Hunting/Survival/Shooting/Prepping

[Mackeyser]

I used to not be much into guns at all when I was younger. I shot with my dad a little, but mostly we spent the summers fishing.

I think a lot of it had to do with the gun owners that I knew, to be honest and seeing and hearing about too many instances of really crappy human beings pretending to be hunters...not from a political standpoint, but from an ethical standpoint... like they would admit to taking long shots and not tracking a deer down because they didn't want to get their fat butt down from their stand or they knew what a bad shot they took and were just too lazy. And when they would kill something, they'd just take a picture and leave the carcass, because hauling it out was "too much work".

I sort of developed a bit of a phobia around guns at some point.

That ended on 9/11, strangely enough.

I dunno if I've told this story, but it's short.

I was working for Roadrunner Shuttle, the airport van shuttle that serviced Ventury County, Ojai and that area. We all were watching the towers fall in real time and then got news that only us bonded drivers could enter the airport. What I got there was out of a movie.

When I got to the checkpoint, there were two National Guardsmen. One was checking IDs and the other had his locked and loaded M16 pointed at my face with the worst trigger discipline ever. He was fully engaged on the trigger and I could tell he was in way over his head because the muzzle was bouncing around like no one's business.

Most folks were really, really freaked out by having a gun put in their face, loaded and ready to do what guns and people aiming guns do.

Me?

I got peaceful. Not only didn't it phase me, but I was way more at ease than the guy with the gun. Having the gun pointed at my face didn't scare me or concern me in the slightest, although the operator was worrying me more than a bit. I've always kinda wondered if that's a normal response.

Hadn't really pursued anything gun related because the wife wouldn't have any guns in the house with the kids at home and we only had an apartment or a rented house plus we were too broke to shoot anything more than a spitwad and even then, i'd have to save the straw.

Now that our kids are grown and we both recognize a LOT of things are different... like we both support ethical hunting, we both want to eat or donate what we (or I) would kill, we both remember how much fun we had at the scout ranges shooting 22s and gun ranges shooting all sorts of stuff...it's just different now. I was slightly better with the 22 and she was way better with the bow (which is why she was a range master, I reckon). Just like I'm a better driver, but she's better at parking. She could stuff a 26" truck into a compact space and have room to tailgate. She's pretty amazing.

As for the pistols, not really a pistol guy, no matter the brand or caliber. Doesn't mean I don't kinda smile when looking at pictures of a .454 Casull (The Taurus Raging Bull with the 8 3/8" barrel looks sick), but I don't like the big bang. I like putting the bullet on target.

Actually, some of the configs I've been looking at specifically use subsonic rounds with suppressors and my lord are they quiet. Basically, you near almost nothing beyond the hammer strike and that was with that UDP-9I using subsonic 9mm rounds. And the subsonic .22lr rounds when suppressed are so quiet I could barely hear them at all. Sounded like a quiet pellet gun.

I see what you mean about stalking and surviving. Way out of shape to do the stalking now, but I do want to in time learn about it as well as really get into all aspects of being an ethical hunter.

That and I'm excited about learning about the ballistics of extreme long range shooting. I already know a fair bit of the physics, so at least I'm not starting from scratch.

Later today or soon, I'll post a few bushcraft vids I watched. They're pretty sweet.

 

[RamFan503]

So a few things. First off, pick Blue’s brain. He knows his stuff.

As far as hunting goes, practice more on getting in closer than 500 yds on your game. There are just so many reasons a shot over that distance is problematic. I am a very good shot, do my own loads, practice a lot, have very good equipment that I’m very familiar with (Sako 300 UM with 2-14x50 Shwarovski scope being my go to), take my time, etc, and I still will rarely take a shot over 3-400 yards.

A lot can happen in that distance between you and the animal. A lot of visuals on an animal that has mostly one color to it is difficult with the best scope to be sure of the location of the kill zone if there is any body angle. If you’re hunting in mountainous areas, figuring out exactly where your animal was when you shot it only gets more difficult the farther out you get. You can key in on all the landmarks you want and when you get there, they almost never look like what you thought. And of course other hunters in the area don’t much care for you shooting over their head to hit an animal they got into. There’s more but.....

I’ll get more into that as time permits.

As far as the 454 Casul..... I have a Ruger in that caliber. Given my druthers, I’d have gone with a 44 mag. I like my 454 but I don’t love it. Shooting 45s through it is a lot of fun. But you put 320 grain Casul rounds in it and it’s frankly no fun to shoot. You can get and load smaller rounds but what’s the point of having that monster if you’re going to hold its capabilities back? Definitely shoot one at full power before buying one.

 

[RamFan503]

A few other things on hunting. I know too many people that shoot from a bench or at a range and think they are ready to go hunting. That practice is very valuable but you need to put yourself in real hunting situations and practice that. Most shots are either early morning or late in the daylight hours so that light and how an animal looks in that light are very different than mid day. Shooting free hand, off a stump, sitting, kneeling, prone, all come into play when you are out in the wild.

