});

Friday, August 31, 2012

How To Make Traps And Snares For Survival


Here's a nice collection of handmade traps and snares that can be used to trap animals:

Snares
Small-game snares can be made from the interior strands of parachute cord, braided strands of sinew, or fishing line. Snares stout enough to secure game as large as deer need to be made of rawhide or parachute cord.
skill Ground Snare Survival-skills the Ground Snare
Position the snare at head height and tie off the end to a tree, a stake in the ground, or a log that the animal can only drag a short distance as the noose tightens. Make snares from cord, fishing line, or wire if available.
skill Spring SnareSurvival-skills The Spring Snare
This set employs a trigger that snatches game into the air as it strains against the noose. It’s good for rabbits and game as large as deer.

Deadfall Traps
Deadfalls that use logs or rocks to squash prey are typically baited, but they also work along trails or outside burrows when a passing animal or bird brushes against the trigger.
skill Spring DeadfallSurvival-skills The Spring Deadfall Trap
One of the easiest traps to make and set, the spring deadfall (see page 59) depends upon the game worrying the bait, so it’s best used for carnivorous animals and rodents such as pack rats.

Tension Traps
Employing fire-hardened spear points under tension, these can be deadly to predator and prey alike. Always set and approach an impaling trap cautiously from behind and use only in an emergency in remote areas, where another human or domestic animals are not going to blunder past.
skill Spring Spear TrapSurvival-skills The Spring Spear Trap
This trip-wire set is effective for wild pigs, deer, or other game that regularly sticks to defined game trails. Make certain the horizontal thrust of the spear is at a level that will impale the body of the game sought. This is an extremely dangerous trap; use it with caution.

Bird Traps
Birds can be much easier to trap than mammals and should be among your first targets for a meal.
skill Ojibwa Bird PoleSurvival-skills The Ojibwa Bird Pole Trap
Set this trap in a large clearing where birds will naturally seek it out as a landing place.
  • Step One Sharpen both ends of a 6-foot pole and drill a small hole near one end. Drive the other end into the ground until it is secure.
  • Step Two Cut a 6-inch-long stick that will loosely fit into the hole. Tie a rock to a thin cord and pass the cord through the hole in the pole, then make a slip noose that drapes over the perch.
  • Step Three Tie an overhand knot in the cord in back of the slip noose and place the stick against the hole. Tension should hold it in position. When a bird flies down and perches, it will displace the stick, the rock will fall, and its feet will be caught as the loop quickly slides through the hole.

Fish swim next to banks at night or move from deep holes into shallow water to feed. They can often be directed into traps from which they are unlikely to escape.

skill Funnel TrapSurvival-skills The Funnel Trap
Make the walls of the funnel trap with piled-up stones or tightly spaced sticks driven solidly into the river or lakebed. Close the entrance to the trap, roil the water, then either spear the fish or net them with a seine made by tying a shirt or other cloth between two stout poles.

Making Stone Points
Points and blades chipped from cryptocrystalline rocks such as chert, flint, and obsidian make the sharpest knives, arrowheads, and spear tips, although efficiently using the latter two requires lots of practice.
Step OneSurvival-skills Making Sharp Stone Points Step 1
Strike flakes from a tool stone by hitting it with a hard rock. This is called “percussion flaking.” Some flakes will be suitable as is for knives; others will require more flaking.
Step TwoSurvival-skills Making Sharp Stone Points Step 2
Place the tip of an antler tine or bone point against the flake and apply a twisting push toward the edge of the stone. Continue flaking off small cones near the edge until the point of the stone is evenly chipped and razor sharp.

