Buying Land for a Prepper Retreat

I recently purchased a very rural piece of property. The farm was 87 acres and had been used for generations as a producing farm. The former owner was aged and unable to maintain the farm. The price was right and negotiable, and so were the other prepper retreat criterion. The area has…

· Plentiful water--preferably spring fed or an artesian well. (Pumped well water would be an inferior second choice.)

· Good exposure for gardening and photovoltaic’s.

· Temperate climate that offers a lengthy growing season.

· Plentiful game and the opportunity to hunt it.

· Likeminded neighbors.

· Not on a flood plain.

· Southern exposure.

· “Panoramic views.” This usually means a hilltop location with defendable terrain.

· A low crime, socially conservative, practicing Christian population, diverse and healthy local economy. (See the City Data web site to do your research on demographic information.)

· Remote area that is not near population centers and is not in the path of real estate developers.

· Look for property that has an existing house, even if it is old, it can most often be modernized.

· Low housing costs. As discussed in detail in some of my previous blog posts, don’t overlook examining as many factors as possible including home and car insurance rates, property taxes, and so forth. This useful Internet tool compares cost of living in two cities.

· My personal preference is to select a retreat in a mixed farming/ranching/timber region in low-humidity area.

Alone I could not afford to buy this land outright, and I did not want to go into debt to purchase the property. So what to do?

In my church there are five very middle class families that are paying attention to the state of our nation’s fiscal policy. We have been prepping for some time and longed to extend our preparations to a place where we could retreat if the need ever presents itself.

We began shopping together, looking for the perfect place. It took some time but eventually the right place was found. When it became evident that the farm was what we were looking for, we pooled what money we had, and bought it. This was a good solution for our group; however I would not make this kind of arrangement with just anyone. The people I partnered with…

· Have a common world view. (Biblically, politically, and socially conservative.

· Have complementary skill sets. (Engineer, Attorney, Registered Nurse, Chemist, Minister, Farmer)

· Are mature enough to work through problems.

· Each of us have a deeded parcel of the property that is uniquely our own.

· Each are hardworking, self motivating, people.

If you would like to get out of dodge when TSHTF but can’t afford to do so? Consider creating a partnership with likeminded friends.

CK in Southeast Texas

Food Safety During Power Failures

One of the hazards you and your family may face during a power failure is the potential for food items stored in your refrigerator or freezer to become contaminated by bacteria.

There will be certain foods with the potential to be quite hazardous to you and your family. Other food items may be safe to eat but their quality (taste, appearance, etc.) may have deteriorated. There will also be several types of food items that will be safe to consume.

Foods that have a greater potential to be hazardous to your health should be your main priority. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and certain cooked foods like beans, rice, potatoes, pasta and pasta salads will all spoil quite quickly.

Other food items may not be hazardous but their quality can be affected by increases in temperature due to a power failure. These types of food items include things like salad dressing, mayonnaise, butter, margarine, vegetables and fruit. These items may be saved from being a complete loss by placing ice inside your refrigerator. A couple of frozen two liter bottles of water can help to maintain the temperature in your refrigerator till the power is restored if the power outage lasts only a short time.

Things like unopened beverages and juices and open containers of ketchup, mustard, jams and jellies, and peanut butter should all be fairly safe for consumption.

Remember to keep the doors closed on your refrigerator or freezer as much as possible to keep the cold air inside and keep your raw foods separate from foods which are ready to eat. Most refrigerated foods should be safe for consumption as long as the power hasn’t been out for more than a few hours. Certain hazardous foods should be immediately discarded if they have warmed up to temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a temperature thermometer to check these food items and never taste food items to determine if it is safe to eat. Appearance, taste and smell aren’t always accurate indicators of whether food has become contaminated with harmful bacteria. Food items that have remained frozen should still be safe. Partially thawed food items (still cold or containing ice crystals) should be cooked and used as soon as possible.

The best advice is to remember the old saying:

“When in doubt, throw it out!”

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker

A Milsim Adventure

It's midnight, the campfire is dwindling in front of you while you keep watch. You're reloading your magazines, one round at a time. You had to use your m4 a lot today. Too many rough patches for your ragtag group of survivors. You all made it through though. You're an eclectic mix of men, teenagers, even a ten year old boy and his mother. But you don't let that fool you, you've seen them, they're as good with a tent post as they are with an assault rifle. You reach over to grab the small tin cup where you're boiling your water, you've already filtered it but safe is better than sorry. It's then you hear the snap, a faint rustle - it could be the wind- it could be something else. You quietly and smoothly reach down for your rifle, and listen. Another rustle, this time a whisper, thirty yards away in the dark. You knew you weren't imagining it, you'd had the feeling since the afternoon that you were being watched. A flash in the distance, optics being reflected in the moonlight. You raise your rifle like you trained and sight down the ghost ring sights. "Crack" "Crack" "HIT!!". You look in surprise as the 10 year old boy kneeling right next to you lets go shot after shot from his AK47 with pinpoint accuracy. “Hit! Hit!” you hear the sounds of the people in the distance. A moment later three men come up with their arms over their heads. “That was a good shot.” One of them says as they come up to shake your hand. Then you invite them for a cup of tea. All in a good days fun.