Also, most hunters don't get out and learn the area they are hunting. Knowing how to get to your animal and what is between you and it is very important. Knowing how to get out is also very key to being able to hunt more area. It seems simple. A GPS and I can go anywhere - right? Not so much. A GPS won't really tell you if you can actually get from point A to point B. Sure you'll eventually get there but finding yourself having to literally travel a mile to get 4-500 yards is less than optimal. Finding that to be the case after you took a shot an hour before it gets dark gets real sketchy. The woods are not a place I tend to like to get stuck in after dark when I'm not really sure of my way out. I like to camp but.... Then add in the fact that you have to pack your animal or at least its meat and head out and.... It's not unusual for me and my buddies to go several miles in. But we also have a saying - "The fun all ends once you shoot." Larger animals are generally taken out in several trips - even if you are boning out.

 

[RamFan503]

Case in point. This was a 375 pound bear (not huge) that took me and a buddy 7 hours to get out and I double lunged and heart shot it from 375 yards. 375 yards doesn't seem like much but going over wind blown timber and through creeks and over boulders makes for quite a day. I wanted it out whole as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a mount and bears are tricky to skin in a way that taxidermists like them. BTW - very tasty little critter.

 

[Karate61]

I been watching a LOT of Youtube with this migraine going on 3 weeks now and I've become super interested in a few things that I'd like to talk about.

NOTE: No politics or policy will be tolerated in this thread. Guns will be discussed, but ONLY with respect to features, capability towards purpose and function in the field. I don't know if this will become a predominantly gun thread or a general thread with some gun stuff in it, but I asked in advance if it was okay to start this thread and preliminarily, it should be okay. PLEASE, no one screw this up, chief culprit would be lamenting CA/NY/MA/Chicago gun laws. Just don't. That's going to quickly detour into politics/policy and I'm not trying to see this thread die because of some rant about gun laws in those jurisdictions.

Anyway... on to the show.

1) Hunting. I've wanted to hunt for a long time as I feel that responsible hunting is a big benefit especially in areas where apex predators don't exist or have been driven out due to habitat encroachment or livestock preservation. I know in the South that every farmer would love for people to responsibly hunt the wild boar that ruin crops at a fantastic rate. Doesn't hurt that for whatever reason, I HATE wild boar. I can't describe it, but you can bet that if I get into this proper, I'll be hunting them as often as possible and donating the meat which for a single male boar can be hundreds of pounds of meat. Plus, we've discussed moving to Minnesota again, although more of a long term plan, that seems to be something that might happen once we've done some more repairs, upgrades to our current home and paid off some debt.

2) Survival. It just FASCINATES me. I learned several ways to make a rocket stove as well as saw ways to survive all night even in -30 degree weather with NO COVER as long as it's not snowing heavily. I love the idea of camping/surviving in the wilderness for an extended period of time and both the wife and I are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We both camped with our kids when they were in scouts and the wife trained Wood Badge as well as was on an Eagle Scout application committee for years. We'll start slow, but you can bet that once we get into it, we'll really get into it. First step is getting some good boots and getting on the trails and then hikes, then backpack camping. Also will need to start learning much more about trauma first aid, gardening and botany so as to recognize wild plants that are either edible and/or can be used for medicine.

3) Shooting. I've always liked the "hitting a target" aspect of shooting, be it target or responsible hunting. I've grown fascinated with the physics, engineering and skill especially regarding long shots and if all this works out for me, I'll have a really nice .338 Lapua Magnum like the Steyr CL II Carbon with a Nightforce ATACR scope that I both hunt larger game with as well as drive the distance to longer shooting ranges (e.g. 1000 yard ranges). I'd settle for a Remington 700 XCR chambered in a .338 Lapua, but apparently Remington quality has fallen off as of late and there is concern about the reliability of the 700 with the .338 as opposed to the 30-06 or the .308 or even the .300 Win Mag. All the other .338 Lapua rifles are just expensive enough that might as well save up for the Steyr. Anyway, I'm a ways from that (gotta get the wife to the range legit beating me with a Ruger 10-22 before I have a shot at what looks like a $8k+ rifle /w the top of the line scope I want with not the cheapest ammo...

4) Prepping. Wife and I have wanted to put a pantry together for a LONG time, for something like 25 years now, but for various reasons, it wasn't feasible. Now it is. I don't exactly expect an EMP or anything like that, but it would be nice to be able to survive without too much stress if there's an extended gov't shutdown or a natural disaster. I like the idea of being prepared with bug out bags and not being so freaking reliant as I am now...on everything. Part of that is making really smart choices... like in putting together a wilderness survival kit, most of the family would carry "grocery" guns like the Ruger 10/22 Takedown, which breaks down so that it can be kept out of the elements pretty easily.

