Show Notes
This week’s show
begins with The Best Meal of the Day, Cold Weather Survival Food, Support these Companies, Common Prepping
Mistakes, Surviving in the Woods,
more companies to support, The Dan Haight Interview, Further companies
to support, My survival meal, Top of the Food Chain, Tips for Over Night
Survival, Route Planning, Survival
Napping, Psychology of Survival, Urban Survival Skills for Surviving Disaster, Air
Rifle Hunting Advice Post SHTF, Choosing your Bug-OUT Location, Surviving SHTF
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The Best Meal of the Day
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day.
This is especially true for backpackers, survivalists and
preppers on exercise. A healthy breakfast is responsible for replacing the
glucose stores depleted each night and for providing the body with the
nutrients it needs for jump-starting the day.
The consequences of skipping breakfast -- a drop in blood
sugar levels, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability and lethargy -- can
manifest themselves throughout the day, making hiking a miserable experience.
Energy Requirements
Backpackers commonly burn anywhere from 3,000 and 6,000
calories a day and have to consume between 2 and 3 lbs. of energy-dense food
each day to meet their energy requirements.
Breakfasts are typically a backpacker's biggest meal,
accounting for 25 per cent of the day's required calories and nutrients.
A healthy breakfast that contains a balanced ratio of
protein, fats and complex carbohydrates can provide a backpacker with the
energy needed for a successful hike without the blood sugar crash that
accompanies the consumption of simple sugars.
Along with complex carbohydrates, fats are the preferred
fuel for muscles. Calorie- and nutrient-dense, fats are typically a
lightweight, trail-friendly food that provides the body with a reliable source
for long-term energy.
Fats are typically found in oils, nuts, avocados, fish,
meats, butter and cheese. Roughly 35 to 40 per cent of the calories in a
backpacker's breakfast should come from fat.
Fats are especially important for backpackers on long,
strenuous treks or those in colder climates.
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates refer to the starches found in the
whole grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables that contain glucose. As the
body's main source of energy, glucose provides an immediate supply of energy
that replenishes glucose stores and jump-starts the body.
An important component of a backpacker's diet, roughly 50
per cent of a breakfast's calories should come from complex carbohydrates. As
the brain's sole source of energy, glucose is also important for maintaining
mental focus and boosting mood.
When combined with fibre, complex carbohydrates can help
stabilize the body's blood glucose levels and prevent fatigue and hypoglycaemia
during a morning hike.
Protein
While complex carbohydrates provide the body with an
immediate source of energy, protein provides the body with longer-lasting
energy stores. Since proteins take longer to digest then carbohydrates, they
can stop hunger throughout the morning and provide the body with a sustained
energy source.
However, since proteins are not as energy-dense as fats or
carbohydrates, they should only make up 10 to 15 per cent of a trail breakfast.
Protein sources like dried eggs, peanut butter, fish, beans,
nut, legumes, whole grains and meats are healthy, trail-friendly protein
choices.
Weight and Bulk
It is not uncommon for the majority of a pack's weight and
bulk to be food. However, unlike fresh ingredients, dehydrated, freeze-dried
and powdered foods do not spoil and can cut down on weight and bulk.
When planning a trail breakfast, it is important to consider
weight, preparation and energy requirements.
Granola and oatmeal with nuts, seeds or dried fruit are
common trail-friendly breakfasts since they are calorie-and nutrient-dense,
easy to pack, and quick to cook.
Breakfast and cereal bars can also be a good source of
energy, unless they are contain large amounts of refined carbohydrates.
Cold Weather Survival Food
When choosing which types of food to add to your survival
supplies, keep in mind that in cold weather you will want to conserve energy.
It is very important that you keep your calorie level high as you will probably
burn extra calories trying to keep warm.
Another suggestion is to get survival food that does not
require cooking. I know, it seems nice to be able to have a hot meal when it is
cold. I agree. However, when you are cold it may be better to not have to worry
about cooking your food.
Ready-to-eat food will conserve your energy by enabling you
to eat it quickly. The faster you can get nutrients into your body in a
survival situation the faster you can focus on other necessities, like being
rescued or keeping warm.
There is always a
good of cup of tea for something warm.
So what are some good cold weather survival foods? I
recommend food items such as trail mix, high calorie food bars and jerky and
other foods that can be stored for a long time and are ready to eat in just a
few seconds.
Cold weather survival food is inexpensive and easy to find.
Get cheap high calorie food bars today and add them to your survival gear
supply. Don't wait for a disaster; get prepared for winter emergency survival
today.
Ideas for Long-lasting
Survival Food
Survival food is a very important part of your survival
supplies. Having the right food on-hand in a survival situation can keep you
healthy and strong and keep your morale high.
Choose survival food that will last a long time in storage.
It should be packaged well so that no rodents or insects can access it as well.
Below is a list of
survival food ideas-
Jerky-Almonds-High Calorie Food Bars-Dried Fruit-Sunflower
Seeds, Raisins, Canned Foods-Nuts-Powerdered Eggs-Potatoes-Carrots-Powdered
Milk-Pasta-Corn Meal-Rice-Grains-Oatmeal-Bread/Pancake Mix-Beans.
Remember to do research on the different food items above to
find out their nutritional value and how to store them properly. Most of the
items above are affordable and easy to find.
When choosing your list of survival food, remember to get
food that you will want to eat. Survival food can keep morale high and can help
relieve the stress you feel during an emergency survival situation.
Prepare yourself and your family with good survival food so
that you will be healthy and focused in survival situations. Do not rely on
supermarkets and neighbours and family members for food in a crisis.
Preparation is the
key to survival.
Survival Food Ideas
Survival food not only nourishes you during a survival
situation, but it can help keep your morale high and give you hope. This is why
survival food is important to remember when you buy survival supplies.
So what types of survival food are there? The list is
endless. I will give you a few examples of cheap survival food ideas and the
pros and cons of each one. Keep in mind that survival food should be
nourishing, lightweight and ready-to-eat at a moment's notice.
If your survival food
has these characteristics you will increase your chances of survival.
List of survival food
ideas-
Jerky-Lightweight and nourishing. May not have capability of
being stored for a long time without spoiling.
High-calorie food bars-Lightweight and nourishing. Can be stored
for years without spoiling.
Powdered food (such as eggs)-Lightweight and can be stored
for a long time. Have to add water and cook. May not be very nutritional.
Dried fruit-Lightweight and can be stored for a long time.
Nutritional.
Canned food-Heavy but inexpensive. Must have tools to open
can and food might need to be cooked.
How Much Food Do I
Need for Emergency Survival?
Although the human body can go for about a 3 weeks without
food, the odds of survival are much greater if you don’t have to go without
food for even one day.
Food is essential to all bodily functions. Going without
food causes problems such as muscle weakness, headaches, disorientation,
irritability, inability to focus, lowered immune system, exhaustion and low
morale.
Having enough emergency survival food is an essential part
of emergency survival because it allows you to stay focused, healthy and gives
you the energy you need to survive.
A good rule of thumb for emergency food is that on average a
person can last 3 week without food. Of course, this is a very general estimate
and the actual time you can go without food will depend on many individual
factors such as your initial state of health and your surroundings (exposure to
elements, if you are injured, etc).
When calculating your daily calorie requirement, keep in
mind that you will probably use more calories in a survival situation than
usual. This is due to panic, adrenaline, and extra energy used to survive.
Keep enough survival food in your emergency survival kit to
last for at least few days as you cannot predict how long you will need it.
This is not difficult as emergency survival food today comes with high-calories
but in small-sizes.
Choose survival food that is light so as to not weigh down
your survival pack and make you use more calories.
You should acquire survival food that will last for years
without spoiling. This is important because you may go a few years without
using the survival food, and it can easily be forgotten.
Review your survival food and your emergency survival kit
often to make sure that no food has spoiled and replenish any food that has
been spoiled or used. Keep your emergency survival food supply as complete and
edible as possible so you are always ready for emergencies.
A good survival food option is high-calorie food bars. These
bars are very high in calories for their size and are very lightweight. Also,
they are very affordable, usually just a few pence.
High-calorie food bars are also a good choice for survival
preparedness food because they do not need to be cooked or heated to eat. They
are an easy, fast and affordable choice for emergency survival food.
The Importance of
Good-Tasting Survival Food
Emergencies and survival situations are unpleasant by nature
and almost always happen unexpectedly. Preparing for emergency survival
includes making your potential emergency the most positive and easy experience
possible.
One way to do this is
to buy survival food that tastes good.
Many options for good-tasting survival food are available
today online and are affordable. These cheap survival food options also have a
shelf life that can last for years being stored in a survival kit, which is an
important feature you should look for in any survival food you buy.
The best option for cheap and good-tasting survival food is
high-calorie food bars as I have said before. Most survival food bars have a
sweet flavour like a cookie and have a shelf life of up to 5 years.
Make sure that your food bars come in individually wrapped
packages so that you may open one package at a time. This helps to keep the
rest of your survival food supply fresh until you are ready to use it.
