Jeremiah Johnson is a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne) and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape).
Note: This article is dedicated to Earth Angel
Hey there readers in SHTF land, how are you doing? This article is headed with the words, “Special Request.” From now on, when you guys and gals see this in either the title or at the article’s beginning? You’ll know the article is on a topic done by yours truly at the request of one of you guys and gals. I wrote a couple already. I will mention the requestor’s name in a dedication to him or her, usually just under the title, to honor the individual.
My personal intent is to serve your needs by giving you my best; indirectly (and by my choice, wholeheartedly), I work for you…for us. I’ll try to schedule and do as many requests as possible, so bear with me even if one topic doesn’t appear for a while. I read your comments, and all of them are important to me: good, bad, or indifferent. So let’s get started, shall we?
Earth Angel’s request was an article entailing options for those who wish to remain in the U.S., want to escape the cities, and where to relocate (a place where there is a modicum of freedom remaining). E.A., this one’s for you! It’s a tall order, both to detail and to fill, especially that last part as our freedom is eroding on a daily basis. I’m going to explain the reasons my family and I relocated to Montana and list some basics that we used in consideration as such. I’ll be “laser specific” in terms of steps taken and decisions to arrive at such a goal. Let’s do it.
Midway through my military career, I visited a friend of mine, a retired Command Sergeant Major who had been a mentor to me (almost as a father) throughout my time in the service. When I had some down time, I drove across country from Ft. Bragg to Libby, Montana to stay with him for three weeks. It was then that I came to appreciate the remoteness of the state and the topographical features that made it such a rugged area off the beaten path. For the next ten years (yeah, I’m that kind of weirdo that plans things that far out), I conducted an “area study,” if you will, of the state and the surrounding vicinity.
Many factors went into arriving at my final decision. The goal was to find where to move our family so when the Fifth Mongolian Horde attacked or chaos (economic or other) ensued, we would have a good chance. There were things I had to consider that were outside of my wife’s ability to give input regarding our location: the multiple missile silos in north-central Montana, the over flight patterns from Air Force bases (such as Malmstrom AFB), the proximity to the Canadian border, and threat-levels (domestic: totalitarian government, or civilian marauders; foreign: potential for attack by other countries and how it would affect our locale).
Please allow me to state for the record that for myself, becoming an expatriate is not an option. I am an American, the United States is my country and my home, you are my countrymen, and I would rather die beside you, fighting for my home in America than sip margheritas in Belize.
That being said, practical matters still remain at the forefront of everything in addition to the tactical considerations. Let’s list some of these out, along with questions you will need to ask yourself and discuss with your family regarding relocation per these matters.
- Sustainability: until there is a collapse, you have to put food on the table and have income coming in. Until “Yap” currency comes back into fashion, unfortunately the dollar is still used as the medium of exchange.
- What is your present budget and can you set aside funds for moving expenses?
- When you arrive, is there income potential for you in your new place? Are you self-employed? Can you relocate with your present firm? Do both you and your spouse work?
- Are you going to rent or buy? What are your financial goals to pay property taxes (if applicable) and either buy your property or take a mortgage?
- Demographics: this one is a big one that is critical to understand for long-term survivability in dealing with people.
- What is the population of the state? Where are the population centers concentrated? What will be the direction of travel for most people when the SHTF, and they become “nomadic foragers?” What are the populations of the cities? How far is your property from the nearest city of more than 3,000-5,000 people?
- How many “friendly neighbors” live near your new property on Sesame Street? Who are these people? Are they like-minded or do they pose a danger? Are Homey-the-clown and his gang of thugs in the area? Is the state a liberal state or conservative? Your neighborhood?
- Survival Factors: for your basics of food, water, and shelter
- What is the growing season of the area you are considering?
- Soil test: you should test the soil of your property for pH and to learn how viable it is to grow crops there
- Water: well and surface sources. Rain catchment and laws pertaining to it locally. How are the summers? Can you test your well before you purchase?
- Do you have a place to run to immediately with food/water/shelter potential (when foraging, if your home becomes a burned-out ruin)?
- Are wild game and fish abundant in your area?
- What types of agriculture are predominant in the area?
- What are your seasons and the weather considerations? Does the temperature hit 30 degrees below zero, or is it warm all year round? Hurricane seasons? Earthquakes?
- Tactical Considerations: these have to do with the government becoming completely totalitarian, and also the potential for foreign attack or invasion
- Nuke threat: What cities in your state will probably be nuked if a nuclear war occurs? What are the wind drift patterns? Do terrain features or weather anomalies that occur in your geographical vicinity break up the winds?
- What are the locations of Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard military bases and forces in your vicinity?
- Can you feasibly escape somewhere if your whole area is “clamped down” upon? Neighboring states? National forests? Vast open areas?
- Weapons: what is allowed, what is not, is there open or concealed carry, and limitations on ownership.
- Overall tactical considerations for your area: Is there industry that a foreign invader might want to seize? To nuke? Does your area hold any particular strategic importance, either for our government or a foreign power?
- If an EMP or a Nuke attack occurs, where are the local nuke reactors in your state? How far is your property from them?
- ***How defensible is your property, and how easily can you escape from it if it becomes indefensible?
- Personal Family Details: These entail the specifics about your family. Do you have a family member with exceptional medical needs? Do you have young children? Are you taking care of a parent? THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE OF ALL: YOU MUST TAKE A REAL ACCOUNT FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE FAMILY MEMBERS’ NEEDS IN A BIG MOVE.
There are many more variables to consider than have been listed here. Lots of people would like to know a definite state and the reasons why. I chose Montana because it has a perpetually good hydrological cycle, the area I’m in is safe in a nuclear war, there are plenty of personal freedoms (open carry state with Castle doctrine), and not a high population or high density. There are places where we can run to if need be. The bottom line: I took a lot of time to plan the move and it suits the needs of our family as best as can be for now.
The bad thing about Montana is (if you’ve read a few articles I wrote on the water compact problems we’ve been having here) an influx of flaming liberals has been steadily arriving here for years. They leave their oppressive states to escape taxes (the same ones they voted for there), then they “emigrate” and continue their mindset and voting stance…and with time the state becomes undermined. A whole bunch of liberals not born in Montana have managed to ensconce themselves in the Montana state senate and House of Representatives and carry on their progressive assault under the “color of law,” so to speak.
So, to answer your question E.A., the whole country is losing those last fragments of freedom. The big consideration for you and your families cannot just be what state holds onto freedoms, as we’re too “long in the tooth” for them to viably stay sovereign and free. The consideration needs to be twofold:
- Can I sustain myself and my family before a collapse/SHTF scenario?
- Can we sustain ourselves here after things go down the drain?
Before and after: these words mean “pre” and “post-societal” collapse, respectively. It will take some serious planning and all of the resources you can muster: local sources in the community/area you intend to move to, comprehensive studies in the library and the bookstores, internet databases, friends and family (never discount the experiences from a credible source via word of mouth), and your own feet on the ground (visiting the area personally). There are plenty of sites that offer such resources. Sift them for nuggets of gold and take some of the advice you find to be worthwhile.
I welcome open discussion on this; ladies and gentlemen, please take it from here! Everybody have a great day and remember: the best plan of all is a well-executed plan!
JJ
Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne). Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape). He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com.
