Survival Partnership: Getting Your Wife On Board for Prepping, by Tracey K.

I wanted to write about how to possibly get your wife on board for when SHTF from my own experience.  I think I should start out with first giving all the credit to my husband.  In vain he had tried for many years to get me on board.  He would request that we purchase guns, have supplies, buy gold/silver etc.  All that talk and the only word I ever heard was gun.  Are you kidding me?  Guns had always represented a negative feeling inside me.  Now I don’t want to go into the discussion of whether they are right or wrong because that’s not what this article is about.
My husband tried many approaches.  I used to think; here he goes again wanting to play Army Man.   Nope, not going to happen.  It was as if I had blinders on, walking through life.  Yeah, yeah, yeah I heard the news reports, read the paper, listen to the talk.  I was not so naive to believe that our country was not progressing the way it should be.  But like most Americans I was too busy in my own life to get all worked up about problems I couldn’t solve.  Leave all that big stuff to the people in charge.  That’s why I pay my taxes and vote to have people represent me.  Right?

Throughout my husband’s talks he would say a word that would get under my skin and drive me crazy.  He would bring up one word: Mother.  Yep, that’s right.  He would use the seven letter word.  How dare he question that I was not prepared to fight to the death for my children.  How dare he question something that goes to the core of my being?  How dare he question my job of being a mother! Survival?   I was doing that every day. Who did he think was going to the store every week and cooking dinner every night?  If anything it just got me further away from him and his cause.  If he knew me at all he would not be questioning the whole reason I feel I was brought into this world.  To be a Mother.

Now as time went on I would drive to work in the morning/evenings.  When we travel by ourselves we have two options of entertainment available to us.  One being listening to the radio or the second would be no radio but alone with our own thoughts.  Yikes, scary!!!  Well one morning there had been a particularly hard morning in our family household.  You know, that morning.  The spilt milk, the dog ate the homework, where are my shoes, blah, blah, blah.  The mornings that you get into your car and think to yourself, are you just totally messing up your kids’ lives?  Are you the worse parent in the world?  You know the one!

As I drove that morning I didn’t listen to the radio.  Instead I started thinking about thoughts of what in the world would these people do without me?  I started thinking that they don’t know how lucky they have it to have someone care/work so hard for them.   One of those “Calgon take me away” moments.  Then all of a sudden it hit me.  These young children need me.  Yep they need me.  Now if you’re a mother you already know that you are needed.  You know that in order to have a smooth running ship it’s the mom’s responsibility to hold it together.  To be a kind of provider that is different from being a father.  Now please, I just like to make a side note here.  There are plenty of fathers today that can fill this role with no trouble at all.  They are just as capable of handling the day to day grind as a mom.  My point is that there is usually one person in a family that the kids run to when they have the boo boo that needs the kiss.  The one they run to when their first love breaks their heart.  In our family it’s me.  Mother.

Now back to my thoughts.  I started thinking about what it means to be needed as a mother.  I started thinking about how these little people would survive if something would happen to me.  Then it hit me.  It was like I ran my car into a brick wall.  Hellooooo.  I get it now!  I finally got what my husband was saying to me all these years.  He was never questioning my ability to be a parent.  If anything he was complimenting my ability to be a parent.  He was trusting in me to do the right things for our children if/when SHTF.  He was trying to make me understand how much I’m needed.

As I thought some more I started getting a panic feeling settling down deep in my bones.  Oh my goodness, what if the SHTF tomorrow?  I am so not prepared.  If something happened to me I’m sure they would know how to go make a peanut butter/jelly sandwich.  They might even know how to put some seeds in the ground.  But would they know about compatible planting?  Would they know how to treat the slugs on the tomatoes?  Better yet…..would I?  I realized that as much a super mom that I thought I was, indeed I was not prepared.  Yes, I am a fully well-tuned working machine as a mother in today’s easy times.   In fact I consider myself one of the better ones.  But if SHTF, times would surely be different.  Was I prepared to become the mom that they would need?   The answer was no, as much as I hated to admit it.  A sense of doom that had me in tears.

Let’s examine the word MOTHER in the SHTF terms.

M (Maintain):  Today as a mother it is fairly easy to maintain my family’s lives and schedules.  I said “fairly”.  The technology today has made my life so much simpler in the matter.  However if/when SHTF what will life be like to coordinate whose job is it to weed the garden today?  Am I going to know how to maintain some sense of normalcy when their lives are turned upside down?  I need to learn now how to turn the breaker off at the electric panel and go through a couple days of living without all the little conveniences.  Learn to shake their little lives up some just to learn to maintain calm and normalcy.

O (Optimistic):   In our easy time of living it is so easy to divert my children’s attention to something else to make them feel better.  Be it the XBox, friends over to the house, sports etc.  But what happens when they spend from morning to night tending to the gardens, collecting chicken eggs and all the thousand other things that might become daily chores.  I’m sure their attitudes towards life will change considerably.  Time for me to learn the basic things in life again.  To teach them the wonders of a sunrise/sunset.  To teach them the imagination of a good book.  Teach them how fun it can be to help the family prepare.  I need to become the one to boost their egos to make them want to survive not just exist.

T (Tactical):  Today I lock my doors/windows, kiss my sweet children and fall into a dead sleep until my alarm goes off the next morning.  What happens if there is a gang/animals/neighbor waiting for me to go to sleep so they may come in and steal all our preparations/resources?  Time for me to learn/master how to use those guns.

H: (Healer): When my children have a fever today I instantly grab for the Children’s Tylenol.  But when SHTF will I be able to drive to the closest Walgreens and pick a bottle off the shelf?  How long will the current two bottles in my medicine cabinet last? Will I know what to do when their little bodies are chilled with fever?   It is time for me to learn/teach how to grow medical herbs.

E: (Educator): The other day my son asked me what the Great Wall of China looked like.  Easy.  I just Google searched it and bam the answer was there.  I’m so smart.  But what happens when there is no longer an Internet?  Time to stock up on encyclopedias and reference books to help educate my children.  Time to teach my children skills that would make them useful.