Another emergency food option, although not very nutritious,
is powdered pudding mix. These mixes are lightweight and you just add water to
the pudding mix then serve.
Survival pudding mixes come in chocolate and vanilla
flavouring and can be stored for years without spoiling. Simple survival
desserts such as this are also a great stress-reliever for children in survival
situations and I would suggest a good morale builder too.
Dried fruit and jerky are other good options for survival
food that tastes good. These two products have different shelf lives but taste
great. Check the shelf life and likelihood of spoiling before purchasing any
survival food.
Having good-tasting survival food is a great way to boost
morale in emergencies, keep the situation as light as possible and lower the
stress level. Attitude and optimism can make the difference between life and
death in survival situations.
Good-tasting survival good is especially effective with
children. It will help keep them calm and distracted from the intensity of the
emergency.
Prepare yourself and your family today to have high morale
in emergencies by getting some survival food that tastes great.
If you are looking
for some new kit then please Support these Companies
The following
companies have supported this station and I will support them they are:
You will never need to boil water again
For I-shields UV Protection
For top quality 550 Paracord
For Survival Knives and Survival Kits
For the Nano Striker fire starter
For tasty MX3 Meals
The Lifesaver bottle
For the Knot Bone Lacelock
For the Wild and Edible Nutrition E Book
Browning Night Seeker Cap Light RGB
Multi lite Multi-tool
For the Ghillie Kettle
For the Blackbird SK-5 or his handmade leather sheaths http://www.hedgehogleatherworks.com
For the Farside Outdoor Meals
The Survivor knife
For the Chris Caine companion survival tool
You are listening to
the UK preppers Radio network on KPRNDB-UK I’m your host Tom Linden
Common Prepping Mistakes
With the abundance of bad info out there, it’s easy for new
preppers to make a lot of mistakes.
I, myself, when I was a new prepper made many mistakes and
I’m sure I’ll make more, but that’s part of the learning process.
To help you speed up this process, here are some common
prepping mistakes you’ll want to avoid:
Not having a survival library. Books are less common these
days because we do so much reading on the Internet and Kindles. But if the
power goes out, having a good collection of survival books could save your
life.
They’ll give you something to read when you’re bored, and
will have important instructions on things like purifying water, building
fires, and medical care.
While you want to learn as much of this info as you can
ahead of time, no one can know everything, and there are bound to be times when
a survival library will come in handy.
Focusing on supplies instead of skills. Of course, just
because you have all the best books on survival doesn’t mean you shouldn’t
bother to learn survival skills. It’s possible your books will be destroyed or
you won’t be able to get to them.
The same rule applies to your survival food and gear. What
if you’re at work when your home is destroyed by an explosion, earthquake or
some other disastrous event? Would you still have the skills to survive, or are
you completely dependent on your food and gear?
Not having enough water preps. I cannot overemphasize the
importance of water. There are many survivalists who have six months of food
and only two weeks of water on hand.
Considering that you can survive without food about ten
times as long as you can survive without water, you’d be better off with two
weeks of food and six months of water.
Don’t do that either by the way, but at least make sure your
water will last as long as your food. If you don’t have enough room for that
much, there are many ways to collect and purify water.
Not having enough variety in food supplies. Too many new
preppers buy nothing but rice, beans, flour, salt and sugar. If that’s all you
have to eat after a disaster, you’re going to be miserable.
Your body will have trouble adjusting to the new bare-bones
diet and you’ll suffer from food fatigue, where your survival food won’t be
appetizing even when you’re very hungry.
Make sure you buy the ingredients for a variety of possible
meals so you’ll feel satisfied every time you eat.
This leads to my next
point…
Not eating what you store. This was the first mistake I made
when I started stocking up on food. I bought all kinds of food, sealed it up,
put it in the cupboard, and forgot about it.
Inevitably, some of my food went bad and I had to throw it
out. It’s important you store what you eat and eat what you store.
I’m a mate of rotate, in other words rotate your food and
water supplies
If you’re not sure how to cook meals from the basic
ingredients, I’d recommend getting some cookbooks and a guide like Emergency
Food Storage & Survival Handbook 10 Common Prepping Mistakes which has a
lot of great recipes.
Not having enough vitamins. Personally, I think everyone
should be taking multivitamins since most modern diets don’t provide the
nutrition we need, but this will be even more important in a survival
situation.
The stress of having your life turned upside down, constant
threats to you and your family, and manual labour will take a lot of energy and
tax your immune system. Vitamins will help keep you strong and healthy,
especially Vitamin C.
While the last few points have been about food, don’t forget
all your other survival needs. When a lot of people think of prepping, the
first things they think about are food and water and they proceed to stock up
on them while neglecting healthy and beauty supplies, first aid kids, bug out
bags, cooking implements, clothes, weapons and other important items.
While food should be
your first priority, don’t forget your other priorities.
Relying only on an arsenal. At the other end the spectrum,
there are some preppers who focus all their attention on guns and ammo. The
reasoning is that not only will they be able to protect themselves, they’ll be
able to hunt their food and trade ammo for other supplies.
This is unrealistic, especially if you’re in or near a city.
The little bit of wildlife in your area will be picked clean by others, and
most people won’t be interested in your ammo as they, like you, will be looking
to trade for food and other vital supplies. Sure, have some weapons for
self-defence, but don’t go overboard.
As much as we all love our pets, for some reason it’s easy
to forget that they need preps, too.
Animals require more
than just food and water.
Planning on bugging out. Although having a bug out bag and a
vehicle survival kit is important, unless you have advance warning of a
disaster it will be very difficult to get from your home to your bug out
location.
The streets will be congested, roads and entire areas could
be inaccessible, and fuel could become unavailable.
That’s why I think
it’s so important to be ready to shelter in place.
Surviving in the Woods
Ever been on a hike admiring the wild flowers, gazing up at
the tips of the trees--and suddenly found yourself completely alone and lost?
No of course you have not, but what if? what would happen to you if you couldn't find
your way back to safety? While being lost in the woods can be a frightening
experience, surviving alone in the wild is generally a matter of common sense,
patience, and wisely using the gifts that nature provides.
To survive in the
woods, you must use these guidelines and tips.
Plan ahead. Don't just trek off into the wilderness; do some
research first. There are a lot of resources regarding survival, both online
and in libraries, but warning: many of the techniques used in these manuals are
sometimes wrong or incomplete.
One of the most accurate books about this subject is
"Bushcraft - Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival" by Mors
Kochanski. Educate yourself about the flora and fauna of the area you are
exploring.
Knowledge of the local plants and animals can save your
life! If you need any medication or injections, bring them along – even if you
don’t plan to be gone for long enough to need them.
Every time you go into the wilderness, make sure someone
knows where you are going and how long you intend to be gone. That way someone
will realize that you are missing, quickly alert rescuers, and be able to tell
them where to start looking for you (much like a “flight plan,” which pilots
always file before leaving).
Similarly, don't forget to call the person(s) you notified
to tell them when you are back. Like the boy who cried wolf, a false alarm
wastes rescue resources and may be.
Bring survival gear. Basic survival tools such as a knife, a
fire steel (metal match), some matches (in a waterproof canister), some cord
(550 paracord is best), a Whistle, a space blanket, a signaling mirror, water
purifying tablets, a compass, etc. this
can mean the difference between life and death.
However if you decide to bring something like a knife make
sure you have permission and don't give people the wrong impression. Even if
you are only out on a day hike, be sure to bring the essentials.
Having all this equipment is nothing if you cannot use it
properly. Make sure to practice many times in a safe environment before
venturing into the wilderness, somewhere like your back garden Also, know how to catch and cook fish if the
need arises.
Forget about catching game; this is a painstakingly slow,
energy-consuming process that will divert your attention from your real goal,
trying to get home.
Learn how to use a compass. If you have a map and can spot a
few prominent landscapes, you can actually use the compass to triangulate your
position and, from there, figure out where you need to go.
When choosing a space blanket (a light, thin sheet of
extremely reflective Mylar), spend a little extra to buy a larger, more durable
model.
A space blanket can be used to block wind and water, wrapped
around the body prevent and counteract hypothermia, or even placed behind you
to reflect a fire’s heat onto your back, but none of this is useful if the
blanket is too small or tears the moment you unwrap it.
Bring a means of communication. A mobile phone with spare
battery or a portable CB radio can be your best, quickest means of rescue if
you are truly lost or injured.
A mobile signal may only be obtainable from a hill or tree
(be safe if contemplating a climb) but is better than nothing.
Don't panic if you’re lost. Panic is more dangerous than
almost anything else, because it interferes with the operation of your single
best, most useful and versatile survival tool: your mind.
The moment you realize that you are lost, before you do
anything else, stop. Take a deep breath and stay calm. Even if you're hanging
from a rope halfway down a mountainside with a broken leg, remind yourself that
people have survived exactly this situation.
Stand still and look around carefully! Wherever you are will
become your "point zero." Find a way to mark it using a spare piece
of clothing, a pile of rocks, a sheet of paper, or anything else easily visible
from a distance.
