Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 18, 2021

August 18th is the birthday of Meriwether Lewis, an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator that is best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

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The deadline to submit comments on the ATF’s proposed receiver reclassification rule is tomorrow, August 19th, 2021. Please leave your polite comment, ASAP. Note: When you write your comment, include “Federal Register Number 2021-10058.” Without that, your comment will not count.

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Just two days left!  We are nearing the end of a two-week sale at Elk Creek Company,  In honor of gun designer James Paris Lee’s birthday. I’ve set sales prices with discounts from 5% to 25% on nearly all of our inventory. With the recent drop in the spot price of silver on the COMEX, this is an advantageous time to make your purchases in FRNs.  (We’ve temporarily dropped our FRN to silver multiplier to just 20-to-1.) Get your order in soon. Please note that we no longer take credit card payments, but we do take pre-1965 U.S. silver coins or inflated FRNs in the form of cash, checks, or money orders. (At our store, you may toggle between silver and FRN pricing.) This sale will end on the evening of Friday, August 20, 2021.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 96 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. 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.
  5. 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!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

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Round 96 ends on September 30th, 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.

 

Shooting Drills for WTSHTF – Part 1, by T.Z.

Shooting requires constant, realistic practice to hone and maintain your skills with a weapon. This is especially true when preparing for the possibility of human beings attacking you or your family. Many people shoot for target practice or hunting, but they do not train for hostile encounters. Training with firearms for prepping must be intentional and planned, not merely a recreational activity. In this article I will show how to train for hostile encounters, including drills you can do with or without ammunition.

Given the enormous breadth of this subject, I will be limiting the scope of this article to range shooting drills with semiautomatic rifles. This will be divided into four sections: pre-fire, basic, intermediate, advanced, and expert shooting drills. It will begin with very common and simple – yet essential – exercises, and progress into more advanced drills meant to train your brain, eyes, and weapon to work together in order to successfully engage multiple targets under realistic and complex situations.

This article would be amiss if I did not discuss weapons safety. I implore the reader to always be careful around firearms, and to communicate and enforce the rules of weapons safety with each and every person he or she brings to the range. These five are especially important:

1. Always treat all weapons as if they are loaded.
2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Keep the weapon on “safe” until you intend to fire.
5. Always be aware of what is in front of, to the side of, and behind your target

Firearms are designed to kill, and there is not any margin for error when lives are
involved. Ensure that a range master is assigned and present, that each person understands the rules, and do not allow anyone to progress in training faster than he or she is ready. A range is not the place to have an ego.

After each person understands weapons safety, you can move on to the fundamentals of marksmanship. For anyone to become proficient and effective as a shooter, he or she must become an expert of these basic fundamentals:

1. Firing position
2. Sight picture
3. Breathing
4. Trigger squeeze

The three main firing positions are prone, kneeling, and standing. There are some differences while moving or firing behind a barrier, but they are very small. I will discuss each firing position in detail later in the article.

Sight picture is often misunderstood, yet it is essential to achieving a consistent shot group. In order to gain a proper sight picture, you will need to understand how to see, and what to look at, while shooting. ‘How to see’ refers to the shooter looking at the same part of the optic, from the same angle, every time. This is best achieved by placing your cheek on the same part of the buttstock every time. Some people place their nose on a certain part of the charging handle; others like to place the upper part of their cheekbones on a certain ridge on the stock; no matter which way you choose to position yourself with the weapon, just make sure it is consistent. Then you will consistently be looking at the optic from the same angle, achieving a good sight picture.

The aforementioned point of ‘what to look at’ refers to the shooter looking at the target, rather than the sight or scope. Too often, people look at the crosshairs or red dot, losing focus on the point they are aiming at. Shooters should instead focus on the target. Focus on the point you are aiming at, then meet the crosshairs or red dot to that point. You will be able to consistently aim at smaller points on the target, causing tighter shot groups. This is especially important when engaging multiple targets, as this allows you to transition between them with more speed and accuracy.Continue reading“Shooting Drills for WTSHTF – Part 1, by T.Z.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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A video interview and tour with the late, great Mike Oehler: Idaho modern oldtimer builds underground & solar $50 houses. He passed away on February 2, 2016, at age 78.

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Reader J.A. wrote:

“Regarding the article “Winning The War On Weeds – Part 1, by St. Funogas” where St. Funogas uses/suggests using carpet, blankets and especially second-hand carpet/blankets in gardens — I do not recommend this mainly for two reasons (1) leeching of chemicals from the items into the garden soil/water and (2) you do not know what the second-hand items were used for or what was spilled on them, thus leeching into the garden soil/water. Leeched chemicals will be absorbed by plants. The very thing being grown to be consumed.”