R (Resourceful): Of course I know how to make a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.  Just watch me whip them up in no time.  I know, I know, you wish you were as good as a chef as I am.  But when SHTF how am I going to open up that can of soup when there isn’t one?  How am I going to roast that chicken when it’s on top of fire pit or on the fireplace insert?  How am I going to make that next loaf of bread?   How will they take a bath?  How will I wash their clothes?  I need to learn to be more resourceful and examine our everyday tasks so that I may prepare.  Reuse, reduce, recycle.

As I type, I continue to think about how important a Mother’s role is in the life of her children. There are a thousand little details the we do that no one sees us do every day.  Many times it’s a thankless job.   I love my children as much as every other parent does but will all that love be enough for them to survive?  Being a Mother in SHTF times is going to require so much more of me than love.  I realize now the steps I take to help my husband prepare for our family is buying insurance that my children will survive.  Just the thought of hearing the words “Mommy I’m hungry!” is enough to make my prepping an everyday/every minute thought and motivate me.  It scares me to my core to think that something would happen to them that I wouldn’t know what to do.  Education and preparing is the only hope/sanity I have.   I have so much to learn but at least now I feel there is a point of all this storing of ammunition/food/water/solar.   It has changed my life forever.

I can only hope that America will pull it together and someday I will be playing safely in the yard with my grandchildren and everything I am doing will just bring my husband and I closer together as we worked as a team.  If not at least I’m on board now before it’s too late for the sake of my children.  I love being a Mother!

Pat’s Product Reviews: Ruger’s Model 77 Hawkeye in .300 Winchester Magnum

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Without a doubt, the .300 Winchester Magnum (“Win Mag”) round, is my all-time favorite round in a high-powered hunting rifle. What I like about the .300 Win Mag round is, you can load it down (if you load your own ammo) to the velocities of a .308 or 30-06, and it’s just fine the way it is, in the factory loadings as well.   In a life-changing situation, where there may be a break-down of law and order, you may find that you need some type of high-powered rifle, that can really reach out there and touch someone. Or, for hunting most big game, the .300 Win Mag will fill the bill nicely, too. People spend several thousands of dollars on “Sniper Rifles” that can shoot 1 Minute Of Angle (MOA). Some folks customize their rifles into their idea of a sniper’s rifle. I wish I were rich, but I’m not. So, I have to spend my money very carefully on my firearms purchases, just like everyone else has to do.  

Ruger (www.ruger.com) sent me their new Model 77 Hawkeye rifle over a year ago for test and evaluation. I elected to get the stainless version, with the black synthetic stock. I live in Western Oregon, and we get a lot of rain, so the stainless version, with the synthetic stock was the way to go for me. Of course, even stainless guns will develop rust if you don’t take care of ’em on a regular basis. I’ve found a light coating of Birchwood Casey Barricade really keeps the rust away. The black synthetic stock also won’t warp when the gun gets wet. If you’ve never experienced stock warping on a rifle, you’re in for a shock – it can really change the zero of your rifle – and not for the better.  

The M77 Hawkeye I received holds 3+1 rounds of .300 Win Mag ammo. The barrel is 24″ long, and overall the gun is 44.75″ long. Weight is 7.75-lbs which is just about right for a magnum. You don’t want a gun that’s too light, nor one that’s too heavy if you have to pack it around a lot, or shoot it a lot. I also like the Mauser-style claw extractor on the M77 – they really pull an empty out of the chamber, and feed a load round into the chamber without any problems.   Unfortunately, my last hunting season was a bust. Not entirely the fault of the game, either – I just wasn’t able to get out and do as much hunting as I normally do – too much work to get to. However, I did get out and shoot the Hawkeye M77 quite a bit – I really like shooting the .300 Win Mag round as I feel its really one of the more accurate rounds in a rifle – then again, that’s just my two-cents worth. I had some .300 Win Mag ammo from Black Hills Ammunition, their 190-gr Boat-tail Hollow Point. Make no mistake, this is not intended as a hunting round. However, game up to deer-size can be taken with this load – but it’s not ideal for big game hunting. This round was developed for long-rang shooting, and it’s a favorite of high-powered rifle competitors all over the country. Many matches have been won with this projectiles.  

I combined the Hawkeye with a nice Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40mm scope, in a stainless-look finish, to go with the look of the stainless M77 – it was a great match-up, to be sure. I like 3×9 scopes the best – they seem to serve all my needs. I could go with a bigger objective lens, but the 40mm seems to work for me.  

The Hawkeye M77 is a tack-driver, no doubt about it…it’s one of the most accurate .300 Win Mag rifles I’ve ever owned. If I did my best, shooting over a rolled-up sleeping bag, over the hood of my SUV, at 100-yards, I could easily place 3-rds under an inch all day long…and some of my groups were hovering right around 3/4 of an inch. That’s match-grade accuracy – it’s more than good enough for “sniper” work, too. Let’s face facts, I’m sure you’ve read about sniper rifles, that can place their shoots under half an inch, and some claim better than that. However, that kind of shooting isn’t done all the time or every day, either. There’s one particular gun writer, who is a legend in his own mind, and I won’t mention his name. However, he is, without a doubt, the best rifle (and handgun) shooter who ever lived, or who will ever live. I’m sure he can place 3 round into one single hole, at 100-yards all day long, while drinking wine, eating cheese and standing on his head. Sorry, I can’t do that well – and I’ve been shooting for more than 45 years now. I’ve shot high-power rifle competition in the past – I had good days where I’d walk away the winner, and the next day, someone else would beat the pants off me.   So, if you think by going out and spending thousands and thousands of dollars for a sniper rifle, you’re gonna be able to shoot one-hole groups all the time, every single day – you’re only kidding yourself. I’ve found, that if I do my part, and I have the right rifle and right load, I can hit what I’m aiming at. Again, there are a lot of things to consider in any sort of long-range shooting. You have to take into account the wind, and not just the wind at the muzzle of your rifle – you’ve got to be able to read the wind where you target is and everything in between, too. You’ve got to have an accurate rifle and a good load, too – not to mention a good scope.  

