Posts Tagged ‘survival’

Beyond Storing Up Beans and Rice -Needed Things Many Ignore

Posted: March 24, 2019 by gamegetterII in Beyond storing beans and rice, Uncategorized
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Salt

Sugar/unpasteurized-(raw)- honey

Spices/herbs/seasonings/condiments

Yeast

Baking Powder

Oil/Lard/”Crisco”

Soup bases

Multi vitamins – (self explanatory)

Why do you need to store these things?
Because…

1) After the first say 30 days or so- when it’s all about calorie intake,you have to start paying attention to nutrition.

2) Eating MRE’s, Mountain House,or other freeze dried “survival food” long term is really,really,really bad for you. Google the term MRE baby,and you’ll get why.

*Salt –

Your body needs salt,despite all the hysteria about how salt is bad for you – you need more salt when you’re more active,as you sweat more,salt also provides other trace minerals.

You need salt to make things like cornbread,bisquits,bread,cook meats,fish,poultry – plus it makes food taste better.

If food doesn’t taste good,you aren’t going to eat as much.

You’ll also need salt to cure meats,poultry and fish to store without refrigeration.

Which requires a lot of salt.

You need a lot more salt than you think you do.

Salt can be stored for years,as long as it’s kept dry.

Even if salt is exposed to moisture-it can be dried and used.

The salt you store needs to be iodized salt-it’s hard to get enough iodine from diet alone-(unless you live near an ocean,and have a steady diet of fresh seafoods-or like eating seaweed)-especially under a grid down/long term disaster situation.

Currently eggs and dairy products do contain Iodine,but that’s due to commercial cattle and chicken feed.

Your body needs iodine-especially for thyroid function.

Salt is also needed for medical uses-making saline solution,used with sugar for dehydration,etc.

*Sugar –

Many,if not most cures for meats/fish/poultry involve sugar.

Pretty much all baking requires sugar – be it bread,cornbread,or pies/cakes.

All ya’ll who like sweet tea-it takes a lot of sugar,you like sugar in your coffee?

That takes even more.

You will need to make alcohol too-whether for fuel or “medicinal purposes”

That takes still more sugar.

Want to make bbq sauce from the tomatoes you grow?

More sugar.

Want to make Kool-Aide type unsweetened powdered drink mixes?

More sugar.

*Honey

Honey can be substituted for sugar most cases -so get used to it.

Americans eat way too much sugar anyhow – but you still need it for a lot of foods-and to make alcohol.

*Spices/herbs/seasonings/condiments

I don’t mean fully stocked gourmet level spice rack here-I’m talking just the basic shit you need to cook food that tastes reasonably good.

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Basil

Black pepper

Oregano

red-(cayenne)- pepper

Thyme

Sage

Other than the black pepper,you can grow everything else and dehydrate it once you run out-so it ain’t like you need 55 gallon drums of this stuff.

That’s the basics-I would add a lot of chili powder as well,because it’s more economical,and more feasible to just buy it than to store the extra paprika,cumin,etc to make your own.

Mustard powder-

Makes more sense,and takes up far less room to store it than storing prepared mustard.

Mustard is used to make bbq sauce, among other things – I’ll get into that in later posts.

Vinegar-white and cider –

Marinades and making sauces, salad dressings,prepared mustard,and other cooking uses.

Soy sauce –

Gallon cans are not expensive,and it can be used in a lot of recipes -especially making soups.

Hot sauce –

No brainer, used in cooking as well.

That’s pretty much it for condiments,unless you just gotta have stuff like ketchup or A-1 sauce.

*Yeast and baking powder –

If you like corn bread and bisquits,you need baking powder- if you like bread,rolls,- or alcohol – you need yeast.

Dry yeast and baking powder both store well long term.

I would go heavy on the yeast – because fuel,beer,wine,’shine.

*Oil/lard/”Crisco”

You need fats to cook and bake -whether it’s from vegetable oils,animal fat-(lard)- or from fake lard-(“Crisco”)

Lard does not store well long term,vegetable oil store longer,”Crisco” type fake lard stores the longest.

There are oils made for foodservice that will store well long term,you can get these products at any restaurant supply.  Whirl and Prep are brand names of two of these type cooking oils.

*Soup bases –

Most grocery stores,and any restaurant supply carry beef,chicken and ham bases, that can be stored with no refrigeration. Look for one that does not list salt as the first ingredient if you can find one.

You ain’t gonna have a gourmet kitchen set up and be making fresh stock daily,so using soup bases to make soups and stews makes way more sense,at least until you run out – by which time,you’ll have your food supply and cooking fuel situations handled-or you’ll have starved to death or died of malnutrition or disease.

Soups and stews are quick and easy to make,feed a lot of people,and have high nutritional value.

 

 

 

 

 

The Beyond Storing Up beans and Rice Tab at Top of Page

Posted: March 13, 2019 by gamegetterII in cooking, Uncategorized
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I know,I suck,haven’t written anything since I made the first posts on the page.

Had some medical issues,followed by a bunch of shit to deal with with one of the kids that cost me way too much $$$,leading to me having to work way too many hours.

That’s my excuse(s) anyhow…

Now that I got that shit out of the way – I’m gonna start writing at least one post a week to add to that page.

There is a reason I started with all the food safety info,and the basics.

In any long term disaster/collapse/TEOTWAWKI scenario,you will run out of MRE’s,Mountain House,etc. a whole lot faster than you think.

You will not only end up having to prepare meals from scratch,you will have to provide a whole lot of your own food.

Which means-grow it,as in gardening.

Raise livestock of some sort,such as chickens for eggs and meat,animals that provide milk,maybe hogs for food,have a farm pond with fish in it for food-(not freakin’ nasty ass Tilapia if you have any sense.)

There’s a steep learning curve to all of that – you should already be doing all of those things. Now is the time to learn,and learn from your mistakes – not when your life depends on it.

