Recipe of the Week: Smothered Chicken

The following recipe for smothered chicken is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924.

Ingredients
  • 2 small chickens or 1 large one
  • 2 or more tablespoons butter or butter substitute
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Flour
Directions

This is one of the most delicious ways of cooking chicken. – Take off the neck and split the chicken down the back, wiping it with a damp towel. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, and dredge on all sides with flour.  Lay the chicken, with the inside down, in a small baking-tin. and add a very little water. The pan should be very little larger than the chicken(s), otherwise the gravy will be too quickly evaporates. Cook slowly for one hour, basting every ten minutes alter the first twenty minutes, or cook in a covered baking-pan.

Should the chicken be decidedly lacking in fat, add butter or butter substitute. There will be plenty of gravy in the pan with which, to baste if the pan is small.

When done, place the chicken on a hot platter, add enough water to make two cups gravy and thicken with two teaspoons flour. Should the chicken be quite fat, remove all but two teaspoons of the oil from the pan before making the gravy. Season with sait and pepper, pour it over the chicken and serve at once. Any small birds may be dressed in this way with the most satisfactory results. The secret of success in this kind of roasting lies in very frequent basting and in not having too hot an oven.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at how and where to find affordable land. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Why Copper Will Help Define Silver Supply Through at Least 2030.

o  o  o

Gold, Silver And Basel Three: A Glimpse Of The Future.

Economy & Finance:

Video: The Fed Just Lit the Fuse for a Liquidity Crisis.

o  o  o

Goldman: Here’s Why The Shorts Will Have To Cover This Week.

o  o  o

Senate Democrats Plan Nearly $4 Trillion Reconciliation Package as Far-Left Condemns Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Container Freight Rates Spike to New Extremes, up 500% for Asia-US, Asia-EU since Early 2020. Worse Still Ahead.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The modern ‘presidency’ is in fact a kind of disingenuous autocracy, in some cases (as in ours) episodically elected.

Whoever holds the office wields the power of a premier or general secretary. He – or she – issues ‘executive orders,’ another form of linguistic legerdemain meant to flim-flam the minds of the not-very-thoughtful by giving decrees the imprimatur of “democratic” legitimacy.

The general secretary/premier-president makes vast pronouncements about the ‘leadership’ he will provide; about the ‘policies’ he will pursue. Makes promises – and issues threats – like a Third World el presidente. All that’s missing are the sashes, medals and epaulettes.” – Eric Peters

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 11, 2021

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father– John Adams– the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 95 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Preparedness and Homesteading as a Middle-Aged Woman, by P.B.

This is what I know, but I am no expert.  This is what I do and I am sometimes successful….most times half successful. I know about preparing for emergencies and learning to homestead.  I live a small homesteading life with my husband of almost 27 years while working a full-time medical job and caring for my sister who is wheelchair-bound and completely dependent.  We raise turkeys for meat as well as meat and laying chickens.

I was inspired back in the 1970s by the television show The Waltons.  Living a simpler, self-sufficient life seemed the best.  Surrounded by a large family seemed like the only life to live.  Sadly, it was only my sister and I.  And later, it turned out that my husband and I couldn’t have children.  But I always wanted to be independent and self-sufficient and this has been the underlying motivation to my life.  Later, I read books by a Virginia farmer that inspired, motivated, instructed, and opened doors to my mind. This allowed me to move forward and choose a different life than just as a suburban wife and employee.

We started with a garden out west before we moved to a rural eastern location.  Gardening out west is fraught with serious challenges of water and hail.  While it was fulfilling to a certain extent, having a garden in a suburban tract is only a tease and considering water costs, extremely expensive.  You don’t have enough space to grow enough food for a year.  Nor can you raise livestock-neighbors don’t want to hear animals doing their thing.Continue reading“Preparedness and Homesteading as a Middle-Aged Woman, by P.B.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,

Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” – Romans 11: 1-27 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 10, 2021

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophies”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a parallel universe story called Random Quest.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 95 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Considering Drones – Part 2, by Oregon Bill

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Cows and other livestock seem to ignore the drones. Horses may look up and if they are skittish, they will move away a bit, but most seem indifferent. Cows are cows and have looked up when the drone is within 10 feet of them, but even the threat of landing on the cows back didn’t phase a couple of them. Without an attachment of some sort cows can’t be bothered. My drones have proven very valuable to help find lost cattle on lease land. Several times I’ve been able to locate missing cows after the roundup, which has saved several days on horseback trying to “bird dog” the missing cows. I spotted the animals from 800 feet up, snapped a picture of the draw, emailed it to the hands, and they recovered the animals. Finding 12 missing animals that easy is a big help and makes you friends.