I don’t do a lot of handloading these days, and I limit myself to two chamberings in high-powered rifles – one is the good ol’ .30-06 and the other is the .300 Win Mag. With my experimenting over the years, I’ve come up with a good load, that shoots very accurate in any .300 Win Mag rifle I’ve put it through. Take all loading data for informational purposes only – what has worked in all my .300 Win Mag rifles, may not work in your rifles, and always build-up your load – start 10% below what I’m giving you. I’ve found that, the Hornady 180-gr SP Interlock .308 bullet, over 71-grains of IMR 4350 is a round that is hard to beat. I also use whatever empty brass I have on had – that has been full-length resized, and I put CCI Magnum Rifle primers in the cases. Over the past 10-12 years, every single .300 Win Mag rifle I’ve shot this ammo through, has proven to be a real winner, and the Ruger M77 Hawkeye was no exception. I’ve been able to equal the Black Hills Ammunition .300 Win Mag load, but I haven’t been able to beat it – even if I tried to tweak my load. So, if you hand load, you might want to try my formula, if you don’t hand load, then the Black Hills load is the way to go for the best accuracy around.  

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, to get a lot of gun these days. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye proves this. And, you can believe whatever you want, but gun writers do not get hand picked guns. I’ve had more than my share of lemons over the years, to know this. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye retails for $843 and can often be found discounted. If you top it with a good Nikon scope, we are looking at having a sniper accurate rifle and scope for under $1,000 and the stainless barrel and action, with the black synthetic stock only makes the gun that much more appealing in my book.  

So, if you’re in the market for a good sniper-grade rifle, for the end of the world, or for big game hunting, the Ruger is worth a real close look in my book. Anytime I can take a factory gun, out of the box, and get groups that are under an inch, that’s a winner if you ask me. Don’t be fooled into thinking you have to spend a ton of money, to get a lot of gun – you don’t. Make no mistake, I’m not putting down expensive, custom-made rifles – they are a work or art. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money, to get a lot of gun – the Ruger M77 Hawkeye proves that. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio      

JWR Adds: One key advantage of .300 Winchester Magnum over some of the other belted magnums is that since it uses .308 bore diameter bullets, you can handload armor piercing (AP), tracer, and incendiary ammunition, using pulled .30-06 or 7.62mm NATO projectiles. That provides great versatility.

Letter Re: My Bug Out Bag Was a Blessing When the Tornados Arrived

JWR,
Thank you for providing all the information in SurvivalBlog. It is truly a lifesaver. I live in Arkansas, and I’m sure you’ve seen the devastation the tornadoes have caused. This season is possibly the worst I’ve seen in the past 20 years that I’ve lived here. The tornadoes and severe weather have pummeled our state. Thankfully, when disaster strikes, neighbors help neighbors, strangers, and everyone in between. I wanted to tell your readers who haven’t considered the value of neighbors, who have a go-it-alone attitude, they are more valuable than all the gold you could stockpile. When the tornadoes come through, all my neighbors get under one house – the only house in the neighborhood you can get under. All the other houses are on slabs, but none are sturdy enough to really hold up to 100 m.p.h. winds.

Knowing that there will be at least 8 of us and 12 pets, we’ve made some small changes. We’ve placed bottled water, blankets, tarps, and kennels for our animals under the house. I’ve also beefed up my bob bag with consideration to the storms. I’ve added a portable weather radio, battery powered fans, a strand of battery powered Christmas lights (they can light up areas where other lights can’t fit), a gas meter (you don’t want to be close to a natural gas leak), a medium duty stapler (just in case you have to secure a tarp quickly), and last but not least, dog biscuits. They are a small comfort to animals in stressful situations, like being in a kennel under a house for extended periods of time.

Something else I would recommend to your readers are natural gas or LP standby generators. They are expensive, but worth every penny. Also consider a little red wagon, yard cart, or roll around suitcase. When bad weather is coming, and you know you will need more than just a BOB bag, cases of water and snacks are easier to transport on wheels. I hope you will emphasize that a BOB bag is essential in times like these, not just TEOTWAWKI.  

Remember, it might take a while for help to reach you. You will want neighbors who will be willing to risk their neck for you when you are in need. I know that while most of my neighbors are not as prepared as they should be, I will try to take up the slack, just for having the security that I can count on them when the times get bad. – Mrs. D. in Arkansas

Two Letters Re: Cattle Raising Basics

Sir:
Just a few more thoughts on cattle.  

The author had mentioned some of the issues that may arise when raising cattle.  Some treatment methods are important to understand.  The most common treatable problems encountered in cattle will be related to calving problems, prolapse and bloat. 

Calves are born with the front feet first, followed by the nose.  Any position that deviates from this may require some intervention on your part.  A prolapse can also be easily treated.  With the cow secured in a chute, wet the prolapse with water, and wipe down with sugar or dish soap.  Next push it back inside.  Put 2 to 3 stitches  in the labia (near the middle so as not to interfere with the cow’s bathroom functions.  Prolonging the treatment of a prolapse interferes with a cows urinary excretion.  The final common thing to know is how to treat bloat, which will quickly suffocate cattle.  Bloat is usually most common in fed cattle.  You should keep a long needle on hand for such emergencies (longer than 2″)  If bloating cannot be alleviated by exercising the cow, the air pressure can be relieved by sticking the needle in the rumen in the area between the hip and ribs.  This must be done on the appropriate side.  

Another thing that concerns me with cattle are the diseases TB and Brucelosis.  Every state claims to be free of Brucelosis.  In other words they have managed to control the disease, but are no longer willing to throw money at the problem.  Brucelosis is known as Undulant fever in humans, and is an extremely miserable disease.  It would most likely be fatal without medical intervention.  Cattle handlers often come down with the disease from handling urine or milk.  One of your best bets now would be to keep your herd vaccinated, and tested.  If you have a clean herd now, its probably a safe bet that it will be clean later, providing you don’t introduce strange animals into your herd (especially for breeding)  That’s my 2 cents on the subject. – J.F.