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A dose of climate change truth, from Australia:  Outsiders Weather and Ice Age Watch: ‘The Sun runs on 11-year cycles’.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence–on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.

Its preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a war-time discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.” – President John F. Kennedy, from an address to the American Newspaper Publishers Association at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, April 27, 1961

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 17, 2021

While salmon fishing near the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory on August 17th, 1896, George Carmack reportedly spotted nuggets of gold in a creek bed. His lucky discovery sparked the last great gold rush in the American West. His two companions later agreed that Skookum, Jim–Carmack’s brother-in-law–actually made the discovery.

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Today we present a guest article. Unfortunately, it was too short to qualify as an entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. By the way, Round 96 ends on September 30th, 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.

The Hi Point 4595 Carbine, by Rick C.

I am a firm believer that two is one and one is none. I had been looking for another .45 ACP to compliment my Rock River 1911 which, aside, I am very pleased with. At one time I had a Glock 36 that I sold when I needed some money, or thought I did, and I still have the holster. Can’t let that go to waste, right? However, I began to think of a pistol-caliber carbine. I, and many others, believe it is a good idea to have a handgun and a rifle in the same chambering. This point of view dates to the old west where it was very desirable to have a handgun and rifle that fired the same cartridge. There are not many carbines or rifles chambered in .45 ACP, and some of them are very expensive. Like almost everyone else on SurvivalBlog, I want to make my gun and ammunition budget go as far as possible.

Looking around on the internet I read good things about the Hi Point 4595, reasonably priced, good customer service, lifetime warranty to not only first but subsequent owners and most of all reliable. Some years ago I owned an early Hi Point 995 in 9mm, liked it even though it’s appearance was kind of out there, it was sometimes referred to as the Planet of the Apes gun, and I knew the positive things I’ve heard about Hi Point are true.

Now, I cannot say the 4595 is the most beautiful firearm in the safe, and I’m kind of a traditional sort of guy, but the good things about the 4595 outweigh its somewhat radical appearance. I’m not into all the tactical devices that can be mounted but if you’re into that kind of thing there are rails provided with additional rails available. Iron sights are my preference, but my vision is deteriorating in my right eye and I may have to consider a scope that is available from Hi Point in 4X, or a red dot of some sort. I’d rather not have to learn to shoot left-eyed but it may come to that.Continue reading“The Hi Point 4595 Carbine, by Rick C.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, an update on a fatal grizzly bear attack in Montana. (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

Air quality deteriorates to very unhealthy in the Inland Northwest.

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Counterfeit Killer: The Fentanyl Crisis in the Inland Northwest.

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Massive Fire Near Wyoming Border Threatens Communities.

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August Gardening Tasks For The Northern Rockies And Great Plains.

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Canada reopens its border for vaccinated US visitors.

Idaho

SurvivalBlog Reader M. wrote to mention:

“A friend of mine who is trying to complete some paperwork for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was told today that only a Federal employee may enter the BLM field office in Coeur d’Alene, jab or no jab. And [he was also told] that the old office building was going to house some Federal law enforcement group–perhaps an intelligence fusion center. Some journalist should check this out.”

I assume that he was referring to this office:

Coeur d’Alene Field Office
3815 Schreiber Way
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815

A September, 2020 BLM announcement mentioned:

“The mailing and street address for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Coeur d’Alene District Office and Coeur d’Alene Field Office will be changed from 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815, to 3232 West Nursery Road, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815.

The mailing and street address for the BLM Coeur d’Alene District Warehouse will be changed from 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815, to 3260 West Nursery Road, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815.”

Among other things, the CDA BLM office manages fuel wood permits, mining claims, and legacy land patents.

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Dale “Snort” Snodgrass Siai Marchetti 1019 Lewiston ID UPDATE.

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I just learned of three new Idaho listings, over at SurvivalRealty.com:

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150 white-tailed deer die from disease in Kamiah area, test results pending.

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Chad Daybell should get death penalty, Idaho prosecutors say.

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Will IDAHO Be The Last To Fall?

