I was one of the original survivalists / preppers. It’s called being born dirt poor in a fairly remote area.
You very quickly learn:
To chew your meat carefully as the lead shot is hard on the teeth.
To bring in enough wood ahead of time as it is a pain to chop and split it in freezing cold weather and snow.
To keep a wash tub of water on top of the wood cook stove all the time. It keeps moisture in the air and you can always dip out hot water as you need it.
Always keep lots of water inside the house as it is a pain to chop through the ice on the spring.
The outhouse seat is always cold. Don’t use the shiny advertising pages.
Groundhog, muskrat, raccoon, and other small animals are really good if you smoke them.
Conibear muskrat traps with field corn on the prongs are the easiest way to catch geese.
It’s not as much about stock piling food as it is about sustainability.
A lime solution in a fishing hole will bring the fish up quickly and you can still eat them.
Learn to temperature check roadkills to determine how long they have been dead prior to picking them up.
Wood gives you two heats. One when you cut it and one when you burn it.
You can clear a whole table in the school cafeteria by pulling a whole smoked squirrel out of your lunch bag and proceed to eat it! People get freaked out when you eat an animal while the head is still on it, even if it is just a fish.
Must admit, it was fun.... Oh, the simple life.
Oh, and the guns sitting against the wall by the door are always loaded.
I work with about 400 horse & buggy Amish & Mennonite families in the area. They are all preppers. Have always been.
“You can clear a whole table in the school cafeteria by pulling a whole smoked squirrel out of your lunch bag and proceed to eat it! People get freaked out when you eat an animal while the head is still on it, even if it is just a fish.”
Want to really clear a table while eating a squirrel? Suck the brains out. Sends them running every time
My thoughts exactly.
There is such a large gap between those who live the life and everyone else. It is hardly worth the effort to try and educate the wanna be preppers. As far as the critics I won't bother giving them the time of day. On the other hand if someone shows a true interest in developing the necessary skills, I will go out of my way to share my experiences and help them along. I know it is a good investment.
The outhouse seat is always cold.
Blue board insulation makes a great artic toilet seat. Warms up almost instantly.
Ain't progress great!
Dang. Doesn’t seem like that long ago does it?
LOL. Thanks for the 2 new tips re: roadkill and lime solutions, already had first hand experience with all the others.