So... talks with the wife have gone good, she has warmed up to getting the Ruger 10/22 and starting with just target shooting as well as clearing out a room to start a pantry (some repairs to the room are needed) and maybe more importantly, getting outside and getting on the trails so that we can get fit enough to go camping and not feel like we've been through an industrial dryer...

Anyone else, hunt, camp, shoot or prep?

I don't hunt. My opinion of hunting for sport is gross!

 

[RamFan503]

Check out the M&P sometime, see how that feels. Same with the Springfield XD and the Sig P320, all are similar, get a feel for what feels best and if you can shoot each one. It's important to get a pistol that not only feels well if your hands but shoots well too. For example, I don't care much for the Springfield XD feel compared to the Glock, but I shoot better with it, even though the take down interferes with my grip.

I'm a big fan of the M&P, personally, it is my favorite striker fired pistol, followed by the P320. The modularity of the 320 is so nice, it's like having several pistols in one. I can make mine a target completion gun, a concealed carry gun, a standard compact ant a standard full size and it's all considered one "gun". Very handy.

Pretty sure the P220 is my next gun purchase. I love the way a Sig Sauer feels in my hand and it's a great shooter. I'm not much into Glocks as I have never found one that felt comfortable. I love my Ruger KP95 and my Taurus Millenium Pro in 40SW but am looking to get a 45acp. My dad has the XD 45 sub. It's actually a pretty good little shooter but he doesn't much care for it. I may have to pry it away from him.

 

[RamFan503]

I don't hunt. My opinion of hunting for sport is gross!

I would agree with the idea of hunting purely for sport. Doesn't seem right to me. I eat what I hunt.

 

[Mackeyser]

So a few things. First off, pick Blue’s brain. He knows his stuff.

As far as hunting goes, practice more on getting in closer than 500 yds on your game. There are just so many reasons a shot over that distance is problematic. I am a very good shot, do my own loads, practice a lot, have very good equipment that I’m very familiar with (Sako 300 UM with 2-14x50 Shwarovski scope being my go to), take my time, etc, and I still will rarely take a shot over 3-400 yards.

A lot can happen in that distance between you and the animal. A lot of visuals on an animal that has mostly one color to it is difficult with the best scope to be sure of the location of the kill zone if there is any body angle. If you’re hunting in mountainous areas, figuring out exactly where your animal was when you shot it only gets more difficult the farther out you get. You can key in on all the landmarks you want and when you get there, they almost never look like what you thought. And of course other hunters in the area don’t much care for you shooting over their head to hit an animal they got into. There’s more but.....

I’ll get more into that as time permits.

As far as the 454 Casul..... I have a Ruger in that caliber. Given my druthers, I’d have gone with a 44 mag. I like my 454 but I don’t love it. Shooting 45s through it is a lot of fun. But you put 320 grain Casul rounds in it and it’s frankly no fun to shoot. You can get and load smaller rounds but what’s the point of having that monster if you’re going to hold its capabilities back? Definitely shoot one at full power before buying one.

I totally agree (and I have no plans even with lottery winnings of getting a Casull. I already know it's too much). For a myriad of reasons, I think even for the most experienced of hunters, unless it's on a totally flat plain on a cool, super still day... even then I'd have a hard time justifying a shot greater than 500 yds. As you say, just so much can happen. And for a round rated at 2600 fps, you're looking at almost 0.6 seconds to impact and all it takes is a half step and that animal just got gut shot.

I also plan to practice many shooting positions because there's not always a place to be completely prone (or it's a bad idea). I know in Florida, you can't go two steps in some places without coming across fire ants, so it would suck to have to make a poor shot because I hadn't practiced alternate shooting positions. Granted, in Florida, I think you could just sit on a platform on a farm and use night vision and take down hogs, but beyond that, I agree that it's important to be a hunter, not just a shooter. I respect the animal too much... except the boar, but even then.

I'm also not squeamish so it shouldn't be hard to learn to do the butchering/field stripping.

Don't much care for taxidermy so I wouldn't care about mounting anything.

Question: What do you do with the carcass once you've stripped the meat? Do you leave it for carrion or bury it...or something else?

Edit: I just saw it....HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! The look on that bear's face is meme-worthy! He's got that "Really, Stu... really?" look...hahahaha!!!

 

[RamFan503]

Question: What do you do with the carcass once you've stripped the meat? Do you leave it for carrion or bury it...or something else?

We generally strip out the carcass, carry out the quarters and head and leave the rest for scavenger animals. I once killed a very large cow elk, took out all the meat and head and when we went back in the morning, all that was left was a pile of stomach contents. Sorry if that's too graphic for some. But the point is that cayotes, bears, cats, buzzards, crows, etc. generally make very quick work of carcasses. This is also why if we have to make several trips in to pack out all the meat, we hang the parts we intend to keep but can't carry out right away. Cayotes and bears in particular are not real shy when it comes to a free meal. If you are hunting on private property though, always ask the property owner first how he wants you to deal with the carcass. Some - not many - expect you to get it all out and off their property.