This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.
Related Reading:
A Green Beret’s Guides To Survival and Preparedness (Full List)
Strategic Relocation: Strategies and Tips
A Green Beret’s Guide To Low-Budget-Home-Defense Techniques 102: “Defensive Positions”
I am not relocating,am drawing a line in sand,have moved too many times due to over priced real estate/taxes/ect.,will die on my lands.I do though not have wife/kids and thus can be a bit cavalier(some would say hard headed/stupid ect.!)but am done giving in.I will leave due to fire ect. but will come right back,will make final stand if necc on my own lands though.
I am so happy I have children but you are in a good position because of you don’t have the many extra considerations.
Honestly, this week has been a long one and I am feeling pretty defeated, stressed over all the prep that hasn’t happened. It would be so much easier if others in my household were on the SHTFPlan with me.
I am tempted to drown my sorrows in some good Irish Whiskey.
ht tps://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/05/no_author/scotch-whiskey-and-bourbon/
good read on, plus comments…
I’m making this comment before I go enjoy this article.
You, Jeremiah Johnson, seem to be a force for good on this site. Maybe it’s your way of speaking directly to all of us, but the responses in your articles seem to be missing the vicious, in-fighting that is common on other articles.
Commenters seem to stay more focused on YOUR TOPIC, rather than busying themselves with calling each other names and trying to hurt each other. I’ll always come to read your articles. Thanks for the calm reasonableness to spread over this site. We need more unity, and you seem to mitigate the best in people who come to read your articles.
That talent, can’t be taught in any academy, friend.
(now back to the article…)
Montana growing season is what 2-3 mts maybe at best? The rest of the year you freeze your ass off starving and burning calories feeding the wood stove. Hardly a plan for sustainability. Anybody dependent on the grid to keep warm is a death senrence. Years later we will find his family’s skelletons all clinging ro a chard out wood stove.
Sorry my friend, it isn’t that bleak. I lived in Wyoming for a few years, and have friends who live in places throughout MT. I acknowledge the growing season is NOT as long as in the south where I also lived (KY), but it is not bad. Water is often a problem, but if you have water for irrigation, you can easily raise more than you can eat. It’s growing season is long enough for a great tomato crop, long enough for corn and some of the longer season crops as well. Sweet potatoes – maybe not. with all the root crops, you’re good unless you live in the higher more mountainous elevations where frost comes earlier.
It gets cold, but w/ a well insulated home it doesn’t take that much more heat than the mid-west. I know, I lived there too. Nonsense about the wood stove as well. Hey, it’s only weather, and if millions (yes MT has millions of people) can do it, others can too.
I see you’re really good at hyperbole ‘Whodathunkit,’ keep it up and no one will believe you – unless your comments are satirical.
Blessings,
Son of Liberty
True enough when you are young and able to saw, transport and split firewood ….all by hand
Water without electricity is next….
Hey sixpack, what was that pissing and moaning about you leaving this site because you were fed up with it? Yeah, your REALLY credible alright, you managed to stay away for a whole DAY before returning to flap your ignorant lips for everybody once again.
And YOU are part of the problem, no matter what you call yourself today, and I know you’ve posted under more than one aka. I don’t give a fuck about what YOU think my credibility is. Go slink back into your hole, so the rest of us can get on with prepping. Get off my ass and find something else to do with your time.
LOL!
Anon,was more a #9 drinker,needed to put the bottle down or it would have put me down.I have one huge bottle uncracked,it goes to hell so does very short term my sobriety!
Feel good about the preps you have done,you are ahead of the game and each day you learn a bit more(Check out my Ed’s Red site on last article,will save ya’s a few bucks and good stuff)and until you can’t each day can add a little something to the goods/knowledge base.As a wise poster keeps saying”The smalls add up!”,damn,he is a smart guy.
You have crossed the hardest hurdle which is accepting things can go very wrong either man made or natural,that to me I believe is the toughest prep for folks,especially ones with family.You have not only crossed that mental barrier but have started taking action,you earned a few hits of the Irish Anon,enjoy!
WD I am with you. Had to put the bottle down and the smokes. Although I often wonder if TSHTF happens what would I do? Sorry I digressed.
Anon, I know exactly how you feel. I often hit the wall to. One thing I have recently realized is that sometimes I need to take a break. Go have fun and not think about the preps etc. For some this may seem like a cop out but I propose this. When the shit does hit the fan we are all going to be sitting around at some point talking about what we miss and or should have done. I am not saying we are all a glum lot but sparking for myself I sometimes forget to enjoy myself.
Another thing I forget to do sometimes is pray. I am not a religious person by any means but it helps me to pray and most of the time I get what I need at the very moment to take care of myself. The article by JJ is a great one to consider all the factors. I live in Northern Califronia which has many upsides and down sides. Great growing season but not a lot of water lately!
Many things to consider but as my wife reminds me there is no finish line in this game!
JJ thanks for writing such great articles.
Count me in with the Warchild dude… I’m done with moving.
No need to be depressed/stressed with something you haven’t done… just pick up where you left off. It’s best done in little steps anyway (at least until things heat up). You’d be amazed at how quickly little things build up into a formidable stockpile.
(example? I just got done plonking down for 440 rounds of feed for my old Mosin Nagant… cost $110, but I saved up $20 at a time. In a couple of month, I’ll do it again. And again, and…)
off the subject. can anyone be sure of survival? no. we all do the best we can. i have a plan, but if i run into a gang of marauders my plan either changes successfully or i die!
Might want to save that wiskey. I have started buying pints of whiskey,and cigarettes now and then. I rarely drink, and never smoked. But these items will be worth Gold in the barter system when no one can get them. There are alot of things that you can pick up to barter that will surprise you. I have built a 20.00 or so prep in my grocery bill every week, not counting ammo purchases. this allows me to prep and not just go wild. I have been doing this since our president has been elected.
Mike, that whiskey, whether bourbon or scotch, is good for killing toothaches. i speak from experience. I would keep some for personal use.
You speak from experience, yeah, I’ll bet you do! You probably refer to whiskey as ” dentist in a bottle” because that’s as close as you’ve ever been to one, lol.
Anon,
You should not call it “Irish Whiskey” but RATHER “The devil in a bottle”.
I am so sorry about you, having to rely only on yourself to insure the preps are done for this and on time. If I were you, I’d talk to acquaintances, relatives and friends and indirectly see if any of them are wake enough to team with you on this. You are better off especially with the children, you need someone who can help you.
Thank you for the Newletter, first off Im in so California, I recently put an offer in on a BOL that’s 175 miles away, it is considererd away, it’s cheap and I will cash out on it, but I’m thinking maybe a plan C. And this is with me having a lot of prep going on here. The plan B is good, small area, out of main site and water, however I do think what will I do, how long may it last ETC… we all know its a mind fuck for whats coming and like the last poster said , YES MAKE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE READ IT, I JUST MADE SOMEONE IN MY HOUSE READ SHTF , and I think the older kids are next, I will absolutely tie it to reward if they can just partiiually open their mind. They really think I’m going a bit crazy, they think my smart ways that have gotten me to where I am have just done one up too many. All along when shtf and the lights go out, they will be eating and have light, so they best get on board with some of this. I am also like the first poster, my youngest is 12 high function autism, no meds but I mean kids and schools etc,, OK folks, would you rather get outta your comfort zone and live or worry about PETTY SHIT that wont matter when you die.! OK on this last note, I will say I see things unfolding, more arrests, and even people/tenants that owe me money are not paying, it’s getting weird out there. THE question is will we decline more and more and more, WHICH is at least a warning to keep prepping and perhaps get more serious, OR WILL EVEN US preppers get caught off guard with a full blown collapse. I am a full time prepper starting a month ago, I was just watching this site and that, NOW i’m in full blown mode, IT’s coming at us faster than ever. I am the leader in the family and female, DONT ask me why, I think my gut instinct is reliable so people look to me for the WORD, word of the wise, I in turn get it reading this kind of stuff. Be well,
You go, girl.