 

JWR,
The “Buy cow-calf pairs in the Spring” strategy described in a recent letter has inherent risks. Cow/calf pairs sold in the spring are often defective in some way. Here are some of the reasons beef producers would sell cow/calf pairs in the spring. Foremost reason is the cow is no longer a viable breeder, this can happen several ways but most common is either a prolapsed uterus (when the uterus turns inside out and extends outside the cow’s vagina) or a C-section delivery. The standard treatment for both of these procedures include veterinarian intervention and extended antibiotic treatment by owner. The sale of these animals are normally done after the recommended antibiotic withdrawal interval has elapsed so the cow can be slaughtered. In either case the cow will still be recovering and may not raise a healthy strong calf. In some cases her milk production may have actually stopped during her treatment stage.

Another common reason a cow /calf pair would be for sale in the spring is what I call ‘attitude’ reasons, these include ‘jumpers’ (they jump fences won’t stay where you put them and cause an inordinate amount of fence damage) or ‘rips’ (nasty critters that either hate all humans and are dangerous or they hate their own calf and refuse to let it suckle).

The last reason I can think of and it occurs late in the spring season is ‘broken mouth’ this term refers to an aged cow with either broken or missing teeth. Cows only have lower front incisors to harvest grass with, think about cutting a celery stalk against your thumb with a knife. When these teeth are worn down to the gum level these cows will only be able to graze on tender green grass i.e. irrigated pasture or hay. The other form of ‘broken mouth’ is when the molars, which grind all of the cows feed into small pieces, have been themselves been ground down to the gums. This inability to chew their food or ‘cud’ decreases their digestive efficiency which yields poor milk production and weight loss. These pairs are normally sold after winter feeding is done and before the herd is turned out onto rangeland, because the beef producer knows these cows will suffer in these conditions.

One last reason for this kind of sale concerns the calf, it is exceedingly rare (I have seen on three in approximately 4,000 births) and that is a premature calf. The three I have helped raise were from 1/3 to 1/2 normal size at birth and this ratio is maintained throughout it’s life. Where normal beef animals attain full size at 1,000 to 1,500 lbs. depending on breed, pre-mes will be all done growing at 500-700 lbs. I have sold pairs in the spring for all of these reasons.

Just remember LET THE BUYER BEWARE All of these types have telltale signs which the buyer should look for so he/she knows what they are buying:

  • Prolapse – Look for a series of healed holes 4 or 5 on each side of the vaginal opening- prolapse sutures are like old fashioned cotton shoestrings and the holes (even healed) are large about the size of shoe eyelets. Also field expedient treatments that do work and are done at really remote locations include inserting a football size rock or even a gallon plastic jug into the uterus to retain the uterus internally until the cow ceases pushing. Veterinarians use drugs to stop the pushing.
  • C-section – A large patch of shaved hair with a central vertical scar extending below the hollow ahead of and below the left hipbone.
  • Jumpers – They will try to jump out of the auction ring.
  • Rips – They will charge ring attendants or kick at the calf as it runs alongside it’s mother.
  • Lack of milk production – Teats a matte type finish to skin, and the hair around teat is straight and dirty. A suckling teat will be shiny, clean and surrounded by curly hair.
  • Premature calf – harder to discern because even I have seen so few, obviously very small size but that could be hard to tell if in reality the calf was born early in calving season and has grown for 1-2 months before it was sold. The ones I saw had obvious physical defects including lack of full range of motion in the legs and smaller head size as compared to body size than a normal calf.
  • Broken mouth – The only way to determine is with actual inspection of mouth.

I hope you find this useful. – Mike H.

Economics and Investing:

Frequent contributor KAF sent this: Fed says $600B bond program to end in June. JWR’s Comment: Any bets on whether The Fed can break itself from their new-found addiction to creating money out of thin air? I’m betting that they’ll find an excuse to continue Monetization (aka “Quantitative Easing”), indefinitely. In essence, monetization is the crack cocaine cooking of the currency world.

B.T.D. sent this: Treasury quietly plans for failure to raise debt ceiling,

Regular content contributor B.B. forwarded this: Wal-Mart: Our shoppers are ‘running out of money’

Several readers sent the link to this entertaining “rap music video”: Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two

Items from The Economatrix:

Silver’s Versatility To Help Sustain Rally

Silver Shortage Will Go Terminal Very Soon

Even the Federal Reserve is Broke

Charting The Course to $7 Gasoline

The Great Gold Tsunami Lies Ahead

Inflation Watch:

Central banks pump £3 trillion into world economy.

Reader J.D.D. suggested this by Rick Ackerman: Finally, a Hyperinflation Argument That Persuades

CNBC reports: Killer Combo of High Gas, Food Prices at Key Tipping Point. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.)

C.D.V. also sent: McDonald’s warns of higher food inflation

Want to compare the declining purchasing power of the Dollar, all the way back to 1904? See The Inflation Calculator

G.G. flagged this: Whoa Baby, Prices Are Jumping for Diapers, Other Family Basics

Odds ‘n Sods:

It has already mentioned in SurvivalBlog, but it looks like the XM2010 .300 Winchester Magnum is coming closer to fielding: Army May Field More Powerful Sniper Rifle

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Attention Texans: Time to give up eating “Possum on the Half Shell” — Armadillos linked to leprosy in humans. (Thanks to Sean B. for the link.)

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Announcing two Extreme Survival Workshops in Central Texas: Eating Insects May 15, 2011 (5 – 7 pm). The organizer describes the workshop: “Alan Davisson has been eating insects for the last six years.  He will teach us how to utilize this important source of protein and fat in a fun and entertaining way.  You’ll learn what is safe to eat, how to prepare, the nutritional content, methods for catching, and getting over the ‘yuck’ factor.  This will be the fourth time we’ve had Alan out for this big party where we all eat bugs together and it is a seriously good time.  The kids take to it like its a natural thing.” Admission is $10. And, earlier the same day: Alternatives to Dentists 5/15/11 (9 am – 4 pm) It is described: “Learn how to care for teeth without brushes, floss, or paste, how to handle cracked or chipped teeth, treating cavities and abscesses, and gum disease.  Also learn simple and powerful methods for treating deep infections without using antibiotics.  Taught by Doug Simons who has lived primitively for the last two decades in the Gila Wilderness. Doug has some amazing information to bring to the civilized world.”  Admission is $75.  