Stay in one place. This not only increases your chances of
being found, but also reduces the energy your body expends and the amount of
water and food you will need. Hunker down and stay put.
Chances are that someone will be looking for you, especially
if you let someone know your plans
Build a good-sized fire with sufficient coals to stay hot
for many hours, and make sure that you have plenty of extra dry wood.
Start the fire before you think you need it, even if the
weather is warm; fires are easier to make under stress less conditions than in
a panic as the sun sets – to say nothing of the fact that having a fire nearby
will give you a sense of comfort and safety as you get your bearings.
A good rule of thumb is to gather wood until you think you
have enough to last the night, then gather three more piles of the same size,
after which you might have enough to get through the night.
In the wilderness, you should have access to dry wood in the
understory of the forest. You can also use bark or dried dung.
If you build a fire that is hot enough, you can also burn
green wood, brush, or tree boughs to make a signalling fire (one that makes a
lot of smoke).
The best wood for maintaining a fire is dead wood that you
pull off a standing tree. Regardless of what type of woods you are in, there
will certainly be some dry wood available.
Remember that a small fire is easier to keep burning than a
big fire, though, because it requires less fuel. Once you have sufficient
embers, keep the fire to a manageable size so you don't spend too much time
looking for fuel.
Don't build a fire in an area where it is unsafe to do so. Your
fire should be well away from flammable trees and brush, preferably in a
clearing. Be careful with your fire. While you want to feed it, you shouldn't
overdo it.
Consider the weather and other factors and remember, a
forest fire is a lot harder to survive than just being lost!
Signal your location to maximize the odds that someone finds
you. Make noise by whistling, shouting, singing, or banging rocks together. If
you can, mark your location in such a way that it's visible from the air.
If you're in a mountain meadow, make three piles of dark
leaves or branches in a triangle. In sandy areas, make a large triangle in the
sand. In a forest, you might want to prepare three small fires ready to ignite
at a moment's notice, with heaps of wet leaves nearby in order to make smoke.
Three of anything in the wilderness is a standard distress
signal. The space blanket can also be used as a signalling device.
Start scouting your area, carefully keeping track of your
location. In your immediate area, make sure you look around carefully for
anything useful. You could find things someone left there before, be it a tin
can or small lighter, it can be helpful significantly.
Be sure you can always find your way back to your
"point zero" as you search for water, shelter, or your way home.
Find a good source of water. In a survival situation, you
can last up to three days without water, but by the end of the second day
you're not going to be in very good shape; find water before then.
The best source of water is a spring, but the chances of
finding one are slim.
A running stream is your next best bet; the movement of the
water reduces sediment. Be advised that drinking water from streams can lead to
some sicknesses, but when you're in a life-or-death situation, the risk of
illness is a secondary consideration and anything you may get can be treated
when you return.
Purify your water. A crude method of water purification is
to take your handy pot and heat the water. For this to effectively kill
bacteria, it must be at a rolling boil for at least a minute.
You can also put (clear) water in a clear plastic bottle and
set it in the sun for six hours to kill most of the organisms.
However, if the water is so full of sediment that the sun
can’t penetrate it, this method will not work. If you have any, add a pinch of
salt to the water to try to bring the sediment to the bottom.
Find or create shelter. Without adequate shelter, you will
be fully exposed to the elements and will risk hypothermia or heatstroke,
depending on the weather.
If you are not properly dressed for the conditions, finding
shelter is all the more important. Luckily, the woods are filled with tools and
resources to make both shelters and fires (for warmth, safety, and signalling
purposes).
Here are some things you
can use:
Look for a fallen or leaning tree. You can build an A-frame
shelter by stacking branches along both side a fallen tree, then over the
branches with brush, palm fronds, leaves, or other plants.
Use brush or green branches (boughs) from trees to repel
water, block wind, keep out snow, or create shade.
Use a tarp to seal yourself in from the elements
Close in your shelter
on as many sides as possible.
Here are some more
companies to support
72 hour survival pack
Blizzard Survival jacket
Survival Ration Packs
SOL Complete Survival Kit and SOL Bivy Bag
The answer to rough ground sleeping
Simply your EDC supplier
For all your military equipment needs
NEW MRE’s
The Fire Piston
Great tasty MRE’s
The 95 Puukko Survival Knife
Gold Standard Whey Protein Isolates which are 90% pure
protein by weight
Flotilla
My guest tonight is Dan Haight author of Flotilla, according
to Dan “Flotilla is a contemporary adventure fiction novel about a world that
will soon exist on the ocean”.
'You never get to pick your moment of truth. Your moment of
truth picks you.'
Sadly, for Jim, his moment is happening at the end of the
world. What would you do if you only had
minutes to live?
Flotilla is an apocalyptic science-fiction story in which
Jim, a slacker teen alcoholic is thrown into the ocean, literally and
figuratively, to become both a survivor and a hero. He leaves rehab to start
life aboard a floating city filled with strange and dangerous characters who
work at farming edible fish and other enterprises.
Jim sees this as an opportunity to re-connect with his
estranged father, Rick, but he quickly finds out that second chances can come
with strings attached.
Daily adventures and brushes with death give Jim the chance
to grow up and screw up. His new home serves as both the classroom and crucible
he needs to put his past behind him.
At the same time, the Colony is also a dangerous ecosystem.
Drug-dealing, human trafficking and gambling create fortunes that people will
lie, cheat and kill to protect.
The tension explodes when a terrorist attack hits nearby Los
Angeles. Jim and his sister are safe for the moment aboard the Colony but Rick
is drafted and taken ashore. Now the kids are left helpless to deal with angry
drug pirates and crooked cops. Will Jim be able save himself and his sister? Is
doing the right thing always the right choice?
This is a whirlwind adventure over two summers that paints a
vivid picture of adventure and hardship. It is also a deeply moving look at the
impact of sustainable technology on some hilariously dysfunctional, flawed
characters.
Readers are finding Flotilla to be a stirring coming-of-age
tale that brings together fathers and sons and conquers loss through courage
and inner strength.
What an interesting guy Dan is and I will get a copy of
Flotilla that is for sure.
Further Companies to
Support
Uses natural fuel
EDC steel tools
Highlander Trojan Hydration Pack – Multicam
CUDEMAN HEAVY DUTY OLIVE WOOD BUSHCRAFT KNIFE - 111L
Alum Crystal and natural spa products
Tool logic Survival 11 Credit Card
BackHawk Web duty Belt
Guppie Multi=tool
Go Survival Pack
Beautiful Handmade Catapults
1 Person BASIC Backpack Survival Kit, the back pack that
does it all
DD Hammock –The ultimate in Travel Hammocks
Elzetta ZFL-M60 Tactical Weapon-Grade LED Torch
Ultimate Adventurer Survival Kit everything in one kit
Adjustable Knife Lanyard Review
Handmade knives by James D. Sanders
You are listening to
the UK preppers Radio Network on KPRNDB-UK I’m your host Tom Linden.
My Survival Meal
This is a survival meal I have designed not only to be cheap
at around 25p each meal but to also to be filling and more importantly tasty.
I have made some trial pasta meals (my own recipe)
The ingredients cost
me
Pasta 1kg £0.38p
Lentils1/2 kg £ 0.99p
Cup-a-soup x10 £0.57p
Total £1.94p
Put as much pasta into a zip bag as you want then put in as
much lentils as you like and bring to the boil once cooked then add the
cup-a-soup and instantly your meal is ready to eat.
I made 8 meals at a cost of 24.1/4p each I think that is
fantastic and very cheap and very filling too.
It is easy to add food to them say hotdog's, luncheon meat,
bacon grill etc. chopped up, as they are already cooked and just need heating
up.
You can also change the flavour by using different
cup-a-soups flavours, or use garlic salt, spices or curry powder, dried onions
or even fresh or dried peppers.
All you need not do is put the cup-a-soup packet (unopened)
into the zip lock bag along with a half-a-cup of lentils and then fill the bag
with the pasta.
Mark the soup flavour on the bag. Instead of cup-a-soups you
can use Pot Noodles; Pasta sauce mixes etc. to flavour your survival meal.
This way you can vary
the meal flavours as you like each day.
To cook you firstly put the pasta and lentils into water and
bring it to the boil and let it boil for 10 minutes when the pasta is cooked
then add the cup-a-soup and stir then simply serve.
Please note that the lentils may not be fully cooked but
they will be cooked enough to eat and the fact that they are chewy allows for a
different texture to the meal anyway.
Top of the Food Chain
After a SHTF event most of us accept that our control at the
top of the food chain will be disrupted.
It may be a temporary situation and we may soon get our
control back, in individual cases it may not occur and in some cases we may not
be able to regain our status at all.
The differences between these outcomes is going to be how
prepared you are physically and mentally, the local predators and if you are
armed or not.
Weapons are going to make a big difference here and you need
to bear this in mind. There will be nobody to phone up and get help.
It is down to you and the predator and it is only through
our society and technology that we are top of the food chain. It is a fragile
position and we can quickly find that for a period, a short brutal and fatal
period, our society or technology has left us vulnerable and we drop a few
links in the chain.
