Letter Re: Salt Blocks and Free Firewood

Mr. Rawles:

I wanted to say what a great and informative site you have, I just recently found it, and have started reading the archives. I haven’t read much but I haven’t seen anything on putting out salt or trace mineral blocks to attract deer. I think it would be helpful to have several on hand.Ours is in the pasture behind the house and many mornings we could have shot from the deck. I think it’s a good idea to put them out now so the deer will have established a routine of visiting them.

Also concerning firewood, my husband owns a tree service, and is always looking for somewhere to dump wood. He has several people that let him dump wood that is suitable for firewood, so that all they have to do is work it up, and burn any leftover brush. It’s a blessing to both. He dumps there when he is in the area to save fuel and time, and they don’t have to search for wood. So some of your readers may want to contact a local tree service if they have an area where a dump truck won’t get stuck and will have easy access without having to wait on a gate to be unlocked.   Thanks, –   L.F.

JWR Replies: I did indeed bring up the topic of salt blocks for attracting game several months ago, but it bears repeating. In a survival situation, why “hunt” when you can have the protein come to you, and you then can pick and choose the healthiest looking critters? My advice is to buy plenty of salt blocks, including extras for barter and charity.

Odds ‘n Sods:

When on a recent trip into town, my #2 Son recently pointed out a snazzy Hummer 1 (H1) SUV that was driving alongside us. I mentioned their $80K+ price tag and their pitiful fuel mileage. I added “at least they have high ground clearance and a low center of gravity.” Always ready with his sharp wit, #2 Son replied,”Yep, low center of gravity, but a high center of poverty.”

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Russia to supply AK-47s and Mi-24 Hind-D attack helicopters to Afghanistan? I think that the Hinds might be a bad idea, they might evoke too many bad memories from the 1980s.

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 The global derivatives market blossoms to $285 Trillion dollars. Not billion, trillion. Talk about a ticking time bomb!

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. This is not to say that firearms should not be very carefully used, and that definite safety rules of precaution should not be taught and enforced. But the right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible.” –
Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D.) Minn. “Know Your Lawmakers” Guns magazine, February, 1960, p. 4.

Letter Re: Do-it-Yourself Ethanol Stills

James,
Check out this link: http://www.dogwoodenergy.com/. It’s for a company that manufactures stills for producing ethanol. Ethanol can be used for use as a diesel fuel extender. The downside is that the still must be registered with the BATFE, including the street address and the location [of the still] on the property.

As an aside on diesel fuel: I worked for an earthmoving company in Florida and they maintained diesel fuel tanks on the premises. One of the problems they had with diesel that they didn’t have with gasoline was that bacteria would grow in diesel and clog the filters. It wouldn’t grow in gasoline. Just something to be aware of. – Mark A.

JWR Replies: There is a commercially-made diesel additive called “PRI-D Diesel and Kerosene Fuel Saver.” It acts as both a fuel stabilizer and antibacterial. Diesel treated with PRI-D will store for at least five years. Both PRI-D and PRI-G (for gasoline) are available from Ready Made Resources (one of our first and most loyal advertisers), Nitro-Pak (one of our affiliate advertisers), and several other Internet vendors.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mat the Prop Wizard alerted me to an amazing on-line magazine for do-it-yourself projects, called Make Magazine. It is a fantastic resource that everyone who reads SurvivalBlog should bookmark. For example, one recent story was on how to inexpensively convert any digital camera into an infrared night camera.

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The U.S. National Weather Service Hurricane Center predicts a more severe hurricane season in the Atlantic and Caribbean this year than last year. They predict 8-to-10 named hurricanes, with 4-to-6 of them major, just part of a 10 year crescendo in hurricane activity. Oh boy…

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The market conditions are said to be in an “eerily similar” to those that precipitated the “Black Monday” October 1987 stock market 508 point one-day drop.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth. Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if nothing had happened." -Winston Churchill, 1874-1965

Poll Results: The Best Jobs for a Deep Recession or Economic Depression?

Here the reader responses that we have received thusfar on our poll: “The Best Jobs for a Deep Recession or Economic Depression”:

“Tenured college or university professor.”

“Locksmith. When the economy is good people need to protect their new ‘stuff’ and when the economy is bad people need to protect their old ‘stuff’. Crime does pay if you ar a locksmith. For twenty three years through good economic times and bad I always had work.”