You are simply not going to provide your meat by hunting,trapping and fishing – that’s idiotic fantasy bullshit. Unless you live in say Alaska far away from the cities – even then it ain’t like your yearly deer hunting trip.

There are also a lot of food items – that many don’t consider food – that are essential for cooking,that everyone should have stocked up,as they are not quick and easy things to resupply.

They are things you need to have if you plan to remain well fed and healthy.

I’ll cover these things in next post,along with reasons why you need them.

Then,I’ll get back into cooking basics,and how to apply these things when you do not have the kitchen in your home,and all that goes with it to prepare meals.

 

 

 

Why You Ain’t Just Going to Grab Your Rifle and Bug Out Bag, Head For The Woods, and Live Off the Land

Posted: January 14, 2017 by gamegetterII in survival, Uncategorized
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This topic has been discussed on several sites recently,and in comments on other posts on several other sites.

Those who have been responding that yes,you can “easily” live off the land are missing the point.

***The subject/topic /point is…

Can you walk into the woods with just a rifle,whatever ammo you’re carrying with you,and whatever gear you have in your “bug out bag”-and live off the land?***

The answer is-for well over 95%-more like over 98%-99% of people the answer is no.

Here’s why…

You would have only what you brought with you in your pack,only the ammo you carried,only the food,gear,and supplies in your pack.

No cabin in the woods,no endless number of caches,no supply of traps,snare wire,snares,fishing gear,tools,medical supplies,etc. just the shit in your pack.

 

Caches are great-you should have a lot of them,and have at least two that have the same supplies in them-in case something happens to one.I have three of each.
Caches get dug up by animals,washed away in rainstorms,found by other people,weren’t sealed properly and the contents get ruined,lots of things can and do happen to caches. If you think every cache you hide away is going to be exactly as you left it-you are misinformed. Even when “properly sealed”,shit happens-rodents chew through whatever you buried your stuff in,and it gets eaten or ruined,once a hole is in the cache-insects get in,water gets in,and your stash of gear/supplies is gone-no good.
That would be reality-should you be forced to “bug out” it ain’t gonna happen at a time when you’re already home and ready to go,you ain’t gonna have advance warning,and you probably wouldn’t be going to where your caches of supplies are anyhow. Any number of things could prevent that-snow storms,forest fires,roadblocks,floods,landslides,tornadoes,ice storms that take down so many trees you can’t get through the woods-saw that happen in Tucker county W.Va back in the late ’70’s. There were so many trees down,we could not get to the areas we usually hunt deer. Five of us spent 6 weeks the next summer with chainsaws,axes and machetes clearing a trail. Had to go back in Sept. for another 2 weeks,because part of the trail is national forest land,and we had to get permission and a permit to clear the dead trees.
Lots of things can make it impossible to get to your caches.
There are a very,very few who have the knowledge and skills to live off the land,even fewer who could do so with only what they have in their pack.
Yes,it is possible,yes it can be done -if you have the gear,if you have food cached,if you know the native plant and animal life in the area,if you know how to use traps and snares,if you know how to butcher wild game,if you know how to preserve wild game and fish,if you have more than basic first aid skills…

 

You would also require access to a wide variety of tools-your latest greatest survival multitool or your 245 tool Swiss Army knife just ain’t gonna cut it,you must have a means to purify/filter water,you would need sewing needles,thread,a Quick Stitch,Awl for All or similar tool for making repairs to packs,tents,leather belts,etc., medical supplies,ammo,spare firearms parts,shelter from rain/snow/sleet/freezing rain/wind/cold/heat/hot sun.

Quick stitch etc…

quick stitch

speedy stitcher

Awl for All

In cold climates-you need a way to keep warm.

You need soap,toothbrushes,tweezers,nail clippers,etc. for personal hygiene,you need clean clothes-especially socks and underwear.

People have commented that you could just tan animal hides and make your own clothes…

You are not going to just start tanning animal hides and making clothing out of them if you’ve never done it before-it will take a whole lot of trial and error,and a whole lot of wasted animal hides.

Then there’s the fact that several different types of knives will be needed-

Think you’re going to butcher rabbits and squirrels with your “survival knife”? Or filet fish with it?

You might be able to hack up a squirrel,rabbit,or fish,and get yourself a meal out of it with your 12″ “survival knife”, but you’ll waste more meat than you use if you’re processing fish and game with your “survival knife”.

 

Brain tanning ain’t gonna cut it-try it for yourself if you think that’s how you’re going to tan hides to make your fringed buckskins so you look like you’re a mountain man-or whatever-if you have never tried the method,you  have no clue the amount of time,labor-and skill- involved.

The fact is that no,it’s not going to happen for north of 98% of the guys-and ladies out there-there are many reasons why bugging out to the woods and living off the land is not a viable plan.

Not many people have the skills or knowledge to be able to get enough food by hunting ,fishing and trapping to survive. 

Then there’s all the vitamin and mineral deficiencies you will develop in a very short time without access to fresh fruits and veggies.

A few people have made the claim that wild plants contain more nutrients-this is not the case. The plants you find growing wild are often found growing in poor soil,with poor sunlight,inadequate rainfall,and there are many other plants competing for the limited nutrients available.

If you grow your own veggies in your own garden-then those veggies have far more nutritional value than any wild plant. That’s a big part of why us humans starting growing our own plants,rather than foraging for wild plants.

A lot of the veggies and fruits you buy at the grocery store have been bred for looks-not nutritional content-which is why the veggies you grow taste so much better,and have way more nutritional value.

Despite the plethora of claims to the contrary-there are currently zero veggies or fruits grown for human consumption that are “GMO” foods. The only “approved for human consumption GM food is a type of apple-this apple is not currently being produced by any orchard in the U.S.-or Canada.