Source:
http://www.survivaljunction.com/food-for-survival/finding-food/prepare-to-survive---essential-skills-for-finding-food.html


 
The Trapper's Bible: Traps, Snares & Pathguards
The Bushcraft Handbooks - Traps & Snareshttp://wrecksrme.survivcord.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=ABC

Prepping your family – How to get started with emergency preparedness


Post from Clint Crafts
family preparedness
The greatest challenge I’ve faced as a prepper has been how to include my wife and four kids in my preparation efforts.  My wife and 9-year-old daughter are not particularly interested and my 3-year-old–well, he’s 3.  On the other hand, my 11 and 10-year old boys are a bit more interested, but have other interests, too.
When I talk about preparation efforts, I don’t mean showing up in the middle of the night with a metal garbage can screaming, “What do you do?”, to improve your family’s reaction time. That would not only be traumatizing, but would discourage your wife from any further “prep’ talk”.  Understand it’s not about you and your effort to prepare your family. It’s a team effort and without everyone’s buy-in, it will end in frustration.
family with bug out bagsFirst, explain to your wife why you’re interested in the subject of prepping and keep it as general as possible (i.e., natural disasters, economic uncertainties, and man-made accidents).  Reassure her that the investment can always be there to help the family in case of a job loss.  In tight financial times, the issue of money can be a powerful obstacle; so, have an idea of how much it will cost the family per month before going to your wife to discuss partnering with her in this endeavor.  For example, I approached my wife and stated I would like to be able to pick up some food items every payday in the amount of $20.  This has been used to pick up 10 boxes of pasta and 10 cans of tomato sauce; also, 16 one-pound bags of beans; or, 40 50-cent cans of vegetables.  You would be surprised what you can build up in your food stash in a few months.
I know there’s a lot more to prepping, but a family of six requires lot of food over a long period of time; so, it’s a good place to start.  (The building of a small, monthly prep’ savings for “go bags” and water purification is a later step.)  The point is that you want your wife onboard as a partner in the effort–not as a recruit.  Stress that you need her help and ASK her if she would come alongside in this endeavor.
Remember:  “Tellin’ ain’t sellin’.”Next, explain to the kids why you and Mom are working together to prepare the family.  Avoid the scary details and focus on even more general reasons, such as “just in case we have to leave the house for a few days”.  Include the children by assigning them a task based on what they might seem good at. For example, I have given one of my kids the task of “medic to take care of anyone who needs help” (i.e., first aid); the other kid, the task of “navigator to help us get to where we need to go” (i.e., reading a compass and map); the next kid, the task of “logistician and cook who helps keep an inventory of all the things we need in our ‘go bags’ as well as ensures we have the food we’ll need”; last, the 3-year-old gets to walk around with his tiny “go bag” and dig out all of the contents while we work together.
For the kids who have a task, work with them and encourage them to share their newfound skills with each other.  After they become comfortable with their assignments, change who has what tasks.  This doubles their skillsets and keeps it from becoming monotonous.  You will be surprised at how enthusiastic kids are to learn new things they can actually apply to everyday life.
Lately, I have even included the kids in a simple series of exercises at least four nights a week.  I explained that it is to ensure if we have to carry our “go bags”, we are strong enough to do so.  This also helps to give them a sense of inclusion and empowerment, while building their strength.  Surprisingly, the kids are more than eager to participate.   By the way, don’t treat the exercises like a boot camp if you don’t want to turn them off to the idea of anymore prep’ talk.  Everyone needs to be in shape.  Remember:  If the wife and kids cannot “go” when it’s time, guess who’s going to have to carry them in addition to the “go bag” when it comes time?
Prepping can be a challenging subject to put towards your family.  Nevertheless, if you approach your wife and kids with an excitement to learn practical life-skills and to build up a cost-effective, survival stash, you will reap the rewards of seeing a talented and motivated team that not only works well together when it is needed, but in everyday life as well.
Clint is from Bossier City, Louisiana, and is currently a technical writer for a major contractor in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He is a military veteran of 9 years and has been an avid prepper for the past three years.  His interest in prepping  came about as a result of the housing crash of 2008 as well as his concerns of the questionable laws being passed since 9/11.  He is always looking for more information to improve his prepping skills as well as for some friendly individuals interested in building a community that goes beyond “online”.
Source:
http://offgridsurvival.com/familysurvivalprepping/

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Glass Cleaner Recipe

Tired of spending money on glass cleaners?  With this simple glass cleaner recipe, you can make your windows squeaky clean.  Here's what you will need:

2 cups water
1/4 white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap
1 spray bottle



Simply combine all ingredients into spray bottle.  Now you have saved money and the environment by making your own glass cleaner.

Want to be even more green?  Instead of paper towels use old newspaper.  The newspaper actually works better than paper towels.  When done just toss the used newspaper into a compost.