Cheri,congrats on getting thru mental barrier and realizing things can go very bad man made or natural.As you stated you are beggining to a degree if you have not seen this site worth a check: ht tp://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/08/a-year-of-food-storage-for-300-for-a-family-of-four.html ,good inexpensive start to prepping on the food level.This site has some good articles but the best thing is the exchange of ideas/other places for info. that goes on here(along with a little crude humor at times,gotta laugh!).Best of luck in your endeavours and for your family,welcome aboard the wake up train!
cheri,
As a female, I understand completely your statement “I think my gut instinct is reliable so people look to me for the WORD, word of the wise…” I’m known in my family for, “I’ve got a gut feeling about…”, I’m also infamous for my occasional detailed in color dreams. More times than not my “gut feelings” and dreams are premonitions of what is coming, that prove to be to the other person’s detriment if they choose to ignore me.
I was raised by a grandmother and great-grandmother who lived through the Great Depression and WWII when rationing was the norm. They always had enough food for at least a few months if not well over a year. So being prepared to “hunker down” through man-made and natural emergencies is just second nature.
What is not so natural to me and what I’m having to learn now is the possibility of “bugging out”. The problem for me is being in an urban area will I know when to get out ahead of the crowd?? How do I deal with the other grandparents and will I be able to provide for two grandchildren when SHTF?? These are HUGE concerns for me.
Until a few months ago I had a “bug out buddy” who took prepping as seriously as I do. With that person’s passing I’m now faced with a family who are much too busy “keeping up with the Jones'” to take threats to our future seriously. I’ll get it figured out but in time, I just hope I have the needed time to do it right.
A good decision on your part. If you are fortunate and located out of the city, you are in good shape.
The writer did not address the significant earth changes that are upon us. No where really is going to be safe.
4.0 Earthquake 52 miles or so from sanderson texas in northern mexico under area group of extinct volcanoes–
Just saying, relocation? Sometimes the best place is the place you are at.
Did anyone else go to see Mad Max?
Any body who joined the military is a proven prostitute. Now they want to pretend to be your friend and mentor. One a whore always a whore just like cops. Trust no one, especially military or ex military. They are atiil working for the beast if they receive any paycheck or benefits from the govnt. Yeah go hidw in Montana. Try that shit here in the swamps of Florida and they will never find your body. .
WHO that is so disrespectful I wanna slap you across your face. FIRST OFF I will be you half or more of the police, cops , military will be home protecting their family and not killing americans, I do not think a full blown patriot will turn on americans, I am very disturbed you thinking military are whores, Keep in mind when people join the military it’s to protect the USA against other countries NOT against ourselves, They will not take order. I know there are many in the military that hate the POTUS, Just show some respect and do not put every person in one category,it makes you look like a fucken fool.
Even if what you say is completely true in all aspects, it’s that other half that doesn’t stay home that is the problem. I’m betting more than half of the military and cops will follow orders even if the orders are unconstitutional.
WhoWuddaThunkIt,
I hope you are male because I’d hate to think you are female with a “good for nothing” attitude like that.
My question to you “WhoWuddaThunkIt” is what have you done that would even come close to what the Military does for us every day” The Military fights, bleeds, and all too often pay with their lives, so you have the Constitutional Right to be an absolute good for nothing jerk.
I don’t trust my government either, they would turn on us in a hot second. The difference between us is that I think our Military would fight the government right along with the rest of us if it ever came to that.
Since Flo seems to know so much about prostitutes, I’d like to know her entire background to age 5. I suppose you must publish such drooling drivel from time to time to remind that there are still pinheads like this still around. The American soldier takes no pledge to the president, but to the flag and the nation which it represents, and to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. These are some of our best young people, and very parotic, who willingly and freely sign papers of enlistment, signatures which has cost any of them their lives, and will in the future. For Flo to compare them to prostitutes and serfs of the super rich/politicians is slander that some dentist should wire her mouth shut, so she can never verbally make such noises through that asshole she calls a mouth again. Bitch, if you don’t like it here, get out! Go to Communist China or North Korea, ad see how freely you can speak there.
I agree- we are not moving again. Recently relocated to a rural area and will vigorously defend.
I recommend to people who currently live in large populated area is do not get fixated on having to purchase large acreage. 2 acres to 5 acres is just as good as 100 but must have basics food,water and shelter.
Find something that is about 1 to 3 hours out from city. Montana is great, I dream of it too, but by the time you hear it’s hit the fan it’s too late. Unless you have plane you won’t make it. Comms will be cut and you will be denied advance warning. Get maps of railroads and even better buy used railroad maintenance truck that can ride rails.
My recommendation for those who haven’t bought something yet is to find a rental or buy small property that you can pay now and have a place to go. If it has a house that’s great if not and it’s just land put a camper or small utility shed. Get it rolling now. Take some 401k money out before it’s wiped clean by the great reset that’s coming.
Better yet get some like minded friends in your city to go in on a property within 1 to 3 hours. Having a number of armed people in the convoy will help should you need it.
Don’t stress just take planned actions one step at a time.
@ Warchild : I do have a wife, but I am not relocating either. I don’t know if it is hardheaded or something else. I do know that for the most part, people don’t know what it really takes to provide. I have three gardens, 55 – 60 fruit and nut trees and vines, and my wife goes grocery shopping every week. We live in the South, and can forage year round, if need be. We don’t do it right now. I hunt on my property, still have to go grocery shopping. People don’t understand the amount of work to feed your family. You can not live on meat alone, and it will be hunted out in the first couple of months anyways. Take away electricity, and now you are hauling water with a bucket all day, to support three gardens. It can be done, but a hard life forsure.
Next topic: I don’t think people have to pay as much attention to a few things in this article as the writer says. One would be water rights. After TSFTH, they can kiss my butt anyways. Same thing as gun laws. When they outlaw guns, most of us are going to be outlaws anyways. I think you should go on a camping trip, for 2 – 3 weeks, every season of the year, with only a pocket knife and a few little necessities, to the area you want to move to. If you make it, without going back to the house for supplies, you found your spot. Otherwise, keep looking.
Back to crops for a minute. What happens if you have a bad year? Or infestation this year? That is right, you starve. Everybody needs to learn how to can, on an open fire.
JJ is right. This is not an all inclusive list. A hard life is coming for us all. Decessions will have to be made. Hard decessions. Start practicing now, or go live it now if you can. Most of us are tied to our jobs. I can not afford to start over, at the bottom of a new company, again. It took me along time to get to the pay I am at now. I know money is not everything, but most are trapped in debt, jobs, etc, etc, etc.