 The genetically modified  crops that are grown in the U.S.are only used as animal feed,or making ethanol,no vegetable you buy in the grocery store is “GMO”,no packet of seeds you buy to plant in your garden contains genetically modified seeds.

Some facts from unbiased sources on “GMO’s”

Biology Fortified

genetic literacy project

1)  Why foraging for wild plants to provide the nutrients needed from veggies ain’t gonna work.

Growing enough food to survive is very difficult to do now-when we have access to chemical fertilizers-(or if you’re like me,lots and lots of compost and composted manure)-mechanical means of soil preparation,and pressurized water for irrigation.

Go to Kenny’s site-(Knuckledraggin my Life Away)-look at the right of the page,and click on the “Foodgrower” tab. The guy has been growing his own food for his family for a whole lot of years-not just fruits and veggies-all of it-and he was kind enough to share the knowledge he has acquired by growing his own food.

That’s what it takes to grow enough food to feed yourself-and you think you’re going to be just fine by foraging for wild plants?

2) Why you’re not going to be able to harvest enough game to survive by hunting.

Hunting means hunting-not trapping,not using snares-it means shooting critters to eat – for the sake of this discussion.

Please read ALL of the following about game before trying to tell me I’m wrong-and I’m not wrong-think about what I wrote.

The sudden influx of people into the woods will immediately disrupt game patterns-big game like elk,moose and bear will be spooked and skittish,and be seen very rarely. The harvest of these animals will drop to below current hunting season harvests. (Those who have local populations of big game animals are likely far enough away from “civilization” that few people will be in the woods in their areas anyhow,so little will change in those areas.)

Medium sized game like whitetail deer and feral hogs will be spooked as well,both will turn into primarily nocturnal animals.  Unless you have night vision,or lights,very few of these critters will be taken. You may be able to snare a few hogs-problem is they’re very intelligent critters-and will learn to avoid snares as soon as they see one of their fellow hogs get caught in a snare.

As with the big game animals-those who live far enough away from the big cities will not see much change,and would still be able to take deer and feral hogs as needed-at first. It would only be a matter of weeks before people started making their way to those areas.

Small game-squirrels will be least affected by people moving around in the woods,the people moving around will cause rabbits to move,leading to a plentiful harvest of rabbits-and a sudden and drastic reduction in the rabbit population.

Animals like raccoons often carry diseases,and the meat can be unsafe to eat. Same with ‘possums,same with armadillos. Woodchucks/groundhogs would still be semi- plentiful as a lot of people simply refuse to eat them. They aren’t bad,I’ve eaten them,a little greasy,kind of a gamey flavor,but edible-even moreso when you’re starving. Only a matter of time until others figure that out-then there goes the groundhog population.

So,for most of the population,in most of the U.S.,there will simply be very few big and medium sized game animals around to shoot,small game like rabbit numbers will quickly plummet,before long so will squirrels-and birds like grouse,pheasant,doves,quail,and eventually waterfowl.

What will happen in a matter of weeks is that there will be more and more people competing for fewer and fewer game animals.

The only reason big game,medium sized game,small game,and waterfowl are somewhat plentiful now-even overpopulated in many areas-is due to the populations being managed by wildlife biologists from state fish and game agencies,along with the efforts of sportsmans/wildlife conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited,Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation,Pheasants Forever,National Wild Turkey Federation,QDMA,Trout Unlimited,and many,many more national,state,and local sportsman’s/wildlife conservation groups.

For most people,in most of the U.S. people will simply not be able to just head for the hills with a rifle and whatever gear is in the “bug out bag”and live off the land. In a matter of weeks,there won’t be enough game,and there is no longer enough undeveloped land to be able to forage for wild plants successfully-with a very few exceptions.

There’s a reason there are hunting seasons,and limits on how many animals you can legally harvest-it’s to insure that a stable,healthy population of animals exists that allows a sustainable harvest of animals each season by hunters.

Prior to game laws/hunting seasons/bag limits being introduced-initiated by hunters-NOT by government-we were well on the way to having zero bison-(buffalo),Canada geese,ducks,wild turkeys,whitetailed deer,bighorn sheep,antelope,mule deer,elk,moose…

Once these season dates and bag limits are gone-so are a large part of  the animals populations-I’m old enough to remember when almost no one got a deer during the Ohio,Pa and W.Va deer gun seasons,and to remember when seeing a Canada goose or a wild turkey was very rare in Ohio,W.Va,Pa.

The same thing would be the case after a single year-or less – of unregulated hunting. How many people know what the maximum number of deer is that can be harvested from your local deer herd without affecting the population for the next year?


I’ve seen with my own eyes what happens when over 50% of a deer herd is wiped out-it was closer to 75% in one Ohio county due to an outbreak of EHD-(epizootic hemmoragic disease)-we counted 30 dead deer along a 1 mile stretch of riverbank in late summer/early fall of that year. (Deer dying of EHD seek out water just before they die.)

I discussed the outbreak and the effect on the deer population with 2 wildlife biologists,and our local game warden.  For the next 3 years,no does were allowed to be harvested in the areas affected. In theory,that would allow more fawns to be born the next 3 years,and the population to recover quickly. The problem was they didn’t consider the coyote problem-more fawns= more ‘yotes trying to eat them.

Even with that no does restriction-5 years later,and the population of deer is still not fully recovered-it’s getting close to where it was,we hunted that area for a few days this deer season.

Take that example,and use it as a reasonable equivalent for the number of deer taken when a bunch of guys who think they’re gonna live off the land hit the woods.

Will the deer population recover? no,unless no one is killing them for food. Since people would still shoot every deer they could-it would only be a matter of months before the numbers were so low,they would never recover.

So-once all the live off the land guys head for the woods-there won’t be anyone living off of deer,or elk,or moose,or bear meat the following year-because there won’t be enough fawns/calves/cubs born to replace the ones that were killed for food.