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The salvation of the common people of every race and of every land from war or servitude must be established on solid foundations and must be guarded by the readiness of all men and women to die rather than submit to tyranny.” – Winston Churchill

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 16, 2021

Some Observations on Afghanistan From JWR: Some of the “experts” predicted that Afghanistan might fall to the Taliban within 18 months after Creepy Joe Biden’s April 14th pull-out announcement. But now it is looking like 18 weeks is a more accurate prediction. The latest headline: Afghan president flees country as Taliban move into Kabul. You may recall that back in April, Biden set September 11th as the deadline for withdrawing all U.S. forces. It now appears that there could be a full change of government to Taliban control before then! A side note:  Whenever someone of the caliber of Biden’s appointed Secretary of State assures you: “This won’t be another Saigon”, then you can safely bet that it will be another Saigon.

Just wait and see how these clowns handle a confrontation with the PRC over Taiwan. We might witness multiple Biden-Harris foreign policy debacles between now and the 2022 midterm elections.

One final suggestion, to whomever heads foreign policy:  Never get involved in a land war in Asia.

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Five Days Left… In honor of gun designer James Paris Lee’s birthday, we are running a two-week sale at Elk Creek Company. I’ve set sales prices with discounts from 10% to 35% on nearly all of my inventory. Get your order in soon, while the selection of antique guns is still good. Please note that I no longer take credit card payments, but we do take pre-1965 U.S. silver coins or inflated FRNs in the form of cash, checks, or money orders. (At my store, you may toggle between silver and FRN pricing.) This sale will end on the evening of Friday, August 20, 2021.

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Today, we present a review written by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Seodon FRS Handheld Radios, by Pat Cascio

Ever since I was a little kid, and built my first walkie-talkie (CB radio) – and the darn thing actually worked – I’ve been fascinated with radio communications with other folks. Of course, CB radios, are mostly a thing of the past now – everyone has a cell phone – but a good two-way radio certainly has its place for Preppers.

I spent considerable time searching for what I hoped would be an economical set of fairly reliable compact two-way radios, that would serve my purposes, during a SHTF scenario. Of course, price is always a consideration for me. We aren’t rich – not even close. We usually live paycheck-to-paycheck so we have to spend our funds wisely.

I found these radios on Amazon.com and ordered up four of them. You can get a two-pack, a 4-pack, or even a 5 or 8 pack. The 4 pack was under $60 and what came with this set-up was everything I wanted, and more. Initially, I was going to order a 2-pack. But for just a little bit more money, I went with the 4-pack. When the SHTF – and it will – I wanted to be able to stay in contact with at least one other person, who might join us on our small rural retreat, it’s not big, just about 3.5-acres. In the event, that we needed to patrol this small patch of land, it was important that I stay in contact with another person, who might be working with me on a patrol. Our little retreat is heavily wooded, and you can’t always see another person who might only be 50-feet from you. Now, with four radios, we can stay in touch while outside, as well as with people inside the house.Continue reading“Seodon FRS Handheld Radios, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Trench Fruitcake

The following recipe for Trench Fuitcake kindly comes to us from SurvivalBlog reader Allie E. This recipe dates to World War I, when English and Scottish families often mailed parcels with fruit cakes to their sons, grandsons, husbands, and nephews serving in the trenches of France and Belgium. Hence, the name: “Trench Fruitcake” or just “Trench Cake.”  This makes a great storage food treat, to break up the monotony of other stored foods. Some tinned fruitcakes have been eaten after 10 years of storage with no significant change in flavor or consistency — although of course their nutritive value diminishes, over time.

Ingredients
  • 4 cups of mixed dried fruit (traditionally, 2 to 3 cups of that should be golden raisins)
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 (400 g) can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 splash of brandy or rum (optional)
Directions
  1. Put the fruit and water in a pot, and bring to a boil.
  2. Simmer uncovered, two minutes. Cover and cool to room temperature.
  3. While the fruit cools, line a deep baking tin (square, rectangular, or round) with baking parchment paper. Bring the paper to ½ inch above the edge of the tin.
  4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F..
  5. To the pot of fruit and water, stir in the condensed milk and egg.
  6. Next, slowly add the flour, and any optional liquor.
  7. Thoroughly mix the batter. Spoon it into the parchment-lined tin.
  8. Bake for two hours (or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the cake), at 300 F.
STORAGE

Traditionally, fruitcakes and trench cakes were stored wrapped in cloth soaked in brandy, and then that in turn in a sealed tin. In the 21st Century we’d of course add a layer of plastic inside the tin–such as a food grade Ziplock bag. If stored for long periods of time, then the tin can be reopened and the brandy on the cloth can be renewed — at least once a year.