“I suggest public accounting. Why? The flurry of bankruptcies that will ensue. Bankruptcy work is very profitable for accountants. Also, if the last depression was any clue, there will likely be a whole new pile of legislation enacted to “Deal” with the depression (pun intended). And hey, accounting is already a lucrative profession because of the Sarbanes Oxley Act. Yes, yes, I know welding is a useful skill, and it would be great to be a self sufficient organic farmer, but in a depression, as the poll describes, companies will still be running, they’ll just be doing very badly and somebody will have to count the beans. Somebody will ALWAYS be counting the beans.”

“I’d vote for what I do right now – professional handyman, but my emphasis is on “can do” work – I don’t do kits. I fix things, and make sure they stay fixed.
Others:
Midwife.
Folk musician.
Any kind of mechanic – automotive, Diesel, electronics, machinist, Babbitt bearing specialist, etc, but they have to concentrate on how to do true repairs, not just how to install a kit.
Tinkerers that can build things from junk – tractors, farm equipment, rolling gates, fencing, tools, etc.
Blacksmiths and metalsmiths.
Knifemakers and tool makers.
BioDiesel specialist – vehicle modifications, fuel production ( a sideline business I’m looking at right now)
Any of the construction trades
Farrier
Large animal veterinarian
Low tech chemistry specialist
Pest control specialist
Septic system specialist
Various forms of security consultants/contractors
Butcher
Baker
Mist specialist 🙂 [JWR Adds: Actually that last one, given in jest, is a good idea. There will always be a need for someone to pump septic tanks.]”

“Well, if one can stand feeling like a vulture, auctioneers do very well during economic downturns. Let’s face it, if someone can’t pay their bills, their stuff is going on the auction block. With tougher bankruptcy laws, I can only imagine it would make things better for that occupation. Also a good occupation during a downturn would be furniture movers. In good times, people are moving up. In bad times, people are: moving down, being put out on the street or going where the jobs are. The more dislocation a downturn causes, the more people will have to move around.”

“There are probably others but here are a few:
Health Care Specialty/Field; Nurse, Doctor, Pharmacist
Government (Essential Services): Law Enforcement, Firemen, Teachers (K-12), Military
Utilities (Essential Services): People that keep the electric, and gas lines working…”

“ANY GOVERNMENT JOB
Upper Corporate Management
Doctor, Nurse, and health care field
Undertaker
Wal-Mart employee”

Letter Re: Request for Advice on Dog Breeds

James:
We want to buy a puppy, partly for our daughter, and partly for the whole family. Is it possible for a single breed of dog to be in charge of watching the house and herding our sheep (we’ve had 4H sheep in the past, and I plan to build up a flock of about 20 on our 17 acres), and perhaps even doing some pointing/retrieving? (I hunt pheasants, quail, and sometimes grouse.) Or am I expecting too much from just one dog? Am I dreaming? – L.P. in Utah

JWR Replies: There are a few breeds that are quite versatile. But herding and hunting are probably mutually exclusive. Don’t laugh, but the breed that I recommend for your family’s situation is a Standard Poodle. This breed is very intelligent and can be trained to do just about anything except pull heavy loads. They were originally bred for hunting. If you give them an even trim, they don’t even look like a poodle, so they aren’t recognized as such by most folks. Another very versatile breed to consider is the Airedale Terrier–the largest of the Terrier family. Both breeds are highly intelligent. The Airedale is more stubborn though. It is a better dog for an assertive family. Regardless of your eventual choice of breeds, buy only from a reputable breeders–preferably from proven hunting lines, and be sure to get a health guarantee.

BTW, intelligent breeds are a mixed blessing. Intelligent breeds tend to be problem solvers. They excel in solving problems such as: “My master has gone somewhere. How can I escape from this yard?”

Plan on investing a lot of time in bonding with your puppy, and thoroughly training it. Get the best references available, and if possible enroll in an obedience course. Both you and your dog will learn a lot.