Fishing is a great way to get food,it’s like game though,it won’t be long before all the accessible places have no fish left. Unless you live on the coast somewhere and have an ocean to fish in nearby. The great lakes will have fish for quite a while,but anyplace easy to get to will have few fish left in a very short time.

The bigger river systems will have fish for a while,but areas near cities/towns will be fished out quickly.

It’s simple-too many people-not enough fish and game to feed them.

There’s a reason many native American tribes didn’t have permanent settlements and moved around. They followed the fish and game-they fished or hunted for certain things in certain areas-but they didn’t stay until the fish were gone,or there was no game left. They left for another area. Some tribes fished for steelhead in the great lakes-and other fish-at certain times of the year. They stayed until they had caught and preserved enough to last them for a while,then moved on to hunt deer,or bison,or whatever animal.

The people currently planning on bugging out to the woods have no plans to insure that there will be deer for them to eat the next year,or rabbits,or squirrels,or fish for them to catch,they will decimate the fish and game populations very quickly. Same thing with edible plants-there won’t be any the following year,because those eating them picked all of whatever plant and left none for the next growing season.

Quite a few people stated that people lived off the land in the past-which is true-there were also a hell of a lot less people,and a hell of a lot more game animals. There was a lot more forest/woodlands,and very little land cleared for cities and agriculture.

It ain’t the 1800’s,it ain’t the 1920’s,it ain’t the same as when you grew up-there’s a lot more people,and there is not enough wild game to support a large number of people.

So-the hit the woods and live off the land plan-it simply ain’t gonna happen-all the people who have bugging out to the woods to live off the land as their primary bug out plan are in for a very rude awakening.

The only way “bugging out” to the woods make any sense is if you have a house or cabin,or enough property to set up a long term camp on.

What does make sense is to stay put when things go sideways. If you live somewhere where roving gangs of thugs and gang-bangers will be an issue-move. Do whatever it takes-but get out of any area like that ASAP. If you live in a shitty area and have another place to go in case things go sideways-have multiple plans on how to get here-because chances are you aren’t going to just be able to drive out. If you’ll be walking out-plan your route-and actually walk it-with your family/friends,whoever is going with you-so you’ll know if it’s a good route. If it’s not-pick another way to go.

Stay where your food storage is,stay where you have heat-(if you live where it gets cold)-shelter,  a source of drinking water,your first aid/medical supplies,your personal hygiene stuff,your tools,all of your firearms,your ammo supply,seeds for a garden,your canning equipment-and you even get to sleep in your own bed.

In any long term SHTF situation,the first few weeks are the worst-we don’t plan on going anywhere for at least a month to six weeks.

It makes a whole lot more sense to stay put for those first few weeks,because as someone else said-once you’re out of supplies-and a place to live-you’re a refugee.

Heading for the woods and trying to live off the land is still going to make you a refugee-probably a lot sooner than you think.

Living off the land is a whole lot harder than most people think it is,and it would be even harder with more people in the woods trying to do the same thing.

Bugging out to the woods to live off the land is a fantasy-it’s as removed from reality as all the guys who think they’ll instantly turn into some kind of high speed low drag elite forces ninja sniper when SHTF when the only “training” they do is go to an indoor range once a month and shoot a couple boxes of ammo at no more than 100 yards,then go eat pizza and drink beer afterwards while talking about what a great shot they are.

Class I – Sat. Aug 7th

Posted: June 7, 2016 by gamegetterII in preparedness, prepping
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Class I,food safety/cooking for large groups/feeding your tribe will be held on Sat. August 7th at 9am in Sagamore Hills,Ohio.

Class I is required before taking  class II & III,as the classes all build on the previous class.

Class I has a lot of material that I will send via e-mail that must be read prior to day of class. There is some studying involved,as it is a large amount of material,and anyone who does not have fairly extensive food service experience will be seeing most of the material for the first time.

Click on the ***Feeding Your Tribe Class I***  at top of page for all the details,and class description.

 

Feeding Your Tribe Now,and During A SHTF Event

Posted: February 6, 2016 by gamegetterII in cooking, Uncategorized
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Learn the procedures and techniques to safely feed your tribe under any conditions-and provide proper nutrition needed,as people will be under stress and healthy,great tasting food not only boosts morale,it helps your tribe fight off diseases,and keeps everyone in top physical and mental shape.

You can send one member of your tribe to take the course,and they can relay the information to the rest of your group.Your team,tribe,group,clan whatever you call them can’t survive for long eating MRE’s,beans and rice-learn how to keep everyone well fed, good food keeps everyone mentally and physically healthy,fewer people will succumb to colds,flu and other diseases that will run rampant in any long term grid down scenario.

Course description ,class info,location and how to sign up for class…here

Feeding Your Tribe Now,and During A SHTF Event

Posted: January 19, 2016 by gamegetterII in cooking, Uncategorized
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One of the things that people often do not consider important is feeding your tribe,group,clan,team ,etc. as a group.
Cooking for large groups of people is not like having a backyard BBQ,or a holiday meal at your aunt Millie’s house.
There’s procedures you have to follow-just like anything else,there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things.
Do things the wrong way,and everyone you just fed will be grabbing the TP and running to the nearest toilet-or to the woods for the next 24-48hours.
I spent over 20 years as a professional chef,I was the executive chef at private country clubs and first class hotels.
I also cooked for an outfitter on backcountry elk hunts,cooking for the hunters, the guides,and the rest of the staff way back in the mountains,it was usually a 2 day horseback ride to get to camp.
I spent a couple years working fishing boats out of Wanchese N.C. and working for the fish companies on the docks unloading boats and cutting fish.
I am offering a series of 3 classes on cooking for large groups of people,both under “normal” conditions,and in SHTF events with no power,and no natural gas to operate stoves and ovens.