I'm also not squeamish so it shouldn't be hard to learn to do the butchering/field stripping.

Field dressing is easy. With big animals it is very nice to have someone there to hold the legs while you do your work. I can dress out a full grown elk in less than a half hour by myself. At first though, go slow and be careful not to nick or cut into things that might taint the meat. After all the time and work you will put in, it sucks to have meat come out rancid. If it's hot out, get the hide off immediately after gutting. Getting the meat to cool as fast as possible is key.

When it comes to butchering, I almost always bone everything out and then separate the meat muscle by muscle and remove any blood shot, sinew, and silver skin. I then wrap in cellophane and then paper and mark what cut, the weight, and date butchered before freezing. Always put the meat in the freezer in one layer with packages not touching each other. The meat will freeze quicker that way and give you the best quality. If you have to stack it, let the layers freeze at least partially before adding the next layer. And keep in mind, things like heart, liver, tongue are actually very good if prepared right. Believe it or not, those pieces on a deer or elk are better than farm raised meats. A wild pig can be iffy sometimes depending on what they've been eating. But most times you have heard that game meat has a flavor people don't like, it's because the animal wasn't butchered or field dressed properly. And..... low fat game like deer and elk should always be either cooked medium rare to rare or cooked long and slow or at least thoroughly for things like stews, tacos, and ground products. I don't care much for deer and elk roasts but rather prefer to sear small medallions about an inch thick. If you butcher it right, the meat is almost fork tender even in much of the shoulder and leg sections. Wild pig and bear MUST be cooked thoroughly though. Bear almost always has trichinosis and pigs often do too.

If you want to watch a really good show on hunting and preparing meat, check out Steve Rinell's (sp?) "Meat Eater". He goes over hunting, field dressing, field cooking, butchering, recipes, etc. and is very much into humane hunting practices. He hunts much the way I like to. The last few seasons so far are available on Netflix but you can also pull them up on YouTube.

Hey - one other thing is to always wait after you shoot - a half hour to 45 minutes minimum. Even if you see the animal go down or think you have a clean kill, animals are tough and I know many hunters that have lost animals because they went in too early and the animal got up and ran even though it was mortally hit. It may seem cruel but it is far worse to make the animal get up and run and then lose it. Once you go in, go slow and track thoroughly while marking the trail you are following. I always keep biodegradable tape with me for this and have a tracking light for when I have to find one in the dark. And an LED head lamp is a must.

 

[1maGoh]

Lots of good information in here. I planned on going hunting for the first time this year, but school, work, and a new baby got in the way.

Thank you to @RamFan503 and @bluecoconuts for the this information.

 

[Mackeyser]

We generally strip out the carcass, carry out the quarters and head and leave the rest for scavenger animals. I once killed a very large cow elk, took out all the meat and head and when we went back in the morning, all that was left was a pile of stomach contents. Sorry if that's too graphic for some. But the point is that cayotes, bears, cats, buzzards, crows, etc. generally make very quick work of carcasses. This is also why if we have to make several trips in to pack out all the meat, we hang the parts we intend to keep but can't carry out right away. Cayotes and bears in particular are not real shy when it comes to a free meal. If you are hunting on private property though, always ask the property owner first how he wants you to deal with the carcass. Some - not many - expect you to get it all out and off their property.


Field dressing is easy. With big animals it is very nice to have someone there to hold the legs while you do your work. I can dress out a full grown elk in less than a half hour by myself. At first though, go slow and be careful not to nick or cut into things that might taint the meat. After all the time and work you will put in, it sucks to have meat come out rancid. If it's hot out, get the hide off immediately after gutting. Getting the meat to cool as fast as possible is key.

When it comes to butchering, I almost always bone everything out and then separate the meat muscle by muscle and remove any blood shot, sinew, and silver skin. I then wrap in cellophane and then paper and mark what cut, the weight, and date butchered before freezing. Always put the meat in the freezer in one layer with packages not touching each other. The meat will freeze quicker that way and give you the best quality. If you have to stack it, let the layers freeze at least partially before adding the next layer. And keep in mind, things like heart, liver, tongue are actually very good if prepared right. Believe it or not, those pieces on a deer or elk are better than farm raised meats. A wild pig can be iffy sometimes depending on what they've been eating. But most times you have heard that game meat has a flavor people don't like, it's because the animal wasn't butchered or field dressed properly. And..... low fat game like deer and elk should always be either cooked medium rare to rare or cooked long and slow or at least thoroughly for things like stews, tacos, and ground products. I don't care much for deer and elk roasts but rather prefer to sear small medallions about an inch thick. If you butcher it right, the meat is almost fork tender even in much of the shoulder and leg sections. Wild pig and bear MUST be cooked thoroughly though. Bear almost always has trichinosis and pigs often do too.

