[Smitty901]

This is a prepper site so let us get with what and how we hope to do it. Because I chose a Rural life long ago We are confident we can ride it out here. So my point of view will not be about BO but more Bugging in place.
Contrary to what the press and others may think most of us are not nuts case we see a potential for break down in our society . We chose to prepare for it. The up side for us is the work we do will also serve to protect our family in case or natural disasters also. We have seen that can happen most any where. And that if you expecting magic to fix everything over night you in for a surprise.
Many of the things you can do if you securing in place will benefit you even if nothing ever happens.
1. Improving Shelter. If you better insulate your home to do with less or no fuel you win either way
2. Stored rotated food supplies do not go to waste and can allow you to take advantage of better deals
3. Alternative short term power options pay off quickly if your power is off for a day or so happens here some times.
4. Living in Wisconsin alternate heat sources are a big plus , a wood supply ready to go a way to use it and the knowledge of how to use it with out burning the house down . How can you go wrong.
And in years when fuel price peak you have the option to use much less of even none.
5. Confidence , as you take care of these thing you build confidence in you ability to weather a natural disaster. The harden shelter can serve many use while it waits to be needed.
6. If you have property and plant trees to manage for wood you increase the value over time, in some places you get a tax break to do so.
There is so much more,this is just a start add your reason to the list.
Talk about how your doing these things, what you tried what worked and failed. Easy to say I could pump water by hand have to tried to pump up a 100 gallons?
Have you cut a couple cord by hand stacked and moved it near by.
I have done my best to get dual use from the preps we have made, signs of the time cause me now to step the pace up a bit. While I am ready for what comes we could do better.
Post it up will we avoid the bread line when Piggly Wiggly is burnt to the ground will we stay warm when the gas goes out?
What are your goals long and short term. I know ours is to get through the first winter and take care of those here with no outside involvement for as long as it takes.
The unprepared are talking about us anyway so let us give them some thing to talk about maybe we will wake a few up.

 

[rickkyw1720pf]

@ Smitty901
One of the best stories I found was written by a man who survived the Argentina crash. I think there is a lot to take from his story.
SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA: Thoughts on Urban Survival (2005)

 

[RaigenB]

I like your thread, I also live in a rural area and would plan to Bug In. Our woods isn't as think as it used to be (my dad told me that my great grandpa had some of it logged around 30 years ago) but it isn't that bad. Our neighbor owns the woods that's in between our house and his, it's pretty thick. My Grandparents (Dad's parents) live right next to us and they have a wood stove and Grandpa always has stacks of wood. Grandma knows how to can food too and I plan to learn from her how to do so.

Because our area is pretty flat and close to a county road that runs in front of our house, I would like for us to get a storage container to bury somewhere in a safe, out of site, location on our property. I think that may be a little hard to convince my dad to do though :/ I did. however, convince him that we should get/make a rain barrel

I plan to make a garden this spring/summer too, which I'm pretty excited about. This will be my first time trying to do so.

I've also been trying to convince him that we should get livestock too. Start out small and work our way up. Ducks is what I'm trying to convince him of lol but that's a no go as of right now too.. :/ I can't wait to have my own home so I can prep as I please!

 

[Smitty901]

Raigen , how is the water table in your area is it easy to hit and drill a well. Find out if Sand point wells have ever been used in your area. It is easy to drive a sand ponit in and get water takes time but they work every well in some areas.
Learn all you can from grandma before she is gone.
sand point well

 

[RaigenB]

Raigen , how is the water table in your area is it easy to hit and drill a well. Find out if Sand point wells have ever been used in your area. It is easy to drive a sand ponit in and get water takes time but they work every well in some areas.
Learn all you can from grandma before she is gone.

Not exactly sure but I'll try and find that out. We have a well but it is on an electric pump. And I for sure will learn from her

 

[Smitty901]

More on a sand point. You can go down about 25 feet with one. If you have an underground shelter you can drive one in there you have water and it is protected .
They were used for years as a primary water source

 

[RaigenB]

More on a sand point. You can go down about 25 feet with one. If you have an underground shelter you can drive one in there you have water and it is protected .
They were used for years as a primary water source

Wow, that is great to know! And thank you for the vid!

 

[Smitty901]

Security is a must , But you have to eat. Food storage is a big issue. Many homes here still have root cellars. They were still used up until this generation started moving away from the farm. If you plan on eating you may need one.
They are not hard to build and can also be emergency shelter. Latter I will get some shots of one we have used for 50 years. This is how they did before we can do it again.
Good read on the subject
Root Cellars - Hobby Farms

https://www.google.com/search?q=Roo...SN6Wg2AXzpIHQAw&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=882

Note: The prefect place to store your food is the worst place to store you ammo.

