Five Letters Re: Garden Defense — Repelling Four-Legged (and Two-Winged) Pests

Sir:
Deer, rabbits, and squirrels are a real problem where we live in western Canada. The deer and rabbits love our fruit trees and the squirrels have a penchant for strawberries. (Yes, up here we can grow many varieties of apples, plums, cherries, pears and even certain varieties of kiwi, peach, grape, etc.)

When we first moved to our farm we had several of our trees seriously damaged by deer and rabbits–not just fruit trees but trees in our shelter belt as well. The rabbits were the worst because they stripped the bark (several inches high) all the way around the tree and killed it. The damage from rabbits usually occurred in the winter while the deer preferred to eat the ripened apples in the fall–this of course caused some collateral damage to the branches. The deer also loved the taste of the leaves and branches on our young cherry bushes and thoroughly chewed them up. Squirrels really only hurt our strawberries. There would be no sign of them until the berries were just about ripe…and then we would check and the freshly ripened strawberries would be one-third eaten away.

We have relied on three effective means to prevent damage to our investments: guns, pets, and blood meal sprays.

(1) Guns are pretty self-explanatory. I used my Ruger 10/.22 to significantly thin down the rabbit and squirrel populations. Used to see sign of rabbits weekly but now I haven’t seen one for about 6 months. The squirrels are more persistent and elusive but I have significantly decreased their numbers. Deer are off-limits without a license and only hunt-able during certain times of the year.

(2) We bought a young dog when we first moved to our farm and he helped to keep the pests away but unfortunately contracted the Parvo virus and died. Apparently, the Parvo virus is persistent and the vet advised us to wait a year before getting another dog. During this time our cat stepped up to the plate in defending our fruit trees. The cat had been relatively effective at killing squirrels (ground and tree varieties) but we were shocked the first time he got a rabbit! The rabbit was juvenile but was by no means a baby. Later, the cat was somehow able to kill an adult rabbit–maybe we weren’t feeding it enough! We now have another dog that will help keep the deer away.

(3) Blood meal-based sprays are what we use to protect our trees in the winter when our fruit trees are the most vulnerable. Blood meal is dried, powdered blood. Some companies have incorporated blood meal into sprays that can be applied directly to the tress/bushes. We buy products such as Plantskydd but have used others as well. These sprays adhere really well and provide protection for up to 6 months. After the harvest and just before it starts to freeze, we spray down our trees with the spray and it has thus far been 100% successful for us. The smell of blood supposedly scares the deer and rabbits away. We make sure and coat the trunks of the trees thoroughly up to the height that rabbits can reach in the winter. We also douse the branches to keep the deer away. I have read that some people have found these sprays ineffective but given the success that we have had I can only assume that they didn’t use enough. An enterprising person could probably make their own spray from blood meal. It is inexpensive and readily available but I haven’t personally invested the time to try it.

The main drawback of the blood meal spray is the time that it takes to thoroughly treat all the trees. We have about 50 trees and it takes a while to spray them all with a hand sprayer. We are enlarging our orchard this year and I will need to buy a larger sprayer. Blood meal sprays can be purchases in concentrated form and are more economical for treating larger amounts of plants.

Using these three tools we have managed our first full year with no animal damage to our trees. Hope this is of some help to those struggling with these type of pests, – Ryan from Canada

Sir:
Jason provided some good information on pest and varmint control, but I’d like to add one that I rarely see listed in recommendations: big dogs.

Our garden is usually 1/4 acre or larger and we live out in the country with plentiful deer, rabbits, raccoons, etc. Given it’s size, the garden would be costly to fence so we’ve had to take our chances with the creatures of the night. While we do occasionally find deer tracks or nibbled veggies in the garden, it’s not the problem I think it would be if not for our night patrol. Our two mixed breed dogs go tearing across the yard barking several times a night to chase intruders away. They occasionally catch their own dinners and quickly rid the yard of moles. In addition, we keep our poultry in movable coops to fertilize our pastures and rarely have predator problems as long as the coops are in the dogs’ territory. And many a visitor has waited in his car for us to come out over concern about the friendliness of our dogs. We never tell them they wouldn’t bite- I’d rather they wonder. We jokingly call our dogs “porch ornaments” since they loll around most of the day, but to our way of thinking, they are invaluable as pets and protection from all kinds of things. – Laura in an Unnamed Southern State

Hi JWR,
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and have enjoyed the many useful and insightful articles.