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You are in our prayers: Tornadoes devastate South, killing at least 248.

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Reader Mike C. sent us the latest from Nanny State Britannia: Shotgun licences given to children under 10, BBC learns. The article qualifies: “Children issued with shotgun certificates can not own a gun, and must be supervised by an adult”. JWR’s Comment: I fail to see what the fuss is about. Here in The Unnamed Western State (TUWS), we exercise our gun rights without any licenses. And I haven’t heard of any local shooting rampages or any suicides by 7, 8, or 9 year-olds…

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.

Whether and When to Bug Out — Hurricanes!, by TJD in Houston

Having read the daily entries on SurvivalBlog for a few months now, and reading the novel Patriots it seems to me that an often visited topic is whether and when to “Bug Out.”  As a resident of Houston, Texas, I will try to provide insight from the perspective of a person who has been through the evacuation drill twice…and never evacuated.  So there you have it, I will go ahead and show my cards up front; I am in the “hunker down” camp.  Although I will explain my reasons, I will not try to convince others it is the right option; that is a personal choice.  Additionally, it would be foolish and short-sided for me to suggest that hunkering down is appropriate in all circumstances; it is not.  As with all best-practices, the decision of whether and when to leave your home requires a common sense judgment call on the part of each individual. However, one thing is certain: if you have prepared for most contingencies in your geographic locale, you will be able to choose whether to Bug Out or Hunker Down.  If you have not prepared, you have effectively robbed yourself of the freedom to choose, and will become a banner waving member of “the Golden Horde.”

First, a little history is in order.  I grew up in a small town South of Houston, Texas and was educated in a small religious private school.  I spent as much time as possible neglecting my studies so that I could dedicate my time to the more important pursuits of bike riding, playing guns, building forts, swimming, and exploring the trails at the back of our neighborhood.  By age 15, I had tied enough knots, built enough fires, shot enough arrows, and pitched enough tents to attain the rank of Eagle Scout.  While I would not consider myself expert, I know the outdoors…and being “prepared” continues to be a part of my being.  My wife and I consider Big Bend National Park one of our favorite places, are avid backpackers, and as such have accumulated enough camping gear to open a small shop. 

In September of 2005 I was living in an apartment five minutes from downtown Houston.  Hurricane Katrina had just devastated New Orleans and now Hurricane Rita was heading to Houston and was twice as big and ten times as bad! While many packed up their vehicles to G.O.O.D., I drove South on I-45 to Friendswood to help my mother and her husband board up their windows with plywood and PLYLOX. By the time we had finished securing the house, I was too late.  I-45 Northbound back to Houston was at a virtual standstill.  Having dealt with Houston traffic my whole life, I had the foresight to get online and find a different route back to my downtown apartment.  Unfortunately, the route I had chosen required me to drive for quite some distance on a toll road.  After sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour, and driving less than a mile, I called my mother from my cell phone and asked that she get online and navigate me back to downtown from the very next exit via farm to market and county roads. 

Lesson: Carry a map detailed enough to show all roads.  Highway maps are not good enough. Here in Texas we have a company called Keymaps that makes books with detailed maps broken into an easy to read grid system that is searchable by street name.  I highly recommend if available in your area.

I would have been in a bad situation had the power been out or had the cell phones been down. For those unfamiliar, I was lucky in that the Houston road system is not only a series of circles connecting freeways that run North, South, East and West; but also a vast maze of connected city streets and county roads.  Literally you cannot get out of your vehicle and walk for more than a quarter mile in this part of City without crossing a road.  Needless to say, I made it back to my apartment safe without too much inconvenience.  I would later learn that many of those motorists I shared that mile-long stretch of toll road with were in the infancy of what would become one of the most harrowing 72 hour ordeals they had ever faced. 

The following day, my mother and her husband joined me (with their five cats) in my 715 square food apartment for a 48 hour ride-out of the storm.  It was tight but we had enough food and water to sustain us for an extended period.  They navigated the same route we had discovered the night before (minus the freeway portion) traveling approximately 40 miles in less than an hour; not bad considering the parking lot formed by thousands of cars stretching North on I-45 from between Houston and Galveston and then on to every major city to the North and West of Houston.

As we sat in my small apartment something occurred to me that I will never forget: Downtown Houston was as quiet as the open range of West Texas.  Anyone who has lived in a big city can attest; it is never quiet.  Day and night you hear horns, engines, sirens, and every other conceivable combination of background noise.  In the hours leading up to the hurricane’s approach Houston was at peace; a stark contrast to the nightmare that was unfolding on our city’s highways and freeways.  90% of the City had bugged out. 

Every person I spoke with in the aftermath of Rita told the same story: “We were just going over to a relative’s house in Hempstead or a friends house in the Woodlands (both within 45 minutes of downtown Houston) so we got in the car, stopped and filled up the gas tank, grabbed a bag of chips and a soda, and got on the road to “get out of Dodge.”  48 hours later, when Rita made landfall, most had traveled less than 20 Miles from where they started (in 48 hours).  I don’t think anyone facing a storm of constant bearing decreasing range would argue that they are safer in their vehicle, not to mention the more serious danger they faced: desperate strangers. During the 48 hours leading up to landfall and the approximately 24 hours it took them after landfall to get to a final destination, they witnessed the worst of humanity. 

Folks, keep in mind this was September in Houston; it was about 100 degrees and 100% humidity; people are easily agitated.  Your sweat doesn’t evaporate, you can’t get cool, tempers run high and patience is a commodity in short supply.  Cars broke down, ran out of gas, or overheated, turning the freeways into parking lots. People were thirsty, babies were hungry-crying-not enough diapers, nowhere to go to the restroom; people, young, old, rich, and poor, defecated in broad daylight next to their vehicles.  The situation was unsafe, unstable, and unsanitary.  People got into fights, businesses on the interstate were stripped bare of anything to eat or drink, the young-old-sick were in real trouble and some did not make it through the awful ordeal.  A bus of elderly evacuees from a retirement home caught fire, burning to death those who were bound to wheel chairs or oxygen tanks.  The sad part is the vast majority of sheeple sat helpless in their cars waiting for help from the federal government and local authorities. 