Good luck to all of us. Keep prepping. Live it as much as possible.
On a side note,I appreciate the article by JJ and there are some good ideas/thoughts there,just no longer a option I will exercise.
Montana is toast when Yosemite blows. Bad advice again, like piling sand bags 2 deep on the 2nd floor as it collapses you house from the 4 tons of sand and kills your whole family. Cops or military past or present are not your friend. Dont forget it. Their only loyalty is to a paycheck from the Government.
You’re just a little ray of sunshine today.
I’m a widower with no children. I only have myself to look out for. Most of my supplies are already at the BOL which is a 6-hour drive from where I live now. I’ll be bugging out of the city early and once I get to the BOL I’m bugging in. The BOL is where I’ll be for the rest of my life. No running away like a damn gypsy for me.
I’m not bugging out I’m bugging in I have a river for water, land to plant on, trees for fire wood, nut and fruit trees on my land, room for my family and friends.
I short I’m standing my ground and I’m not leaving.
The only way I’ll leave is if the GOOD LORD takes me.
I think that’s the problem we have now we have bugged out to many time and have not stood our ground.
If you live in a city and you know you can not survive there then you will have to bug out and let those zombie mopes have that he!! hole.
S.T.S.F.P. N. Reb
JJ, great article, hopefully in a few years I can get into my last domicile, and retire and die there.
Nice picture above.
I want an underground home, made by TerraDome.com
Eppe,thought your last domicile would be the deer shack on stilts!
My plan is to sell where I am now, and build it on the acreage in the front part of the property.
Just tough to convince the wifey to move there…
Eventually….
Lately we have had wild porcine tearing up ground on the ‘compound’, so I might soak a burlap bag in used motor oil, wrap around a tree, heard they will rub it, since they have zero sweat glands…
Never shot a wild pig, would be fun…
Bad joke, Them Hogs, you might like…
One of the oink-oinks on Old MacDonald’s farm was a real porker. Whenever he ate, he pigged out. He was infamous for hogging the slops.
No one knew how much Porky was risking his bacon until the day when he began to choke on a corncob and they had to call 911. But the parrot-medics arrived swiftly to pull his fat out of the fire.
It was another successful application of the Ham-hock Maneuver.
Eppe;
thanks I need a good or bad joke to see me through this 12 hour shift. Thanks
S.T.S.F.P. N. Reb
NR, just be glad you are working somewhere.
They just got rid of one in my group for not producing…
Bless all here…
(We need it)…
Eppe:
I am getting close to retiring I have about 7 months to go. I just hope and pray that thing hold together long enough so I have time to finish my final preps, and I get at lest one Social Security check.
I have only been paying in since the late 60’s. I hope I get a little back!;-}S.T.S.F.P. N. Reb
I got another 12 years to go. Till 67 years old.
Hope SS is around by then, but not depending on it.
Makes one wonder what the future will bring…
I have 4 years, I will have to work 1 year after 66, so my house will be payed off. I talk to people all the time. One of the biggest mistakes of retirement is retiring with massive debt. Pay your house and major bills off before you retire. It is tuff, I work 4 jobs, one fulltime and 3 partime. I am 63, I rate myself in good health an fitness for my age, I do not sit on the couch, that will kill you.
Northern Reb,
WOW, i have 7 months as well! and i am praying it all hold together until i can at least draw one check! my luck paying in all these years and it will go away before i ever see one!!
Eppe, another good one. Keep them coming.
Eppe:
I hunt hogs every chance I get. Wild pig is some good eating as long as they are under 300lbs. or so.
Just be careful they can put the hurt on you with there tusk. An once of lead behind an ear works wonders and you don’t lose any meat. Put out some old corn and sit back around sun set and you will have some bacon and ribs in no time.
S.T.S.F.P. N. Reb
NR, the DNR has set up a program to match hunters and land owners to take the wild pig population down in GA.
Amen to the eating, did a pig in the ground on New Years Eve.
Done a few pigs in the ground, good eating per what you smoke them with, pecan is the best in my book.
But to each his own….
GA.is pretty good country, away from Atlanta,(and Chattanooga, TN.) of course. I relocated out of FL last year up to the Western Mtns area and it was the best move of my life.
Reb,we do not have wild hogs in New England,perhaps a few domestics that escaped but then you try and round em up for owners,suppose a few could have gone feral.My ? is why the 300 pound limit,too tough/stringy after that?You really needed food and not worried about aesthetics assume would still be eatable in a tough situation or would you waste energy harvesting?
War, a pig is 200 pounds or less, a hog is 201# and up.
Once a hog gets 300 plus, they get gamey, like a deer in rut can taste if not processed properly.
But herbs and spices can mask many of the gamey taste.
Bless all here…
I’m not going nowhere. Going to dig in and defend.
I can honestly say that the wife and I have prepped as best as we can. Because of our efforts, it would not surprise me to see the Fed pull a rabbit out of their hat and save the day.
Richard,expect more of a Bullwinkle and Rocky rabbit,many times was a lion!
I had forgotten about that, thanks.
Its not going to matter where you go? There is not going to be sunshine anywhere? The darkness and death will be envelop the earth, this is their plan and it is frightening beyond comprehension. Even if we past SHTF with preps the ‘new’ government is going to be devils spawn, which means they will find you and kill you if you think you are free. They will have IR drone dogs hunt you down and kill you on sight, there will be no escape except death…
They’ll just isolate you and starve you to death, the same way Stalin did millions of Kulak’s.
And it will be easy with modern technology.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Then I guess we’ll just ride out and meet them, face to face.
Born where I stand, have lived here 98% of my life, and I will die here. Enough said!!!!!
The idea of digging in is a good one. The fastest way to eliminate us is to attempt to burn us out. Burn large areas. Any important stashes should be either in rocky areas or deep underground.
Sorry, but off topIc….what website is BI hangin around. Was reading about recent earthquakes, would love his input. Thx
ht tp://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
BI may have changed his handle (?) Miss his posts—I always admired how fast and how accurately he could type!
bug in or bug out…. for me that really isnt a plan of mine, my plan is to find a piece of ground that is way out side of the populace that we can be self sustaining.. we will be building a earthen house (cob if you will) and have a running water source with a well, and plenty of area to grow food and several storage places underground… this will not be a bug in it will be a safe haven, not a location that will be to flee to, consider this however you want… one of the advantages to cob is, it can be designed to blend into the surrounding area and be invisible without any footprint…. a low key simple life style is the direction that we are going….
when the SHTF happens, there will be up to 9 months before thing begin to re-organize to the new normal, the crappy people will die off and different areas will establish a uniformed law…. if you can make it that far to the 9 months then you will have a real chance to survive for many years to come
deano–you are right in assessment of casualties.
Where do we bury or dispose of so many people??
God have mercy on us and help us.
And no one has even started discussing what to do with the die off animals.
i dont know what to do with the bodies, other then mass graves… but that doesnt seem right and with a die off of some 4.5-5 billion people it may be the only option… the only animals to worry about will be the domestic ones… i wish i could say the stench would last a short time but that wont happen it will be there for the whole duration of the die off
Don’t bury them. Leave them lie around the property. A warning to others. Anyways, why waste the energy to dig the holes?