The article on garden defense caught my eye as it’s been a perennial thorn in my side.

On the advice of an elderly rancher who lived nearby, we constructed two fences— a barb-wire outer fence about 4 feet high and an inner fence of #4 mesh about 6 feet high. The space between the two fences is about 5 feet all the way around.

The reason this fence works is that deer are unable to leap both fences at once and unwilling to jump into the tight space between the fences. And the smaller animals can’t get through the mesh of the inner fence.

This works pretty well to keep humans out as well and costs less to maintain than a single, taller fence. Thanks, – Thomas

James,
I would like to add some personal perspective on controlling deer predation. I read the article that Jason wrote : Garden Defense — Repelling Four-Legged (and Two-Winged) Pests, by Jason , and he makes some excellent suggestions. Having tried virtually everything ever suggested to me, I would concur that scents, irritants, and other non-physical barriers are ultimately of limited effectiveness.

We garden year-round and the local deer population is big. To make matters worse, we have neighbors down the road who enjoy feeding the deer in order to watch them. A fine pastime, to be sure, but once the kiddies are bored with the deer the feeding stops for awhile and the four-legged residents forage elsewhere. Being the closest, the critters always stop by to see what we have on the menu.

After a few years of random devastation (one night we had 33 out of 80 tomato plants eaten down from four feet high to eight inches low), I decided that we needed to enclose our plots with fencing. We have two plots, each about an acre, so a full deer-height fence with a rabbit barrier down low was going to be a serious expense. Since the valley we live in has a few native residents, I decided to do a little brain-picking. I figured that since the deer have been here a long time, those born and raised in this valley might have a trick or two. A half-dozen loaves of homemade bread later, I had two “sure-fire” strategies. I decided to test them, one on each plot, and gauge their effectiveness.

Both methods take advantage of the same characteristics that all deer seem to have. Those being their inability to perceive distance/depth of field accurately, and their poor vision in general. While deer are very good a detecting movement, they are very much color blind and see things in shades of gray. Blaze Orange is a testament to their vision deficiencies.

The first suggestion was to put up a “standard” 4 ft. garden fence using steel t-posts, burying a 3-ft high rabbit barrier of galvanized roll fencing (same method as Jason detailed using chicken wire), then adding three strands of fence wire above the rabbit fence. This sort of fence by itself is useless for repelling deer. The trick I learned was to add a second fence line, outside the garden fence and 18-24″ away. This needs to be a single strand of fence wire about three feet high. Done. The theory is that the deer will come up to the first strand and decide to go either over or under it. But, they will first see the second fence and not be able to determine how far away it is. Since the way deer jump a fence is to get right up next to it and go basically straight up and over, they are hesitant to go past the first strand, not know if they will trap themselves.

The second suggestion was one I had little faith in, I admit. I was already preparing for the loss of this garden before the fence was even up. In short, the “fence” consists of a single strand of monofilament fishing line, approximately 3-ft above the ground, stretched between posts as far apart as feasible. The idea with this method is that, due to their poor vision, the deer will walk into the mono strand and stop. Since they can’t identify what is impeding them or how high it might be, they can’t figure out a safe way past and so they give up and leave.

So here we went, one garden plot fenced with each method, and deer food coming up nicely. Since they absolutely love heirloom tomato plants, I put some in each plot. Time to wait and watch. It did not take long to see that the single strand of monofilament had no effect on rabbits. They came fast, and, being thwarted by the buried fencing on the first plot, went after the unprotected one. This was manageable for awhile, but the monofilament I used did not hold up well to stray dogs, nor to sunlight. While it stayed in place, the deer came up to it and left most of the time, but when it started to deteriorate and became opaque it lost it’s effectiveness. The mono required replacing several times during the summer growing season to remain effective.

The multi-strand fence with the outside single wire did a much better job. No rabbit penetration, one incident of a raccoon getting into the melon patch, and twice a deer apparently got caught between the fences and tore up the single strand a little. No deer got into the garden plot however.

We have not had issues with fall and over-winter predation, so I took the mono down and left the dual fence up. Planning for year two over the winter, I decided to try mono again, but add a second strand. I found some “clear” mono that was UV stabilized (it said). I strung it with high hopes and waited. The new, improved, mono selection worked a bit better at resisting the effects of the sun, but two strands was twice as much work when dogs tore it up. I would have tolerated them better if they would occasionally get a rabbit but they are too domesticated to be true alpha predators anymore. After a second summer season, the mono method clearly works, but upkeep is time consuming.