The federal government and local authorities were not able to provide much assistance because they too were stuck in traffic without fuel.  The irony is these people suffered and died not from the natural disaster but from bad information and an overall lack of preparedness.  Yes, the storm came and Houston took a hit, but the media-fueled hysteria proved to be far more dangerous.  Unless you lived on the Gulf Coast, you probably didn’t hear these dirty facts because it would have necessarily highlighted the borderline criminal negligence of the major networks for their ratings-driven “news” coverage. 

Fast forward three years to September of 2008.  I was now married and living in my current home just North of Houston in an unincorporated part of Harris County.  Hurricane Ike is barreling toward Houston; once again the “media” seems to be taking language straight from the King James Version of the Book of Revelation.  Because my wife works in the safety department of MD Anderson Cancer Center, she was a “first responder” and had been stationed for the day at the Office of Emergency Management helping to evacuate the elderly from hospitals and retirement communities in the evacuation zone.  My wife is was of those whose mission included heading into the Texas Medical Center while the traffic was heading the other way.  On the way home following her shift her car had a blowout and hit the concrete wall of the freeway.  This was September 11th, approximately 24 hours from when Ike would make landfall.  Once again, sheeple were scuttling about Houston like rats on a sinking ship looking for flashlights and batteries.  We were headed to the ER.  Thankfully my wife was examined and released; we went home to “hunker down.”  Once again my mother and her husband joined us. The extra hands were helpful as my wife was confined to the bedroom on pain medication.  Lesson: When one of your team members is down, can you handle making ready your fortifications?  Unlike Hurricane Rita, Ike devastated Houston.  Much of the City was without water/power for weeks.  The effort mobilized by the City of Houston was epic and the relief effort was inspiring.  Volunteers poured in from all over the U.S.  It was the opposite of New Orleans.   However, had the disaster not been so localized, who knows how long it would have taken to get the grid back on line?  Would it have become New Orleans eventually? 

During the ordeal I had a huge “duh” moment.  With my wife’s car out of commission, we were left with one vehicle.  Due to my own procrastination at having a leak fixed, I had been adding air to one of my truck’s tires for about a week. Guess what happened when I wasn’t able to air it up for the 24 hours we rode out the storm?  The problem gets worse; it wasn’t until I went to put on the spare I discovered that my lock lug was missing.  Apparently the dealership had failed to put it back the last time they had rotated my tires.  In two days we had gone from 2 operating vehicles to 0 operating vehicles. 

Lesson: much like Dental work, keep up with routine vehicle maintenance!  There is ample discussion on this board related to preparedness and somewhere I read the recommendation to have a practice weekend.  I agree.  Practice would have revealed the most glaring omission from my fortifications: power.  Luckily we were at Ace Hardware when they began taking orders for generators that were in route from somewhere out of state.  While I waited something like half a day, other members of our party scavenged for gas canisters and gas to fill them.  

Lesson: get a generator and storage containers and fill them ahead of time!  I cannot tell you the piece of mind it provides given the hot humid summers here in Houston, especially now that I have an infant at home.  Ultimately Houstonians kept a calmer head than during the mass exodus of Hurricane Rita and were all the better for it.  Minus property damage and the few fatalities attributable to people who absolutely would not evacuate Bolivar Peninsula, we all came out okay.

My point in telling these two stories is this: even if you are absolutely prepared to “Bug Out” when the Schumer hits the fan, are you confident you would be ahead of the Golden Horde when your car’s rubber meets the road?

First, let’s considers the source of our information today.  The “media” cannot be trusted to provide unbiased information- even in the face of an emergency.  Unfortunately, all media outlets are in business to make money-sensationalism sells.  However, I will mention that from my experience the local media and local authorities were a pretty good bet.  After all, they are in the same boat as you.  The question remains: How will you really know it is time to bug out?  Face it; you are probably rolling the dice on a gut feeling that is at least partially influenced by fear.  Fear-based decisions are rarely sound and will likely lead you into a situation you cannot control.  This leads to an even more dangerous place: Panic. 

I would argue that unless you live in a locale that cannot be made safe (on the beach, for instance) you face far fewer unknown and dangerous variables in your own home than you will encounter out on the “open” road.  Again, let me be clear here, in some cases the smart decision is to Bug Out no matter what.  However, in those cases I would argue maybe you are better off bugging out long before the Schumer hits the fan and find a safer place to live.

I realize that for many, moving is simply not an option for many reasons; but most often it is more the case that people are just too set in their ways.  Ultimately my advice is: in the face of an emergency, don’t follow the crowd of fear motivated sheeple.   Exercise common sense and Be Prepared!

Using Your Smart Phone as a Survival Phone, by Kelly H.

When preparing for any large-scale emergency or disaster scenario our initial tendency is to seek out the most basic necessities for survival: food, water, shelter. Those serious about survival expand these necessities to include protection, first-aid, mobility, etc. I believe one of the most important tools to include in any survival plan is a smart phone capable of offline card storage.  

In my profession, I am attached to my smart phone. I depend upon it to work as much as my Leatherman while backpacking. I also know that during a large-scale emergency or a TEOTWAWKI scenario, a cell phone for the purpose of calling might be completely ineffective. Cell towers, satellites, and the Internet require huge amounts of manpower and infrastructure to maintain. However, if these go down your phone can still be used as a wealth of knowledge that can literally save your life.

The items I recommend are based purely on my own experiences, purchased with my own resources. I have field-tested my gear in several environments, most challenging a six-month stint in Glacier National Park. There are hundreds of different configurations to make this work within scope of your budget and technical knowledge.

Items Required:

1) A smart phone capable of SD or similar card storage. This means a phone in which you can store data offline and access at any point, regardless of cellular coverage. I purchased an HTC EVO about six months ago, but there are several similar phones at any price range. My cell phone carrier limited my options but you do not need a carrier to make this effective.

2) A mobile battery charger and battery pack. I use the Tekkeon TekCharge Mobile Power and Battery Charger. It’s inexpensive, easy to use and easy to store. Again, there are several comparable brands out there. I like Tekkeon because it includes an LED charge display.