You read about it all the time in the news. People just
recently were eaten by sharks, others by polar bears and others have died due
to storms.
Our position at the
top is precarious.
Of course as well as what we see as natures predators we
also have to deal with the most dangerous predator of all. “Man” is currently
the number one predator of man.
This takes up most of the news, one man harming another in
some way. Where this should be a major consideration in allowing us to defend
ourselves it appears that it does the opposite.
After an event we have already considered local predators
and have stocked up on traps, weapons and defensive capabilities.
We can handle the wolves, dogs and other wild animals. We
can even handle the weather and the loss of our food, water and shelter. We are
fully prepared for those.
They are on our lists, we have weapons that can deal with
them and we should be thankful that we live in the UK where we don’t have
Grizzlies, Lions, Alligators, Sharks and other major predators.
We don’t have as
standard tornadoes, tsunamis and earthquakes either so we really are lucky.
What we do have though, and plenty of, are human predators.
Some are obviously predators and will come up against your defences.
Just hope that you
are armed enough. There are others though who are not so obvious.
Those that will kidnap your children during the disruption
of an event, those that will infiltrate your security at home and kill you in
your sleep.
They will disarm you with guile and lies and you will be
defenceless against them. If you don’t think you will fall for lies and deceit
just look around and see what is going on today as we are being screwed over by
politicians
You need to prepare
but there are some things that you just cannot fully prepare for.
Liars and con men are
one of those.
You can only be aware. Phase your acceptance of people until
they prove themselves.
Even then be careful how much access they have. It is (need
to know) and being careful that will serve you best here. Real people will
understand.
Predators cannot
afford to wait as they cannot hide their true identities for long.
One thing I am always accused of is that I am not very
forgiving. I’m friendly enough but I only get screwed once. I rarely forgive
people screwing with me but I never forget.
They only get one
chance.
I will be honest with everyone and if they are honest in
their dealings with me then I can forgive mistakes but never something
deliberate.
After a few years this issue will almost disappear and it
will be less dangerous. Everyone will know who is trustworthy and who is not.
In the olden days people’s integrity was known for miles.
So all you will have to worry about is those who are
wandering. They should be few and far between.
Keep your friends close and kill your enemies, or at least
keep clear of them if they don’t deserve killing.
Tips for Over Night Survival
In the UK, most people who become lost are often day hikers
or climbers who fully expect to sleep in their own bed (or at least in their
own sleeping bag) that night.
But a turn onto the wrong trail or an extra twenty minutes
of late afternoon climbing can result in an unexpected overnight stay. Not
forgetting an injury event either.
If you don’t carry a “survival kit” as such, there are a few
inexpensive yet essential items I seldom venture far from home without.
Among these are:
A reliable, sturdy knife (I recommend the Chris Cain
Survival knife).
A good-quality multi-tool. (I recommend the True utility
Multi-tool+Lite)
A length of Parachute cord.
A competent knowledge of how to use these three items will
allow you to cut poles, prepare kindling, lash together a shelter, make a
bow-drill fire, and perform a host of other tasks.
Other items include:
A foil emergency blanket can also be used as an improvised
poncho, ground cloth, or tarp.
First aid kit. It should include gauze, bandages,
butterflies, antibiotic cream, plasters etc.
Compass: Worthwhile if you know how to use it, or know the
approximate direction of nearby major landmarks.
A Wooley hat (even in warm weather). In addition to keeping
you warm, it can be used as a bag.
A magnesium striker
A method of water purification (such as a Purificup or
lifesaver Bottle).
A whistle. In really remote areas, a signal mirror is also a
worthy addition.
Tips:
Learn to construct a simple cold-weather survival shelter.
It doesn’t take a freezing night to bring about fatal hypothermia. Temperatures
even in the fifties can be disastrous if you are improperly dressed or wet.
Always carry or wear a bandana. It can be used as a bandage,
sling, or carrying bundle. A belt is useful, too.
Wrap a quantity of duct tape around your water bottle. Use
good quality tape.
Stay put: You
arrive at “lostness” from one direction, a single degree out of 360.
You have 359 chances to depart your situation in the wrong
direction.
Make a base camp: As humans, our sense of well-being is improved
when we have a place to call home, even if it is a temporary one.
Locate it in an area that is out of the wind, and where it
won’t be flooded during a rainstorm.
Learn how to tie and use half a dozen or so simple but
useful knots. Overhand knot, square knot, clove hitch, bowline, sheet bend,
lark’s head, timber hitch, and variations on the half-hitch are good
suggestions.
Customize your list: Include items specific to your needs
such as daily or emergency medications, inhalers, or epi-pens.
Practice your skills and become familiar with your gear
before you need them, so you know what to expect! when the time comes to use
them, as it is then too late to learn them.
Having to night –out even with what some would see as
sub-standard kit is not the end of the world so don’t panic.
Having clothes on is better than being naked, being behind a
wall, hedge or tree is better than being exposed to the elements.
Being under a poncho is better than being wet, being in a
cheap tent is better than being in a poncho, being in a sleeping is better than
being without one, I think you get the message.
Any shelter is better
than none.
You main priority in finding shelter is to defend your body
from the weather that is it you must keep dry and warm to have a chance of survival.
And as long as you understand the basic principles you can
go on survival exercises even without the top of the range designer kit,
because people have survived with far less before they were invented and I
promise people will continue to do so in the future.
Route Planning
Route planning is an essential navigation skill and one you
must master if you are planning bug out
Even for the more experienced survivalist or prepper who has
been training for years and only walks for pleasure, a few minutes route
planning is very valuable.
Some experienced survivalists and preppers see it as an
unnecessary chore but I say that even in a familiar area it can make you think
about things you may have missed and help prevent you becoming complacent.
Think of route planning as a sort of risk assessment, the
important thing is to think about what if, and how you would deal with that.
Also it is vital not to overestimate your fitness that of of your party. You
may be much fitter than other members so escape routes and alternative routes
are very important.
Many people who are experienced day walkers also
underestimate the difficulty of multi day walks with a full pack on.
Route Cards
A route card is quite simply the route you plan to take
broken into stages with the time you expect to return on. It can be written on
anything in any form as long as copy is left with a responsible person who will
be able to contact help if you do not arrive back when you should.
This means if you get
into trouble help will know where to look, for a multi-day expedition a card
should cover each day. Make sure when you do get back safely that you inform
the person with the card.
The more detailed a route card the better, as it is much
better to work out compass bearing etc at home than up a mountain and allows
you to plan a more enjoyable trip and means if something does go wrong from a
sprained ankle to a broken leg you are much better prepared.
Designing your own route card is fairly simple and most
navigation books have an example. Below is an example, which you can use or
adapt.
Date:
Members in group:
Weather Forecast:
Starting grid Ref:
Description:
Departure Time:
To (Grid Ref)Finishing Point Grid Ref:
Estimated Arrival Time:
Phone Check in Time:
Party leaders Mobile No:
Escape route
Estimating Time
The speed which you cover ground will depend on many things,
fitness, how much your pack weighs, experience, weather and ground conditions,
and the terrain.
If you have time the best way is to work out a pace card
where you time the number of paces and time it takes you to cover a set piece
of ground say 100 meters and then work out your average speed over a 1km, but
this takes time and experience to do.
Generally you will cover 3km or 2 miles an hour over rough
trails with a pack on with this falling to about 2km over hilly or steep
ground.
A large group will travel more slowly than a solo or pair of
walkers as it must travel at the speed of the slowest member but also more time
is needed while the group waits as they cross obstacles such as styles and
streams or wait while people go to the toilet.
One good way of estimating time is Nasmith’s Rule. W. Nasmith was a Scottish mountaineer in the
late 19th century who came up with a formula for estimating the time needed to
complete a hike in the mountains which is still widely used today.
The rule states that you should allow 1 hour for every 5km
(3 miles) adding 30 minutes for every 1,000 ft (300 meters) that you gain in
height.
This rule assumes a fit experienced party and does not allow
for rests (and is therefore used by the British military in its training).
It also doesn’t allow for bad weather and makes no allowance
for downhill (steep descents will also slow a party and contra to what people
think you do not tend to gain time coming down compared to if the ground was
flat).
This rule works well for UK land ranger maps (1:50,000)
where you can add 1 minute for every 10-meter contour line.
Example a 20km (12 miles) walk gaining 2000ft of height
would take 5 hours without breaks (4 hours for distance plus 1 hour for ascent)
Escape Routes
You will note on the example route there is a space for
escape routes. This is an easy way off the mountain at a certain point or a
quick route to the nearest shelter or help.
They should be easy routes to follow even in bad weather
(which may be the reason for needing the escape route in the first place) and
should not be too steep of difficult as you may have a party member with a
minor injury.
The reason for using an escape route may not be serious, it
could be that members of the party are not as fit as they thought or the
weather is worse than planned.
IF IN DOUBT, USE THE ESCAPE / ALTERNATIVE ROUTE, many groups
get in trouble when they soldier on despite problems which then become much
more serious, it may not be macho but it is sensible and mountain rescue will
not thank you for getting yourself in trouble when you had a chance to get out
of danger earlier.