The original double fence stayed in place during year two as well. I had to double up on a few posts that loosened, but otherwise held up well. Functionally, rabbits were still denied access and a few incidents with deer getting inside the first strand resulted in a couple deer incidents. One deer was caught in the garden and provided a winter’s worth of stew meat in exchange for two cabbage heads and six tomato plants, three of which recovered and yielded plenty of tomatoes.

After another winter of contemplation, I decided to abandon the mono strand fence. Maintenance and lack of rabbit protection were my main motives. So I replicated the basic garden fence from the first plot. I decided to experiment again, and made it five feet high instead of four. Then, when I put up the outside fence, I went looking for mono stranding again. My theory was that the mono had worked so well by itself, it might be even better in conjunction with the inner fence. Maybe over thinking it, I know, but having a deer get into the garden fence made me think that I might be able to improve it somehow.

In searching for a tougher mono, I stumbled on a roll of bright orange trimmer string in the tool shed. It was enough to run down one side of the plot, so I put it on the side the deer favor. I had a bunch left over from the previous year, so I did the rest with a single strand of regular clear mono. Well, after the season was done, I was amazed. The dogs no longer ran through the mono, I guess because they could see the wire fence inside. And I didn’t have any deer get inside. The clear mono still had UV issues and had to be replaced mid-season, but the orange trimmer line was a little stiff, but held up all season.

I have continued to use trimmer line since and have had good results. (The best price seems to be on Weed Eater .080″, usually around $16 for a 2,000 ft spool). I have seen commercial deer fencing go to poly and PVC coated wire in recent years and know of commercial growers that swear by it. I will try it if I have to completely re-fenced at some point, but it is very expensive for a smaller garden solution. It also relies on height, and keeping up with a 7-10 ft fence might be a lot harder than a 4-5 ft one for the average gardener. One note: In our case, deer average around 90-100 lbs. If you are in an area with bigger (taller) deer, you may need to adjust the height of the outer strand somewhat. And if you are in elk country, scale will need to adjust too, I would imagine.

Now, if someone has a way to keep galvanized fencing from rusting out every five years or so…

Many thanks for your wonderful site, – Paul E.

Economics and Investing:

From reader Michael S.: The Silent Entitlements Monster: Social Security, Medicare And Interest On The Debt Will Gobble Up Every Single Tax Dollar By 2020

Damon sent this: Time is Running Out for the US Dollar

Reader S.M. kindly sent us links to five economic articles:

The US Government will have to pay higher rates of interest in order to keep selling our debt in order to keep spending and going deeper into debt.

Another indication of inflation

A new tool to fight home foreclosures: borrowers don’t have to pay lenders!

Re-writing delinquent mortgages. Not even 50% have been successful at solving problem

Personal Income Drops Across the Country.

Items from The Economatrix:

Commentary from Dan Denninger: Credit Growth? Not In Mortgages!

To Save New York, Tax Wall Street

EU Faces Bleakest Period for a Decade

Europe in Crisis as Debts Grow

Odds ‘n Sods:

James M. found a free 36 hour video permaculture course available online, from the good folks at the LATOC Forums.

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Lee C. was the first of several readers to mention a brief BBC article about US preppers.

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Jeff sent this: Military Cartridge Brass Destruction 2010 – Round 2

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There is an interesting thread of conversation in progress, over at the AR15.com (“ARFF”) Forums: National Emergency, will parents be able to get their kids from Public Schools?

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I recently did some research for a consulting client that I thought would benefit many SurvivalBlog readers. The client had asked for a source for reasonably-priced tritium vials. (In his case, he needed 2 mm x 8mm vials to “reanimate” a couple of 1960s-vintage Trilux scopes for L1A1 rifles. I’ll be doing the same, for my own Trilux.) Here is the source that I found: B@rt’s Tritium. They have an amazing selection of tritium vial shapes and colors. He said that he liked these so much, that he bought some extras to epoxy on to room light switch plates. (No more fumbling in the dark to find a light switch!)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." – Helen Keller

Garden Defense — Repelling Four-Legged (and Two-Winged) Pests, by Jason

Finally building a cabin in the woods close to nature can be a dream come true.  But if you are a gardener like me, the morning after the first midnight garden raid by pests unknown can be a real nightmare. 