3) Rechargeable batteries. I’ve had the best performance using Sanyo Eneloop AA batteries. These low self-discharge NiMH cells are advertised as holding 85% of the charge with no ‘memory effect’ when recharging. In my experience this is accurate.

4) Solar panel charger, with USB port. Here is where doing your research is most effective. There are several brands on the market that advertise as capable of powering cell-phones. While solar panels aren’t created equally, you are generally looking for ones that have the most surface area, mobility, and durability. I have tested several models, but a company called Goal Zero has given me the best results. I was able to purchase the Nomad 7 solar panel for less than $80.

All of these items are for the intended purpose of keeping your phone running when the power no longer flows. I find that charging batteries rather than charging a cell-phone directly is more effective and offers more versatility. The Tekkeon TekCharge allows you to charge your phone with AA batteries.

Applications:
The real survival information comes by way of Apps, or applications. Almost all are free on an Android phone, and can be transferred from a PC at home to your phone. This allows you to download Apps without having a cell-phone carrier. There are literally thousands of Apps that could be useful in an emergency situation. These are ones I have personally used:

Apps usually download to your phone’s internal memory by default. Because of this, the first app you should download is called “App 2 SD” or an equivalent. What this does is transfer any downloaded App to your SD card for permanent storage. SD Cards can be interchanged and offer much more space than the phones built in memory. You can load up several SD cards worth of information and put them into your phone when needed, or keep them as backups.

Useful Apps
So what kinds of survival apps are out there? The answer is almost infinite to your situation. I will break them down into what I think are key areas for survival.

The “All-in-One’s”
An Application I draw on time and time again is called “U.S. Army Survival Guide” and it is exactly what it sounds like. This App contains the entire Army survival guide. It includes illustrations and diagrams and is broken up into 23 chapters including a full glossary and appendix. It offers basic to mid-level survival tips, ranging from Shelter construction and trapping, to starting a fire and how to stay hidden. It’s always better to know this information off-hand but as a reference, this is the app you want.

Another infinite possibility app is “Google Books”. This allows you to purchase and store an e-book on almost any subject you can think off. A quick search for survival books netted me hundreds of results. What this offers is the ability to download almost any book that you might already own and to draw on it when needed, or even just to learn more techniques when the time comes. Lugging around half a dozen books can be taxing on both space and energy, especially if survival requires being mobile. Beyond survival purposes this is a great way to keep your mind off any situation you might be in.  E-Books are a great way to utilize multiple SD Cards. With the almost infinite library of information at your fingertips, you can store thousands of books and guides.

An e-book might be too much information to quickly draw upon. For this reason I also use an app called “WikiPock” that can download specific Wikipedia entries that can be viewed at a later time. You can be as specific or generic with this information as you want to be. I have several entries ranging from hot wiring a vehicle to greenhouse gardening. As phone storage improves I wouldn’t be surprised if you could soon download the entire English language Wikipedia to your phone. An uncompressed ‘wiki dump’ is about 27 gigs – compressed comes in at about 6 gigs.

Navigation
There are about a dozen or so free and proven off-line map applications. What this offers is the ability to store and view maps from anywhere in the world without data coverage. The basic principal is that with a little common knowledge of navigation you can find your way. I use an app called “MapDroyd”. I was able to download a vector map of the entire United States at any detail – there are maps for almost any country. A physical map is still going to be your most efficient way to find where you are. But, with these Apps you aren’t limited by size and scope.

Keep in mind this isn’t a topography map. There is an app called “BackCountry Navigator” for topography but costs about $10. Also, without GPS or cell-tower connection you won’t be able to automatically pinpoint your location – this is why basic navigating skills are just as important.

Some offline maps offer tools such as address searching or point A to point B directions. Feel free to experiment with different apps to find the right fit.

First-Aid
Like the other apps, this area of survival has a lot of options to choose from. The Army Survival Guide App also has an entire section devoted to first aid and medicinal plants. For my purposes I use an app called “iTriage”. It has a number of tools to choose from, but is most effectively used as a way to diagnose symptoms. A good guide or reference book is still your best bet for getting detailed information and instructions – both of which can be found with Google Books.

Tools & Miscellaneous
KnotsGuide  – A knot tying reference App with color photos, step-by-step instructions, and recommended usage for each knot. Can’t live without this.

ElectroDroid – Especially useful for TEOTWAWKI scenarios, this App is a great way to learn how electricity and circuitry works, and how to get it working.

Scanner Radio – This App requires a data connection, but allows you to listen to the dispatch radio of almost any city in the country. Get direct information before hearing about it on the news.

Flashlight – By no means a replacement for a sturdy flashlight, but this App is a good backup or tent light. It utilizes the ‘camera flash’ led on most phones when taking pictures.

Google Translate – Need to speak to someone in a different language, or read the warning label on a foreign-made package? This app allows you to type or speak almost any language and translates it to text or speech, especially useful if traveling.

Camera or Video – Your phone’s basic camera or video function is incredibly versatile. It is a way to remember where you started a trail, or to reference a certain plant or building. The ability to keep photographic record is invaluable.

Games – Surviving is not just about keeping your wits, it’s also about maintaining your spirits and fighting boredom. Games are an easy way to take a break from the situation you might be in. It’s not going to get you out of it physically, but mentally it might make a difference.

The Survival Phone in Use:
Last year I spent six months in Glacier National Park. It’s one of the most beautiful parks in the country and is abundant with natural resources during the summer months. Because I knew I would be there for some time I had downloaded dozens of local trail maps and guides to the SD card.

When I got to the park and needed to recharge my first set of AAs I realized I want to be moving during the daylight, even stopping for a few hours can severely hamper any momentum you might have. Because of this, I rigged up a few ways to best power my survival phone:

The Goal Zero solar panel I purchased comes with some standard tips for getting the most juice out of it. But you don’t always have the time to stay in one place and wait for the sun. The pouch that the panels sit in can be contoured around the top of my backpack. I used a bit of bungee cord to secure it in place. I then ran the USB charging cable through a spare hole in my pack that was originally intended for water bladder tubing. This cable continually charged my AAs with the Tekkeon pack as I moved. When resting I just angled the pack toward the sun for the most direct sunlight. I now had a way to charge AA batteries while on the move.

