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Survival 102: Making a Quiver of Survival Arrows, 3 Things You Should Know

ArdyDec 06, 2021Adventures,Current events,Earthquake Preparedness,Emergency Preparedness,Hunting,Prepper0 Comment

 

As a follow up to the need I addressed for a survival bow comes the need for a whole quiver full of arrows to make it more beneficial to you than a rustic cigarette lighter. There are several ways to make arrows and they can be as complex or simple as you have the time to bother with.

First off you want strong, straight shafts that are flexible. Some people make arrows out of various reeds because they are hollow inside. However, I and my acquaintances have made it a practice to predominantly use cedar shafts for arrows for several reasons. They are strong, straight, and superabundant. You can literally find some type of cedar tree everywhere in the continental United States and abroad. However, you are not limited to cedar for your arrows and ash, oak, or pine shafts will work as well.

Your points can be as simple as a sharpened end, (hardened in a fire), or intricate to the point of perfection with the making of knapped flint arrowheads, aluminum or steel arrowheads fashioned from soda or soup cans, or any other combination of mechanical or metallic devices that are literally limited in scope to your own imagination.

Pine pitch and sinew makes an excellent binder to hold both your point to the shaft, and the fletchings to the other end. Sinew or natural cordage are used to bind the arrow together tightly, and  remember; in a rustic situation, the main goal is to simply keep it together for one or two uses before any part of the arrow breaks off. They’re not likely to be used over and over again without repair of some sort. Here are three things that you must consider in the manufacture of your arrows if you are to use them successfully.

  1. The shaft should balance with the point. If the arrow is too tip heavy, the drop in velocity will be considerable and each and every arrow should be practiced with to get a feel for how it flies before being shot into game or enemies. If you find your tip to be too heavy, consider a denser or shaft or one with a bit more girth for distribution. A very big pile of dried grasses twisted together, (think of a bale of hay), makes for a nice impromptu target in the bush, as does a body of deep water that you can retrieve your arrows from after you’ve shot them.
  2. Fletching should correspond with the arrow notch to avoid stripping. If you examine the diagram, you will see that an arrow is set up with three veins of fletching to help it achieve maximum stabilization during flight. These veins must be set up and used in such a way so that there is a bare area of the shaft that is going to make contact with the side of the bow as the arrow is launched from it. Otherwise your bow will strip that fletching right off as it is launched and the shaft will go everywhere except for where you want it to.
  3. Notches should not be a “V”. Traditionally notches are thought to represent a V shape; however, that is not what you are wanting to produce in your survival arrows. The best type of notch is to think of one that looks more like a “U” than a “V”. The notch should cradle your bowstring rather than pinching it so that it doesn’t launch off center.
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Survival 102:Making a Survival Bow

ArdyNov 22, 2021Current events,Earthquake Preparedness,Emergency Preparedness,Uncategorized0 Comment

One of the best skills that you can have in regards to survival is the ability to create both tools and weapons that will give you the ability to survive indefinitely. One of these items is a survival bow. One thing you need to realize is that a survival bow can have more than one use. There are three uses I can think of right off the bat. You can of course hunt with it, you can use it to build fire, and you can use it to drill holes with in order to construct more permanent structures.

A survival bow on a base level is a pretty easy thing to build, and it can become as complicated and elaborate as you want it to; however, for a survival bow you’ll need to know just a few basic things to get started. Probably the most important factor to understand in the manufacture of your bow is the proper knots to fashion in your cordage. One of the easiest and most versatile knots is a variation of the hangman’s noose. This knot, when tied around a shaft with some length, will self tighten to the point that it is almost impossible to get loose. Also it will strengthen weak points on your bow, work as a handle, and affix fletching and arrowheads to your arrows.