If you want to watch a really good show on hunting and preparing meat, check out Steve Rinell's (sp?) "Meat Eater". He goes over hunting, field dressing, field cooking, butchering, recipes, etc. and is very much into humane hunting practices. He hunts much the way I like to. The last few seasons so far are available on Netflix but you can also pull them up on YouTube.

Hey - one other thing is to always wait after you shoot - a half hour to 45 minutes minimum. Even if you see the animal go down or think you have a clean kill, animals are tough and I know many hunters that have lost animals because they went in too early and the animal got up and ran even though it was mortally hit. It may seem cruel but it is far worse to make the animal get up and run and then lose it. Once you go in, go slow and track thoroughly while marking the trail you are following. I always keep biodegradable tape with me for this and have a tracking light for when I have to find one in the dark. And an LED head lamp is a must.

I’ll def check out that program. I’ll also find an experienced hunter locally to show me the ropes. I know better than to try to just make it work after watching YouTube vids... lol

 

[Mackeyser]

Here are a few survival fire techniques for long/low maintenance fire or no maintenance fire.

One thing that was a little surprising is how long it takes to set up and thus, I now understand why by 2pm in the winter, folks are in full set up mode because depending on the terrain and where you are, you might only have 2 hours of usable light to set up and between creating a fire, shelter and then setting up cooking and how to deal with everything afterwards (bad idea to just leave things with food or food smell just laying around)...it's not a lot of time. Heck, if it were winter conditions like in these videos, you might be setting up by noon or 1pm and then using any remaining light to hunt, explore, whatever.



The one thing about this long fire is that he hasn't dug a vent channel which if one wanted would be under the space between the two starter logs. If you were using bigger logs to create more heat for a small party, then you'd definitely want that vent channel so that the fire could get the air it needed. Still, pretty amazing stuff.


This is the guy who's the inspiration and he's got several videos using the Siberian long fire. Worth watching both parts, but good Lord does that throw off some HEAT!

 

[BonifayRam]

I been watching a LOT of Youtube with this migraine going on 3 weeks now and I've become super interested in a few things that I'd like to talk about.

NOTE: No politics or policy will be tolerated in this thread. Guns will be discussed, but ONLY with respect to features, capability towards purpose and function in the field. I don't know if this will become a predominantly gun thread or a general thread with some gun stuff in it, but I asked in advance if it was okay to start this thread and preliminarily, it should be okay. PLEASE, no one screw this up, chief culprit would be lamenting CA/NY/MA/Chicago gun laws. Just don't. That's going to quickly detour into politics/policy and I'm not trying to see this thread die because of some rant about gun laws in those jurisdictions.

Anyway... on to the show.

1) Hunting. I've wanted to hunt for a long time as I feel that responsible hunting is a big benefit especially in areas where apex predators don't exist or have been driven out due to habitat encroachment or livestock preservation. I know in the South that every farmer would love for people to responsibly hunt the wild boar that ruin crops at a fantastic rate. Doesn't hurt that for whatever reason, I HATE wild boar. I can't describe it, but you can bet that if I get into this proper, I'll be hunting them as often as possible and donating the meat which for a single male boar can be hundreds of pounds of meat. Plus, we've discussed moving to Minnesota again, although more of a long term plan, that seems to be something that might happen once we've done some more repairs, upgrades to our current home and paid off some debt.

2) Survival. It just FASCINATES me. I learned several ways to make a rocket stove as well as saw ways to survive all night even in -30 degree weather with NO COVER as long as it's not snowing heavily. I love the idea of camping/surviving in the wilderness for an extended period of time and both the wife and I are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We both camped with our kids when they were in scouts and the wife trained Wood Badge as well as was on an Eagle Scout application committee for years. We'll start slow, but you can bet that once we get into it, we'll really get into it. First step is getting some good boots and getting on the trails and then hikes, then backpack camping. Also will need to start learning much more about trauma first aid, gardening and botany so as to recognize wild plants that are either edible and/or can be used for medicine.

3) Shooting. I've always liked the "hitting a target" aspect of shooting, be it target or responsible hunting. I've grown fascinated with the physics, engineering and skill especially regarding long shots and if all this works out for me, I'll have a really nice .338 Lapua Magnum like the Steyr CL II Carbon with a Nightforce ATACR scope that I both hunt larger game with as well as drive the distance to longer shooting ranges (e.g. 1000 yard ranges). I'd settle for a Remington 700 XCR chambered in a .338 Lapua, but apparently Remington quality has fallen off as of late and there is concern about the reliability of the 700 with the .338 as opposed to the 30-06 or the .308 or even the .300 Win Mag. All the other .338 Lapua rifles are just expensive enough that might as well save up for the Steyr. Anyway, I'm a ways from that (gotta get the wife to the range legit beating me with a Ruger 10-22 before I have a shot at what looks like a $8k+ rifle /w the top of the line scope I want with not the cheapest ammo...

