Farming Livestock in the Wild

Want to know something interesting?

If you shoot a deer and have it butchered for the meat, that is hunting.

But if you raise a deer, feed it, pay for the vet bills, slaughter it and then have it butchered for the meat, that is livestock farming.

Basically it is the difference between hunting for your food and raising your food and taking it to the slaughterhouse.

Deer farms and also buffalo / bison farms are becoming more popular, not just in Ontario, but in North America in general. Demand for unusual meat is going up and that means the prices of venison and "beefalo" are going up.

There is no challenge to hunting deer or buffalo in a farm setting. The animals are so used to humans feeding them that have little or no fear of them.

The overhead costs of raising deer, feeding them, keeping them safe from predators (and poachers), veterinarian bills and so forth means that raising the animals for food is considerably more expensive than hunting, but with large numbers the livestock farmer can mitigate their investment and make good on them when it is time to take the meat to market. Making deals with local butchers / restaurants for the meat it will add more lucrative opportunities.

However if your goal is to raise the deer for your own consumption, then you really only need to worry about raising enough deer each year to cover your personal needs - and to keep X number of deer each year to be used for giving birth to a fresh crop of fawns.

I know I titled this post "Farming Livestock in the Wild", but what it really is about is "farming wild livestock", as opposed to traditional agricultural animals like chickens, pigs, goats and cattle.

How to Properly Pack a Backpack

Two things first.

One, if you're one of those over-confident jack***es out there who think they can do anything, you probably think you already know how to pack a backpack - and you would be wrong. I pity the fool who thinks he already knows everything.

Two, militaries around the world teach the proper way to pack a backpack - and it is extremely detailed. So pay attention because what you are about to learn could even save a life.

Some of the things you need to take into consideration are:

How to properly fit your pack.

Waterproofing your pack.

Weight Distribution.

Cummerbund (hip) strap.

Efficient use of space.

Logical packing strategy.

Packing Logistics.

"Negligent" Weight.

Necessities vs avoiding excess "stuff".

Remembering the essentials - map, compass, GPS, food, water, knife, multi-tool, etc.

Placement of tools / weapons in readily available locations - don't store something you might need in an hurry at the bottom of the pack.

And also...

How to put on a pack safely.

How to safely remove a pack on the trail.


And lastly, how you pack a backpack for a woman differs slightly from how to pack a backpack for a man.

How to Prepare your Kids for the Apocalypse

Call it the ultimate in mental time wasting if you want to, but preparing for some form of the Apocalypse (even though it will probably never happen - especially if your mental image of the Apocalypse includes zombies) can actually be a fun exercise and series of activities.

And by fun, I mean it is fun even for kids.

Lets start with the basics:

#1. Teach your kids how to fish. (Note: In Ontario, kids under a certain age don't need a fishing license to fish.)

#2. Teach your kids (when they reach a responsible age) how to make a campfire.

#3. Teach your kids how to cook the fish they caught.

#4. Teach your kids archery. (This will be a handy skill for bowhunting or bowfishing later when they get older.)

#5. Teach your kids how to tie knots. Don't have time? Sign your kids up for Boy Scouts / Girl Guides.

#6. Teach your kids basic woodworking skills.

#7. Teach your kids how to swim.

#8. Teach your kids how to climb trees and rocks.

#9. Encourage your kids to exercise every day. No excuses.

#10. Teach your kids how to conquer their fears by helping them to build confidence.

See my point? A lot of these activities can actually be quite fun.

Taking your kids camping and do all sorts of survival activities will help prepare them for many of the challenges they will face - both in life and during any hypothetical Apocalypse.

How to Haft a Flint Arrowhead to an Arrow Shaft

Similar to flintknapping (the skill of carving flint arrowheads and similar objects by chipping away at flint, obsidian, glass and similar materials) there is also the skill Hafting.

If you want to learn more about flintknapping read my post on Flintknapping Arrowheads made of Flint, Glass and Obsidian. If you are looking for How to Fletch an Arrow watch the video on Project Gridless' YouTube Channel.

Hafting is all about attaching a finished arrowhead to an arrow shaft.

Here is a simple 3-step breakdown of the process.

Step 1

Notch the arrow shaft a size that is close to the arrowhead you are attempting to haft.

Step 2

Use pitch (or a similar material) as a glue inside the notch to help affix the arrowhead to the shaft.

Step 3

Using soft deer sinew (or a similar material) wrap around the shaft, the notches in the arrowhead both horizontally and diagonally. (To soften deer sinew, chew or suck on it in your mouth for several minutes until you feel they are soft.) After you are done the deer sinew with harden and tighten up, holding the arrowhead in place.

Below is several videos which demonstrate various ways of how to haft an arrowhead.

Flintknapping Flint, Glass and Obsidian Arrowheads

Lately I have gotten into flintknapping arrowheads - and I have determined that the following videos were quite helpful in terms of learning which tools to use and what techniques to use to achieve the best results.

Flint and obsidian are the stone age materials of choice, but for people just learning how to flintknap then glass is the recommended material for beginners - and produces amazing looking results as glass arrowheads are quite beautiful - and sharp!

Plus for the survivalist, knowing how to make your own arrowheads is an useful skill. You should also invest some time in learning How to Haft Arrowheads to an Arrow Shaft and How to Fletch Arrows the traditional way.

Take a look at the photos below plus the helpful videos further below.



GLASS ARROWHEAD PHOTOS

FLINTKNAPPING VIDEOS

FLINTKNAPPING A FLINT ARROWHEAD



FLINTKNAPPING A GLASS ARROWHEAD



FLINTKNAPPING A BLUE GLASS ARROWHEAD



FLINTKNAPPING AN OBSIDIAN ARROWHEAD

Rock Art Balancing, August 8th 2014

More rock art balancing on the beach in Beaches Toronto - August 8th 2014.

What I like about these ones is several of the rocks are actually counterbalanced - meaning if the top rock wasn't there to keep it balanced, the rock below it would fall over.

Counterbalancing is a trickier skill when it comes to rock balancing, but it allows you to make more extreme balancing that just looks impossible for viewers.

Rock Balancing, August 1st 2014