I’ve taught cooking classes in the past-my boss at the time volunteered me to teach the class,at the request of the hotel’s general manager.
I’ m going to use the same methods I used back then,except rather than a 3 day series of classes,I’m going to condense the three days of classes into a one day class.
I will do a series of three classes,each one building on the previous class material,so the classes have to be taken in order,you have to have completed the first class to be able to take the second class an so on.
If there is interest in more advanced classes-I will offer those as well.
Here’s the description of what I will cover in the first class…
Cooking For Large Groups
Class #1-The Basics
This class will be required before taking subsequent classes.

This class will be required before taking subsequent classes.
As of now,I have 3 classes that I plan to offer,with each building on the previous class.
The classes will be one day classes that are the condensed version of 3 day course.
Students will receive quite a large amount of info via e-mail,which includes a series of videos that will be sent to each student as an e-mail attachment. There will also be some additional videos online.
*I’m not satisfied with the quality of the videos I’ve made so far,working on getting a better tripod for the camera,and better lighting for the room I’m using to make the videos. If I can not get the video quality to where I’m satisfied with it,I’ll over that material via e-mails to those taking the classes.
There will also be printed materials distributed to each student on the day of the class that will include material that we will not have the time to cover during class,but that I feel is important for people to know.
There will be a number of recipes included that are my own personal recipes from my years of running kitchens.
I will cover cooking under “normal”conditions,as well as under grid down conditions,to include how to set up a field kitchen.
There will be a “hands on” part of the class,and students will cook our lunch and dinner for the day.
The food is included in class price,as are all the online,e-mail,and printed materials,and a thermometer for each student,as cooking,holding and serving temperatures are critical to insuring a safe meal.
I will provide beverages-coffee,tea,sodas.
Class sizes will be limited to 16 people,any more than that,and the kitchen I have the use of is simply not big enough.
Cost for the class is $125.00.

I just can not make it any lower,and that is a more than fair price for the amount of material,and instruction I will provide. I’ll have 60+ hours into putting together the material for the class,not counting the videos-so this first class is getting a great deal!
A deposit on class fees must be paid no later than 2 weeks prior to class,unless you have worked out a barter deal with me.(see below)
Deposit is $75.00,the remainder is due no later than 3 days before the class,so I know how much food to buy for the class.
I am also willing to barter-I’ll accept silver bars or coins at the Kitco spot silver price day of class,muzzleloding stuff I’l accept in trade-unopened plastic bottles of Triple7 powder,either FFG or FFFG, 240 grain Hornady XTP bullets in .44 or .45 caliber,230 grain Hornady lead roundnosed bullets in .45 caliber-(I’vegot more than enough sabots),quality hunting or tactical kives,fishing gear,20”crossbow bolts,31” aluminun arrow shafts suitable for a 55-70# draw compound bow with a mild cam, NAP 125 grain broadheads.
I can’t accept barter items from everyone taking the class,so if you want to barter-contact me ASAP.
Contact me via e-mail-(gamegetterII@yahoo.com)-and we can most likely work something out.
Anyone planning on taking all 3 classes can also contact me via e-mail,and I’ll knock something off of the total cost for you.
I spent a bit over 20 years as the executive chef, running the kitchens in mostly hotels and private country clubs in Ohio,with some additional experience cooking for an outfitter on backcountry elk hunts in Montana and Colorado,and on fishing boats based out of Wanchese N.C. There may be another guy with similar experience assisiting me in teaching the class-he will be there if he can,depends on what’s going on that day at the restaurant he works at.
If there is enough interest,I can offer more advanced classes after the first three.
As of now,I plan to offer the classes in order,then start over and do the same again.
Material to be covered in Class #1-The Basics
The following is a rough outline of what I will teach in Class #1
Hand washing and the right soaps to use.
Proper sanitation/disinfecting of pots,pans,utensils,kitchen equipment and surfaces.
Proper pot,pan,utensil wash/rinse/sanitization.
Knife sharpening and the correct way to use a chef’s or cooks knife,and other kitchen knives.
The various cooking methods-broil, bake,braise,saute,etc.
Common kitchen weights and measures,use of each.
Basic food prep of vegetables used in cooking.
Intro to the various stocks,soups and sauces.
Basic food prep of vegetables used in cooking.
Intro to the various stocks,soups and sauces.
Mirepoix
Roux and other binding agents.
Fats and oils used in cooking.
Cooking,holding and serving foods safely.
Cuts of meats and what each is best used for.
Cooking rice and pastas.
Cooking beans.
Cooking vegetables and potatoes.
Intro to baking breads,bisquits,cornbreads.
Roasting meats and poultry.
Cooking fish and seafood.
Intro into baking cakes,pies,brownies,cookies,etc.
Proper food storage methods
Meal planning and prep.
I’ll go over the various ways to set up a field kitchen,and do all of the above in a grid-down scenario.

Class #2 will be focused on grid down cooking,and will involve planning meals,doing the prep work,cooking meals over a fire,how to make the fire,and set up your “kitchen” near the fire,and all the food safety during prep,coking,holding at the right temperature,and serving the meals.
I’ll announce class #2 about 6 weeks prior to the date of the class.
Classes will be held in Sagamore Hills Ohio
Class #1 the basics,will be held on Saturday March 12th at 9am-5pm
Anyone interested,please contact me via
gamegetterII@yahoo.com
Or-
starvinlarry@gmail.com

Posted by at 6:50 PM

Ohio’s Muzzleloader Season harvest Down Almost 3,000 deer.

Posted: January 19, 2015 by gamegetterII in deer hunting
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COLUMBUS, OH – Hunting is the best and most effective management tool for maintaining Ohio’s healthy deer population. Hunters harvested 13,726 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s 2015 muzzleloader season, Jan. 2-5, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Hunters harvested 16,464 deer during the 2014 deer-muzzleloader season.