Here are the important factors to consider when you are building your first survival bow:

  1. You have to use the right wood. My preference for anything survival is durable. The best wood I’ve ever used is Osage Orange, some people call it hedgeapple. It is extremely hard and yellow as the sun. Your stave should be slightly bowed, 3 to four feet long, and free from knots. It’s also best to get it a little green so there’s some flexibility to it.
  2. Follow it’s natural curve. Make sure that the bow already has a tendency to bow a certain direction. It will do you no good to try to produce a curve against the grain in any way.
  3. Trim consistently. The bow should remain thicker towards the center and gradually taper towards the ends consistently. It is up to you to shape your bow slowly using a knife of sharp rocks. And when you get the tips of the bow flat and somewhat pointed, make sure to notch the ends to hold the bow string.
  4. Prepare several strings for your bow. There is nothing more frustrating in the wilderness than not having the proper tool handy when you need it. Therefore, you should prepare three or more strings for hunting, (strings that will stretch tight from one end to the other, causing the bow to curve slightly to keep it taut. ) These hunting strings should be greased with animal fat to prevent rotting and should only be used when needed as they don’t usually last long. Once they are stretched out they can be used for bowdrill or for turning other spindles.
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Woodland finds: 3 Reasons you should never leave feathers in the wilds

ArdyNov 18, 2021Adventures,Camping,Camping, Adventures,Earthquake Preparedness,Emergency Preparedness0 Comment

I was recently walking through the woodlot that my wife and I have acquired for a little getaway hunting spot when I spotted a pristine turkey feather lying in the underbrush, and immediately to the left of it a second one. I immediately grabbed both of them up and took them to my car to keep for later use.

I consider things like this to be a gift.  And, I make no bones about my belief that this gift is from a Creator God who loves me and provides for me. “What kind of a gift is two feathers from God?” you might ask.  Well, I would counter by asking what makes a Godly gift valuable? Is it the amount of money that another man would give you for it, or is it rather more valuable simply because God gave it to you? I’ll go with the latter.

In any event, I never walk by several things in the wilderness. I never walk by a good piece of flint, I never walk past an empty birds nest, and I never walk by a feather of any sort.

There are many reasons to acquire feathers for survival situations, and the need and use of them goes well beyond  simple survival. Writing utensils for instance. Quill pens were in use by early Americans for centuries before the common writing utensils were invented, and if times get hard again, I can see them becoming fashionable again. Ink isn’t hard to make either, a very simple ink can be crafted from lamp black, egg yolk, gum arabic, and honey. (Inmates make tattoo ink in prison by burning petroleum jelly in the bottom of their footlocker and letting the soot collect on the top of of the lid from the smoke as it burns).

Here are three uses for feathers in a survival situation:

  1. Camouflage.  Native Americans didn’t just wear feathers as a status symbol. They offer a practical use as well. Much like a multicolored, three dimensional ghillie suits offer superior camouflage capabilities, so too does the advent of nature’s camouflage to your kit and apparel.
  2. Fletching. It goes without saying that adding fletching to your arrows or atl atl bolts will increase accuracy over distance. Never let an opportunity to save feathers go so that you can maintain a quiver full of arrows if needed.
  3. Fluff. Never forget the need for insulation in a wilderness survival situation, and never pass up the opportunity to gather some of nature’s best insulation.

 

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Hunting Idaho’s National Parks: 3 Thing You Must do to Prepare

ArdySep 28, 2021Adventures,Camping,Camping, Adventures,Current events,Emergency Preparedness0 Comment

It has recently been noted that the world class elk taken by city dwellers,  and would be preppers and survivalists, in Idaho’s national parks, are a thing of the past. Those campsites which used to house truck campers, hobo camps, and military surplus tent enthusiasts are laying empty, windswept, and weedy.

Those trophy bulls, writes Andrew McKean for Outdoor Life™, can now only be found in private properties with river bottom hayfields that will accommodate these majestic animals under the guns of these independent ranchers. The problem, writes McKean, is wolves.

Wolves have been protected, and to many notions, over protected, for the last several decades in national parks. And it is because of these protections that much of the game has been driven from the parks to adjoining areas where private livestock, and property owner rights, make it safer for a herd animals to migrate hither and yon for breeding and grazing purposes.

None of this really affects me as a wildlife photographer per se. I would rather hunt wolves any day as opposed to elk, bear, deer, or bison. What gathers my attention the most is the reference to those empty camp sites and abandoned stands.