Survival Napping
As expert survivors
we often think in terms of taking action in order to survive.
For example we have our bug-out bags pre-packed and are
ready to go, so that we may walk or drive many miles with enough supplies to
get us there.
Survivors know how to build a fire in many different ways
under a variety of adverse conditions. Survivors can obtain drinkable water and
forage edible foods from a plethora of sources.
As survival experts
we can defend ourselves and our property to the best of our ability.
And that is just the beginning. When the going gets tough
the experienced wilderness and urban survivor springs into action, taking
adversity head on.
But not always. A wise old friend of mine once told me,
“Sometimes the best thing you can do - is do nothing!”
When the going gets tough sometimes the best thing to do is
to take a long nap. During very bad weather or social unrest it is often not
wise to continue on with your plans.
Rather than flail about in wind and storm or risk
altercation during social unrest, simply go to sleep and wait it out! You will
save your energy, reduce the risk of injury, and get a good rest besides.
Sometimes the best
thing you can do- is do nothing!
This strategy has been employed by experienced wilderness
survivors such as the northern Native Americans during foul winter weather,
arctic explorers, and high mountain expeditions like those on Mount Everest and
K2.
Even the very squirrels and other animals, natures
experienced survival instructors, will hunker down during the worst of
conditions. They simply curl up in their dens and go to sleep.
During a survival situation of any kind, the ability to
sleep warm, dry, and comfortable is very important and can mean the difference
between health and the ability to take action during waking hours or possibly
not making it out alive.
If you have the proper survival gear and knowledge, your
outdoor sleep system can get you through the most trying of times with little
expenditure of precious energy or exposure to danger.
Psychology of Survival
So you think you will never have to learn about sea survival,
or how to survive in a life raft? But you take the ferry to Calais on holiday
without a care in the world wearing only shorts and a T-shirt, have you
forgotten the herald of Free Enterprise way back in 1987.
So you, as you never intend to climb the Alps don’t bother
to learn about mountain survival but you sit on a plane on your holidays in
shorts and a T-shirt as you fly over the Alps, What if?
And you do survive
the crash?
You just give up and die. Sadly this is often the case as
many disasters are full of tales of how people just give up and die, and it can
be surprising how many people actually do this in an emergency.
An unconfirmed story tells of how a passenger airliner
crashes in the sea, and many of the passengers seeing the plane go under the
water don't even try to escape and are found with seatbelts still tied often
holding hands with a loved one.
While those that tried to escape found themselves only a 100
meters from the shore and help. Although this seems unlikely psychological
research has often shown this to be the case. On the other side of the coin the
human body is capable of incredible feats of survival when the person involves
doesn't give up.
In modern times one of the best examples of this can be seen
in the film "Touching the Void" a dramatized documentary about a
climbing expedition in the Andes which goes horribly wrong.
One British climber broke his leg badly in a fall near the
summit and during the attempt to return to camp his partner was forced to cut
the rope, which in complete darkness dropped him into a deep crevasse.
Believed to be dead he knew no aid was coming, frozen with
no food or water and a badly broken leg he then proceeded to crawl his way back
to base camp which he reached days later and fully physically recovered from
his ordeal.
All this is inspiring and interesting but how do we react to
an emergency situation and how can we prepare ourselves mentally to be the
survivor if the worse happens.
Firstly it is important to consider the effects of fear upon
a person. Everyone gets afraid if someone tells you they aren't afraid of
anything they are either lying or an idiot.
What's important is recognising the fear, separating what's
rational (realistic) fear and what's irrational fear and using your fear to
help not paralyse you.
Uncontrolled fear leads to panic and irrational and possibly
dangerous behaviour, controlled your fear will boost your body's strength and
endurance with a flood of adrenaline hormone. Uncontrolled fear in a survival
situation can lead to the following;
Angry or violent
outbursts
Selfish behaviour, not willing to share resources, or work
as a team
Suicidal thoughts, people just giving up and dying or
seeking death
Low motivation or
energy levels and Carelessness or mistakes
When in a life threatening situation the body will release
adrenaline hormone, this is often called the fight or flight hormone and is
designed to prepare the body for escape or combat.
Heart rate increases, as do energy levels as circulation
speeds up moving more oxygen through the body and the body releases energy
reserves, physical strength actually increases but mental focus can decrease as
what is often described as a "red mist " descends clouding judgement,
as the body wants action NOW not careful planning.
This burst of energy won’t last long and a prolonged period
will lead to exhaustion so the survivor must make best use of this free burst
of energy while it lasts to prepare shelter, escape from immediate danger etc.
It is important to recognise this survival rush as what it is and act
accordingly.
After the initial danger is passed longer-term psychological
stressors set in, the most dangerous being isolation. Human beings are
naturally social creatures and prolonged periods of isolation can be very
psychologically harmful.
Completely isolated from human contact the survivor can
become paranoid or give in to feelings of desperation as they feel that no one
is looking for them and rescue will never come.
There are ways to counter this, a constant effort to keep
busy and improve the survivor's situation by building a more elaborate shelter
or signal fires can offset the desperation and the creation of an imaginary
friend often focused on an inanimate object or even a person’s faith talking to
their god can all help.
People often find creative or survival skills they did not
know they possessed and it is important that any set backs are seen as
temporary or depression can set in. During any survival situation the person
involved will face setbacks these can seem major at the time but in the long
run are not important such as a caught animal prey escaping, a rope snapping or
a shelter leaking.
It is how people move
on from minor setbacks, which determines survival.
Guilt can also be a psychological problem for lone survivors.
The question arises in their mind of "Why me?" Faced with the death
of comrades or loved ones it is a natural human reaction to wonder why others
have died and they have not, a sort of "I'm not worthy " mentality.
This can be used in a positive sense, if people see
themselves as now owing a debit to those who died to survive and striving
harder to survive to honour the dead. Again for those of a religious outlook it
can be that they believe that their god has spared them for a reason, whatever works
is fine. There are ways in which you can prepare yourself psychologically in a
survival situation;
Focus on family, pets
or personal faith
Be realistic about what you can achieve but not defeatist,
hope for the best but prepare for the worst, better to be surprised by minor
victories than depressed at failure
Try to maintain a
positive attitude
Remember what's at stake, how your friends/ family will miss
you if you just give up
Learn to take pleasure in your surroundings and have time in
the day to switch off and relax
Hopefully none of you will need this advice but it is
important to remember than more often than not a person's strength of will can
be more important than pure physical strength.
Urban Survival Skills for Surviving Disaster
Making disaster survival preparations has never been more
important than they are today. How soon we forget, but it was only a century
ago (less in many cases) that people had to do daily what is now considered
"prepping" in order to live from day to day.
Surviving disaster has now brought the past back to the
future for many concerned citizens as the "what if" list seems to
grow daily. These basic urban survival skills are once again necessary,
because...
Political, social and economic instability have never been
greater. Tack on the growing number of, and very powerful, natural disasters
happening around the globe and prepping for disaster survival is no longer a
fringe craze, but a necessity in your life.
Disasters can come in many shapes and sizes and aren't
always as extreme as the Indian Ocean tsunami (death toll 250,000+) or the
tsunami in Japan (death toll over 19,300), the earthquake in Haiti (death toll
between 46,000 and 85,000), attacks of September 11th (death toll near 3,000),
but they can be much closer to home.
Although hardly newsworthy certain events can take a
devastating toll on you and your family. What if...
Long Term Job Loss
Major Medical Issue
Fire Destroys Your Home
Major Bread Winner Passes Away
What would you do? Would you be able to feed yourself, your
kids or your pets if you didn't have an income for the next 6 months, a year,
maybe longer?
Would relying on government hand-outs be your plan for
surviving disaster whether large or small? Sorry to say, but our government is
bankrupt by all definitions. When the UK has to borrow money each and every
month to pay its bills we're broke.
Sure they can always print more money, but each time that
printing press is fired up each one of our pound coins is worth less and less
and less...Until the pound is worthless!
Most legitimate economists feel that the only way out of
this massive debt - our trusty politicians have created for us - is
hyper-inflation. What does that mean? You can say triple or quadruple costs for
bread, milk, gas and the list goes on and on. Thanks Osborne.
I don't know about you, but my disaster survival plans don't
include trusting a government to remain solvent that has us TRILLIONS of pounds
in debt and spends our money like there is no tomorrow.
It's not all gloom and doom however...Surviving disaster is
all about preparation and the more prepared you are before one strikes the
greater your likelihood of success getting through the tough times.
"Never put off
until tomorrow what could and SHOULD be done today!"
Let’s do a quick comparison of disaster survival
preparedness to car insurance. If you have a car accident and then try to buy
coverage it's going to be too late and you'll be stuck (fortunately for you
it's only a financial loss).
The only way to cover yourself is to buy car insurance
"before" there is an accident. You may never have an accident, but
the coverage was there to protect you if you had.