Breakdown of the 2014 and 2015 deer harvest by county…

A list of white-tailed deer checked by hunters during the 2015 muzzleloader hunting season, Jan. 2-5, is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2015, and the 2014 numbers are in parentheses.

Adams: 277 (296); Allen: 57 (46); Ashland: 253 (283); Ashtabula: 323 (313); Athens: 335 (485); Auglaize: 38 (41); Belmont: 393 (561); Brown: 245 (233); Butler: 85 (104); Carroll: 341 (458); Champaign: 85 (83); Clark: 33 (55); Clermont: 168 (153); Clinton: 64 (52); Columbiana: 206 (379); Coshocton: 553 (630); Crawford: 59 (53); Cuyahoga: 3 (1); Darke: 28 (22); Defiance: 97 (74); Delaware: 53 (101); Erie: 37 (27); Fairfield: 141 (192); Fayette: 20 (27); Franklin: 29 (31); Fulton: 23 (30); Gallia: 281 (283); Geauga: 94 (96); Greene: 48 (58); Guernsey: 395 (652); Hamilton: 40 (60); Hancock: 63 (42); Hardin: 99 (80); Harrison: 321 (513); Henry: 32 (16); Highland: 243 (254); Hocking: 284 (362); Holmes: 264 (336); Huron: 147 (150); Jackson: 249 (265); Jefferson: 266 (472); Knox: 311 (391); Lake: 30 (20); Lawrence: 173 (229); Licking: 390 (511); Logan: 128 (130); Lorain: 126 (142); Lucas: 23 (16); Madison: 31 (27); Mahoning: 141 (162); Marion: 45 (42); Medina: 114 (137); Meigs: 404 (425); Mercer: 29 (28); Miami: 37 (45); Monroe: 244 (278); Montgomery: 33 (24); Morgan: 316 (361); Morrow: 88 (90); Muskingum: 445 (593); Noble: 272 (341); Ottawa: 24 (17); Paulding: 62 (51); Perry: 229 (294); Pickaway: 77 (47); Pike: 180 (187); Portage: 81 (109); Preble: 55 (100); Putnam: 26 (22); Richland: 241 (227); Ross: 301 (287); Sandusky: 51 (43); Scioto: 199 (196); Seneca: 122 (98); Shelby: 60 (82); Stark: 167 (202); Summit: 30 (48); Trumbull: 234 (222); Tuscarawas: 363 (592); Union: 41 (57); Van Wert: 22 (25); Vinton: 243 (392); Warren: 65 (91); Washington: 340 (402); Wayne: 137 (140); Williams: 86 (69); Wood: 47 (34) and Wyandot: 91 (69). Total: 13,726 (16,464).

http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/stay-informed/news-announcements/post/ohio-hunters-harvest-more-than-13-000-deer-during-2015-muzzleloader-season

Get out there and start shooting coyotes-every ‘yote you take gives a fawn a better chance of surviving it’s first year-the fawn that survives the 2015 fawn drop could be the 12 point hanging on your wall in 3 years.

Hunting ‘yotes makes you a better hunter,they are smart,sneaky,can see,hear,and smell you from a long way off-the better you get at shooting ‘yotes,the better deer hunter you become. Hunting ‘yotes lets you practice more than just shooting skills,it lets you practice your camo and concealment,your scent control,your noise discipline,and your stand/blind placement.

Remember-fewer ‘yotes mean more deer live to the 3-31/2 years it takes to produce a deer with good body weight,which means more meat per deer-and it’s the time it takes for bucks to develop a trophy rack.

Don’t forget,you can save the pelts,sell the fur,and cover your ammo,gas,and gear expenses.

Read.

Learn.

Train.

Do More PT !

Human silhouette target ban bill shows absurd dangers of anti-gun ‘solutions

Posted: January 15, 2015 by gamegetterII in anti-gun asshattery
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"Progressives" who hate and harass gun owners want to make this man a criminal. They want to make you a criminal.

A Pennsylvania “lawmaker” has once more demonstrated why mentally-challenged “progressives” (but I repeat myself) should never be trusted with power and responsibility. Representative Thaddeus Kirkland, a Democrat, naturally, plans on introducing a bill that “prohibits the use of human silhouette targets at shooting ranges across the Commonwealth…”

Naturally, he plans to include an exception for the “Only Ones.” Whether he intends to also mandate targets they use be accompanied with the words “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” is left unstated.

“Rather than perpetuate violence by continuing to allow individuals to practice their target shooting by shooting at human silhouette targets at shooting ranges, my legislation will prohibit the use of targets that depict human silhouettes at shooting ranges across the Commonwealth,” Kirkland declares, as if using the word “shooting” four times in one sentence justifies subjecting everybody else to his heavy-handed foolishness. “Instead, silhouette targets could include, but are not limited to the following: white-tailed deer, black bear, wild turkey, and elk.”

We’ll just see what PETA has to say about that. Setting collectivist stooges on each other can be great fun to watch. And as an aside, Kirkland’s presuming to “allow” implies there’s an “obey me or be destroyed” mandate he’s willing to have armed enforcers kill citizens over.

We’ll have to see about that, too.

It’s probably lost on Kirkland that the people in the section of Delco he represents who are doing the lion’s share of the “gun crime,” including missing their targets and hitting someone else, are no doubt overwhelmingly “prohibited persons” and unlikely to be spending time at ranges. The bottom line is, this will hamper the effective self-defense training of good people, and interfering with that actually makes things more dangerous for everyone. Not that “progressives” blathering about “gun safety” and achieving Opposite Day results should surprise anyone who is, you know, rational…

Still, why stop at silhouettes? What about targets that actually show figures of people? What about popular “zombie” targets? They’re not human any more, are they? Fortunately, for Kirkland’s esteemed “peace officers,” they’ll still be able to blow away “No More Hesitation” models of “white-privileged” pregnant women and kids, at least while their already-purchased supplies last. And I guess as long as we’re exploring the absurd, another ridiculous question or two is in order: Could I have a silhouette target of someone who looks human, but isn’t? For some reason Star Trek’s android Data comes to mind…

Still, the stupidity isn’t limited to Kirkland. Come on – it’s not like compulsive gun-grabbers are known for originality (just like the “Authorized Journalists” who make sure everyone has the latest talking points to parrot).