4) Prepping. Wife and I have wanted to put a pantry together for a LONG time, for something like 25 years now, but for various reasons, it wasn't feasible. Now it is. I don't exactly expect an EMP or anything like that, but it would be nice to be able to survive without too much stress if there's an extended gov't shutdown or a natural disaster. I like the idea of being prepared with bug out bags and not being so freaking reliant as I am now...on everything. Part of that is making really smart choices... like in putting together a wilderness survival kit, most of the family would carry "grocery" guns like the Ruger 10/22 Takedown, which breaks down so that it can be kept out of the elements pretty easily.

So... talks with the wife have gone good, she has warmed up to getting the Ruger 10/22 and starting with just target shooting as well as clearing out a room to start a pantry (some repairs to the room are needed) and maybe more importantly, getting outside and getting on the trails so that we can get fit enough to go camping and not feel like we've been through an industrial dryer...

Anyone else, hunt, camp, shoot or prep?

I do all my hunting in the meat market area of Sams. I am a real softy when it come to animals' & prefer not to kill unless it a last resort. I do love firearms & own many even have several Ruger's (22 cal/22 mag/38 cal/357 mag) revolver's. My wife has killed many more deer than I have with her vehicle.

I am a serious RV camper going back to the very early 90's. I am too old now to hard camp any longer but I have done some in the Rockies up in the mountains in MT & Wy on the Beartooth pass few years back. I prefer the western states to camp....way too hot down here in the southeast. Plus the human population is in the east is way too condensed. The west is much cooler & less humid for outdoor outings. Plus there is much more to see.

As a retired State of Florida Law Enforcement Officer (30 yrs), I have done some serious time on the ranges. I have been a long time preper but not too serious to where I have dug large holes & caves on my properties. I like to discuss preparedness. My family being hit hard by the storm Michael back in this fall renewed the need for everyone to do some prep stuff. My home was packed full of refugee's from Panama City/Lynn Haven @ the time of Michael. It will take a decade before those cities are back like they were. Mass destruction took place there. It's still a big mess.

 

[Mackeyser]

Yeah, we're just now getting our pool cage replaced that was damaged from Irma. It's mostly done and should be done the day after Christmas. The roof was finally repaired last month.

We had to hunker down at my Mom's because she has older dogs and honestly had a better house for that. As I'm getting things repaired, our's is getting better. Not where I want it to be, but getting closer.

Wife and I already agreed on a small pantry (10'x12') and we both want to get back into couponing. The wife is likely to really want to be involved in some way with hunting when it comes to that as we'd either keep or donate the meat to a women's shelter. We used to save up our baby supplies like diapers and formula (if you really coupon for that stuff and contact manufacturers, you can be swimming in that stuff for super cheap) and then donate that to a local women's shelter. We'd both like to start doing that again. Plus, as a Service Connected Disabled Vet, my money comes from the gov't, so... doesn't matter who sits in what chair, every few years, there's a gov't shutdown and we have to scramble and we hate it. So, since we can't save...because that could incur a means test (ugh), it's better to prep and I'm so happy the wife and I are on the same page.

Funny you mentioned the RV. We're going to the Tampa RV show in January...which is kinda funny. I've had some sort of very serious illness every year at that time for the past 4 years (last year or the year before, I was in the hospital thinking I'd had a stroke, iirc). Anyway, this will be the first year since I've wanted go that I might actually be able to go. I always tend to want to look at the super high end rigs like the Newmar King Aire, but I actually think the wife and I would enjoy something smaller and that could sleep 4 and carry plenty of hunting/fishing/camping gear and use the RV as a base camp. The ONLY thing we'd have to hump in with us were inflatable pads so that we weren't sleeping on the ground. That's really the only luxury we'd HAVE to have.

I tend to really dive into things...deep...so I'm really struggling to moderate... first purchase? Boots. Why? I have super hard to fit feet (so bad, the wife won't go shoe shopping with me anymore). And, honestly, we both need to lose weight before it makes any kind of sense to try anything else.

What's tough is that I dunno of any backpacking outfitter near me (I think the closest is Orlando, which is about 2 hours away) and since I have such hard to fit feet, I can't imagine that it'd make sense to get them through Amazon even though I have a big Amazon credit burning a hole in my screen...)

Was thinking about the Zamberlan Men's 996 Vioz GT Hiking Boot as well as the Salomon 4D 3 GTX, but the Sallies don't have Wide sizing and I'm not sure if their toe box will work for me. I'll have to hit the Sears by me and measure my foot again and try and remember to write it down this time. It's tough because it seems every vendor has some kind of production issues, from the affordable models to the top line models.

And I dunno what people are doing to their boots, but doggone do they wreck them.

Lastly, I agree about camping out west. Other than likely just me doing some hog hunting here in FL, I don't think either the wife or I has any interest in hunting or camping in the humidity.