This couldn't be any more true with regards to preparing for
some sort of disaster. It's too late to prepare after the disaster and you
stand to lose much more than some money.
In fact, you get more value preparing for disaster survival
and one never happening than you would buying car insurance and never having an
accident.
With car insurance it's simply money that is shelled out
each month and you get no return on your investment. On the other hand,
preparing for surviving disaster will teach you extremely valuable skills and
you'll be stocking up on supplies that can be used whether or not disaster ever
arises.
Assuming it doesn't spoil, can you ever have "too
much" food? Can you have "too much" water? Of course not! In
fact, for most people, not a day goes by where you're not eating or drinking.
How is investing in something you use daily and is quite
necessary for you to live a bad investment? Answer: It's not!
So What Can You Do?
First off, you want to educate yourself. I hope this show
and my blog are a very valuable resource for you and I will constantly be
updating it with new inform on surviving disaster.
It is time to make a firm commitment to start preparing for
disaster survival. Tomorrow is a good time, but right now is a great
time...There's no time like the present!
Air Rifle Hunting Advice Post SHTF
Hunting with air rifles is challenging, demanding and, in
the purest and best sense of the word, real hunting.
A number of factors combine to make a clean, humane and
effective shot at a rabbit a lot more than simply yanking on a trigger with
hope in your heart, though.
It’s true; pests form the vast majority of legal and suitable
air rifle quarry, and therefore your wild food supply. But there’s more to
simply knowing what you can shoot when you are out in the countryside.
Fair enough, something defined as a pest doesn’t need much
to qualify for a well-aimed pellet, but no matter how lowly or nasty a creature
might seem to be, it still deserves a clean, quick and humane end with no
suffering involved.
You, as an air rifle hunter, must behave with sportsmanship
and with respect for your quarry at all times, and because of its relatively
short range, using an air rifle will also make more demands of you than almost
any other type of shooting.
Field craft, the ability to get close enough to your target
to ensure an accurate and humane shot, will test your abilities to the utmost.
Quite often you’ll be frustrated if a tiring stalk ends in
failure, but you get a real sense of achievement, and pride, when you do
succeed.
There are one or two unwritten rules of air rifle hunting
pre SHTF which make it clear that some species never qualify as legitimate or
sporting quarry. All the game birds, for instance, will frequently present easy
targets, but don’t be tempted because your permission to shoot will be very
quickly withdrawn if you are seen to be poaching!
Hares can become pests but they are too large to be shot
humanely with airgun pellets, and that applies to foxes, too. There are plenty
of sporting species that qualify as air rifle quarry and all most of them will
taste great, without any need to look any further.
Also as an air rifle hunter, you must not only abide by the
Country Code pre SHTF but uphold it too and possibly gain brownie points from
the landowner in the process.
If you see some example of the code being broken, like a dog
worrying sheep, kids vandalising farm buildings or machinery, a picnic fire
that’s not been properly extinguished, or simply rubbish left behind by
thoughtless people do something about it.
As a privileged and authorised person who you are, since
you’re out hunting on some farmers land you owe it to him to help police his
land, so even if you can’t immediately do anything about a problem, report it
as soon as possible.
The farmer’s bush telegraph soon spreads good news and bad,
so showing that you’re prepared to help will quickly become known and you’ll
more than likely be made welcome on other farms. Even if you never see another
soul when you’re out hunting with your air rifle, there are right and wrong
ways to behave and more often than not someone will be watching!
Open gates carefully and ensure they shut behind you but
don’t slam them this only weakens the hinges. If the gate should be locked,
climb over at the hinged end, not the latched end, because your weight will
have far less effect if you cross where the gate is best supported, by the
hinges.
If you have to cross a barbed-wire or stock-mesh fence, push
the wire down at the centre of a run between two posts and, provided there’s
enough slack for you to cock one leg and then the other over, hop over.
If the fence is too tight, climb as close as possible to a
fence-post, but don’t force the fence down and leave it sagging in the middle.
Farm animals escaping into crops or neighbouring land is a sure-fire way to
lose your shooting rights!
Whenever you cross from one field to another, make sure your
rifle is safe. If it has a sling, which is best and safest whenever that’s
possible, you can leave it on your shoulder when opening and closing a gate.
But at all other times, especially when you have to climb
and need both hands to cross an obstacle safely, make sure the rifle is
unloaded and lay it down parallel with the fence or gate, so that you can reach
over or through when on the other side, and retrieve it safely.
Resting the barrel on the wire is dangerous because the
rifle might slip and fall if the fence wobbles as your weight is on it, and
also because you might walk past the barrel once you’ve crossed the fence.
Even though you know
the rifle is unloaded, never walk in front of a barrel that’s pointing at you.
When you fancy decoying pigeons you’ll often need to build a
hide but if you don’t take hide-poles to support the net with you, ask the
farmers permission first before cutting any. Don’t cut slow growing hardwood
sticks, such as ash, from close to where the hide is to be built, choose
quick-growing species like hazel.
Cut the poles with a fine-tooth saw or secateurs, at a steep
angle, which gives you a point to make pushing them into the soil easier, and
leaves behind a stump from which buds will more quickly sprout.
Use side branches to dress the hide netting to blend it in
with the surroundings, and when you pack up, tuck these brashings into the base
of the hedge and leave the hide poles where you can find them next time, or
take them with you.
Leave the area as you
found it. That’s part of the Country Code too.
When rabbit shooting, it might seem to make sense to paunch
the rabbits (taking out the stomach and intestines) to make carrying them
easier, but in fact cleaning out rabbits that have cooled off for a few hours
is much easier than cutting open warm and floppy ones, and you won’t leave
piles of guts around to attract foxes.
Most large areas are crossed by some form of path. As an
authorised person, you must know where they are and make every effort to ensure
that anyone using such paths is not in any way put at risk by any shots you
might take. What this means is that the most sensible thing to do is keep well
away from footpaths, tracks, rights of way and bridleways, and public roads.
All responsible air
rifle hunters must know the laws on hunting and as well as shooting safely.
This means you should be able to recognise your quarry and
whether it is legal to shoot it or not. As long as you have permission to be on
the land or property where you are shooting, you may legally shoot the
following species:
GREY SQUIRREL :
Common and destructive pest, especially damages trees. Has displaced native,
protected, Red squirrel in many parts of the UK.
CARRION CROW :
Major predator on game and songbirds, eggs and chicks, will also peck eyes from
new born lambs. Very wary and difficult to stalk.
FERAL PIGEON:
Cheeky chappie town scrounger actually carries a variety of nasty diseases.
Creates mess and damages buildings, I would not eat one.
COLLARED DOVE:
Same size as protected Turtle dove but Collared variety can steal and soil
large quantities of stored grain in farmyards it needs controlling.
ROOK: Although
officially a pest and predator, at certain times of the year they can be
beneficial to agriculture, eating harmful insect pests.
WOODPIGEON: Vast
flocks hoover-up crops in all parts of the UK. It is one of the most
destructive pests in constant need of control and very good to eat.
RABBIT: Back in
plague numbers in many areas, the rabbit is as destructive and greedy as the
woodie and in need of continuous control and again great to eat.
RAT: Public enemy
number 1. They do untold millions of pounds worth of damage worldwide plus
carrier of several highly dangerous diseases.
MAGPIE: One of
the most voracious and destructive predatory pests, hitting young broods of
garden songbirds in particular.
There are other birds, like jays and jackdaws which are
defined as pests, but don’t as a rule pose the same threat as those listed.
Greater and lesser black-backed gulls and herring gulls, although also on the
list, are too big or because of habitat not to be considered as suitable air
rifle quarry.
Birds, except the named pest species, are legally protected.
Even pests may only be shot by authorised persons defined as the landowner, or
one who has permission to shoot on the land where the quarry is present.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act, which governs avian pest
species control, requires that a shooter must be sure that the quarry was
causing or about to cause damage at the time it was shot. By definition a pest
is a species whose numbers, appetite and destructive nature result in damage to
food crops etc. so the need to control their numbers is obvious.
Using an air rifle to hunt at night, together with hand-held
or scope mounted lamps, red-dot sights or modern Night Vision devices, is
exciting. Both rabbit and rat numbers have surged over recent years so, with
permission; of course, there’s plenty of pest control available.
All hunting lamps should be used sparingly. Just a quick
flash round with the beam to pick out the targets, close the range down with a
silent approach, pinpoint the rabbit in the light and take the shot. This
method will save your battery, increase the time you can be out, and help to
gain a bigger bag by not disturbing other potential targets.
Any risk, no matter how slight, involved in your intended
shot must mean giving up the stalk and simply trying somewhere else on the
shoot. You must also be aware that it is illegal to shoot within 15 metres of
the centre of any road, track, path or right of way.
The Country Code, mostly unwritten and defined over many
centuries, has fundamentally changed recently, due to the Right to Roam. The
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) allows the general public access
to far larger areas of the countryside than ever before but not unlimited
access.
Large expanses of moorland, heathland, down land and
mountain areas are now open but the act does not allow unlimited public access
on private land, except via the many footpaths and bridleways that already
exist.