Bible says the birds will have a feast. So…no worries. 😉
Bible says the birds will have a great feast…so, no worries. 😉
You could also put small stashes in culvert pipe under rural roads. Could also be a dry spot to spend the night.
Any culverts close enough for me to get to, are way too small. This area uses about 12-16 inch diameter pipes. I wish I had a concrete one close by, but there isn’t.
the culverts where I LIVE are occupied by the homeless.
Bad idea. I know they are not maintained regularly, but if a backup occurs, like your stash clogging up the culvert, the municipality that is in charge of it will come clean it out. Including your preps. The jet vac operator just said, THANK YOU. Some municipalities even use camera inspection after cleaning.
If all sensible people bug out, who will be left to spy on what is going on in the cities/suburbs? It seems that preppers could use some eyes and ears remaining on the inside, to feed them information. Knowledge is power!
I remember watching Frontier House many years ago which was about postmodern people who had received a month of training from historical experts on like in the 1880s, who then attempted to live in Montana. They raised livestock and gardened. Then they were evaluated.
In every case, though they tried to spin it, the couples and their children had most likely NOT cut enough firewood and not cut enough hay to feed their livestock through the harsh Montana winters. Although one couple who raised lambs got along well, and had cut enough hay, even extra, it didn’t look like they had sufficient firewood truly. The historical expert said that literally they needed to be cutting firewood every possible moment to get through it in fact.
Montana doesn’t have a very good growing season. Are you able to put up very much produce? Are you dehydrating most of it?
From the books I’ve looked at, for there are ones on relocation, a lot of people mention Montana for like-mindedness, prepper skills, gun laws, etc. Previously Idaho was mentioned. I don’t know, it seems like much of the West gets too little rain, isn’t ideally suited for agriculture, and the further north you go, the cold seems daunting.
I believe there are places East of the Mississippi that might be better. I sure am not going to mention where. I wouldn’t relocate anywhere close to the Atlantic Seaboard. I’d suggest people look at population density maps like this one.
http://geographer-at-large.blogspot.com/2011/12/map-of-week-12-12-2011us-population.html
There are others, but this one is the easiest to interpret. The peaks demonstrate how many people live in that region. Those are the places where the Horde of refugees will come from. Then one should consider the proximity to other peaks too. Most will likely travel South seeking warmth and growing seasons.
Looking at the map, there are places where there aren’t peaks, or the foot travel should make them avoid potential regions. I say foot travel for gasoline supplies in a national crisis would be strategic resources that would be commandeered by the military and local governments. Hence it would be all but impossible to get gasoline, leaving many bugging out people stranded and on foot.
Even if you found acreage to support enough agriculture (planting and livestock), you need a fresh water source that is unpolluted. In addition you’d need not only woods for fuel, but manage that fuel with new forestry, considered what species to replant for highest sustainability (will it grow well to maturity, how long is maturity, will the ecosystem support it), then how many BTUs does it produce.
I think you’ll find that you’ll have to consider underground homes, most likely a modification of the Earthship idea. For unless you do that, and/or use a rocket mass stove, then fuel for heating and cooking, as well as wood-gas generation for your electricity, will be a major concern post-collapse. A rocket mass stove uses a fraction of the wood, burns far more efficiently, and produces mostly steam as the byproduct (not like regular woodsmoke). Living underground, you’d be less detectable, far less fuel needed, so a major worry would be lessened greatly.
In history, most places that were trapped/hunted petered out rapidly. There’s a reason humanity switched from being hunter-gatherers to raising crops and livestock. Regular hunting/trapping reduces the wildlife so much, that the critters stay away. Which means progressively moving further and further away for hunting/trapping.
I agree with you Anon. I don’t think Montana is such a good place to make it when SHTF as I mentioned here already. It is easy to talk about how one could survive in such a place without mentioning his resources, while drawing a paycheck from a job, or retirement pay for his modern conveniences.
It sounds romantic living out west in Mt but when SHTF, all the modern amenities and food storage one survives on will disappear sooner or later. Then reality sets in.
I like the idea of a underground house. Most people cannot seem to deal with it. Claustriphobia is the main problem. A soloution for that ( for me anyway) would be wall murials or photos made to be looking out of a window. Different rooms could have different changes of scenery. For example..mountains, beaches…you get the idea.
I could live underground without any problems. Many women can’t.
Unfortunately, I live on boulders. 🙁 and digging in the dirt, there are more rocks less than six inches deep. Raised beds are good though. Or vertical gardens.
It seems everyone things there will be a new beginning, after the shtf. I think, given the signs of the times, that’s a mute point. Seven years or less, that’s the time frame. In that seven years, world war, chaos abounding. That’s the mad max one has to plan for. imo
Good points in that whether you are or want to go – you have to live in the world as it is today, with both good and bad.
Montana and many northern states do offer a better than average chance to make it through the actual catastrophe and immediate aftermath, and IF the aftermath sustains the electrical grid, northern states remain very habitable – as you can grow indoors with plant lights and you can use electricity for heat and light. The electrical grid also implies that the banking and food/retail infrastructure function, even if more limited.
Northern states become less habitable without electricity, which implies no gas stations, no banks, and little food/retail infrastructure. Sure, it can be done without electricity, but it takes a lot more preps and leaves much less room for any errors or unexpected events.
I am currently in a small northern town, but I can envision a number of scenarios where long term sustainability and survival will mean heading south for better solar power and for longer (double) growing seasons. This migration will to happen when travel is possible – I plan on staying put during the collapse and waiting for some type of recovery before heading south.
In the country now. Not bugging out but digging in. No man lives forever. If drone strikes are used then all bets are off and guerrilla warfare would be the order of the day.
Kill my family, my wife, grandson or the dogs, and I will strike out and snipe at every opportunity. Yeah I will eventually be killed but not until I exact my many pounds of flesh.
TPTB don’t realize the can of whup ass the will be unleashing…
Yes!!!
I think you mean ‘100 heads’.
Have my high ground, rare place for natural disasters, far away from towns, edge of the wilderness, plenty of plenty. I’m stayin where I am after researching and experiencing 45 states.
I can’t tell you how it’s music to my ears to hear him say that hell no, I ain’t leaving. This is my home. Amen. I spent 10 years as a grunt. Took an oath against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC. And my grandfather would roll over in his grave if I spit on that oath, became a pillow biter and run away.
I have no delusions. It’s an uphill battle ahead for all of us. And each of us have to make some hard choices. But thanks to our shared community knowledge and support I get warm fuzzies.
Rule#1: Always live to fight another day.
Some basic notes for preps in case of an EMP when driving- carry a battery strap and the tools to disconnect your battery. If your car stalls, momentarily disconnecting the batt can reset the ‘circuit latch’ from a emp and fix it. (If not, you may want to take the battery with you if possible).
EMPs can blow fuses and plug gaps- having spares is an easy prep.
An EMP may not knock out your car, it might fry your dash instruments for instance but the engine may still run- many components are somewhat hardened.
Attitude like ‘lets get this f///in car going!
Not ‘Somebody help me I have a flat tiiiiiiiirre.’
😉
Hey everybody. I am getting about 50 K when I sell my home. I have guns, ammo, and food. I am looking for a truck, camper, and Ham radio. New to Ham just got my License.
