolves, well, bears actually, but I haven’t had the pleasure of that, yet. Then there are lethal traps such as the connibear that was mentioned in the article, and finally foot holds which leave you with a live critter, meaning, you have to dispatch it, you have to check your foot hold traps more frequently and the area disturbed by the animal once it is caught is going to probably be a bigger area. There are countless pros and cons to each method. Snares can be made in quantity and are relatively cheap, but often can not be reused. Traps are more expensive up front, but can be reused with minimal repairs for many years. I would recommend for preparedness sake to put in a stock of each of these three types in a variety of sizes.  

As far as trapping for food I would recommend snares and lots of them, they are small, inexpensive, easier to transport and can be used in quantity. In my area rabbits are easy to snare, but if you do not check them frequently you lose your catch to predators such as fox. Squirrels can also be caught in quantity with snares and bait such as peanut butter, the military teaches the making of squirrel poles for survival situations. These are poles (trees leaning at a 45 degree angle. You place bait at the top, or middle and then snares on the top and sides up and down the pole. I haven’t tried this but am sure it would work and is somewhat similar to bait poles used for martin.   

My personal preference for muskrats are fish traps (Dyke traps), these can be made of netting material or chicken wire. I would recommend having some of these for catching fish, muskrats, and other small critters, here are some examples.

Anyway, this is a topic near and dear to me and an often neglected area for preparedness minded individuals. There is too much to put in a short note, but please do post more on this topic.

Mr. Rawles, it goes without saying I love your site, I check it daily as does most of my family. Thank you for all you do. – Alaska Country Girl

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Getting Your Kids Ready for TEOTWAWKI, by D.M.

My wife and I are both in our late 30s and have just started living a life of preparedness.  Unfortunately, we started this journey just after building a new house on 15 acres in Northeastern Minnesota.  We wish we had a few years back to build over with a different frame of mind, but we count our blessings and enjoy our rural location.  We live on my single income (about $70,000) and have four beautiful children, ages 4 through 9.

While having four children makes life a little more interesting financially, by being frugal, we have still been able to prepare with our limited disposable income.  In the past three years we have:

  • Installed a wood stove to heat the house
  • Installed a hand pump on the well along side the electric pump
  • Put away over 65 buckets of food in Mylar bags and 5-gallon buckets.
  • Built a small inventory of ammo for hunting and defense
  • Bought numerous back-up items like: medical supplies, ordered a Big Berkey, a pressure canner, a grain mill, and put together a large pantry that would feed us for about a year.
  • Purchased the building materials to build an underground root cellar with a small cabin (16’ x 10’) over the top of it.

How did we do all this?  We quit eating out as a family once every week or two.  Now, if we go out for a burger or pizza, it is once a month or once every two months.  We cancelled our cell phone coverage and bought a TracFone.  We stripped down our land line to the bare necessity, and then we shut off our television service.  In addition, we changed investment strategies to give us more money for practical goods.  We bargain shop and buy online a lot through eBay and other such sites (like Lulu.com to get Mr. Rawles’ the SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM).

Preparedness with Kids
Having supplies is great, but a true plan must have the full family accounted for.  If it were just my wife and I, it would be much easier to prepare, not only financially, but logistically.  With kids involved, there is much more to think about.  The first step in preparedness with kids is in really getting to know them.  This may sound like a dumb statement, but it is vitally important to know each of you kids’ strengths and weaknesses.  I will come back to this in numerous parts of this entry.

A Firm Foundation
It is our firm belief that a plan made without a grounded faith in the Lord will only be as strong as the individual making the preparations. We believe preparing for all possible scenarios goes beyond that.  Our children have a short devotional time each morning during breakfast where they learn biblical truths through Children’s Bible stories.  We are preparing to not just survive, but to have the ability to help others.

What…No Television?
Last year we decided to shut off the television.  We really only watched football on Sunday afternoons in the fall, but in our opinion, every commercial our kids were viewing was the worldly culture trying to get a foothold on our kids.  We shut off the television and this one single act has paid more dividends than you could possibly imagine.  If the power goes out (which it has) our kids are not glooming over their loss of electronic gadgets, but instead we light a candle and get out a board game, a deck of cards, or we each grab a good book.  It is business as usual for us in that regard.

