Even a casual reader of SurvivalBlog over the last several years has seen a number of excellent articles on deer hunting. While deer can be a valuable supplement to food storage in more or less normal times, most of these articles have made commonsense arguments that it would be a serious mistake to plan on venison as a staple in a true TEOTWAWKI event. There are some rural parts of the Redoubt where deer may continue to be abundant at least for some time, but in the more populous Midwestern farming states, along the East Coast, and in the South, venison on the hoof will quickly become wary and scarce under the severe hunting pressure likely to occur in a long-term disaster scenario.
Nonetheless, getting a deer license and putting together a well-planned hunt does make a lot of sense in these tough times, especially if you resolve to use your intended defense rifle as your hunting weapon.
Did you have a large enough supply of ammo that you were able to maintain or even increase your handgun and rifle practice in the last 18 months? Lockdowns, social distancing, and other mandates may have kept you from even going to your local gun range. In short, you and your preps might benefit from having a focused task that serves multiple purposes. One good solution: Take your AR-15 deer hunting!
Never blessed with great self-discipline, I usually accomplish more if I have a clear end-goal and work steadily toward it. For example, I can fully appreciate the wisdom in assembling a bug out bag and keeping my BOB near the door or in my truck. In practice, I have settled for keeping some things in my truck and adding really useful survival items to my basement storage area where I could assemble a reasonably good BOB in a short time. Taking my BOB to the field several weekends each year would have been better and would test whether I had assembled the right gear. But, nope. However, much of the gear I will need to put together for my hunt are the same items that should be in my BOB. I am resolved to keep them all together except for the clothing which is seasonally driven.Continue reading“Your AR-15 For Hunting Deer, by Behind The Counter”