 

[nadja]

My wife and I also plan on staying put or bugging in. We live very rural, about 26 miles from the nearest town and the last 6 miles to my place are an old dirt wagon trail. We have a small but very private valley or low spot if you will, and you can't even see my wind generator until you drive right up to my place. We of course do have food put away, and will continue to put away more over the next year or so. More importantly, we have garden seeds, in the freezer and a couple of raised beds already built and ready to go. Also have several of the double bucket systems and will try and obtain more this coming year .

I also have a couple of friends about 2 miles away or so that were carer marines from the same time as myself. 65 0- 69 We are well versed in making things tough for anyone that attempts to "mess " with us. We stay connected together with the aid of C.B. Radios. We also all live on solar out here, as there are no electric lines close by.

I have wireless driveway alerts that work well out to about 300 feet and then my dogs inside the house. And then there is me. So, yes, I am bugging in. I also think it is far better then being a homeless person that thinks I could live off the land, even though at my age I would still fare better then the average city slicker with imaginary visions of being Davy Crockett . Being raised in the country on a farm and hunting , camping and fishing my entire life, I would stand a chance, but no it is still a no win situation.

 

[AquaHull]

Raigen , how is the water table in your area is it easy to hit and drill a well. Find out if Sand point wells have ever been used in your area. It is easy to drive a sand ponit in and get water takes time but they work every well in some areas.
Learn all you can from grandma before she is gone.
sand point well

Nowadays a permit is required in Michigan, and the installer/driller/pounder must be licensed

I can remember pounding a well 28' when I was 11, 1 3/4" galvanized with brass point. It lasted 31 years before we had to put in a 4" submersible per code.

If someone reports you , it all has to be removed at your cost. The EPA and whatever alphabet agency is concerned about groundwater contamination, plus they are wanting to tax the wells and have come around spying.

 

[Smitty901]

So a sand point driven in and capped would be seen by. Also come judgment day I sure the 3 letter bunch EPA, DNR will be heading for the hill. I would not ever advise anyone to break the law. Knowledge of how to do something is not a crime.
Nor are the supplies to do it safety stored.
Also the same parts can be slipped down a drilled well and hand pump attached if power is not on. I have one of the wells already set up that way pull the cap screw on a short 4 foot pipe and pump your have water.

 

[Verteidiger]

To me, the biggest problem confronting rural people will be the influx of the evacuee horde from the major cities as they empty out. The horror stories I have heard from friends who evacuate, or who lie in the path of the human swarm, are both disturbing and informative.

One of my best friends fled from a hurricane, and his wife and kids were supposed to follow (lesson one) and meet at their bug out location. She got snarled in traffic and ran out of gas (lesson two). She had a gas can (#3) and she left her two pre-school boys in the car while she went for gas at a nearby overpass. She climbed a six foot chain link fence, but her pants snagged on the metal and she flipped over. She landed on her head, broke her neck and died on the sidewalk of the frontage road. (#4) People found her sons, and they led them to her.

In another evacuation, people running out of gas found gas stations without power, or without fuel, or both. (5,6,7). They left the interstate (8) and went into surrounding neighborhoods. (9). They went house to house (10) looking for fuel and whatever else they could scrounge or steal. (11). Siphoning from people held at gunpoint (12, 13). Family pets or children were seized as hostage exchanges for what the hordes wanted. (14, 15). If you had no weapons, you were victimized (16) instantly.

In the countryside, horror stories of what inner city gang members did to farm families are blood curdling. Farms and remote homes were deliberately targeted for food and shelter by roving packs of armed bangers. (17).
Some people fought back, others were off guard and got flanked or overwhelmed. (18).

Bugging in to a static location can get you swarmed. You need to be prepared to retreat and counterattack once you see what will confront you. Move your loved ones away and carry what you can, then regroup and get help or engage. (19).

Do not make the mistake of thinking you are safe because you are isolated in the sticks. That really just makes you a target. (20).

Oh, and do not stop in rest areas if you are evacuating. That is where the gangs gathered first. You drove right into an ambush and your car and belongings got jacked on the spot. (21). Keep moving! (22). And be armed to the teeth with extras of everything you'll need. (23).

 

[nadja]

Well, from where I am, even the post office people that have lived here for years say that our place doesn't exist. Does that tell you anything.? When your going off the grid and intend to be really rural, keep it that way. Don't even tell local people where you live or even how to get there. There are no road signs here, no street lights, power lines or much of anything else.

"IF" the hoards did make it this far out, there are a couple of other people like me not friendly and we do not play well with others. One of my best friends, living about 2 miles from me , started out in 1963 as Air American and finished his 20 as a Marine. We think alike, move alike and eat alike. Neither of us likes strangers , especially strangers with bad intentions.

He , like me , has wireless alarms outside, dogs and then you would have to deal with him after being throughly alarmed you were on your way in. Both of us would instantly know what direction you were coming form , have nvd. and the things they mount to. Secure ? Well , about as well as you can and still be legal in all aspects of the law.