Investing in Education and Book Reading
We believe strongly in education and want to give our kids the best chances to succeed in school (maybe college one day?).  We recently pulled out all four of our kids’ college funds from the bank that were started by my wife and I and largely funded by their grandparents.  We took that money and invested all of it into gold and silver.  It is our kids’ money of course, but it does give the family a sense of financial security.  We also love to read at the house with our kids and have slowly started to incorporate more and more wilderness adventure stories.  Some of our favorites our:

Gardening and Cooking
Our small garden of a few raised beds has grown into many raised beds, a raspberry patch, blueberries, a couple of apple trees, a pumpkin patch, rows of sweet corn, and an array of garden veggies and herbs.  Our kids take part in picking berries, pulling the carrots, and even pollinating the pumpkins.  In addition, my wife has each kid plan a meal once a month.  They can choose the menu items and then they must help cook the meal.  This is where getting to know our kids comes in handy.  Knowing what our children like to eat helps my wife and me when we are deciding what to stock up on.  In addition to using our traditional kitchen, we cook on a propane stove, over our outdoor fire-pit, using a charcoal grill, and on our wood stove.  We now also make our own bread.  We include our kids in this process as one can pour the wheat berries into the hopper and then we will let the oldest try his hand at cranking out some flour.  It is usually too tough for him at this point, but our children being able to do everything isn’t the point.  Including them in the process is what we are striving to do.

Firewood
When we installed our wood stove, we were looking to minimize the use of the electric boiler that our in-floor heat runs on.  We instantly fell in love with our stove, but wood heat isn’t easy….in fact, it is a lot of work.  When it is time to go out and fill our ½ cord wood bin outside the basement door, we include all of the kids, even our four year old daughter.  We trek out and carry in wood from about 40 yards away.  It is not back-breaking, but in a small path surrounded by four feet of snow, it can be quite laborious.  Each of the kids carries what they can physically handle, with our four year-old carrying mostly kindling-sized pieces.  I also have each kid watch me making the fires and controlling the damper of the woodstove.  While I don’t let the young ones work the damper, etc. while the stove is hot, I do give each one a shot at starting their own fire.  I believe each of the three boys could start a fire on their own if they had to.

Emergency Ready 
We live in a two story home with the second story sitting on top of a walk-out basement.  We want our kids to be ready for anything, so each spring we have a fire drill.  Two brothers share bunk beds in one room while because of their young age, our oldest boy shares a bedroom with his younger sister.  In our fire drill, both sets of kids must hit the floor and crawl to the window.  Then, the oldest boy in each room, opens the window, pops off the outside screens and helps his younger sibling out the window.  Then they exit the house and meet in our garden shed.  They must do this entire drill in one minute or less.  At first, the kids could not make the time that we had set.  With practice, however, they could do it in one full minute.  Once in a while we will throw in small obstacles to make them “think on their feet” so that they are conscious of what they are doing.  This summer, phase two of the drill will be going over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house (they have the neighboring 15 acres) through the woods on their own with a time requirement.   We also will have future drills that will have us meeting at a small cabin that we are building on a secluded part of our property this year.  Our kids enjoy these drills and really feel good about themselves when they can make the time that we have set for them.  

Smart in the Woods
We have never wanted our kids to fear playing in the woods and exploring all that nature has for them to see.  However, with more and more signs of aggressive and even mangy wolves in our area, and even the rare sighting of a mountain lion, we have had to be smart in this regard.  We are not paranoid, but we don’t need to be the first family in this area to lose their kid to an animal.  The kids can go anywhere they want on our property under the following conditions:

  • They are with a sibling, friend, or adult
  • Wear blaze orange of some kind
  • They carry one of our Motorola handhelds with them, and have the household handheld on and assigned to either myself or my wife.
  • They know where all the deer stands/shelters are on the property and how to get into each of them. (they must pass a test I give them)

Birthday and Christmas Gifts have Changed
Kids love presents and despite what we have tried, they are still in that naïve stage where while they understand the meaning of Christmas, they still look under the tree to find gifts with their names on it.  In a coordinated effort with their grandparents, we have tried to minimize electronic gifts and get them items of “substance.”  For example, our eight year old wanted binoculars like his dad.  This past Christmas, his grandparents got him camouflaged Bushnell binoculars. (They are better than mine!).  They also got our youngest boy the BB Gun he wanted.  When all of our children got new camouflaged pajamas from Santa, they wouldn’t take them off on the weekends!  Gifts now have more of a practical goal in mind.  Yes, they still have normal toys, but our kids are buying into a way of life that is centered around outdoor living.