Chickens, ducks, and other fowl absolutely hate the drones and will scatter for cover when it is within 100 yards. Seagulls are wary and I worry more about accidental strikes than attacks from seagulls. Eagles however will attack! Flying along rimrock north of Yellowstone Park (not in the Park of course) my drone suddenly started tumbling from the sky! I was 750 feet up and 100 feet from anything but thought I’d hit a tree or something. The drone was over 1.3 miles away and fortunately it caught itself, stabilized after dropping 250 feet, and continued the flight as if nothing had happened. Later that day we reviewed the video feed frame-by-frame and saw a talon and tailfeathers. Next frame showed a wing, and the third frame held an angry head and beak of a Golden Eagle! The only damage to the drone was the smallest of chips in the Phantom’s blade, though about a year later that same motor started acting up a few times. Then, on a flight along a ridge in Idaho’s panhandle that same motor quit altogether, and the Phantom tumbled 800 feet from the sky to leave a debris radius of 30 feet! I believe the eagle got its quarry in the end. To deter this, I’ve added vinyl decals to the back of my drones – eyeballs looking back on a potential attacker – and no further eagle attacks so far.

I can conclusively state that Whales are unimpressed and unaffected by drones. While fishing and boating about Alaska we spotted whales tailing. There are laws about how close a boat can come to whales and with a drone I was able to get right above them. It made an incredible encounter even better! After the whales dove out of view, I discovered a nearby, sleeping whale. Here’s the video. We never would have enjoyed the encounter without the drone.

Seals and sea lions only take notice if the drone is within 10-15 feet, so they are not effective for moving or chasing these animals away. On the beach, boat docks, floating on open water, or even eating a 3-foot-long sturgeon, they never seemed to take notice. I believe these water mammals have no natural predators in the air and therefore don’t care.

Some video clips of my wildlife encounters may be found on YouTube, along with videos from others.

Downing Drones?

Whenever the topic of drones come up, inevitably someone will offer their threat of shooting down any drone that comes near them. Ha! Easier said than done! My sons and I wagered a bet, so I tied 20 feet of survey twine to the bottom of my Phantom, and then 10 feet of wire with a 1-ounce lead weight and normal, inflated “party” balloon. The balloon was about the size of my drone, and the wager was the boys couldn’t shoot the balloon (NOT THE DRONE!) before, during, or after I would fly the drone close enough to read the truck’s license plate. The Phantom’s top speed is about 24 MPH and I had to be extra careful (and slow) flying it with all that string and balloon but was still able to see what I needed from ~100 yards out. Well out-of-range of a shotgun and way too small of a moving target for any semi-auto rifle. It was a lot of fun, and well worth the exercise! They tried a 12 gauge, a 22 rimfire, and an AR “sport” rifle to no effect. I think we all gained a greater appreciation (and apprehension) for dealing with airborne drones. Here’s video of what the balloon target looked like (just a test video).

Retreat Security Uses

As mentioned, for scouting or patrolling you can’t beat a drone. They are noisy when within 2-300 yards, but higher up you will have difficulty hearing or spotting them, whereas they can spot a man-sized object fairly easily. Lots of camera features help highlight different colors, lighting, etc. And with a thermal camera the locating capability is scary. We tried different materials like cheap mylar space blankets, heavy quilts, canvas, and Tyvek. A combination “bedroll” of canvas with a laminated space blanket and Tyvek layer we use for winter camping did the best to hide our thermal profile. Even then, within 50 yards you can see residue heat signatures, even handprints. So useful! I’m hoping to use the thermal to help track down cows in the future because even in the trees at 300 yards it is “clear as the sun, fair as the moon”.