 

[WoadWarrior]

To me, the biggest problem confronting rural people will be the influx of the evacuee horde from the major cities as they empty out.

I couldn't agree more.

The horror stories I have heard from friends who evacuate, or who lie in the path of the human swarm, are both disturbing and informative.

Real life is a lot harder than people image, or even prepare for. Studying what actually happened is the best way to figure out what to expect. And I don't just mean the major events like Sandy. Smaller local events can also be troubling.

She landed on her head, broke her neck and died on the sidewalk of the frontage road.

I'm sorry to hear about your friends loss... and glad you shared it as a real life example for us.

They left the interstate (8) and went into surrounding neighborhoods. (9). They went house to house (10) looking for fuel and whatever else they could scrounge or steal. (11). Siphoning from people held at gunpoint (12, 13). Family pets or children were seized as hostage exchanges for what the hordes wanted. (14, 15). If you had no weapons, you were victimized (16) instantly.

It still amazes me that people don't realize how they put a hugely visible target on their backs... and how they are so unprepared to take care of themselves. People still assume that a cop is there to protect you. Cops "respond" after the fact.... i.e., after you are dead. If you don't take care of yourself... no one else will.

Farms and remote homes were deliberately targeted for food and shelter by roving packs of armed bangers.

And... because you are remote... your neighbors are unlikely to see/hear it going on... so you truly are on your own. The same goes for your choice of where to bug out. If you are near mountains... expect every other yokel to head there, rifle in hand. You either need to get there first and defend it, get there first and hide while the yokels shoot it out with each other, or stay away until the gunfire ends and you can come in and clean up the pieces.

Oh, and do not stop in rest areas if you are evacuating.

I have legal stimulates in my BOB and vehicle with the plan that I travel until I get there no matter how long it takes. I don't have stops planned... but will be armed in case they are forced on me.

 

[Smitty901]

We have our security covered if homey thinks he is coming here his troubles will soon be over. He will not get close enough to be a threat. This we will defend means more than you know.

molṑn labé

 

[AvengersAssembled]

My family and I live in a semi-rural area right now, but within the next year or so we're moving out west. My dad's whole family is in SE Arizona, but we'd be looking at New Mexico or NE Arizona. We've already looked into some excluded plots of land, with no one else around for many miles. My mom is a great gardener, my dad a great hunter, and me a great fisherwoman lol But in the event of an emergency, we would want to be able to bug in and be totally self-sustaining. Both my parents grew up on farms raising animals, and planting/harvesting crops. And between my dad and myself, we have security pretty well covered.

 

[jimbobberr]

We have our security covered if homey thinks he is coming here his troubles will soon be over. He will not get close enough to be a threat. This we will defend means more than you know.

molṑn labé

It seems logical to me that, while you, being ready to defend yourself, might have little to fear from an occasional homey showing up at your door, your real problem is going to be an entire army of 5,000 or more homies descending upon you. I'm dealing with the same scenario at the moment, and I don't know what to do about it. I just watched an episode of "Countdown to Apocalypse" that showed a clip about this rural family with 25 years worth of stores and livestock and a big pond full of fish. Although they are rural, they are essentially "out in the open" and, it occurred to me that if I were hungry and homeless and wandering, I would only have to take what these people have. Unfortunately, I would then be in the same position they are, completely vulnerable to any more sizeable force than myself. In fact, I realized, I am already there. Realistically, I could probably hold out against a small force for a long time, but against a heavily-armed, well-disciplined force of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands who are intent upon taking everything you and I have..?........

 

[Old Man]

My family and I have been prepper for a few years work on the needs we will have. We live on 12 acres about 3 miles out of a small town and a large city about 110 miles away. We know a talk with our 2 closes neighbors. I feel when the SHFT my neighbors on out from us that we will need to unite a become a small force on our own. We are go to have to pull together. I have already been check out some of our neighbors and try to get a feel for them. I not ready to get to close yet. I know them and they know me. I know we need to work on this. I still feel I need to be careful.

 

[Lucky Jim]

...I still feel I need to be careful...

Yeah, the golden rule would be to join up with others ONLY IF WE HAVE TO. I mean, if you and your family are doing alright on your own, you don't need anybody else and you'll never be sure whether you can trust them..
For example in this clip from Survivors, a plague has wiped out nearly everybody on earth, and Greg (the fair-haired guy in the blue jacket) meets up with a group of 4 strangers, they seem friendly enough at first but at 0:48 they show their true colours-

 

[jrclen]

They were used for years as a primary water source

They still are in my area of Wisconsin. We've gotten our water from a driven sand point all our lives and so did our parents and grandparents. Great thread Smitty. I burn wood from my own land for heat. Lived without electricity and indoor plumbing with little problem. And I garden and eat the kings deer. I will miss the internet, but we'll survive. Farmers used windmills to get that 100 gallons of water. Hand pumps are for 2 - 5 gallons at a time.