Hunting and Fishing
While my boys all like hunting, my middle son loves it.  He will sit in the deer stand with me for hours without making a sound or movement. When one of his birthday gifts was a blaze orange vest and hat combo, he was in heaven.  I let all of the boys take turns sitting in the deer stand with me.  When my dad or I get a deer, we bring the boys so that they can see the deer and watch us gut it.  My oldest (Mr. sensitive) watches from about 25 feet away, while my middle son gets right into it and asks more questions than one could possibly answer.  In addition to hunting, my dad has a small 16 foot boat that we take out fishing.  I take two boys at a time and they rotate so they all get to go the same amount of times over the course of the summer.  While we all have busy summers, we decided to “schedule in” two fishing nights each week for the duration of the summer.  This forces us to go and gives our kids great experiences. 

Conclusion
We have much to learn about preparedness, and our family learns more and more each day.  My preparedness plan has my kids joining my wife and I in this adventure.  From canning raspberry jam and green beans to learning how to start a fire to learning how to set the hook for their first fish, we just want our kids to learn more skills that will lead to a life of self-sufficiency.  The more we do now, the better prepared they will be in the future.  If  TEOTWAWKI happens sooner than we want, we hope our simple household preparedness steps will help us serve the Lord in a time period where people will need it the most.

Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society, by T.R.

I have read many articles stating that if you have any addictions to nicotine, caffeine or alcohol that now is the time to change your habits so that your dependency on them in their absence are easier to tolerate. My coffee habit is less a habit-at least that’s what I tell myself-and more of an enjoyment of life. That being said, in moderation coffee actually has an anti-oxidant property- justification is always a sign of a habit I know – not to mention the benefit of assisting in staying alert during a night watch task.

As a previous specialty coffee shop owner-prior to the commercialization of the industry by Starbucks –no I am not bitter– the storage of “freshly” roasted coffee has always been an issue. In fact, there is really only one method for long term storage of coffee since once the bean is roasted the oils and converted sugars begin to deteriorate and go rancid very quickly. Most off the shelf coffees that you buy in vacuum sealed containers or bags are actually made stale so that they can be vacuum sealed. Otherwise the bag would burst from the off gassing of the beans. Vacuum sealed freshness is a marketing term that actually means vacuum sealed staleness. I would always tell my customers you would never buy stale bread, why do you insist on paying a premium for stale coffee?

As I said there is a method for long term storage, unless you plan on rotating your roasted/ground coffee on a regular basis-eventually the coffee you have stored will become undrinkable. Or unless you live in the very narrow band of coffee producing countries that are 20 degrees on each side of the equator and 3,000 feet above sea level- coffee in a post-collapse society will disappear quickly. The answer is to purchase green coffee beans. These are the natural unroasted beans. There are many sites available on the internet where you can purchase anywhere from one pound to fifty pound bags. One advantage is that you will save 50% on your coffee budget paying anywhere from $5-7 per pound by purchasing green coffee beans. The prices of coffee have been escalating just as other commodities and the anticipation of future inflation on coffee is expected to continue. If ordering by the internet and paying shipping costs are to be avoided then you could also check your local coffee roaster in the yellow pages and inquire, they may sell you coffee thus avoiding the shipping costs. Most however will make you pay a small fee above their costs to account for their lost profit, it never hurts to ask though.

Now that you have purchased a twenty five pound bag of beans it will arrive in a burlap bag, long term storage in a five gallon bucket and Mylar should follow your preferred method. You may want to store in multiple smaller Mylar bags for extended storage times. At this point the beans are not off gassing so vacuum sealing with oxygen absorbers is possible. Stored in this method your beans will stay fresh from 2-5 years until you decide to roast them. Some Columbian Estate coffees are actually aged prior to roasting and command premium prices.