One unexpected use for my drones have been on the shooting range – especially long-distance ranges, to give an accurate distance and visual on the target. To fly out and hover over the target gives detailed distance and helps us see the strikes on distances beyond 700 yards. Here’s an example image:

 

 

Cost and real-time use of the thermal camera are the biggest hurdles to personal usage. $3K is prohibitive for most people and makes me very hesitant to fly the drone as I normally would. I have explored using less expensive thermal options – a cellphone with Seek Thermal camera attached to the drone. There are some experimental videos of how I attached the phone to the Phantom and how well it spotted the neighbor’s horses from 200 and 300 yards up. Total cost is less than $300 which is impressive for what it can do, but it isn’t a very good option. I had made a bracket to hold the phone where the drone’s camera could look into the screen and see the phone’s thermal image in real-time, but vibration of the drone and glare on the screen were difficult. The horses, even in the pole-barn were visible and recognizable though, so even with its limitations spotting people or livestock in the woods of your property are compelling.

Custom 3D-Printed Drone Parts

I mentioned using FreeCAD and 3D Printing to make custom drone parts, and this is a great option for anyone interested. Thingiverse.com has free downloadable features for most drones you can download and print for yourself. FreeCAD lets me import someone else’s design and customize it further for my Phantom or Mavic. Both drones take attachments well, but the Phantom can carry about 3x more than the Mavic and has a larger and easier attachment area.

Every time I fly around the lake to see what and where others are fishing results in people doing obscene gestures and throwing things at the drone! I understand and try to be courteous and I don’t take offense at this. I did create an attachment for my Drones that snaps onto the drone’s camera itself with one or two laser diodes I can remotely turn on and off. This makes our encounters much more fun! I’ve only used the lasers with friends, and you can imagine the reaction when the drone you’ve been chucking lead at flashes lasers at your boat. Here’s an example.

Let’s Go Fishin’

Another attachment available to purchase that I’ve also experimented with is a “dropper” for helping cast fishing weights farther out into the lake. The attachment lets me hook the lead weight to the drone, fly the drone out over the lake with the bail on my fishing reel open to let out line, and then the dropper releases the weight into the lake much farther out than I could cast. Lots of great examples of this on YouTube. My Mavics can only carry about 10 ounces effectively but the Phantom has carried up to 2 pounds! Not far or fast, but that is still impressive weight for a camera drone. More industrial drones are built for much more weight and performance. Something to consider and many other uses you might think of for delivering payloads. There is a reason UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and other carriers are eagerly pursuing drone deliveries.

With all the various experiences you might have with drones, frequent usage is the best teacher on how to utilize and guard against drones. Electromagnetic deterrents are not very useful, reliable, or deployable. A Shotgun with buckshot is the best mechanical deterrent, but only at close, impractical ranges. The best deterrent is your environment. Tall trees, windy ridges, foggy valleys, and a powerful (1 Watt or greater) laser pointer are the best tools I’ve found. The Laser pointer is difficult to use precisely, but when I mounted it to a cheap rifle scope it became more effective. Low-light conditions for practice are helpful. The only other useful observation I can offer is that some house phones that use 2.4Ghz have sometimes caused significant interference with the DJI drones I’ve used. Also, when flying around industrial areas and Coast Guard ports it can get very tricky to fly a drone because of all the radio interference. These aren’t a very helpful set of defenses, but that is why drones are so useful.

I don’t mean to alarm or worry anyone or add to the stress and anxiousness we all feel with conditions in our world today. The fun and capability of these available, inexpensive drones is impressive and adds much to what you might do and enjoy in all that you are doing. Worth considering and checking out.

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week was dominated by hay hauling. Picking up traditional bales of grass hay directly in the field, we averaged 3 tons per day. That may not sound like much, but we had a long distance to traverse, each day.  We started out with 4 tons in the barn left over from last year.  So we’ll need to gather 12 to 14 more tons this month, to ready ourselves for winter.  Fun in the sun, and some great exercise…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.

Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.”  – Leviticus 19:9-19 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 9, 2021

On July 9th, 1755: Battle of the Wilderness — also known as the Battle of The Monongahela.

July 9, 1956 was the birthday of actor/director/producer Tom Hanks.

—

Note: The second batch of the 2005-2020 SurvivalBlog Archive waterproof USB sticks are selling out rapidly.  We are now down to just 35 of the standard USB sticks, and 45 of the special 15th Anniversary Edition sticks that come with a key chain and a specially-labeled keepsake tin.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  6. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 95 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Considering Drones – Part 1, by Oregon Bill

Love them or hate them, remote controlled flying devices are everywhere and offer “game-changer” capabilities everyone should consider for their personal protection and toolset. Commonly referred to as “drones” I’d like to offer some personal experiences and learnings both in using and trying to deter them from use around me and my property. Specifically, I will discuss any remotely-controlled flying device including quadcopters, helicopters, or airplanes piloted by a remote operator and how they can aid in personal or property protection or pose a real threat. I’m not going to get into military tools but will focus on devices easily available to private citizens to use.