What It’s All About

What I've just described isn't the latest Hollywood action film or end of the world scenario: it's the sport of Airsoft, and while fun, can be a valuable tool in teaching real world skills for emergency preparedness and survival.

Airsoft is different from air rifles and pellet guns in that they use standardized airsoft 6mm plastic bb's that weigh far less than metal pellets or sabots, and are perfectly safe in a controlled play environment.

There are an increasing number of airsoft clubs and organizations organizing multiple day airsoft milsim events that can be attended for a set fee. They're run on weekends, usually centered around military scenarios, and the core skills practiced are valuable to real world preparedness. There are varying degrees of immersion, ranging from "play and go back to the car for a snack" to full airsoft milsim, where one acts, functions, and performs like a real military force for the entire duration. These latter are great for testing the survival skills you already have. You'll make camp and have to spend one or two nights in the wilderness. You can practice making your tent or sleeping area using local materials and a tarp. You'll have to bring your own food and water and manage it. If possible, you can research local flora in order to gather and prepare it while immersed in the event as a way to supplement your initial supply. These games are full immersion, so even when you're ready for bed, you have to be alert for surprises coming at a moment's notice. If there's local sources of water, like a stream, water filtration devices can be put to the ultimate test so you know their true reliability.

On a recent excursion, we arranged night watch shifts, nothing feels greater than being the only one awake in your unit scouting for moving shadows that could be the enemy. During the day you'll work with your group or squad and practice maneuvers such as stalking, advancing, assault, and defense. Make sure to ask the event planner if you can practice first aid on "injured" soldiers with faux sprained ankles, cuts, and broken bones using a real First Aid Kit. Another great thing is familiarizing yourself with firearms and learning how to use them properly for self-defense. Airsoft teaches proper weapon usage, maintenance, and safety precautions. Most airsoft guns in the mid-range price look, feel, and function as close to the real steel guns as possible. Some gas airsoft pistols even disassemble the same way as the real thing! Real firearms training is great for becoming accustomed to the physical feel of shooting a gun, but airsoft simulation events teach valuable self-defense tactics.

The most important skill learned at these events is mindset. You can put all your survival gear through real world paces and determine what works, and lose what doesn't. Working in a team, you're depended upon and also forced to rely upon others. Trust is crucial to any worst-case survival scenario. You have to be constantly aware of your surroundings, because you are a set of eyes and ears for your group. You learn to distinguish between friend and foe. You'll hone your aiming and marksmanship skills on real targets that will react and move. You'll train yourself how to respond - rather than react – to surprises and potential threats. And if you're "killed" you can learn from your mistakes, so you survive next time!

With all the great open land Texas has to offer, there are numerous other fields and groups. Airsplat is a great resource for Texas Airsoft Sites and can be found at http://www.airsplat.com/texas.htm if you're interested in playing and want to find a field.

John Durfee is a Gulf War veteran and the marketing manager for Airsplat, the nation's largest retailer of Airsoft Guns.

Thanks John for an informative guest post.

Riverwalker

Coastal Report

Just thought y'all might like to know that all is well here in the Corpus area. No oil or tarballs have come ashore from the Deepwater Horizon gusher. I was down at South Padre last week, and all was clear down there as well. However, we are not out of the woods yet. The submerged oil plumes are still out there, and when Gulf currents switch directions in October they may bring oil with them. I will keep a sharp eye out for any oil coming ashore, as well as on any hurricane activity that might come our way. Y'all take care, and keep preppin'...

Sitrep Austin Gun Show

First, I took pictures, but I suck so they will not be posted.

Took my oldest to the show for the first time. Strangely, she was drawn to the bladed weapons.

Anyhow:

Ammo and reloading materials looked plentiful. Prices still higher than what my happiness can tolerate.

Decent assortment of scary Black Rifles.

2 very nice M1A1s and a nice Uzi.

Gold 1 Oz could be sold for up to 1213. Forgot to ask about Silver.

Pretty much any pistol I'd carry were plentiful.

Pickdog
III

Groundhog Joins the Texas Preppers Network

Groundhog

I would like to welcome one of my neighbors to the Texas Preppers Network. Groundhog has made it official and is now a member of the Texas Preppers Network. Groundhog can be found over at http://preambleforlife.blogspot.com/ on most days. Those members wishing to contact Groundhog can reach him via email at epost9@gmail.com. There is also a link to his blog in the sidebar. Groundhog is just a furry dude with a weeds eye view of thing...

Here is a brief excerpt from one of his more recent posts:

“My perspective is more like the Boy Scouts. They have a motto of "Be Prepared." It's so simple. Yet it also covers a lot of territory. Can you be prepared for every eventuality? Nope. Can you be ready for a lot of common ones? Absolutely. Let me see if I can provide an example of how I look at it:”

You can read more here:

Thoughts on Preparedness or Why Boy Scouts Rule

Welcome to the Texas Preppers Network Groundhog!

Be aware. Be informed. Be prepared.

Riverwalker