Garden pests never attack the day after harvest or when the plants are young.  They always seem to attack my garden the day before the big haul.  A garden full of just ripened fruit and veggies must look like a neon all-you-can-eat sign to a hungry deer, or rabbit. 

There are ways to effectively turn that sign off but it will require perseverance and definitely some trial and error.

Deer

The most persevering four legged pests to ravage a garden are deer.  Their sheer size and appetite can make for absolute garden destruction.  Worse yet, many times they will simply ignore the things a gardener is apt to do to repel them.  They jump all but the very highest fence and eat right through a lot of treatments to plants.

Natural (or at least passive) repellents can be used but it is a lot like using a pesticide.  Eventually the pests develop immunity to the treatment.  Repellents are theorized to work in two ways.  The first way is by presenting the deer with something they associate with human activity.  Deer in most places have learned to avoid humans at all costs.

There are a few repellents that fit into this category.  The first is soap.  A technique taught to me by an old Kentucky corn farmer was to actually put the soap in a sock and hang it from a stretch of fence.  He hung them about every 40-50 yards.  When asked if they worked he replied, “for a little while, then the damn things lose their fear”.  Some people rub the soap onto a pie pan and hang it from a string close to the garden.  I’ve never tried this but it should work in about the same way.

The second human related repellant is a little more revolting to most people.  That repellant is urine.  Collected over a period of time and poured in a perimeter around the garden, this will sometimes keep the deer away.  Just be aware that urine in its raw state can burn your grass and crops.  The theory here is that some deer just associate the smell with humans or that they can discern the smell of the urine of a predator. 

Some people claim that human hair can also be used.  Probably also best placed in a sock and hung from a fence.

There are also many plants that can be companion planted in your garden to repel deer.  This second group of repellents works by odor as well.  This group works by masking other odors.  The theory with this group is either the deer won’t go into places where they aren’t able to smell predators due to the strong scents or that they simple can’t smell the tasty vegetables due to the strong odors.  The positive thing about this group of repellant is that they are completely natural and once planted should only require inputs same as the other garden plants.

Among the many plants that are purported to repel deer are yarrow, lavender, marigolds, rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme.  The great thing about these plants is that most perform multiple tasks; repelling pest insects, inviting helpful insects, providing food or all three. 

If all else fails, there are a few “last resorts”.  The first is making a pepper spray concoction from hot peppers and spraying the solution over the garden plants.  The reason this is a last resort is that every rain requires a new dosing and it uses valuable peppers that could be best enjoyed as food instead of deer repellant.

Another last resort is the gun.  Of course, this is not easy or foolproof in a lot of cases.  For one, state laws (including hunting seasons, tags and permits) must be obeyed.  Not everyone is allowed by local law to shoot where they live.  Even then, it only takes care of the immediate problem and other deer are free to move in and continue the destruction. 

The state where I live (Kentucky) in 2008 revised statutes to allow deer control tags to be issued in cases where: 

  • Deer hunting occurred on the property during the previous deer season
  • Standard deterrent measures recommended by a department representative have proven ineffective or are impractical; and
  • A department representative certifies deer damage to crops, gardens, and property or wildlife habitat.

Again, please check local and state laws before discharging a firearm or hunting deer.

The final “last resort” is the fence.  Fencing is costly to build to a height that deer won’t attempt to jump and it can limit any garden expansions.  However, a fence to a height of 5 foot or so will at least deter them somewhat.  It is also an adjunct solution.  A fence of that height can make it easier to trap them for a moment to shoot them.  It also gives you a base from which to hang repellant. 

Rabbits

Rabbits can wreak a lot of destruction on a garden as well.  Pound for pound they are probably more harmful than deer. 

Luckily rabbits can be stopped by most low cost fencing options.  In fact, in the early 1900s in Australia, three fences, one nearly spanning the entire continent from north to south, were erected to prevent rabbits from encroaching further.  Rabbits were an invasive species there.  I bring up this odd bit of trivia to point out the fact that the larger the fence, the more likely that erosion and other animals will breach it and allow rabbits inside.  This is exactly what happened in Australia.  The fence must be maintained.