The fear of roasting your green beans is not scary at all. In fact, I would expect readers of SurvivalBlog to see it as a challenge to learn how to and master it. It should not take any longer than fifteen minutes on the stovetop or in a Dutch oven over a fire if necessary to roast enough beans for a week. I roasted our coffee for the week this Sunday in a Panini Pan (a pan with ridges on the bottom to help distribute the beans and heat) but any pan will work. To roast coffee, start by placing a layer of beans on the bottom of the pan with medium-high heat. As the pan begins to roast your beans, continue to stir your beans slowly, your technique will develop over time, just don’t leave the beans unattended, continue to stir or move the beans around or you wont get an even roast. You may need to decrease or increase the setting on your stove accordingly, but you will start to get the feel of the right setting after your second roast of beans. The oils in the bean will begin to heat up and caramelize, as they do you will hear them begin to crack open, this is the first of two pops you will hear during the roast.

The color will change from green to yellow to a light caramel and finally to a dark brown to black depending on how dark a roast you like. Also, the chaff from the beans outer coating will start to smoke, if you are inside on the stovetop, turn on the exhaust fan-trust me. About ten minutes into your roast and continual stirring you will have a mix of color ranging from light brown to dark brown and the second crack will begin. The last five minutes the colors change over very quickly to dark brown to black and you will need to monitor the color. Unless you like an espresso roast where you have now burnt the sugars and oils you will need to stop the roasting process just prior to the desired roast or color. As the second crack subsides remove the pan from the heat store and continue to stir. There will be a lot of chaff, you do not want this in your beans so I put mine in a colander and toss them out side and either let the breeze remove the chaff or blow across the beans to remove as much chaff as possible. Let the beans cool before grinding. Once you grind your first truly freshly roasted coffee you will be amazed at the depth of flavors. In some coffees you will not have to add milk or sugar. Bitterness that is in brewed coffee comes from staleness not the true nature of brewed coffee. In a post-collapse society a hand operated coffee grinder will be necessary and can be found online as well.

As for brewing your coffee in the absence of an electric coffee brewer, the Cowboy coffee and French press coffee methods work great and both make a great cup of coffee.

Cowboy Coffee
Over a campfire
Fill coffee pot with cold water.
Add one rounded tablespoon of ground coffee for each two cups of water.  (Add the coffee directly to the water.)
Bring the water just to a rolling boil.  Take off heat.  
Add a splash (a couple of tablespoons) of cold water.  This is to settle the coffee grounds.  Allow the coffee to set for a couple of minutes for the settling to take place.

French Press Coffee
Over a campfire
Heat water in a container
Place ground coffee in French Press, about 1tbs per cup
Pour hot (almost to a boil) over coffee
Put lid back on the press, leave in the up position
Steep for about four minutes
Slowly press down plunger after four minutes
Pour coffee to strain grounds v

Post-Collapse Coffee Equipment and Costs

I always appreciate sources for procurement so I will make mine that seem to be the most affordable. Some items-camp coffee pot, heavy bottomed pan, Dutch oven, and coffee press-you can locate at your local big box store. I would still recommend doing your research for the best product for the best price.

My last thoughts concern bartering coffee. During the Civil War the Northern states had coffee for their soldiers in the field because of their ability to import from coffee producing countries. The South was not as fortunate and had to rely on Chicory as a substitute–a poor one at that. Southern troops however had an abundance of tobacco, which the Northern Troops lacked. And through barter each side would arrange for a truce to trade, in fact there are many stories of agreements being yelled across the lines- where soldiers much to their officers disapproval would make unapproved but look the other way arrangements of tobacco for coffee. I can envision trading some scarce freshly roasted coffee for rice/beans or bullets. As a bartering item that contains one of those things that can be habit forming, in the grand scheme of things, coffee is less destructive than alcohol or tobacco.

Having coffee in your provisions could be a very valuable commodity from enjoyment, staying alert and to use as a barter item for other needed provisions.

Letter Re: Maps of Caves and Mining Districts

Mr. Editor:

I was wondering if you could tell us a resource online where to find the locations of caves/mine shafts, or other underground shelters around the country.  I have tried to do this unsuccessfully, maybe a reader knows?  Thanks. – Robert R.

JWR Replies: That goes a bit outside my expertise. I’m not a spelunker. Perhaps some SurvivalBlog readers have bookmarked some good web sites or could recommend a few books.