A wildlife photographer’s best friend is said to be “down yonder”. In my experience, my favorite people are those found to be “Way Down Yonder”. I absolutely abhor company and love solitude. So it is definitely in my sphere of contemplation for the winter season, to haul my camper out to Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho’s Panhandle National Forest, up near Packsaddle Mountain, and see what kind of lupine footage I can find. Here, in retrospect, are three strategies for a successful hunt in Idaho.

  1. Consider your purpose and make adjustments as needed. Why do you hunt? That is a question I asked myself once while covered in doe blood, my hands greasy with winter fat from a deer I had just ended the existence of. Did I need the meat? No, we had a beef ranch at the time and had several fields full of angus to eat, money in the bank, plenty of food to be had from several different resources. I came to the conclusion that I enjoyed the competition of hunting. So I exchanged a gun for a camera.
  2. Make sure you are well prepared. When I go camping these days, I use a pull behind fiberglass trailer that runs heat and air conditioning from a dual fuel generator that will fire up from propane gas or electricity. Above and beyond that I have two solar generators that will mount on the roof of my camper to run heaters for emergency purposes. I also keep twenty plus gallons of potable water in the storage unit of my trailer.
  3. Be well armed. I cannot stress this enough. In this day and time you should not only want to be armed for dangerous animals, but for dangerous people as well. Generally my photography kit includes a Glock 17 with three 17 round magazines, (on my waist), a KelTec Sub2000, (fitted for Glock 17 mags and folded into a backpack with a bug-out bag holding five 17 round magazines), and a Smith and Wesson Model 629 Mountain gun holstered on my load bearing vest with molle straps.
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Winter Survival: 3 Things to Consider to Live Through Being Stranded

ArdyAug 02, 2021Adventures,Current events,Emergency Preparedness,Emergency Shelter,Uncategorized0 Comment

Recently a friend of mine was out delivering fertilizer to local farmers when he got caught in a flash flood in rural Indiana. It turned out ok, however he wasn’t sure, for a while, that it would. Luckily for my buddy, he couldn’t have died from exposure in this instance because it was summertime. What would he have done though if it had been winter and he had been trapped in his vehicle either by an avalanche or a blizzard?

There are several factors to consider here. First off the fact that in a vehicle you have a few things already established. You already have shelter from the environment to an extent, (most animals and wind, snow, etc…), and you also have a source of heat as long as you can keep the motor running.

However, one of the age old questions as far as survivalists go, is whether or not you’re better off staying in the car or getting out of it and making a survival shelter of some sort. Though I don’t want to get into any sort of debate on this, I do want to point out some key factors that support staying in your car as opposed to venturing away from it. Here are three factors to consider.

  1. You have an established, basically waterproof, structure. The only issue with the cab of a motor vehicle is the fact that there is so much dead air space that has to be heated rather than chilled in order for you to survive any length of time. Water isn’t a problem in  this scenario because you have snow to melt, (don’t eat the snow, melt it and drink it because the calories burned in converting something frozen to 98 degrees are necessary for your survival). Consider the use of snow, debris, seat cushions, etc… inside the cab of your vehicle to create less dead air space for your body heat to sustain.
  2. Your vehicle is like a flag. I used to be a deputy sheriff back in the day; and there is nothing that draws a cop’s, (or any other rescue worker’s), attention like an obviously stranded vehicle. Even if you’re not actively seeking rescue, if you get caught in a disaster and are snowed in, eventually somebody is going to come poking around to make sure you’re ok.
  3. Your vehicle has resources. I mentioned before the insulation capabilities from the seats etc…; however, there are other resources that can be used for survival that every vehicle has. A powerful battery for instance, as well as flammable fluids that can be used for creating fire, torches, better shelters, etc…
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Springtime Dandelions: 3 Uses You Have to Know

ArdyMar 17, 2021Adventures,Camp Cooking,Emergency Preparedness0 Comment

One of the memories I have of my childhood, (I won’t call them fond so as to avoid deception), was that of my old grandma gathering a spring mix of greens for the family to eat. Now, to those of you who are less cultured, “greens” amongst the mountain people is actually an accumulation of any leafy weed that sprouts up from the recently thawed ground. For some reason, it was thought that fresh and tender equaled edible, and while that might have been true for the most part, it certainly didn’t equal palatable.