Most rabbit fences are made of chicken wire, which is a thin strand galvanized steel woven wire fence material.  The shorter 36” height should be used and the first 6-8” should be buried in a pre-dug trench to prevent burrowing under or erosion from rendering the fence ineffective.  Stake should be driven in the ground at appropriate distances to keep the fence in place.  The wire can be stapled or tied to the stakes.  This fence will also help with raccoons.

In addition, lavender (also mentioned above as a deer repellant) is also a rabbit repellant.  With so many uses not just as a pest repellant, good insect attractant and more, it just makes sense to plant this one.  Rabbits also hate garlic; so again, you can keep rabbits (and vampires) away and enjoy the multiples uses of a delicious plant.  Foxgloves will also repel rabbits but with only one use (other than being aesthetically pleasing) I wouldn’t really bother with it unless it is a last resort before harming the animals.

For those who have no qualms about harming rabbits, a .22 LR or even a strong air rifle will do the trick.  Rabbits are delicious to boot.

Gophers and Moles

Although listed in the same category, these two mammals are different in the ways that they harm a garden but similar in how to deal with them. 

Moles are a lesser concern as they do not eat veggies but instead eat grubs, worms and other insects.  This in itself is not a concern but for the air pockets around roots that they leave which damage and kill plants.  Moles rarely emerge from their burrows.  Gophers will come out of their holes to eat your garden. 

Some methods of prevention will require identification.  This is not a difficult task.  The first obvious sign of a gopher is that your veggies are eaten (see above).  A mole will only leave wilted and/or dying plants.  Both animals create mounds.  The gopher creates a mound from which it pushes dirt and exits.  The mound will have a hole (which may be loosely plugged) and the dirt will be pushed in a crescent pattern.  The mole will push straight up and usually will not leave a hole.  The dirt will mound in a nearly perfect circle. 

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a viable natural method of keeping pocket gophers and moles in check.  Poison can be used but I find this method wholly undesirable. 

The first method is to simply build a barrier.  This will require trenching down about two feet and burying your fence to that depth.  If properly planned, this barrier could serve as a rabbit fence and gopher/mole fence in one.  Just be sure that the wire weave on the fence is small enough to prevent the smaller ones from going straight through.  An alternative is to fill the trench with rock or cement.  The trench and rock could be used in conjunction with the fence.  If you are building raised beds, the fencing can be nailed to the bottom of the frame or laid in. 

The second viable method is trapping but this will require more maintenance than even the fence.  The traps will have to be emptied and reset and new tunnels will need to be addressed.  Victor makes what is perhaps the most popular set of traps for gophers and moles.  Just be aware that there are separate traps for each.  So identification of the culprit is going to be necessary (see above).

Birds

I’ve never had a major garden problem with birds.  Occasionally I will find a peck mark in a tomato or realize that they’ve dug up seeds I’ve just planted.  In most cases birds actually help a garden by eating harmful insects. 

However, I concede that there may be situation where they become a problem.  In these cases, you can use a frightening device such as the aluminum pie pan you would use for deer.  Owl and snake decoys only work for a short while.  That is, until the birds realize they are immobile.  You can also take countermeasure to eliminate nesting areas and perching areas. 

Summary 

No pest control method is 100% effective.  Fences break, erode, blow down or are jumped.  Killing the pest only leaves a vacuum that is quickly filled by another.  Pests will build immunities or otherwise ignore companion plantings occasionally.

The best approach is a multi-pronged approach using a double fence broad-spectrum repellant. 

The proper solution, of course, will vary with your particular pest problems, garden size and other factors impossible to list here.  You could add pie pans with soap rubbed on to this setup to repel birds and add an additional layer of deer defense.

The important thing to remember is to use multiple options that address more than one pest to maximize your money and time.  – Jason, Editor of The Self-Sufficient Way.

Letter Re: Advice on Pre-1899 Revolvers for Self Defense

Dear Jim,
I have had the pleasure of reading your blog and archives on a regular basis and have purchased and enjoyed both the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course and your latest book.

My questions relate to the availability, safety and durability of the Colt Model 1892 double action (DA) .41, which you recently recommended. I have contacted some of the dealers and auction sites you mention on your web site, but have not yet found one for sale that is in acceptable condition. If you know of someone that would be willing to sell one or two, I would be very grateful for the lead. What would be a fair price? Also, if you have any suggestions for someone who can tune up and accurize old Colts and S&Ws, that would be greatly appreciated.