“Pennsylvania is not the first state to consider a ban on human-shaped targets,” Outdoor Hub reports. “Massachusetts has already banned the use of any shooting targets in licensed gun ranges “that depict human figures, human effigies, human silhouettes or any human images thereof, except by public safety personnel performing in line with their official duties.’”

Massachusetts. It’s OK for cops to train to shoot back at bad guys, but you, not so much. Well that just figures, doesn’t it Gomer?

Trying to trace back legislative origins is a daunting task for anyone unfamiliar with the Acts and Resolves library system the state uses (guilty!), but the prohibiting language, applying to licensed “clubs,” appears in “An Act Relative to Gun Control in the Commonwealth” from 1998, back when “Republican” Paul Cellucci ruled the roost. Whether the language was a holdover from earlier legislation is unknown, but that it survived his and Mitt Romney’s tenures as governor without apparent objection shows it’s unfair blaming it all on Democrats.

Can you imagine being one of the privileged, exempted “law enforcers,” and being willing to escalate things through the entire continuum of force against someone who could appropriately argue (in spite of what totalitarians would claim) that his supposedly guaranteed freedom of expression was being violated?

It would be interesting to see this challenged, and see how a “compelling state interest,” generally required under strict scrutiny for First Amendment cases, would be backed up. Which qualified trainers and certified programs teach that everyone is safer when targets used in self-defense training are limited to concentric circles and to pictures of game animals under force of law? And just what qualifications do ignorant, anti-gun bigots have to impose their ignorance on others, including on people whose advanced classrooms they couldn’t even safely participate in, let alone understand core concepts being taught, without first mastering prerequisite basic and intermediate skills?

It’s also interesting seeing how far some, living in places from which the demand for liberty arose, have repudiated freedom won for them by worthier men, and demanded shackles in its place. Sadly, it’s just not surprising to those who have noted them ceding their — and our — birthright to turkeys. Literally and figuratively.

http://www.examiner.com/article/human-silhouette-target-ban-bill-shows-absurd-dangers-of-anti-gun-solutions?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Knife Sharpening

Posted: January 14, 2015 by gamegetterII in knife sharpening
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Since I’ve spent a considerable amount of time butchering deer for guys lately,and 90% of them had knives so dull they couldn’t be used-which is why I always bring my own if going to someone else’s home to cut up their deer- I figured it was time to do another post on knife sharpening.

Guys have handed me these “really great game processing knives and tools” that they wasted their $50.00-$75.00 or more on,and the pieces of crap wouldn’t cut through a cake without tearing it up.

Sharpening a knife is not all that complicated,it ain’t rocket science,you don’t need an engineering degree to get your knives sharp and keep them sharp.

You need a few basic things-a set of sharpening stones-(oilstones/ whetstones)-a butcher’s steel-a real one,not the 8-10″ pieces of shit that come with the equally useless knives in the wooden block on most people’s kitchen counters-an 18″ butcher’s steel-go to any restaurant supply store,any store that sells top quality cutlery,or order one online.

Lastly,you should have ceramic sharpening “sticks’-either the sticks that go in a wood block,or the inexpensive plastic sharpeners that have carbide sticks on one side,and ceramic on the other.

I have a tri-hone set of 3 sharpening stones made by Smith’s,it’s a coarse,a medium,and a fine stone,attached to a triangle shaped piece of wood that rests in notches in the wood base-you just turn it to whatever stone you need,as you do not always need to start with the coarse stone,sometimes you just need to “touch up” a blade.

I have a real butcher’s steel,have had the same one for 35 years or so,got it way back when I was a line cook,before I finished the apprenticeship and became an executive chef.

I’m on my 3rd tri-hone,they seem to last about 10 years-less if you’re keeping a bunch of knives sharp as you’re running a kitchen in a country club.

I use a small sharpener that has carbide and ceramic “sticks” ,along with a diamond coated,tapered rod for sharpening serrated blades.

The key to sharpening your knives is to be able to hold the same angle every time as you move the knife across the stone.If you can not do that-cut yourself some wood wedges,and hold those under the blade.

You want to use a 20-25 degree angle-( 20-25 degrees for each bevel-or a 40-50 degree inclusive angle)- for knives used to butcher game animals,mine always seem to end up at around 22.5-23 degrees,which works fine for me,if I need something more like a razor blade edge,I use a flatter angle-closer to 18-20 degrees-which is what I use for my filet knives.

As long as your knife blades are not full of nicks,or have chunks missing,you should only need 10-15 strokes on each side,starting with the coarse stone and repeated for the med. and fine stones,follow that up with 8-10 strokes on each side on the steel.

The angle is the key-you have to hold the same angle,then hold the same angle on the butcher’s steel.

After following that process,you can also use a razor strop-which is just a wide piece of leather-like barbers used in the old days-that’s got a clip on one end so you can attach it to a table,workbench,etc. and use it to strop the edge of your knife blade-you do this by pulling the knife away from you,sharp edge down,facing towards you to start,then pulling the knife back towards you-holding the same angle you used to sharpen your knife,use 8-10 strokes each side.

When you think you’re done with the whetstones,and think your knife is sharp-get a really bright light-I use a halogen desk lamp that was in my garage when I moved into this house-no idea where it came from,only know that it works great for working under cars at night too-it’s that bright.