However, this isn’t true for dandelion greens. These are not only palatable, they are downright tasty and I’m actually surprised that they aren’t included in most spring mix salads you can get at the grocery store, considering their prevalence across the landscape.

In any event, here are three uses for the common dandelion that every serious outdoorsman or survivalist must know:

  1. They are edible. Both the yellow flowers and the leafy greens associated with the plant are food worthy. My favorite way to eat them is to have the flowers fried in batter like a hushpuppy (called fritters), and to have the greens freshly washed and sprinkled with vinegar and oil. I’ve also had them boiled like spinach with bacon and onion.
  2. They are potable. You can actually make a coffee of sorts out of the dandelion root. You can literally do  this with any root, but dandelion coffee is pretty ok, compatible at least with chicory coffee, (neither is as good as the real thing). To make the dandelion coffee, you must finely chop the root and then parch it in a pan over low heat of a fire. When it is brown and brittle, grind it up as you would coffee beans and brew as you would coffee… it’ll get you through some cold nights.
  3. They have down that is multifunctional. Whenever the flower goes to seed it leaves a head of down that can be used to enhance your tinder bundle, or if gathered in enough quantity, add insulation to clothing or bedding to create dead air space.

 

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Uncle John’s Truck: The, (next to), Final Chapter

ArdyJan 21, 2021Adventures,Camping,Camping, Adventures,Current events,Emergency Preparedness0 Comment

That Fall arrived subtly, it was a very smooth transition and arrived more from the acknowledgement of the date on the calendar than it did from an awareness of the change of season. It had been a fairly mild winter, not too sunny and mostly rain for some reason. This had made it pretty insignificant in regards to the various sportsman adventures that I was used to having. Political unrest in the venue my dad worked at kept him pretty busy and he didn’t have much time to run to our fishing hole, even on the days that were nice and sunny.

And so I went about my routine, I was working at McDonald’s still even though I had finished my training. I was volunteering at two different fire departments, and since that was my passion, I focused my energy there. But with the advent of deer season coming into the scene, I suddenly started getting buck fever.

Over the summer my grandpa had died and he had left my mom some acreage in the woods of hilly eastern Ohio. It was a long way from where we live, but it was definitely teeming with wildlife and I decided that I was going to have a deer hunt there to enjoy my first deer camp as a full grown man, (I had just recently turned 18), and would be eligible to finally hunt without adult supervision. I also wanted to test myself as I had never been in any sort of survival or wilderness situation without the supervision of my dad or older brother.

I took advantage of the local Black Friday Sales to purchase a deer stand and a really good sleeping bag. My dad offered up grandpas old military surplus army tent for me to use since work wasn’t going to be able to let him go to the regular deer camp we usually pitched that year…

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Uncle John’s Truck: A Story of Coming to Manhood in Rural America (part 2)

ArdyNov 06, 2020Adventures,Current events,Emergency Preparedness,Uncategorized0 Comment

… The car that stopped in front of me was pretty straightforward. The lady driving the heavy Ford Expedition pulled up to the stoplight and ceased all motion as planned, I followed suit, and the guy in the F350 dually – which was directly behind me – blew it!

The crunch was horrendous as everything moved in slow motion around me. I remember thinking back to every modern action movie I had ever seen, with “The Matrix” taking a predominate spot in my rumination. As the shattered glass, bits of plastic, and personal items that had been sitting in the seat beside me began to dance in strange rhythm around my head, and the ass end of that Expedition loomed menacingly in my windshield preluded by the crumpled metal that had just milliseconds before been the hood of my car, it occurred to me that I could be injured and I experienced a strange calm and quieting.

Suddenly everything sprang into motion and I could hear a horrible cacophony of sound. There were car alarms sounding, the tinkle of glass, loud honking, and the memory of that never ending thud of being battered from both ends by vehicles far larger than mine.