I’m a bit concerned about the cylinder latch on this model. As I understand it, with wear of the latch over time, the cylinder will often go out of timing, leading to malfunctions and a potentially hazardous situation. Unfortunately, it seems the revised model 1894 and 1896 are even harder to track down with serial numbers that identify them as pre-1899 production specimens.

Here are my specific questions:
1.) Sources for Colt 1892 DA .41 revolvers
2.) Prices for 1892 DA .41revolvers
3.) Gunsmith for old Colts and S&Ws
4.) Safety/Durability of cylinder latch on Colt 1892
5.) Any other suggestions/options for pre-1899 revolvers: 1894, 1896, etc?

Thanks in advance for your advice. Kind Regards, – C.M.

JWR Replies: I’ve personally never had any cylinder latch problems with Colt Model 1892s double actions. In my experience, the most typical problem with these guns are weak “hand” springs. Thankfully, that is a very easy fix.

These revolvers can indeed still be found, with some searching. Try GunsAmerica.com, GunBroker.com and Joe Salter.

Currently, $600 to $750 is the going rate for military contract Colt DA .41s in good mechanical condition, but at those prices they frequently have heavily-worn bluing. Civilian production guns command substantially higher prices thane the more numerous military contract revolvers.

If you find one with “tune up” needs or other gunsmithing issues, then I recommend Sal Lanara. (If his name sounds familiar, that is because is a brother of the famed Colt Single Action gunsmith David Lanara.) Sal specializes in the Colt Double Actions. In addition to tune-ups, Sal Lanara can also do re-bluing, shorten barrels, and even do complete restorations, but those can be expensive.

He does not have a web site. Here is his contact information:
Sal Lanara
8150 Richard Road
Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147
Phone : (440) 526-7265

My suggestions on some other practical and affordable pre-1899s:

  • S&W “Lemon Squeezer” (Safety Hammerless) .38 double actions.
  • Iver & Johnson .38 double actions.
  • S&W .44-40 and .44 Russian double actions.
  • Webley Mark I and Mark II revolvers. Many of these have been converted to .45 ACP–for use with full moon clips by milling the back of their cylinders. This ruins their collector value, but they are still very practical, and extremely fast to reload. However, they will “shoot loose”, given a diet of full power .45 ACP loads. So use custom mild handloads. (If you don’t handload personally, then specify smokeless loads that crawl out the barrel at around 725 feet per second.)

There are a few other models available, but those are the ones that you are most likely to encounter at gun shows, or offered for sale via the Internet in the US. See my Pre-1899 Cartridge Guns FAQ for details on determining if any particular gun is of pre-1899 manufacture. (My FAQ lists “cut-off” serial numbers and for the Iver Johnson revolvers, some key identifying features.)

Economics and Investing:

U.S. Is Riskier Than Euro Zone; So Says CDS Market. (A hat tip to Yishai for the link.)

GG sent this: Central Banks Stashing Away Gold at Brisk Pace.

Items from The Economatrix:

Commentary from Dan Denninger: Housing Sales: Forget It!

How the Middle Class Slowly Evaporated Over the Past 40 Years

States Look Beyond Borders to Collect Taxes Owed

Stocks Give Up Steep Gains on Renewed Greece Woes

Bernanke: Record-Low Rates Needed to Aid Economy

Watchdog Blasts Obama Loan Relief Plan

Natural Gas Prices Reach Record Low

Odds ‘n Sods:

North American Bees Are in Even More Trouble After a Bad Winter. (Thanks to Damon for the link.)

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SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us this: This Turk shows one good way of defending oneself against multiple attackers, when unarmed. “Mike’s comment: Nice movement. Keep them coming singly and hit hard, while keeping a good block up.”

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Chester wrote me about RJR’s recommendation on Gentex 1030A active hearing protectors. (“Wolf Ears”). Here is a review of several types of hearing protection that Chester found on the net.

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Damon found this at the bottom of a Google News page: For sale in Utah: “die-hard survivalist bunker”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Political tags — such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth — are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.” – Robert A. Heinlein, “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long“

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value.

Second Prize: 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 $350.

Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.

Round 27 ends on March 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.