There is a huge variety of drones available in the United States and a growing complexity of laws governing and restricting their use – each State as well as the Feds have serious restrictions for legal use and licensing of drones now so know the laws that apply to you! The ‘golden age’ of drone flying passed years ago with teh end of unrestricted flying and usage. I will also note many (but not all) Western States prohibit the use of drones for hunting, fishing, and trapping. I’m not going to get into all the details but by knowing what you can and can’t do you can safely explore your options. In all of the examples and personal experience I’ll be sharing I was flying within all current laws for the States I was in at the time.

Two types of drones I will touch on include sport/stunt (“sporties”) drones and “camera” drones, both of which are flown by visual sight of the operator. Sporties are fast, nimble, and maneuverable for stunts, racing, etc. but are typically shorter range for control (less than a quarter mile). An example I’ve used is the Eachine E013 with goggles. Camera drones are usually slower but with greater range, carrying capability, and high-resolution cameras of up to 4K quality. DJI is the Chinese company that makes the Phantom and Mavic series of drones that I’ve used and will talk about, specifically the Phantom 3 (Professional), Mavic Pro, and Mavic 2 (Enterprise Advanced). All of these have competitors with as good or better capabilities.

Capabilities

Drones are fast and small – up to 40 miles per hour and smaller than a mylar balloon. With a 4K video camera I can read a truck’s license plate from 400 yards away, but not in real-time. I’ve been able to routinely fly the Phantom 1.5 miles away and Mavic drones up to 4.5 miles away before losing visual control of the drone, and some models are rated for more than that. Flight durations depend on each battery but are typically 20-25 minutes long. Inexpensive signal boosters have added another half-mile to these flight ranges.

These drones can hover in place when not in control, and all of them have advanced features such as gesture recognition and object following that can be a real advantage. Very quickly I can tell the camera drones to follow a specific object on the camera – a car, deer-size animal, or person and the drone will fly itself in parallel or circling that object until I retake control. This is a fun “selfie” option if you are watching yourself but a great feature to keep a subject in view while freeing the pilot up to focus and do other things.

My drones are older models of what DJI currently offers that give great advantages – lower cost, lots of after-market features, and other software capabilities. Older DJI drones are commonly available on craigslist or resale websites. I’ve found them for $2-400 dollars for the Phantom and less than $500 for Mavics, much less than an entry-level, “sport” rifle nowadays. Finding a decently priced, used model is the way to go if it is in good shape – don’t ever buy one that shows evidence of a crash. You can buy them new, but I’ve found I fly a drone much more and try new things when I’m less afraid of crashing or damaging the drone.

After-market features include attachments to the drones that let it carry a payload and drop it remotely; play audio on a loudspeaker; strobe and spotlights; and even remote on/off lasers. Software is available for these drones that will let you pre-program a flight path, upload that path into the drone, and it will fly itself on the route you gave it (even farther out than you could remotely control it) and return with the pictures and video you sent it to retrieve.

The Pray Button

My favorite capability of the DJI is the ‘return to home’ button. So many times, I’ve lost visual control of the drone because of distance, interference, or whatever and pushed the “pray button”. The button commands the drone to immediately return to the place it started from. I push the button and then all I can do is pray the drone comes back. Prayer is always more powerful than technology. Whether it is prayer or technology, within a few minutes the drone has always returned!

Other great options with drones would include your own “add-on” features. I have several 3D printers and with free CAD software (I prefer FreeCAD) it has been an awesome learning experience to design and build my own drone features! I like FreeCAD because of the price and all the YouTube tutorials. With some encouragement and hard work (i.e. study, trial, and effort) I think any person could really have a great time and come up with fun options. I’ll talk more about this later.

Finally, the last capability I’d touch on is Infrared viewing. The DJI Mavic 2 Ent has a thermal camera built-in so the pilot can switch between video control and thermal imaging. Built for search-n-rescue, the thermal capabilities are a real game-changer, to let you find or see persons, wildlife, etc. in the woods of your private property. I think this option is huge for private usage, but it is more expensive ($2,000-$3,000 USD). Infrared light is visible to any digital camera, including all of those used by drones. When flying at night I often turn on an IR strobe at my location to help me find my way home (there is always the “pray” button, too). I’ve been able to watch friends with IR spotlights and active night vision with the drone, too. A drone is an awesome observation platform!