What type of truck and Ham radio would you guys suggest. I want to finalize the biggest part of my preps in the next three weeks. Looking for good advice. Wife is on board so I have the option to do what is needed.
A good 4wheel drive. If your worried ababout EMPs,get one older w/out electronics
Ham radio – get a Yaesu 897-D will do all bands (including receiving aircraft band, but no transmit there unless you hack it), can be used as base or mobile, or portable (get the 2 batteries with it), and can also be used as a beacon.
Great article JJ,you neglected pets livestock, bees etc.The density of retired veterans,gun owners,spec ops personal,long range shooters. Keep up the good work.We are praying for your continued success. Phenias
sustainability is the same as survivability. good people with lots of knowlegde die. a tough time is coming. of the subject. the randomness of survival!!! i will do whatever i want. but one mistake is death.!!! i hope you all make it through. but it is like i hope you all make it through a bear attack. good luck brothers. can i get posted without signing up????
can i get posted without signing up?
fuck offf shithead never again, by by.
My family limits me to where I’d like to be. we do have a tight knit community,well armed and lots of retired LEOs and military. have a lake for water and some game but the soil sucks…good for weeds only. Have plenty of dry goods,canned goods and ehydrated goods. Bugging in will have to do,too old to move around like a pinball.
Jim,as your soil a pain how about the pvc upright hydroponics system,you have water and a baby solar pump would work well.Look up on utube,plenty of videos and the cool thing can set up on wheels/mix stock from low to high spots ect.,might be a good answer for growing food.On a side note,bet a few folks growing medicinal/recreational plants that way as we type in your area!
With the above as an understanding, what happened last Wednesday night/Thursday morning in the wee hours was terrifying. Globally the credit markets began to melt down! This was a global event and almost ALL credits were being sold.
http://beforeitsnews.com/economy/2015/05/the-economy-almost-crashed-last-week-2727530.html
Any military strategist will tell you that a staging area is where you start. It will not be in the middle of a major city. The staging area will be outside of the densely populated areas. Where air fields built and heavy equiptment can be staged.
This is where they will take out the soft targets, all the people that fled the city because they were to afraid to stay and fight for their rights. Most of them brought enough food ,water and ammo to feed the army .
By securing the country side they will have majority of the unarmed ,unprepared masses surrounded and they can either succumb or be arrested .
So, fleeing , and hiding , buying up all the food ,ammo, and water and delivering it to them is most likely what they are counting on. So building a grass hut next to a babbling brook may sound like a childhood dream come true. But ,in reality , fighting from concrete buildings, basements and tunnels is what will keep you alive.
What you just said is so true. It is amazing the things you notice in the country, just off a major hwy. These places we have also need to be our staging areas.
If the whole country collapses into a SHTF scenario, nobody’s going to waste time trying to talk you into giving up. They gonna kill you and your family on your front lawn. So, please make sure you’ve planned escape routes and bug out positions before the SHTF. Your bug out position might be 200 yards away from your house in the woods. It doesnt need to be in another county or State. It needs to be quick and accessible to you and your family in an emergency, even it’s just for a couple hours till the coast is clear. Make sure you plan places to rendezvous and where the bug out position will be.
However please don’t build your whole survival plan around fighting to the death from your bunker. If your taking on the Military or our loyal Paramilitary Police Force, you won’t come out alive. Self evacuate ASAP. Stay away from buildings too. They get searched. Go to ground in the woods or a garden or an empty lot, just not in anything man made.
Ive stated this before. if you at this time must rely on some form of government help check or pension 401 etc. At the present when its has barley began to go downhill. How are you going to survive when that help is no longer there? hiding in some BOL living off of hoarded preps isn’t sustainable survival. That,s just enduring. and as someone else pointed out We are in for massive earth changes being caused by the rapidly shifting magnetic poles. That’s what they are up to. This imminent clatyclismic change is larger than any one nation can deal with. All the plans of the UN NWO Agenda21 are designed for coutinuity of government. the debt wont matter when whole nation,s are destroyed. All the lowlands will be permanetely flooded. All infrastructure unusable. earth quakes & volcano eruptions will make many places uninhabitable. Not a reset. Not a 1800,s lifestyle. A skyrocket back to a stone age existence.
Old,perhaps very short term stone age but with a slew of materials lying around and knowledge in survivors heads you will quickly see rocket stoves and all sorts of other tech that push back the stone age.Long term what will be importent is the passing along of this to future generations,will literally be tons of refuse for the reuse.Will soon see hydro power/forges ect built.We will not have a net society but knowledge will carry on short of a total wipeout of humanity.Will surely be a different lifestyle in the future but not stone age for long.
Newby here.
Thanks for the article J.J.<—Great movie.
I first started thinking things through during the build-up to the Y2K impending disaster and have been prepping since.
Thoughts at random;
– Most people will, if possible, be heading toward the more temperate latitudes. Go North young man and grow up with the country.
– Try to have your bug out location as close to dirt poor people as possible. They know subsistence living already and are better prepared to weather the storm.
– Sound body, sound mind. This should be obvious to all. If you are the typical American porker that cannot run five miles your anus is granus. Your finely marbled flesh will be first into the stewpot. If you are on brain benders because you are so sad that you are living at the pinnacle of human existence, check your diet and get off whatever easy fix you've been sold. Almost every major human advance, i.e. controlling fire, was made because some poor bastard was depressed enough to do something about it.
– Live the dream. Pack your Hennessy hammock, your food, your weapon(s) and ammo, your weapon(s) maintenance gear, your sleeping bag, your PM's, water production facilities, your toilet paper, your radio, your field surgical kit and medicines, and everything else you need and go camping in crappy weather in a crappy place. The end of civilization will not resemble Yosemite in July. Be sure to move five to ten miles a day to practice staying ahead of the FS Army. Tip-DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANSES surprise us. We will always have at least one person awake and do not like surprises. If you want to talk make noise as you approach. (We have gone feral.)
These expeditions will enure you and yours to the privations necessary to survive and their minds won't be blown by day three.
If you can afford it have pre-positioned buried caches of replacement everything, especially food, ammo and clothing along any potential routes you may be forced into taking.
-Most people who think they can feed themselves by hunting are smoking dope. With apologies to J.J., every elk hunter in the land will be heading into the Bob Marshall to feed themselves. Steer clear of people that can make a kill shot at 400 yards. (You and you back pack start looking like an elk to a starving man pretty damn quickly!)
– You don't have to defeat most roving gangs, you just have to be less attractive to them than the next target.
– Be meaner than a Rattle Snake! Odds are quite high that if you have done your work you are measurably better off than 99.9% of the population and any alliances will hurt your survival chances.
TIP- A Sparkling Ice bottle will hold one pound of rice. Be sure to add salt.
These can be given to the starving families with children that your wimmin folk will demand you share with. Be sure to warn them that if they follow and you ever see them again it WILL NOT end well for them.
– Don't forget to have some fun too! I have heard that someone has invented "dry alcohol"….wonder how much of that fits in an empty Sparkling Ice bottle.
Your friend,
Dog
Great article, Jeremiah Johnson.
I would procrastinate relocating my wife back to Hawai’i, but I keep putting it off.
My present bug-in location has many traits in common with your list of 24 factors. That is what makes it so hard to live up to my promise to my wife to move back to HI, where very few of your 24 would apply.
