For the Love of Bread, by Autumn D.

I grew up in the kitchen, with both parents very capable in the kitchen and spending time with my dad in the restaurant he worked in for much of my life. Though my mom did not “love” me doing my own thing in “her” kitchen, she was always happy with me helping, which taught me a lot. Once I had my own kitchen, I would experiment with many a variety of dishes for breakfast (homemade waffles and apple turnovers), lunch (homemade vegetable sushi), dinner (eggplant, parmesan, and chili), and dessert (homemade cheesecake and cookies). Though I felt comfortable with all of these items and more, I hesitate to make my own bread. There was something about making bread that felt too hard and time-consuming. Well, the time of quarantining and not being able to work in person with my clients for a period of months (I am a real estate broker), I was given plenty of time. My boys were already homeschooled, so luckily being home together was something that we were already well-adjusted to.

So, enter the world of bread! Scary at first with concerns about what yeast is best, when is the water too hot or too cold, so many flour options, which sugar and salt, just so much to consider. So first I bought my yeast, local yeast that I purchased at a nearby family-owned farm. I decided to start with bread flour, organic as we try to keep all of our food clear of any pesticides, GMOs, and artificial colors, preservatives, or artificial flavors. I used organic pure cane sugar and organic kosher salt. I just use the filtered water we have at home and bring it to a “warm” temperature in a pot on the stovetop.

Peasant Bread

I began with peasant bread, the bread most loved by our family, especially my eldest son. The first two went well, but not great. I prepared everything as I read in multiple recipes, as I have found over the years that I do best with blending recipes. After much trial and error, I have this recipe down now. My first attempt I completely forgot to do the second rise (with all breads I have prepared, your bread should rise first in a bowl, then it should have a second opportunity to rise in the pan you will be baking it in), thus the bread with not moist and fluffy, instead it was very dense.

On my second attempt I did do both rises, but not for long enough based on the temperature of my home, as we do not keep it very warm. Thus, this bread was also dense, but much better that my first attempt. It is important to remember whenever trying something new, be it bread-making or any other new skill, learn through your failures! I didn’t give up, and I am glad I kept at it. My third attempt proved to be successful! This time I let my bread rise for a longer length of time for both the first and second rise (longer time helps with cooler temps), and I put the bowl on the oven to rise while keeping the oven at a low temperature.Continue reading“For the Love of Bread, by Autumn D.”

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, we focus on the grizzly bear mauling death of a Californian tourist, in Montana. (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

For anyone who wants fairly current information on wildfires with maps, Avalanche Lily and I have found that INCIWeb is very useful.

o  o  o

Blazes continue, wildfire smoke threatens the Inland Northwest.

o  o  o

Video: Idaho and Montana Compared.

o  o  o

54,000 acre Snake River Complex continues to spread, crews focused on protecting communities.

Idaho

Sun Valley’s airport is so overrun with private jets arriving for ‘summer camp for billionaires’ that the FAA had to delay incoming planes. (Thanks to Tim J. for the link.)

o  o  o

Lightning starts 70 fires in Idaho.

o  o  o

Here’s why Idaho hospitals can require the COVID-19 vaccine for employees.

o  o  o

FORGET COEUR D’ALENE, SANDPOINT IDAHO IS WHERE IT’S AT! – Everything You Need To KnowContinue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Repeal all weapon laws and restore liberty.

That is all there is to it.

Everything else regarding ownership and use of weapons (as with ownership and use of ANY object) must be viewed in light of understanding our right to defend ourselves and others, and our obligation to exercise those rights without violating the rights of others.

Perhaps the ownership and use of weapons, especially firearms, offers more potential for misuse than the ownership of, say, food or clothing or a copier or phone. But there are many other things which we can own which present significant potential for misuse. Not just knives, not just baseball bats.  And not just cans of spray paint or drugs, for that matter. I am not sure if there is anything which humans can own which cannot be used, in some way, against someone in an initiation of force. That is, aggression.

But we as a society – and government, as our would-be master – handle firearms differently than these other things. (Admittedly, more and more governments are adding such things as knives to this short list of “too dangerous to allow certain people to have.”)

I cannot see, as a lover of liberty, any real moral justification for doing so.  Excuses?  Oh, my, yes.  But not justification. If someone misuses, abuses, something and uses it to attack us (or someone else), our right to defend ourselves justifies taking that object away from them, at least long enough to end their threat to us.

But we cannot do that just because we think that someone might use and misuse that to initiate force against us.  Or because someone else did use that same object against another person.

So the real reason for governments and nannies (controllers and would-be controls – the enemies of liberty – to push?  Precisely that – control.  These people, these groups, wish to control all people – to dominate us.  They know that weapons of self-defense are a defense against that attempt to control, that lust to dominate us.  And to that end, they push fear – fear of guns and other weapons. Fear of those who have them.” – Nathan Barton, at The Price of Liberty blog

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 12, 2021

On July 12, 1865, George Washington Carver, the African-American scientist whose numerous discoveries helped to improve agriculture in the South, was born. He died on Jan. 5, 1943.

—

We’ve now run out of the second production run of the 2005-2020 SurvivalBlog Archive sticks. The next edition should be available in February of 2022.

—

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

Springfield Armory XD 9mm, by Pat Cascio

Some years ago, there was a 9mm pistol coming into the States, called the HS2000. It looked very similar to the Glock line of handguns. It was (and is) being made in Croatia, and when it was first marketed here in the USA, the importer just didn’t quite market it in the right way. Springfield Armory soon purchased the rights to market the HS2000 in the States. Rebranded by Springfield Armory, it became known as the XD9. Soon, sales of this gun took off, like you wouldn’t believe. Variants were also soon available in .40 S&W and in .45 ACP. I carried an early-production XD chambered in .40 S&W for two full years. The only time I didn’t carry it, was when I was testing other handguns for my review articles. I believe that this was the longest period of time that I ever carried one particular handgun in my entire life. I liked it that much!

During my carry period with the XD, I only had just two malfunctions, and they were NOT related to the gun. I was doing a qualification course, for armed private security here in Oregon, and I was using the then yellow box Remington 180-grain FMJ ammo – and while using this ammo, I had two loaded rounds that wouldn’t fully chamber – they were oversized and wouldn’t chamber in any of the .40 S&W handguns I owned. I stopped using that ammo years ago – obviously, very poor quality control. Other than that, there were no other failures of any kind and I put thousands of rounds through that gun in two years.

As many readers will surely know, Springfield Armory, has a full line-up in the XD line these days, from the original XD, to he XDm, the XDs and many other XD handguns – and each time around, Springfield improved on the newer models. Their hottest seller these days is the Hellcat, and while not “exactly” an XD, you can see the family resemblance in the Hellcat.

The XD under review for this article is the original version, and it is simply called the XD 9 – and it is chambered in 9mm Parabellum. The XD is no longer produced in .40 S&W – but you can probably find one if you do a search on the ‘net. For some reason, the .40 S&W caliber has fallen out of favor with both law enforcement and civilians. I believe most of that comes from the fact that the FBI, switched back to the 9mm chambering, and many police departments followed suit – as did a lot of civilians. Too bad, I still believe the .40 S&W is a better stopper than the 9mm is. However, a lot of people just couldn’t shoot the .40 S&W accurately because of the stout recoil – including law enforcement. Agreed, the 9mm is a lot easier to shoot accurately, and faster. The FBI is also stating in their tests, that the 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP loaded with quality JHP ammo are all very close in “power” when it comes to stopping a violent attack – their stats say there is only a few points difference between the stopping power of those three calibers.Continue reading“Springfield Armory XD 9mm, by Pat Cascio”

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.

—

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”