My first thought was for the injured. By this point in my training I had adopted the mindset of a first responder, and grabbing my medical kit from the floorboard where it had landed, I pulled the door handle on my car and threw my body weight into the door. It squeaked open grudgingly, and in a moment I was free. In my periphery, I could discern that the Expedition was driven by a young woman, mid-twenties to early thirties. The truck I had seen was driven by an older man. I had noticed this somehow as I glanced in the rearview mirror after stopping at the light, and saw that he had a dogged, determined look on his face as he barreled into the back of my car; I don’t think he even saw me or the Expedition for that matter…

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Grubs, Slugs, and Earthworms: 3 Foods You Must Not Pass By in a Survival Situation

ArdyOct 06, 2020Current events,Emergency Preparedness,Hunting,Uncategorized0 Comment

It is with great trepidation that I relay this information to you, strictly because it is to most people, distasteful.  However, in the interest of all aspects of survival, I feel like I must share these options with you.

Before we get started, let me say this: I would only use these food sources in one scenario – well, actually two – I would eat snails grubs and earthworms if I were A: in a position of needing to move quickly and maintaining strength, (i.e.; I were being pursued),  or B: I would resort to this if I were sick or wounded and had to have quick and easy proteins.

But this article isn’t about me; it’s about a quick and easy meal that will keep you alive in the event that you are caught in a life or death situation. Trust me, if you are starving, you will eat anything including the leather from your own shoes or backpacks. So let’s talk about how to eat these easy to catch, protein rich foods. First of all, you don’t want to eat them like you find them. Just because an old bear in the woods, or a skunk can eat earthworms right out of their nest, that doesn’t mean that you can. Your digestive tract is just way too pampered to deal with all of the residuals that come with such a meal. Secondly, understand that it does you no good to get food into your mouth or belly that won’t stay there because of your retch reflex.

  1. Earthworms: These should be purged before consumption. Much like a lobster, worms have a mud-vein that is full of worm poop. Worm poop is neither tasty nor nutritious. After purging, (leaving them contained in moist leaves for a couple of days), they should be boiled aggressively for at least thirty minutes.  Eat quickly with your nose pinched shut…
  2. Slugs: These should be cooked similarly to the earthworms above; however, I would collect snails in their shell before I would slugs. They are easier to handle, and there is less of a chance to come in contact with a toxic species, (Often due to their diets). The shell also gives you an opportunity to slow down and look for contaminates.
  3. Grubs: You should boil these as well, and my advice is to watch the local animal population to determine what local grubs would better serve as food. Bears, skunks, weasel’s, and Badgers  all eat grubs. Many of these are even tasty I’m told.

Just remember, there is always risk involved with consuming unknown sources of protein, so use caution and common sense as much as possible, and if a little bit of something makes you feel ill, you certainly shouldn’t consume any more of it.

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Ricin at the White House: What you need to know

ArdySep 20, 2020Current events,Emergency Preparedness,Uncategorized0 Comment

If you haven’t heard, there was recently a package sent to the White House containing Ricin, the deadly byproduct of castor oil, made with castor beans. This is reminiscent of the anthrax scare that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Ricin, you might remember, was made famous from a Breaking Bad® episode where Walter ended up killing a nemesis by poisoning her sugar substitute with… Ricin.

This was a recent article in the BBC:

A package containing ricin poison that was addressed to US President Donald Trump has been intercepted before it reached the White House, officials told US media.

The letter was discovered at a screening facility for White House mail earlier this week, the officials said.

They said a substance found inside the envelope was identified as ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans.

The Trump administration is yet to comment on the reports.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Secret Service are investigating where the package came from and whether others have been sent through the US postal system.

“At this time, there is no known threat to public safety,” the FBI told CNN in a statement on Saturday.

One official told the New York Times that investigators believe the package was sent from Canada. Reports say the presence of ricin was confirmed after tests by the FBI.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Saturday it was working with the FBI to investigate the “suspicious letter sent to the White House”.

Ricin is produced by processing castor beans. It is a lethal substance that, if swallowed, inhaled or injected, can cause nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding and ultimately organ failure.

No known antidote exists for ricin. If a person is exposed to ricin, death can take place within 36 to 72 hours, depending on the dose received, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

What you need to note as a citizen survivalist is the fact that the most lethal and quick method of getting poisoned by Ricin is by breathing it. A gasmask with a filter can be a definite lifesaver if you get into a batch of Ricin.