Confessions of a Knifeaholic

A gentleman from Colorado named Leonard recently mailed me a couple of new-in-box of AXIS lock Benchmade pocketknives (Model 940s with green panels), to help raise cash for SurvivalBlog. That was very kind and generous of him. I was tempted to keep one of them for my collection, but The Memsahib insisted that I list both of them in my mail order catalog. She told me that I have too many knives. She didn’t go so far as calling me a knifeaholic, but I must admit that its true. I do have a lot of knives–folders, skinners, fighters, and kitchen cutlery. Not to mention bayonets. I have momentary lapses–mainly at gun shows–where I buy an extra knife (or two), justifying the purchase because of our kids. I can safely assume that they’ll each need a set of useful knives when they go off to college and start families of their own. As it stands now, they’ll each be very well equipped. Let’s see: I’ve set aside for each of them a Swiss Army knife, a Andy Sarcinella skinner, a Leatherman, an L1A1 bayonet, and a Glock field knife, and… Uh oh. I guess that I’d better not enumerate the full list, or else The Memsahib might get in one of those dreaded pouty moods. This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it is no fun, believe you me.

My idea of fun is scanning through the knife sections at web sites like Tabletools.com and Cheaper Than Dirt. How can I help myself? Like an alcoholic, a knifeaholic tends to rationalize. And those rationalizations make lot of sense. (At least to me.) Why leave my money in U.S. dollars which are gradually being inflated away, when instead I could could put it in tangible, practical, stainless steel? Why not have a Leatherman in each vehicle–just in case? There I go again. I’m so horribly warped that even as I’m writing this, buying just one more knife is starting to sound like a good idea. Oooohhh! I just stumbled across my bookmark for US Cavalry Store. Now, after spending a few therapeutic minutes at that site, I ‘ve changed my mind. I don’t have a problem at all.

Letter Re: Kerosene Lanterns

Sir:

I have owned and used Dietz and other lanterns and lamps for many years. I enjoyed reading about others care and use of these lanterns. I thought I would let you know what I burn in them. I have found that I prefer to use the High Grade 1-K [water clear] Kerosene that is available in one gallon cans at places like Ace Hardware and Lowe’s. In all my lamps and lanterns it burns without noticeable odor. This is not to be confused with the K-1 Kerosene that you get at the gas station (I burn that in my kerosene heater and Aladdin lamp.)
W.T. Kirkman at www.lanternnet.com has been a good source for me over the years. They have many spare parts and things you would need to keep these lanterns operational. I bought a roll of 7/8ths-inch [width] x 33 foot long wick for about $20 from them years ago and never expect to use it all up even with the 12 or so lanterns I have around here. Thanks for putting you informative blog together! – S.C.

JWR adds: Every family should have an assortment of kerosene lamps and lanterns. For nighttime trips to the barn or woodshed, nothing beats the durability of a trusty old Dietz lantern. But indoors, for reading and other tasks that require bright light, we use Aladdin mantle lamps. (Although some of my readers swear by the Petromax, to fill the same role.) There are a variety of kerosene lamps sold by Ready Made Resources (one of our first and most loyal advertisers), as well as Lehman’s and Nitro-Pak (both affiliate advertisers), and several other Internet vendors. Be sure to stock up on plenty of fuel, as well as spare wicking, mantles and chimneys/globes. Traditional wick lamps and lanterns are a no-brainer (aside from wick trimming), but mantle lamps require a bit of experimentation and practice. Become accustomed to using your kerosene lamps and lanterns now, rather than unpacking them for the first time after the power goes out.

Letter Re: Patriots, New Zealand, and L1A1s

Dear Mr Rawles,
I recently bought and read your book, “Patriots, Surviving the Coming Collapse.” Can I say congratulations on penning such a great read, great story and heaps of useful info. I have read it twice and my wife has just finished it, she loved it too.

We live in the lower part of the south island of New Zealand, in the countryside about 30 km from the nearest town, reading your book has inspired us to make ourselves more self sufficient, thank you.

As an interesting point, I read an article written by you regarding the L1A1 Rifle, we call them SLRs (Self Loading Rifle). They were used by the New Zealand Army for many years and when the Army adopted the Steyr [AUG] they all went to civilian auction, Myself and a few friends grabbed 10 of them, they are still very common around here, a great rifle as far as I am concerned. The L1A1s here are all Lithgow models, most still in pretty good condition. Anyway thanks for a great book, it will no doubt be read many more times yet. Kind regards, – S.K.