PS>>>
I agree with 6pack about your writing technique. It is a calm way of yelling FIRE!
Instead of just yelling it over and over again, you point out where the fire is, and calmly hold open the emergency exit.
TY.
Moving to HI. or any other inhabited island is not a good idea.
When they run out of food, you will become the food. It has happened many times in history.
Not a good idea living on a island like HI. or any other inhabited island.
If shtf, and they run out of food…you will be the food. It has happened before in history and likely to happen again. The mainlands are a better option.
Best advice? Read Joel Skousen’s book “Strategic Relocation” 3rd edition. A 340 page tome covering the plus and minuses of every state. We took his advice and relocated to the Texas Hill country. Far from Austin! Lord bless you.
Texas is a bad location. Lived there most of my life. They have a water problem and other problems..
Aquafers are drying up. Plus don’t forget Mr. Pickens. Hogging the water that there is left.
Some of us Texans have found another state ….;)
Which end of “Love Canal” do you want to live? This article reads like my old to do lists. If you are working on this list now, good luck young sleepwalker. I know many ex pats who thank you for staying put. They wish to heal and detoxify. The World now sees Pax Americana for what it really was. Pax Greedius Bankeris. And in my travels I have talked to many non us citizens about the potential treatment of surviving refugee Americans if Sam Inc. promulgates the collapse. We had better stay home. No quarter, no mercy. You can thank our elite for what the World thinks of us. Johnson’s career enabled that sentiment and he is complicit in it. This article looks but does not see. There is no refuge. Cast adrift like a volleyball with a bloody hand print while we despair about underinflated footballs.
I live back in the woods you see, the woman and the kids and the dogs and me. Got a shotgun, rifle and a four wheel drive…And a country boy can survive! Rules ? Laws? At this point what difference does it make?
Once the SHTF good morals and friends and family and being prepared is all that really matters. Im getting tired of waiting….Think I’ll just vote liberal and get this thing started…
Sounds awful! How about switching that out and trying Colombia for example? Going from hemonster American heifers to the slinky cappuccino colored lovelies of Latin America. To me, that seems a no-brainer. Then throw in beaches, rain forests, delicious organic fruits and vegetables, land to build your own place. Why hunker down with a ten-ton Gerty, tins of beans, a bible, a shot gun, and Fox News, when you could be eating spicy chicken, watching some of the most beautiful women in the world walk by? You would be like shtf what: get out of my sight line, dude!!
It’s not just having sufficient acreage, but being able to defend that acreage too. To me you need an early spring period for growing peas (these are far easier to dehydrate than beans), cabbage plants, early leaf lettuces, etc. Then switching to the main summer crops. Then switching to later summer early fall cold crops again. Then some cold frames and judiciously using cloches along along at various times. That’s three main growing seasons, and as you get to far up North, you can’t do this.
If you only have one season to grow food, then you’re at the mercy of bad weather, an issue with a blight, infestation, inadequate rainfall, etc.
The Native Americans grew three main crops: pumpkins, beans, and corn. One thing to understand is that it’s not just calories and nutrients but just as importantly have good preservation of your harvest, for you need to save those nutrients for other times when you can’t harvest what you need. You need balanced amino acids, and if you fail to do that, then you will end up with protein deficiency (kwaishikor). You have to be able to do nixtamalization of the corn you grow or you will get pellagra because your body can’t get the niacin. If you want to see what happens from either or both, do an internet search to see some disturbing photos from history.
You won’t be able to buy feed, so every kind of livestock will need that grown as well. This means meadowland and longer growing seasons probably.
You won’t be able to get fertilizer, which means you need those livestock. While you can use urine as a substitute in the garden, and should be doing that now, you have to do it for sanitation under collapse conditions in order to help feces digest. Otherwise you’ll be moving the outhouse way too often and it will have a terrible stink.
Ponder upon one sole point only, and I think you’ll see why homesteading in a place with a harsh winter will be extremely difficult. Today, maybe you heat your place with wood heat just fine. How did you gather, split, and stack and season that wood? Did any of that happen strictly by hand tools? If not, then try doing firewood with only hand tools as our ancestors did, and you’ll see what the many diverse problems are.
Expect breakage. Expect that you don’t have things like a peavey. No log splitter. No chain saws of various sizes. You and someone else would be going to town with two man crosscut saws and hoping you don’t bugger up the blade. You’d no doubt ruin one the first year. You’d go through countless axe handles. While you can use the trick of mauls cutting large base of wood surrounded with bungee cords to more rapidly split, that takes some skill and practice.
Plus, how many in your household can help you do this essential work, or are you doing it all yourself because your children are young?
This is why an earth-sheltered home where the ground sustains the temperature at 55 degrees F is helpful, for that means far less firewood chopped. It also means cooling in the hot humid summers too.
Otherwise that’s a ton of forestry work to manage both replanting, cutting, clearing, splitting,seasoning, and stacking firewood.
But if you’re like most, you can’t just rebuild, but you should be able to make a rocket mass stove. That creates a warm place to rest and sleep, a cooking surface, burns far less wood, etc. A lot of people are switching to that by making it themselves.
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Two words: Ragnar Benson.
To be frank, I would rather sip Cuba Libres in Varadero than tough it out in some American hell-hole (Detroit, Ferguson, Baltimore), but that’s just me. There are many places you can bug out to that will provide a good life and all that is important, just not a life maybe on the current American standard of living. I speak of the ‘naughty’ countries out there – North Korea, Cuba, Iran and also ‘Western’ allies that have a pretty sweet situation: Morocco, parts of South Africa, exclusive neighborhoods of Haiti, the island of Montserrat.
I guess my first testing point for anyone who thinks they are a prepper or ‘tough’ is if they can be adventurous and make a sweet life in these places. I mean, come on, it ain’t that hard to thrive in these places if you have a razor-like focus on what is truly important in life: to be around people you love and can laugh with, to be surrounded by the finest p#ssy known to man, and the ability to tap lots of resources so you do not have to work that hard (cheap maids, cooks etc.).
I have lived in such places and it beats the pants off life in most Western cities where most people are caught up in the daily grind. Let’s take North Korea: it is a very well-ordered society with basically zero crime so the streets are very safe. The Koreans are pretty racist so they do not put up with any crap from our darker friends: members of the Done Nuffin’ Tribe won’t get anywhere. They have great food: some of the best cuisine in the world. The women are on the whole very hot. They have a thriving movie industry and the country is packed with business and trading opportunities. Or take Iran: another country where the women will melt your nuts. Lots of opportunities to trade and do business. Or the beautiful women of South Africa of all races but especially the lovely blonde Afrikaans women. If you can’t find a reason to live there, then there is no helping you in a shtf.
Good plan for a single man. Family be damned, if that the plan. Not for me or mine.
Great plan for a single man, just to reiterate.
I’m not a big fan of BOL’s more than a couple days away by foot traveling off the beaten path. Yes, you might could still drive there or further, but don’t count on it.
The assumption you’ll get early enough heads-up to drive on clear roads, loaded to the gills, further away is very risky, IMO. Ideally, you need to be full time living at your fully stocked and protected BOL.
I remember Hurricane Rita “Carmageddon” stall out of millions failing to evacuate Houston and what it did to every town for 100+ miles around stripping them of resources and clogging them up to impassable, too.