Infant Feeding For Your Emergency Preparedness Plan, by LizzyQ

As a mother of two young children, including an infant, I have considered the possibilities of emergency preparedness when it comes to how my baby will be fed in times of emergency. I’ve decided that breastfeeding your baby from the beginning is the best and safest option for parents when planning for their emergencies based on economic cost, the quality of nutrition, and the safety of breast milk when water quality is questionable. I have experience as a breastfeeding counselor and help mothers learn and prepare for nursing their babies on a daily basis. I have made a list of how mothers can best prepare to have success with breastfeeding as a part of their family’s emergency preparedness plan. 

There are several ways moms can get a good start with learning to nurse her baby. Some of these include:

  1. Breastfeed right after birth. It is best to nurse within the first hour of birth, preferably with skin-to-skin contact. Mothers should also consider the environment they are birthing in. Is it a hospital that encourages breastfeeding? Do you have a certified nurse midwife? Is there a lactation consultant available? These are important considerations when planning a successful beginning to breastfeeding. There are many options for mothers to consider, and it’s not my place to say what is “best” but only that it does matter.
  1. Watch for baby’s signs of hunger, instead of the clock. Sometimes nurses will tell you to feed every two hours, however every baby is different and you should nurse on-demand instead of timing feedings. Two hours is a minimum amount, and most babies will want to nurse more frequently. It is also important not to let your baby sleep all the time and make sure they are nursing often. A very sleepy baby could be a sign of trouble that needs to be looked at by their doctor.
  1. Breastfeeding is “Supply and Demand” The more you nurse, the more milk you will make. Many new mothers have a hard time believing they are making enough milk because they are unable to measure it in a bottle, but the vast majority of women are capable of making plenty of milk for their babies; it is very rare for a mother to truly not be able to produce enough.
  1. Get support from your family, friends, and support groups. There are breastfeeding support groups in many communities. La Leche League is a great one, and they are all over the world. Husbands, partners and friends should know to offer support instead of telling the mother to “just give them some formula” when things get difficult. If a serious problem occurs, there are lactation consultants who can offer solutions.
  1. Don’t set yourself up to fail. New moms sometimes receive formula, bottles, pacifiers and breast pumps for baby shower gifts from well-meaning friends and family. All these things can set a mother up to fail in those harder early weeks of learning to breastfeed. An exhausted mother may see a cupboard full of formula and give in while she is tired and has sore nipples, thus setting herself up for supply issues. Because making milk is supply and demand, every ounce of formula given to a baby is telling her body to make that much less breast milk. Sooner or later there will not be enough to meet the demands of the infant and he or she would be fully formula fed (this is not always the case, but I find it happens all too often).

The major reason women stop breastfeeding, in my experience with working with new moms, is lack of information and support. It is critical that mothers receive support from their family, especially their husbands/partners, if they are to be successful. Often fathers want to feed the baby themselves and they believe that this would be helping the mother and so they can bond with their baby. This is not necessary for helping mother and bonding, and can, in fact, be harmful to the nursing relationship. It is important in the early weeks to not give a newborn baby a bottle because they can develop what is called “nipple confusion” or “nipple preference.” Rubber/artificial nipples and mother’s nipples are very different. Babies must work at getting milk from their mother, whereas with an artificial nipple the milk flows out. Some babies may prefer the milk that flows out because they don’t have to work for it, this can and does cause babies to stop nursing and only accept milk from a bottle. Parents who want their baby to be able to take a bottle and still nurse should wait 4-6 weeks before introducing a bottle or pacifier to their baby in order to avoid this.

Now that you know some ways to get a good start with breastfeeding, here are some reasons why it is important to include breastfeeding in your emergency preparedness plan for your infant.

  1. Formula is expensive, breast milk is free! In times of economic hardship breastfeeding is the very most economical way to feed an infant. Even in disaster situations where formula companies are more than willing to give free formula to babies in need, mothers will eventually find that when the formula runs out, so has their breast milk! Continuing to nurse, even with free formula around, is ensuring that your baby will have adequate nutrition as long as he or she is nursing.
  2. Breast milk provides complete nutritional needs for infants. Breast fed babies do not need anything but mother’s milk for the first six months of life. After six months solid foods can be introduced, but babies should still be getting most of their nutrition from breast milk until the first year. The World Health Organization believes that all children of the world, both in third world countries and developed countries, should be breast fed until age two and then as long as the mother and child want to continue beyond the age of two. That may sound like a long time to most Americans, but it is very normal to breastfeed past two years in many parts of the world.
  1. Breast milk is sanitary, and it provides immunities to prevent illness. In times where water supplies are scarce or contaminated, breast milk is the safest option for infant feeding. Formula needs to be mixed with clean water in sanitized bottles. If there is not enough clean water or fuel to sanitize the water, the baby may be put at risk for illness. Furthermore, breast milk contains important antibodies to keep the child as healthy as possible during these times.