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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 the revaluation of the Venezuelan currency. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

It was 50 years ago, this month, that President Richard Nixon took the U.S. Dollar off the Gold Standard –ending convertibility of paper Dollars into gold. We’ve been on the Paper Standard ever since. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Dollar has declined precipitously since Nixon’s Day of Perfidy. Even by official inflation statistics (which are low) an item that cost $1 in 1971 FRNs now costs $6.74. There has been a cumulative rate of inflation of 574.1%. Take a look at prices in 1971. Milk, gasoline, and cartons of eggs haven’t become “more valuable” in 50 years. In real terms, they haven’t changed. It is the currency unit that has been destroyed. And for anyone who has kept electronic “Dollars” on deposit in a bank or FRNs tucked under their mattress? Well, we’ve simply been robbed by inflation — a covert method of taxation.

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Gold’s “Flash Crash” Explained: Charts, Fundamentals, & Familiar Manipulations. JWR’s Comment: Though it bounced back on Friday, silver had been down 9.3% last week.

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What Gold Volatility, Stanley Fischer, And CBDC Can Tell Us About The Future.

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One Bitcoin now buys 0.6 kilograms of gold as 10-year returns turn negative.

Economy & Finance:

At Wolf Street: Miles Driven in America Show the Shifts Brought on by the Pandemic: Rural Is in, Urban Not So Much, Mass Transit is Out.

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Truck driver shortage ‘is about as bad as I’ve ever seen’: US Xpress CEO.

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The great American dog shortage.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” – Sun Tzu

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 15, 2021

On August 15, 1961, two days after sealing off free passage between East and West Berlin with barbed wire, East German authorities began building a wall–the Berlin Wall–to permanently close off access to the West. For the next 28 years, the heavily fortified Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War–a literal “iron curtain” dividing Europe. The wall has now been torn down for longer than it stood, but the scars in memory are still there.

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Auction ends tonight! Through a friend with an FFL, I’m auctioning a stainless steel Seecamp LWS .380 ACP made in Milford, Connecticut, new in box with three factory magazines, and extra factory springs. As a modern gun, it would require delivery to or through an FFL. This scarce Seecamp pistol has a current market value in excess of $1,000. When I last checked, the bid was $805. Please consider bidding. Not only will you help support SurvivalBlog, but you’ll end up with a gun from my personal collection. This auction ends Sunday, 8/15/2021 at 10:03 PM, Eastern Time.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 96 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. 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.
  5. 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!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

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Round 96 ends on September 30th, 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.

Combating Sheep Flock Parasites – Part 2, by Mike V.

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

The test is performed with the freshest stool you can get. You can corral the animal, get your gloves on and get in the rectum to get some pellets out, or any number of less stressful ways to get your sample. I just walk into the field and walk behind the sheep or lamb I want a sample from. They routinely walk away and I follow them until they get a little antsy and they will give you what you need in short order. You are not trying to spook them, just be a little annoying so they stay at the slow halting walk so you can spot the pellets and pick them up. You will need two grams (probably two pellets in an adult and four in a lamb) of stool which you place into the 50cc tube. Add 30cc of flotation fluid and then break up the pellets in the fluid to make a slurry. I do this with a flat screwdriver. Technically you are supposed to use 28cc but the line on the tube is at thirty. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. You will need to strain the slurry into another clean test tube and will need to press the solids within the strainer to drain your effluent through. I have been using the same disposable #10 scalpel blade for the past 5 years. You can now use your pipette to suck up some of the slurry and place it onto the chambers on the slide. I squeeze and eject the contents of the slurry in the pipette ten times before placing on the slide. This mixes the slurry in the tube. Why ten? No good reason. I just do it the same way every time with every test.

The same can be said for 28cc vs. 30cc of flotation fluid, how you break up the pellets, time that you wait before you strain. Do it the same way every time. Apples to apples as they say.
The slides are unique in that they have an elevated cover slip which allows for effluent that you created to stay within the space on the slide via surface tension. You place the pipette at the opening and fill the chamber completely. If you make a mistake or blow in an air bubble, just wash the slide and try again. You have 30cc of slurry and you are only putting about 1cc into each chamber so you have plenty. Lay the slides down and wait about 10-15 minutes which will allow your eggs to float to the upper glass of the chamber while the debris sinks to the bottom. That’s where the specific gravity comes in. The eggs have a specific gravity of around 1.2 and debris at 1.3+.Continue reading“Combating Sheep Flock Parasites – Part 2, by Mike V.”