My list and examples are not exhaustive- some fun research and reading on the internet will help you explore and really understand what these drones are capable of, and how they might help you on your ranch, hike, campout, etc.

Observations

I’d like to share a few observations and experiences I’ve had with drones over the years. Again, all existing laws were observed at the time, all drones registered with the FAA, and permission to fly over any private property. Whether you like or condone it or not, take it for what it’s worth.

I love taking my drone along on hikes and campouts. I love being able to quickly fly up to cliffs and caves in the mountains to see if they are worth snooping around in before embarking on the 45 minute hike to get up there, only to find the cave wasn’t as cool as it looked from below. Here’s an example. I flew my drone several times to check coyote and bobcat trap sets along rocky ledges and open plains to look for caught animals. These trap checks took minutes instead of hours and saved both time and sweat while leaving no scent to spook the quarry. This isn’t an option anymore in many Western States, but if it is an option in your state, then check it out!

For hiking and camping I love taking my Mavics. They are small, very portable, and quick to deploy. They aren’t as powerful as the Phantoms and can’t carry as much payload, but the Mavics fly faster and farther with more features. It is especially nice flying ahead along a mountain river to scout good fishing holes or river crossings. Several times I’ve found better spots by scouting ahead.

While out in the woods, I LOVE spotting wildlife with the drone. Interesting how each species reacts to the sound and proximity of the drone. Deer and elk bug out ASAP when they hear the drone. I’ve had no luck trying to stop or herd the deer in their flight away – and they can hear the drone from far enough away they know where it originated. They can’t outrun the drones – so I get to watch and record them better than when I’m on foot and that is another great plus. My drones have been valuable in chasing deer and elk out of grain and hay fields, and for patrolling haystacks in the winter.

Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain Goats, however, seem ambivalent to the drone – they freeze still and watch it if they take notice at all. Maybe it is because of their visual nature of relying on eyesight for predators instead of hearing or smell? Whatever the reason, it is harder to spot a goat or sheep with the drone simply because they don’t run. I’ve gotten quite close to all three species and observed the same responses – they keep feeding or might look and watch the drone but don’t seem too concerned with the noise in the sky.

Predators spook easily with the drone. Grizzly bears hear it and immediately move off. They will change direction and seem to be “herd-able” with the drone for great benefit. I’ve never wanted to herd a bear back to me and they push away with the drone very well. Push a Grizzly bear away from cows and you’ve made a rancher a friend for life! (They are great friends to have). I’ve never flown around an un-trapped coyote before but every time I fly a DJI drone and there are coyotes around, they become very vocal. In the deep woods of Oregon, open draws of Wyoming, and mixed sage land of Idaho they all start calling and always with longer howls – what I’d call “locationing” calls. Most dogs will get curious, and if it is a barking dog it will bark at the drone. Can’t say definitively what a wolf would do but some howls I’ve heard in Idaho sounded more like a wolf. More data is needed here…

(To be concluded tomorrow, in Part 2.)

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the strong demand for RVs. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Thai central bank leads pack, buying 90 tonnes of gold over April and May.

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Gold & Basel III’s Trillion-Dollar Question.

Economy & Finance:

Reader H.L. sent us this: David Stockman on the Fed’s Socialist Monetary Policies and What Comes Next.

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Hacking Attack Likely Hit Thousands of New Targets. An excerpt:

“The ransomware group that collected an $11 million payment from meat producer JBS SA about a month ago has begun a widespread attack that has likely infected hundreds of organizations world-wide and tens of thousands of computers, according to cybersecurity experts.

The group, known as REvil, has focused its attack on Kaseya VSA, software used by large companies and technology-service providers to manage and distribute software updates to systems on computer networks, according to security researchers and VSA’s maker, Kaseya Ltd.”

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South China Port Congestion Worsens As Traffic Jam Of Container Ships Builds.

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Amazon Is Now Mostly All Made-In-China.

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Majority of Young Adults now Live at Home: The Millennial and Gen Z Housing Crisis Highlights a Growing Wealth Divide.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”