It is also noteworthy that lactating mothers require slightly more calorie intake than non-lactating mothers. This is approximately 500 extra calories a day. Lactating mothers should also consider a prenatal multivitamin for the duration of breastfeeding. Therefore, it would be wise to plan food storage accordingly.

There are a couple book recommendations that pregnant and lactating mothers might want to purchase or check out from the library. My favorite “How-To” books are, “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” by La Leche League and “The Breastfeeding Book” by Martha Sears.

I hope that families who are expecting a child, either now or someday in the future, consider this article as a helpful incentive to breastfeed their babies. There are so many reasons to breastfeed and emergency preparedness is just one of the many, but should absolutely be taken into consideration when planning for your family’s needs for any potential disaster; economic, natural, or otherwise.

About the author: Lizzy is a La Leche League Leader and breastfeeding peer counselor, as well as a mother with personal breastfeeding experience. She is in the process of completing her clinical hours to become an IBCLC certified lactation consultant.

Letter Re: Concealing Gender in a G.O.O.D. Situation?

James,
As a wife and mother of a pre-teen daughter, how important is it to hide the fact that we are female in a G.O.O.D. scenario?

In considering this idea I realize that in the “flee natural disaster” situation it would be less of a concern. Perhaps it only applies to a bad TEOTWAWKI evacuation. What are your thoughts, ideas on this? When would it be necessary, how far would we need to go to disguise our female appearance, etc?

We have thought of everything from mildly sticking to athletic/hiking clothing that are form fitting but don’t show skin, to cutting our daughter’s hair before heading out and calling her by a male nickname that is close to her real name and buying all her BOB gear in masculine colors, and so forth.

We have also considered the pros and cons of letting it be known that I am a female to draw attention away from my beautiful daughter while she is “hidden”. As a mother I would suffer anything to protect my kids, especially if we were without my husband (geographically separated, killed…) We also thought we might appear more sympathetic if they can see we are just a mom and kids instead of what appears to be armed men and boys coming at them.

Please tell me if this is something our family needs to consider in our planning. Thank you, – R.

JWR Replies: The last thing that you want to become is a refugee, moving cross-country on foot. But God forbid that ever happens, then yes, it would be wise to make females look like a teenage boys. BTW, in addition to butch haircuts, some judicious use of eyebrow pencil should help.

Economics and Investing:

Damon sent this: Impasse Over Derivatives Slows Senate Banking Bill

Also from Damon: U.S. health insurers’ Credit Default Swaps widen after reform

From G.G.: Sales of New U.S. Homes Dropped in February to Lowest on Record

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks Fall After Agency Cuts Portugal’s Debt Rating

New Homes Sales Hit a Low; Durable Goods Orders Up

Oil Settles Below $81 on Jump in US Crude Supplies

US Has Lost 2.4 Million Jobs to China

The Tipping Point at Zero

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson forwarded this: Record numbers now licensed to pack heat; The “right-to-carry” movement has succeeded in boosting the number of licensed concealed-gun carriers to about 6 million. Mike’s favorite quote from the article: “Because the gun death rates parallel an overall drop in crime, Hemenway suspects that the decline ‘has nothing to do with concealed-carry laws.'” Mike’s comment: “Did a PhD actually say that?”

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Attention Coloradans: Reader P.M. in Colorado suggested a “private party” sales venue where he has both sold and purchased guns. Note that interstate sales of post-1898 guns without using an FFL is illegal, but intrastate sales between private parties are perfectly legal in most states. (Be sure to consult your state laws, first!) JWR Adds: In my experience, two other good sources for private party guns are GunsAmerica.com and GunBroker.com.

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Eric S. sent this item: Amid budget crisis, California makes parole easier – Yahoo! News. Eric commented: “24,000 prisoners released in one year due to budget cuts, not rehabilitation. and this will not affect the public’s safety?”