Ordnance Survey maps of the British Isles include a key
which defines the difference between county and parish boundaries, bridleways,
tracks and paths with public footpaths and rights of way represented by red
dotted lines and the word PATH or FP.
Road access points are indicated by signposts and the latest
legislation has brought in another sign which indicates access to suitably
designated areas. Footpaths are also a standard width, 3 feet, which is wide
enough for two people to pass without bumping into one another.
But whatever the status of a path that crosses your shoot,
the best advice is to avoid them whenever you can, and certainly when you are
aware that there’s anyone using them. As an air rifle hunter, respect for the
countryside includes having the same sort of respect for yourself, and your
sport.
Choosing your Bug-OUT Location
When disaster strikes, you need a safe place for you and the
ones you care about to ride it out: your bug out location.
The basic idea is to get out of harm’s way to a prepared
area with supplies and gear which can sustain you. Choosing where to locate
this prepared area is an important decision that requires planning.
Before getting into your personal remote location belonging
to you, it is important to note that depending on the kind of disaster and its
reach, your best bet may be to drive to another county to stay with a relative.
Your bug out location need not be an isolated piece of owned
property, and if you do have family connections you can leverage, it may be
your best bet.
This is one of the first things you need to consider
carefully. At first thought, a bug out location would be super far isolated to
ensure the best odds that whatever disaster it is will not impact you.
While there are definitely some merits to the very remote
location, there are some drawbacks to consider.
First, if your intention is to stock this location with
supplies, you have to understand how difficult stocking it will be if you live
extremely far away. If it’s too remote, stocking it from the nearest
supermarket may also be an ordeal.
While you should have extra fuel anyway, an extra-long
journey presents greater fuel risks, and at minimum forces you to carry a
little more.
If your location is very far from your house, you may be
very unlikely to ever want to go to it when there is no disaster. If you are
spending hard-earned money on rural land, you should want to be able to take
advantage of it as a quiet, natural vacation space, and so if it’s
prohibitively far away, you lose that advantage.
If there is a disaster where you’re on the fence about
whether or not to bug out, the pain in the butt distance might dangerously
deter you from leaving.
That said, quite obviously the location has to be a decent
distance away from your main home, otherwise there’s a risk that whatever
disaster has convinced you to bug out will impact your bug out location as
well.
Depending on where
you like, a good two hour drive is probably sufficient.
Who lives nearby? This is connected to the remoteness point,
but is a bit separate, too. If you are too isolated, no one will be able to see
your property.
While this may sound like a good thing, a neighbour can
actually be a fantastic asset for you to ensure that if you do ever use your
place, there’s less of a chance of it having been looted.
Having a line-of-sight neighbour you’ve met and know gives
you options, and keeps you from having to make your location totally invisible
from view.
If your location is extremely remote, a thief who finds it
can likely take all the time they want removing your possessions.
Since burying absolutely everything at your location is time
consuming, difficult to accomplish without a trace, and keeping your location
from being a pleasurable retreat space, the neighbourhood option might be the
better choice.
Even if the neighbour doesn’t actively watch your location,
people will be less confident robbing you if they can see that they are within
view of another residence, and if they rob you anyway, they might not take as
much since they are more likely to consider themselves in a hurry.
During hard times, yes, other people can be a risk, but
compared with an urban centre, a small community has potentially a good chance
of taking care of itself and its residents.
If you get to know them well enough, you can get into
prepping with them and help then get a handle on their own self-sufficiency to
be less reliant on you in a time of need.
Also, absolutely go to the location before you buy and talk
to the people in the area, if there are indeed people around. Make sure their
values, concerns, and priorities are in line with yours so that you know you
can feel comfortable going there and know you won’t be the neighbourhood
nuisance.
This is that much
more the case with direct neighbours.
Be sure to look into whatever homeowners associations or
other regulatory bodies could either block or increase the costs of any
development project you may have.
Are you on the grid, or off the grid? Which do you prefer?
Off grid means less hassle from outside, but far more work from inside. The
same goes for water availability. Choose a location based on the skills you
have or are at least willing to learn in the short term.
Depending on how you intend to use the land at your bug out
location, you may have different land requirements. Do you intend to have any
kind of garden? How is the soil? Is it good for gardening? Is it contaminated?
Is there wildlife in the area? Is there a water source nearby?
If it’s very remote, how difficult will it be to bury the
structure and your supplies? Is it at least partially south-facing? does it
have shade?
These factors can be very important to you, or less so,
depending on our plans. But the best options, especially the water source which
would be good for any survival situation, are likely to increase costs.
Remember, a bug out location is a very personal decision.
Put time into thinking about it, and scout around for land prices before
committing. If it seems too good to be true, there’s a very good chance it is.
Good luck!
Surviving SHTF
Nuclear warfare is not necessary to cause a breakdown of our
society. You take a large city like London, Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds—
their water supply comes from hundreds of miles away and any interruption of
that, or food, or power for any period of time you're going to have riots in
the streets.
Our society is so fragile, so dependent on the interworking
of things to provide us with the goods and services that you don't need nuclear
warfare to fragment us anymore than the Romans needed it to cause their
eventual downfall.
While some may consider such a discussion a waste of time,
more and more people are coming to the conclusion that preparations of some
sort are warranted in our current troubled environment — on many fronts.
Surviving Economic Collapse is about how much preparation
individuals are willing to do and is usually in direct correlation to their
belief that something catastrophic could happen, making life as we know it a
much more difficult task.
It is a proven fact throughout history that when disruptions
of any kind occur, those who made even the smallest preparations typically fare
much better than those who gave no thought at all in this regard.
I want to share with you a list I have compiled of the
things that could potentially happen — and that threaten our way of life in a
small or large degree.
There is no way to predict these things, but anyone with
common sense can see that the possibility is likely we could experience one or
more of these events at some point in the future...
Any single event or combination of events could cause
terrible and debilitating circumstances for a short or long period of time:
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornados,
volcanic eruptions, solar flares, earthquakes, and other geophysical events
happen across our world daily.
There is the every present possibility of wars, nuclear
wars, nuclear reactor meltdowns, and radiation fallout.
Then we have the coming financial meltdown (derivative, debt
crisis, economic collapse and/or bond implosion) causing currencies to implode
and governments to topple
There are problems with the exploration, delivery, or
production of oil, the lifeblood of modern economies
We are seeing a spread of disease such as the Black Plague
or a bird flu pandemic more and more often
We have frequent Power cuts
And you could even say that political anarchy or revolution
is a possibility too.
Racial strife or
civil war is on the cards that is for sure
Electromagnetic pulse events are in the news even more now.
With any of these scenarios listed above (and there is a
host of others I have probably not even thought about), you could have
localized, national, or global unrest and even war for an indefinite period of
time depending on the scope and duration of the event(s).
An item that is not on the list — but could be equally
devastating to individual families — is the loss of a job.
Losing a job can be a catastrophic event if one is not
properly prepared. Most families find themselves living paycheck to paycheck
with little in the way of savings and almost nothing in the way of
preparations.
For years, I had
brought up the issue of preparedness to a close friend of mine.
When I first started talking about it, my friend and his
wife basically blew me off... but I kept bringing the topic up.
Eventually they thought it prudent to at least get some sort
of food storage together. Their family was accustomed to an upper middle class
income and living comfortably in suburbia with their three children...
About a year after making their food preparations, the
breadwinner of the family lost his job and ended up working a series of almost
minimum wage jobs trying to make ends meet.
He kept applying for better-paying jobs in his field of
expertise — but no matter how qualified he was nobody was interested in hiring
someone at his previous salary level or his age (late fifties).
The family's
lifestyle was devastated and they eventually lost their home...
In a recent conversation with this friend, he told me that
without their food storage, things would have been immeasurably more difficult.
He thanked me for being a good friend and pushing the issue when he and his
wife weren’t listening.
The family is now living a greatly reduced lifestyle, but
keeping their heads above water and continuing with their preparations.
I share this story because on an individual basis, there is
a host of things that can happen in which being prepared could make a huge
difference.
We often, as a people in general, terms take things for
granted and think 'this' or 'that' will never happen to us. In addition to a
major job loss due to a myriad of reasons, you could lose your health or the
ability to do your job.
Unfortunately, things of this nature are happening to more
and more people every day. In fact, I'm certain all of us have been affected to
some degree by similar stories of friends and relatives.
Our Current State of
Affairs
The world in general seems afflicted on so many different
fronts.
When you look at the list above, any rational person could
easily see one or more of these scenarios occur within their lifetime.
Aside from the geophysical things that seem to be going
haywire, and could be explained simply as the planet’s cycles, there are plenty
of man-made catastrophes that loom on the horizon...
Never has the planet had as many people as it does now. With
increased population numbers, there is increased pressure for resources.
More countries seek nuclear devices than ever before and
recent advancements in technology make this much easier than any time before in
history.
Biological and chemical weapons are also much easier to
manufacture — and are being stored by an increasing number of very scary
countries.