Anyhow-holding the knife with sharp part of blade up-looking straight down at sharp edge-look at it under the bright light-your edge should look like this _________________________ a solid black line-any light spots,gaps,etc-and it’s back to the whetstones-starting with coarse-if it doesn’t look like a solid black line the second time you check it-go back through all the steps again-and again until you get it right-I know it’s a pain in the ass-but… you’ll thank me in the end-a sharp knife is a safe knife-and if you do manage to cut yourself-it will be like a surgical cut-not a cut from a can lid-so little to no scar when the cut heals,and likely no stitches of you go to the ER-they’ll just use Dermabond-(superglue for people).

When your knife starts to get a little dull,use the ceramic sticks,or the plastic “pocket sharpener” with the carbide and ceramic “sticks” embedded in it-6-8 times for carbide sticks,then 6-8 for ceramic sticks,and that should bring your blade back to a good edge.

If it doesn’t start with the medium stone,about 14-18 strokes on each side,then 10-12 strokes on each side with fine stone,then 6-8 strokes on each side with the steel.

If that doesn’t bring it back-you waited way too long to re-sharpen,so just start all over with the course stone-and go through the rest of the steps.

Diamond stones work great,but I’ve found that if a knife is really dull,you can not bring it back with a diamond stone like you can with a whetstone-so start with the whetstones.

AS long as you notice your blades getting dull before they are too dull,a few strokes on each side of the blade-6-8 or so,on a coarse or med diamond stone,followed by a few more with a fine diamond stone,and your knife will be as sharp as it was when you started.

I have a small -(6″)-diamond hone-it’s got a coarse and fine side,about a 6″x 1″ diamond stone,it stores in the handle,so you pull it out,place the end with the stone out,and use it sort of like a steel.

You hold the hone in one hand,run the knife across the stone as if you were trying to cut a thin  slice off of the stone-go away from your body first,then towards you body,this counts as 1 stroke for each side of the blade,as away and toward you use opposite sides of the blade-12-16 strokes-(6-8 per side) on the coarse side,followed by same number on fine side,followed by 6-8 strokes on each carbide and ceramic using the pocket sharpener,and you should have a really sharp knife-at least as sharp as you started with.

Tri-Hone-this is a pic of a diamond stone version-NOT the Arkansas oilstone version I recommend-apparently the base is now made from plastic.

Diamond hone…

Smith's 4

Pocket sharpener…

If for some reason you still can not manage to get a good edge on your knives-because you can’t hold the angle the same-or whatever other reason,there’s always a plan “B”-here’s my plan B…

“The Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener is the first knife sharpener designed to sharpen every knife you own. Using flexible abrasive belts, the sharpener is able to sharpen not just straight bladed knives, but also curved knives, tanto blades, filet knives, serrated knives, gut hooks and virtually any other shape of knife blade. The Knife & Tool Sharpener uses precision angle sharpening guides to ensure that you get the proper angle every time. Two guides are included: a 50° guide for hunting and outdoor knives (25° per bevel) and a 40° guide for thinner blades and kitchen knives (20° per bevel). Professional knife makers use flexible belts to put a razor sharp edge on their blades, and now you can have the same technology at home to use any time your knives get dull. You may already have other sharpening methods, but never before has a knife sharpener been able to quickly and easily sharpen this broad range of knives to such extremely sharp results.”

http://www.worksharptools.com/knife/featured-products-home-knife/work-sharp-knife-and-tool-sharpener.html

***Notice****  I do not work for Smith’s,represent Smith’s,receive any advertising $$ from Smith’s-or have any connection whatsoever with Smith’s other than I like their products,and have been using them for over 30 years now.  Same with Works sharp-they just make a good product.

I suggest them because they work-that’s all.

I also recommend DMT for diamond bench stones.

Read.

Learn.

Train.

Do More PT !

Coyotes Kill Full-Grown Whitetail Buck

Posted: January 8, 2015 by gamegetterII in deer hunting
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This is why everyone who hunts deer needs to hunt coyotes. This past summer,in late June/early July, I found 3 fawns in one week that were hiding behind condos,two of them were behind the A-C units,since the people who live there,and the township cops ain’t too fond of gunshots in the condo complex-I called them to come and shoot the fawns to end their suffering. two of them had huge chunks missing from their hindquarters,and the wounds were infected-complete with maggots.The township cops told me that they had to shoot an average of 6 fawns a week that had been attacked by ‘yotes in May and June. Not sure how many they had to shoot the rest of the summer,as I was not working much in the area,and didn’t find any more wounded fawns behind homes.

In NE Ohiuo,between fawn and adult deer predation by ‘yotes,the EHD that hit hard in 2012,and last winters extended brutal cold-deer numbers are way down.

The only way to get the population to increase again is to take out as many ‘yotes as possible. Wildlife biologists say that ‘yotes can not be controlled state wide by hunting them-but they can be controlled in local areas,if enough of them are taken.

Whatever your favorite deer hunting area is-get as many guys and gals as you can to start hunting ‘yotes-no bag limit-no closed season. Makes for good target practice too. Another plus is in Ohio,you can hunt ‘yotes with rifles-not just the straight-walled rifle cartridges legal for deer hunting-any rifle caliber is legal for hunting ‘yotes.

I’m going to hunt them with my muzzleloader,then with my crossbow,then with my compound,then with my recurve. My youngest daughter is going to hunt them with a 30-30 to practice for deer hunting in W.Va next year,with her 20 gauge using deer slugs,and with a borrowed 45-70 since that’s legal for deer in Ohio.

Hopefully,we put enough of a hurtin’ on the ‘yote population to improve fawn survival rates by slowing ‘yote predation on the fawns and pregnant does.

If everyone does the same thing in their favorite hunting area-the deer population will rebound quickly-most of those wall-hanger bucks are only 3-3 1/2 years old.

We should all stop taking does,or at least only take one-not the 9 deer total bag limit-1 buck and 8 does- currently in effect for the state-that will help the deer population rebound faster,and cause ‘yote predation to have less of an effect on deer population.

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