The phone didn’t always make an appearance while hiking. I usually referred to the physical map folded in my pocket for getting a quick bearing. However, once setup in camp I was able to pour through all of the books and information stored on the SD card and relate it practically to my surroundings. I sought out to find edible berries and plants, comparing them directly to the color photo on my phone. I readjusted which trails I would be taking based on the detail I could see on my phone that I could never get with a physical map. If emergency had struck or I needed to diagnose some symptoms I would be able to. I was also able to read some excellent novels for pure entertainment sake.

A common myth is that any electronic device is useless or too fragile in these types of environments. I kept my phone in a waterproof bag zipped inside of an interior pouch. I own an aftermarket hard shell case, which completely protected the device. I have since picked up a couple Pelican cases that are nearly indestructible for both your phone and SD cards.

I would have been fine without my phone, but I have gone backpacking for many years. If it was a survival scenario that I didn’t have time to prepare for, then my phone would be incredibly valuable.

Conclusion:
Most people keep their phone on or near them at all times, so you don’t have to waste valuable time getting it together. Unless you have the funds, it is unreasonable to keep a backup phone, but backup SD cards, batteries, and solar panels are fairly inexpensive. Keep your batteries and solar charger in your grab bag and you’ll be set if the time comes.

It’s important to note that a survival phone should just be used in conjunction with basic survival tools and supplies.  It will never take the place of common knowledge and practice. But, if you are unsure of what you should do or how you should do something – it might end up saving your life. The Apps and products I listed are a drop in the bucket compared to what is out there, and every week technology is improving.

Letter Re: RC Aircraft Possibilities

James Wesley:
I fly radio-controlled (RC) aircraft, and the Switchblade is a definite possibility.

As you can tell from the video, there is a lot of computer generated “help” going on there, but the concept is solid, the technology to do this is already readily available and has been for some time. It’s just a matter of time until somebody completes the package.

The problem is, for an aircraft that small, the maximum payload I could see might be around a pound, maybe slightly less. But a pound of C-4 could put a distinct “dent” in your day!

Lately, the FAA has been coming down hard on the RC modeling hobby. With things like the above going on, and jet RC aircraft approaching the 400 MPH mark, they have concerns. They are now starting to call our models “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs). They tell us that around June of this year, they will make public a new set of rules that we must comply with regarding our hobby. – Pat S.

JWR Replies: As a bit of background, I started writing about potential terrorist use of RC aircraft and other technologies more than 20 years ago. (See my two-part feature article “High Technology Terrorism” in Defense Electronics magazine, January 1990, p.74.) I further outlined UAVs and the threat posed by their misuse by terrorists, back in 2006. Specifically, I was concerned with the threat of UAV-borne Improvised Explosive Devices. (FWIW, I coined the acronym UAVIED in December, 2006.)

This innovation represents a serious terrorist threat, folks. The technology is available off the shelf. In another few years it may make outdoor public venues quite unpopular with politicians. I must add that it is sad to see RC modeling enthusiasts pay some sort of regulatory price for what are just potential misdeeds.

Closing throught: The threat of UAVIEDs is just one more reason not to live in a big city!

Letter Re: Cattle Raising Basics

Jim:
Just a few things to be added on cattle raising.

One can often buy older cow-calf pairs in the spring, let the cow raise the calf over the summer, sell the cow as a slaughter animal at auction in late summer or butcher for yourself and have the calf left over at very little cost. You can then sell the calf or wean and raise to a yearling for either sale or fattening for your own butcher beef. These old mommas know how to raise a calf, that’s why they got to be old in the first place. Prices for these pairs are basically the value of the cow for slaughter and the price of a baby calf, you generally are paying no premium at all and often they can be bought for at or less than what a cow without calf at side brings. 

Know how to figure the value of the cow for slaughter by the pound and the value of the calf and you’ll know what they are worth. Focus on the slaughter value of the cow because that is really the source of most of the worth and what you are paying for.

Older cows don’t have much tooth length left so don’t run them on desert range but if you have some good grazing pasture they will do fine.

If you stick with older cows you don’t need a bull either since your purpose is not to keep them as breeding animals but rather to raise the calf and then use them for their slaughter value. And when you go to sell the slaughter cow and the calf (ready to wean) you often have enough money to then buy back a younger cow that is already bred. Regards, – Aaron R.

Economics and Investing:

Some new commentary on the US Dollar Index by Toby Connor: Bernanke Bottom or Crash!

Should You Buy A Home In 2011? Check Out These 29 Absolutely Crazy Statistics About The Housing Crisis

J. in Galt’s Gulch recommended this over at Seeking Alpha: The Economic Collapse Cycle – Where We Are Now and How to Invest Accordingly

Items from The Economatrix:

Adventures in Silver and Gold, Part 1

Ampex Starts Reverse Inquiry:  Seeks to Buy “Any Quantity” of Silver From Clients at $3 Over Spot

Oil Slips as Dollar Gains, Gasoline Up For 34th Straight Day

Is Gold Rising Because America is Broke

Paul Drockton Economic Predictions

Odds ‘n Sods:

Here is a house design with some retreat potential: The First Zombie-Proof House. (A hat tip to Dane for the link.)

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If you’ve ever wanted to make some parachute cord bracelets, but don’t have the skill, the patience, or the time, then I recommend this maker in Georgia: SportBraceletStore.com. Yes, they are American made! An explanation from their site: “The cord can be gutted to use the seven inner strands for fishing line or thread to repair torn clothing. For a medical emergency, the cord can be used to create a sling for an injured arm or even a tourniquet for a life threatening wound.”

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Craig W. suggested this editorial by John Stossel: Gun Owners Have a Right to Privacy

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Not survival related, but this is so cool I just had to link to it: Avalanche Cliff Jump with Matthias Giraud

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The folks in the paths of the recent tornados and hailstorms are in our prayers! Every family in that region ought to have a good storm shelter.