Oil markets are tighter than ever as demand from countries
like China and India increases, but new supply cannot keep up with the
increasing demand.
The financial debacle of the world economies needs no
introduction to my listeners. In short, bad times — really bad times — for any
number of reasons could and probably will be coming to a location near you.
Unless you and your family take this possibility quite
seriously, if and when something does happen, you could very well find yourself
in some extremely difficult circumstances...
Just look at the latest news coming out of Greece, as
reported by Reuters.
This is happening
right now — and it’s only going to spread.
When the political and economic systems of entire nations
collapse the consequences are devastating.
Earlier this year pharmacies and hospitals in Greece were
unable to provide lifesaving medicines due to a shortages caused by a freeze in
the flow of credit from manufacturers to distributors to patients.
A collapse in the country’s economy has forced many Greeks
to turn to black market barter economies and has left millions financially
devastated, with no hope of finding an income stream for the foreseeable
future.
The credit system of the entire country is in shambles. So
much so that reports are emerging about food shortages and hunger within the
Greek prison system, suggesting that serious problems in the food delivery
chain have begun to materialize.
As Nigel Farage warned recently, we are beginning to see the
rise of extreme political parties as a consequence of the total and utter
desperation of the populace.
Today the news gets even worse. Greece’s Regulatory
Authority for Energy (RAE) announced an emergency meeting to deal with what can
only be construed as a tell-tale sign that this crisis is very rapidly reaching
critical mass and may spiral out of control in the very near future:
Greece’s power regulator RAE told Reuters that it was
calling an emergency meeting to avert a collapse of the debt-stricken country’s
electricity and natural gas system.
You may have thought the financial collapse of 2008 was
bad.
That was just a
warm-up.
The main event is
staring us in the face, and the whole of Europe has front-row seats.
What is happening in Europe is just a precursor for what
will eventually be happening to the United States..
The following are Items to Consider that I feel are prudent
as you make your own preparations based on the problems that could potentially
threaten our way of life.
Each of the items below could fill a book... but my intent
is to at least get you thinking about the most important things related to
being prepared.
Should I stay or
should I go?
Many have already decided where they will go if and when any
such disaster occurs. I hope they get there but…
Personally, I know many who have already left the United
Kingdom — and they have never looked back. I have been invited to their
retreats in Spain, Australian, New Zealand, and the Greek Islands, and they
seem very happy with their decision to leave.
This is a huge decision. My hope is that the following discussion
may be of some help when thinking about this topic.
Because I have travelled internationally so much in my
previous life I often compare notes on my trips with other folks (Drivers,
tourists etc.) about their travels...
One of the realizations you see first-hand as you travel
extensively worldwide is the extreme wealth, extreme poverty, and extreme
corruption that exists in all of its world flavours.
If you think the United Kingdom is corrupt, you should try
going to Peru, or Bolivia, or Panama. And if you think those countries are
corrupt, you haven’t see anything compared to Russia, Haiti, India, or some
places in Africa...
The fact is
corruption and the growing global police state is EVERYWHERE!
So while we certainly see much to complain about in the
United Kingdom, which is definitely going the wrong way fast, from what I have
seen in most other places on the planet, the U.K. is still less corrupt than
most.
There are bad apples everywhere throughout politics, local
police, special agents, and most certainly the court system — but for every bad
apple, there are probably three times as many honourable people who are truly
just trying to do their jobs.
Leaving the country is a decision you must make before the
event takes place due to the sheer amount of time and effort it takes to
accomplish such a task.
You must also think about being away from family and friends
who don’t share your enthusiasm to leave the country and what affect that could
have on everyone over time.
For most, I think it’s probably best to just hunker down in
your own country and prepare as much as you can. If you can afford a retreat
cabin somewhere far away from the big cities, that would probably be best — but
again, you still need to get there once the event occurs.
Studies have clearly shown that once a SHTF event occurs,
you have two to three days to get to where you ultimately want to hunker down.
After that, travel becomes extremely dangerous and it is unlikely you will
reach your final destination.
Highways will become kill zones targeted by the bad guys. To
a gang of armed looters who forgot to prepare or plan ahead before the event,
there is not a better target than an RV loaded down with stored food, ammo, and
gold.
Don’t be foolish and attempt travel once things have gone
south: If you need to get somewhere, plan to leave the moment the event happens
and arrive where you want to be within 72 hours.
This may require several false starts (meaning the situation
looked bad at first, but didn’t materialize, and you need to return home) on
your part as events start to unfold. But it's better to be safe than sorry if
you are planning to get somewhere when an event happens.
Military strategists know from historical accounts of what
happens when governments fail or when SHTF events affect a country: The rule of
thumb is that roads are to be avoided at all costs.
If you cannot afford a retreat cabin of some sort, there are
things you can do to hunker down in your own home...
First, you need to
stock up and find a way to defend it.
Like-minded friends and neighbours can be a huge support
network — as long as they have prepared as well.
There is a great book (it's not well-edited, but has solid
content) on how to live in your home and defend it called
Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defence if it All Falls
Apart by Joe Nobody, which in itself is a lesson in laying low.
This book isn’t about turning your home into a concrete
bunker armed to the teeth; it's more about using cosmetic deception to fool
would-be marauders into thinking your place has already been hit. It includes
plenty of clever techniques that go far beyond "shooting back."
Ultimately, everyone must decide for themselves based on
finances, family concerns, and individual preferences what he can or cannot do
in his preparations.
Hopefully, this discussion will help you make the best
choices for what is in your best interest.
Hope for the best,
but prepare for the worst.
This is a good motto to live by, despite how you think about
things.
Individuals can still hope for the best (that things can and
will eventually work out), but what good is your prosperity going to do if you
don’t have anything to eat or a safe place to hang out for an extended period
of time?
Why not prepare while you still can — when things are
readily available and can still be purchased at cheap prices? The coming
hyper-inflation will make any such purchases beforehand look very intelligent...
To prepare for the worst, you need a plan. Why are most
people so against doing basic preparations that could be the difference on how
they survive — or whether they survive?
History shows time and again that those who prepare always
fare better than those who did not. Having a plan and being determined to act
on that plan will always be the best way to handle any contingencies, should
they occur.
After disaster strikes, your mind is going to be racing
around like a car on a race track. Pre-planning and having a written set of
measures to take will make someone’s life go much smoother when the SHTF.
Your own personal
plan is ONLY what best fits what you are going to do during and after a
disaster.
People should also have back-up plans — Plans B and C, at
least — because nothing ever seems to go as planned.
Haphazard approaches to the aftermaths of catastrophes are
kind of like a chicken running around without its head.
Here are two great Bushcraft shows for you to attend this year
The Bushcraft Show
It’s a jam-packed, three-day event filled will amazing
bushcraft activities that will take you, your friends and family on a bushcraft
and survival adventure that you’ll never forget. Whether you come for the day
or stay for the weekend, you can try your hand at woodland crafts, fire
lighting, shelter building, tracking, foraging, woodland games and so much
more. Click onto their site to learn more http://www.thebushcraftshow.co.uk
See YOU there between the 25 and the 27th of May
THE ELEVENTH WILDERNESS GATHERING 2013 15th to 18th August
The Wilderness Gathering has over the years become a firm
date in the diaries of those who enjoy bushcraft, nature and wilderness
survival skills. The previous ten years have seen this event grow from a small
event in one field with some traders and schools sharing bushcraft skills and
knowledge to a festival of wilderness living skills encompassing
bushcraft/survival and woodland crafts.
The show has grown into an event with something for all the
family with stories and music by the campfire in the evenings and skills
workshops and activities throughout the three whole days of the festival.
The Wilderness Gathering has without a doubt become the
premier family event for all those interested in bush crafts and the great
outdoors.
The show has bushcraft clubs for all age groups of children
to get involved in plus more activities for all including den building and
wilderness skills classes for all.
There are hands on demonstrations of game preparation, knife
sharpening, basha boat building, bowmaking, greenwood working, archery and axe
throwing and primitive fire lighting to name just a few. There are talks on
survival phycology, classes on falconry and wilderness survival fishing. All of
these skills are there for everybody and anybody to participate in.
You can probably pick up information on nearly all the
skills needed to live in the wilderness and prosper at The Wilderness
Gathering.
There is a wealth of good quality trade stands that are
carefully selected to be in theme for the show selling everything from custom
knives to tipis and outdoor clothing to primitive tools. The organisers have
even laid on a free service bring and buy stall where you can bring along your
used and unwanted kit and they’ll sell it for you.
There are local scout and explorer groups onsite promoting
the World Wide Scouting Movement as well helping out with some of the classes
and site logistics.
The catering is within the theme of the event with venison
and game featuring on the menus plus organic cakes and drinks. The woodland and
open field camping facilities (with hot showers) giving you the option to visit
for the whole weekend or just to attend as a day visitor.
Check out www.wildernessgathering.co.uk
or call 0845 8387062 you really won’t regret it.
So dear listener don’t forget the 20% discount at www.blizzardsurvival.com by
inserting the word “Prepper” at the checkout.
Please support our service personal who are in harm’s way http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk
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