I also know a Texas county that their contingency plan for Y2K, if elect down and food/fuel not shipping, was to turn back any trying to exit interstate into their county that could not show ID of residency there. Also, any store/fuel purchases of remaining inventory would require same local residency proof, with hold backs reserved for emergency agencies, vehicles, personnel and their families first.
Plan to make your stand where you are now or to already be in your ideal BOL full-time long beforehand as a known member of the community, or at least not a total stranger with out of state plates.
When the music stops, assume it’ll be surprisingly abrupt, like the grounding of all planes on 9/11, and wherever you are and whatever you have then could be all you’ll ever have for a long time.
– Shane
THANK YOU JJ for the article and all the insightful information – I for one appreciate the time and energy it took to address my request! I would like to add my thoughts
… for the most vulnerable family member, ANY move is a BIG move … follow one’s intuition about the “where” as well as doing research … no place is perfect, choose the best of what is available … and find joy wherever you live because life is finite, time is precious, and love your family and friends because memories will be all we take with us when we leave this planet.
I’m not leaving. There’s really not anywhere for me to go where I wouldn’t be a huge waste of time and resources. And most prepper groups would kill me for sport based on how useless I am. Sorry folks; you made too many teeming, useless masses. That’s what all that life advocacy gets you–you get everyone thinking they can live good lives even when most of us couldn’t live if we tried!
#killeveryone2015
We are really in deep sh
…..t. I have considered all the above in this article and after meeting and becoming friends with the scientist and be told us the stats about what survival means I can see how the population result was 3-5 million survivors out of 340 million, it’s not looking good not even for is, we totally completely screwed. Only the strongest and most prepared and most viscous will survive this end game shtf.
I have a question for those with military experience. What happens when the police or military come down your street on a gun confiscation mission? I am well prepared with conventional weaponry shotguns and rifles..what will we do about 30mm chain guns or 50 cal machine guns? Anybody have a solution for that? Some say they will never confiscate the guns because they don’t have enough people, but others say the that is going to be a bloody mess with no chance. I believe that neighborhoods are going to have to come together to protect all or there is no chance just like 1776. Any thoughts?
There is not a lot you can do unless you plan on setting traps etc. Also best practices calls for keeping catches with extra weapons and SMI so that way if they take yours you not out of luck. Make sure you find some rusted metal or nails and or other junk to out around the caches in case they have metal detectors. Also throw in some food. Remeber though staying alive is better than being a hero.
Joe,
The key is to not go toe to toe with these weapon systems, but to disable/take control of them without them ever firing a round. If an external gunner exists, a well placed round will take care of him. The only 2 individuals left in the vehicle will be the driver and the TC (sits shotgun). It would be rare to have a TC take over gunner position. If he does, all the better because you can eliminate the highest ranking individual in the truck and effectively cripple the vehicle. HOWEVER, most of the military is moving towards RWS (Remote Weapon System). The gunner sits inside the vehicle, operating the gun through the use of cameras for optics and solenoids for operation of the gun (the gunner does however need to reload the system manually, so if he does start shooting, wait until he’s out and let him have it). The cameras are VERY EASY to identify, the main IR lens is black and about the size of a man’s head. Make your shot count because you probably only get one and you NEED that gun disabled. The RWS or CROW system will be found on the GMV(Humvee), any and all MRAPs, and the STRYKER. Most of these vehicles these days are equipped with HALON systems. This is a liquid dispersant that evaporates and effectively removes the oxygen from the air. Find a way to set off the vehicles HALON and watch the crew bail! As far as heavy armor goes, I would suggest doing research into how effective the Iraqis and Afghanis were with shape charges such as the EFP. This will cut through armor like a hot knife through butter. Research construction at your own risk. I will say that a lot can be accomplished with a traffic cone and some copper sheeting. Remember, SPEED, SURPRISE, and VIOLENCE OF ACTION. Don’t put yourself into a position where you can be on the receiving end of one of these weapon systems. YOU ARE SMALL AND MOBILE, THEY ARE LARGE AND SLOW. USE IT.
Ender
I live near a small town with the 3 rd highest crime rate in Tn. From a tactical standpoint that seems to suggest there will be quite a bit of conflict when SHTF. My bug out location is 90 miles away in a sparsely populated area in middle Tn. It would seem to me that the best option for my family would be to go there. It is a tough decision about WHEN to go, and I envision having to fight wherever we are. There are just too many unknowns to be able to envision the type of circumstances we might face but I have to believe Bugging out is the right option for us.
Special Request Article: A Green Beret’s Guide for Weapon related issues: Can you assist with the guidance required for all ages and gender regarding the use of .50 cal to .22. What would your recomenadation be regarding training in small groups, “possible” aggression etc. How would you establish which type of weapon per gender and abilities. I personally have been ‘sharp soooting for over 40’ years and feel quite accurate due to Military training. W3 I think you get the jest. Anyway, I would and so would a lot of SHTF readers get a lot from your insight. have a great day:)
I think it would be wrong to confiscate guns not only constitutionally, but also morally. People need to be able to defend themselves. If the grid goes down, who knows what is going to come at you and your family. I am only interested in protecting my family. Nobody wants to get into it with law enforcement or the military. In WW2, the government and the people of the US were in alignment with each other. Look at what was accomplished then!!! It is such a shame that this is not the case now. It is too bad that we have a Bill Ayers..Saul Alinsky type operation being run against Americans. So sad. I feel incredibly bad for our children. They don’t deserve this!!
JJ,
First of all, thank you so much for all of your wisdom and insight into all of these topics that you have discussed. I’m guilty of doing mostly reading on here and I hardly ever put in my 2 cents. I do have a request for an article. How about “traps, devices, improvised munitions and techniques for use.” Joe Texas had a good question, and I have a little knowledge/experience on the topic but I’m sure if we collectively came together on here we could come up with some really good solutions to problems such as defeating vehicles with armor, defeating weapon systems, and defeating air support. Thank you again for all that you do.
Ender
Thanks Ender.,
Thanks for the list. I never thought of things the way you put it. It’s only been recently I’ve been looking into being able to learn to be sustainable without the usual establishments.
Sir: Our nation is forever indebted to you and your comrades who have so faithfully served our nation – a debt we can never repay, except by emulating your actions, and memorializing you for the duty you dhose to do.
If I bring my own reclining lawn chair and hot dogs and cherry Coke, can I hang out on your deck?. I’m a good listener, and take copious notes. I might ask a foolish question, but better to ask and learn than remain dumb and still wondering.
God Bless you and your family- I recall something to the effect that peaceable men sleep well in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to protect them. For that, this country owes you, much more than we will ever know, for those who go stumblin’ and bumblin’, and sneakin’ and peekin’ have chosen the most dangerous life there is. And thank God you are on our side – we need all the men like you that we can get.
I was gonna be a Marine, but I was nearly killed in a car wreck, so they didn’t want me after that. No spleen left, and numerous internal injuries, and broken bones. I tried my damndest, but I guess it was up to God and the Corps, much to my regret. Therefore, I pedestalize you who became the best they could. Never knowing still eats at me from time to time- I had a serial number, and one foolish move ended what I hoped would be a career.
2115017 never made it to boot camp sadly.
Most Respectfully
Donald H. Conner