I think that once we start getting into this, it'll make it easier to reconsider the logistics of moving to MN or maybe CO as we both really liked the areas around Boulder (near the college has too many trust fund babies for our tastes) and even had our honeymoon in Boulder at a little B&B called the Briar Rose.

 

[CeeZar]

Whatever gear you choose, I'd recommend getting into competitive shooting. This is an excellent motivator to get better and you will have the opportunity to learn from your fellow shooters in ways that you can never do on the internet.

For rifles, check out:
https://www.chuckhawks.com/f-class_shooting.htm



For pistols, check out:

 

[fearsomefour]

I am a disaster shooting.
Grew up in a family opposed to hunting.
I have no issue with it and wouldn't mind giving it a shot. I just am not a very good shot or experienced.
I have some land in wine country Ca.
Have a well and water purification system that is off grid. Put in a simple rain collection system (even though that's illegal there....believe it or not).
Having a nice green house installed soon that if off grid.
The plan is to have a place that is almost all natural power (great solar minimum be damned)....solar and wind, on a well/water collection....where we can grow most of our food, run a couple head of cattle and chickens etc. and grow medicine.
The last part I have friends doing with some mixed results for what I want to do with it.
As for prepping now....about three months supply of freeze dried food, a couple hundred gallons of water and some simple water purification methods, a couple of guns, some basic emergency supplies, a little silver etc stashed in the garage.
More prepared for the power being out for a week than for financial collapse mixed with world war and zombie attacks.
Baby steps.

 

[Mackeyser]

I never understood stockpiling precious metal.

If society hasn't collapsed, then the money should still work, although there's a possibility of inflation. Even still, if we get to hyper inflation, that'll apply to all mediums of exchange including precious metals. Also, most people won't have the foggiest idea what to do with it, how to value it, how to "make change", etc.

If society has collapsed, then precious metals will be worth next to nothing. Lead will be worth significantly more as it can be easily smelted into ammo or weights for fishing as an example. For compounds, if those happened to spring up, metals like copper pipes and fixtures would be important.

But gold and/or silver? I dunno.

If I'm in a SHTF situation and I need something, I'll try to have stockpiles of 22lr, 9mm and .308 ammo on hand for barter as well as seeds, sanitary wipes, spices, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Neosporin, bandages, A&D ointment, Vaseline, cotton balls and other sundries that can be easily stockpiled and don't ever go bad or last a really long time.

I know that all that stuff will easily trade MUCH easier than any precious metal. Not saying that it won't trade but it's heavy and doesn't have an obvious survival use.

As for the shooting aspect, most in my family are pretty good shots, but there will be skills just as if not more valuable than shooting... first aid, gardening, spotting food/medicinal plants and/or poisonous plants, bushcraft (making shelter, fire, food with natural elements), etc.

I'm also putting some deep thought into what I'll have in my Bugout bag. It'll be heavy because I'm an idiot and think I'm the Hulk, but I'm gonna spend a lot of time figuring it out.

Too often when something happens, it's pretty tough at the last minute to put everything together in a rush and not miss something really important.

 

[-X-]

I never understood stockpiling precious metal.

Nor do I.

in a truly post-apocalyptic world, a loaf of bread could easily buy a suitcase full of gold.

 

[BonifayRam]

I never understood stockpiling precious metal.

If society hasn't collapsed, then the money should still work, although there's a possibility of inflation. Even still, if we get to hyper inflation, that'll apply to all mediums of exchange including precious metals. Also, most people won't have the foggiest idea what to do with it, how to value it, how to "make change", etc.

If society has collapsed, then precious metals will be worth next to nothing. Lead will be worth significantly more as it can be easily smelted into ammo or weights for fishing as an example. For compounds, if those happened to spring up, metals like copper pipes and fixtures would be important.

But gold and/or silver? I dunno.

If I'm in a SHTF situation and I need something, I'll try to have stockpiles of 22lr, 9mm and .308 ammo on hand for barter as well as seeds, sanitary wipes, spices, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Neosporin, bandages, A&D ointment, Vaseline, cotton balls and other sundries that can be easily stockpiled and don't ever go bad or last a really long time.

I know that all that stuff will easily trade MUCH easier than any precious metal. Not saying that it won't trade but it's heavy and doesn't have an obvious survival use.

As for the shooting aspect, most in my family are pretty good shots, but there will be skills just as if not more valuable than shooting... first aid, gardening, spotting food/medicinal plants and/or poisonous plants, bushcraft (making shelter, fire, food with natural elements), etc.

I'm also putting some deep thought into what I'll have in my Bugout bag. It'll be heavy because I'm an idiot and think I'm the Hulk, but I'm gonna spend a lot of time figuring it out.

Too often when something happens, it's pretty tough at the last minute to put everything together in a rush and not miss something really important.

Here some of my thoughts on a few things you mentioned.

I also question the value & standard use of some of the "precious metals" myself. I would think that plain working people would have a hard time figuring out the real value of gold or silver of unknown metal medallions but would have a better idea of the real value of older silver & partial silver US coin currency like silver pre 1964 coins dollars / half dollars/ quarters & dime & maybe the 40% pre 1970 dollar & half dollar coins. I do not think that any non metal currency would be of much value. I am thinking Bartering by trade of goods would be a stable of getting what you want most. If you do not have clean good fresh clean water to consume then that liquid commodity value would be at the very top of the value & worth. Even the containers that can keep fresh water clean & tradeable would have value.

People in cities are in deep if a major disaster takes place & the Fed/state/Local Gov is non functioning. Once power is gone there will be no fresh water for any long period of time. The water towers will empty fast & depending on the back up fuel used to run their generators will be depleated fast. People who have fresh water wells & the ability to get the 220 electrical power to run the pump will be in ok until the fuel is gone. Manual pitcher hand pumps for shallow wells is a good ideal if you live in the rural areas with less people. But shallow ground wells in dense cities & older towns are usually mixed with septic tank ground water & is not he best for non hearty people. I currently have four water wells on my rural property. One of the four 4 inch wells is over 420 ft deep. Its in a concrete slabbed 12 ft X 12 ft secured brick building. It runs off 220 & can pump high volume's of water the main reason for all this trouble is for the use of Baker Deep Well Hand Pump that sits on top of this well. If for what ever reason I or my family or friends have no ability to get access to fresh clean water & they run out of fuel to operate their wells then you or they can use physical strength to get the clean fresh water up & out for use. I have used these types of deep well hand pumps out west in state & federal parks in out of the way areas & where there is no power. They worked very well when camping but my daughters hated them :rant:& had trouble being able to operate the hand pumps because of lack of strength.
https://wisementrading.com/water/water-pumps/baker-deep-well-hand-pumps/

 

[BonifayRam]

Funny you mentioned the RV. We're going to the Tampa RV show in January...which is kinda funny. I've had some sort of very serious illness every year at that time for the past 4 years (last year or the year before, I was in the hospital thinking I'd had a stroke, iirc). Anyway, this will be the first year since I've wanted go that I might actually be able to go. I always tend to want to look at the super high end rigs like the Newmar King Aire, but I actually think the wife and I would enjoy something smaller and that could sleep 4 and carry plenty of hunting/fishing/camping gear and use the RV as a base camp. The ONLY thing we'd have to hump in with us were inflatable pads so that we weren't sleeping on the ground. That's really the only luxury we'd HAVE to have.

RV's are the perfect 2nd home (for prepers) when something bad happens to your home or you have to leave your home. Its a super small mini home wherever you are. Its has all the most important needed stuff to live but in dinky form. The option of DC vs AC power, uses small amounts of water, small area to cool or heat, power to run the furnace, water heater, frig & freezer & cook your food comes from propane gas. DC battery powers your water pump, lighting & fans. A small generator like a Honda 3000 can meet all your demands if you know how to be conservative. For any serious prep person will have a RV new or used they are a must.

I have owned three RV's & have rented all sizes of motorhomes since 1990. I currently have a 35 ft TT. That's longer than most TT's & I will eventually downsize to 20 to 24 ft. Towing is not the issue, problem is with usual camping sites & availability. You can not get the bigger rigs back into remote areas as easy. I suggest go with smaller mid size slide outs models. reason I do TT over 5th wheel is my 2 generators & needed truck bed space. Use the great open outdoors as your living room no use towing around a living room. Rv'ers are usually great interesting folks. Conversations with people from all over the US & Canada make it tons of fun. Campers always know a better way of doing things.

I tend to really dive into things...deep...so I'm really struggling to moderate...

me too!

What's tough is that I dunno of any backpacking outfitter near me (I think the closest is Orlando, which is about 2 hours away) and since I have such hard to fit feet, I can't imagine that it'd make sense to get them through Amazon even though I have a big Amazon credit burning a hole in my screen...)

Never could afford to purchased any special gear or clothing in the past . The rule was if it was old or raggedy or on its last legs it was the proper outfitter camping gear. Same with any items used camping.... pots & pans, towel's type stuff. With 3 girls in the woods, dirt, mud & mountains we would just trash all the old gear on the last day of the camping trip. It was not easy to find a big enough dumpster.

I think that once we start getting into this, it'll make it easier to reconsider the logistics of moving to MN or maybe CO as we both really liked the areas around Boulder (near the college has too many trust fund babies for our tastes) and even had our honeymoon in Boulder at a little B&B called the Briar Rose

.

My youngest daughter & family were living in Panama City FL.when Michael hit. Since then she flew out to Denver CO & got a great job in Boulder CO. They have sold their home & will complete the move in January. She loves working & living in Boulder CO. I prefer WY or ID myself for tax purposes.