Skill of the day -- Squirrel Pole

Right up front, let me just say a few things:

1. I prefer eating the conventional meats (beef/chicken/pork) as much as the next guy.
2. When given the path of least resistance, I'll probably take it, same as anyone.
3. I did not grow up on a farm, in the backwoods or in a third-world country.  I'm a Southern California native, who has taken up residence in NW Montana for the past 2 years.
4. I have never eaten squirrel meat, so I don't know how it tastes -- but I'm curious.
5. I have eaten wild rabbit, which I have hunted, dressed and cooked myself, on more than one occasion.
6. If you are offended by people harming furry little forest creatures, please stop reading now.
7. Always practice safe trapping and hunting habits.
8. I believe there's room enough for all of God's creatures... right next to the mashed potatoes.

OK, now that that's out of the way...

Today, I decided to try my hand at making a "Squirrel Pole" trap. Of course, I used "found" materials: a ratty old 2x4 and some old electrical wire.  The wire sheathing was a nice shade of "forest brown", which I figure will serve to camouflage the snares.  Apparently these type of traps are supposed to use several of these "nooses" down the length of the pole, but I was feeling lazy, so I only used 2 -- top and bottom.

Why in the world would I want to trap -- let alone eat -- a squirrel or two?  Well, there are a number of reasons:

1. Squirrels are plentiful, and generally very healthy.  They're everywhere!  They're also "cage-free" and "free-range", fed on natural fruits and nuts.  From what I understand, most states (at least mine) don't require any licensing or "tags" to hunt or trap squirrels.
2. Trapping is silent, productive and (mostly) free.  Nothing attracts unwanted attention like even a single gunshot, even from the humble .22 rifle.  If we ever find ourselves in a situation (like during the Great Depression) where many, many families only had food on the table if they could hunt/trap/gather/grow it themselves, I want to be prepared to feed my family without having to rely on whether or not the grocery stores' "cellophane-wrapped meat packs" were available.  While hunting can be effective (if one is skilled at it), it requires constant maintenance for the duration of the hunt.  Trapping is more efficient in that (a) you can re-use your "ammunition" (traps);  (b) you can effectively harvest from several places all-at-once, thereby increasing your take; and (c) you "need not be present to win", so to speak.  Set the trap now, check on it later -- even 24 hours later, if the weather is cold.
3. Squirrels are very easy to "process".  They are much, much easier to handle (field-to-freezer-to-table) than are deer, elk or any other larger game.  Heck, my 7-year-old daughter could skin & gut a squirrel... and probably will, at least once, if I have anything to do with it.  (Yes, that is one of the requirements of growing up in my household: getting exposed to dressing wild-caught game, large and small, on land and in water.) 

There are probably many more reasons to familiarize yourself with the hunting/trapping of wild food sources... what do you think?  Leave a comment below, and let me know about your experiences.  I'll let you know what ever came of my modest attempt at squirrel trapping, ASAP.

Have a productive day!
Psalm 24:1

An Open Letter to My Younger Self -- Part 1

A while ago, I heard a song that (barring a few crass references) got me thinking about the last couple decades of my life.  Now, I'm only 44, and that hardly qualifies for large quantities of reminiscence.  Still, since I can't change my past, the best I can do is pass on what little wisdom I may have acquired.

I must first make a few disclaimers:

• I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and I believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
• I grew up in a broken home.
• I am a veteran of the U.S. Army.
• I have never been financially wealthy.
• I spent the majority of my "career years" as a pastor of worship for modern evangelical churches.
• I have willingly left that line of work, nearly 2 years ago.
• I have never started or maintained my own business.
• I have spent most of my life in Southern California, but am now a grateful "transplant" to Northwestern Montana.

OK, on with the program.  So as to refrain from the appearance of judgmentalism, I will address this letter to my 18-year-old self.  Some of these points, I have done.  Others, I wish I had.  Those of you who know me will know which is which.

Without further adieu...

________________

Don't even think about going into debt for a college education: Unless you're going after becoming a corporate attorney (perish the thought!) or hit the lottery, that monstrous obligation will haunt you for DECADES to come.  (Notice how I didn't say "become a doctor".  I'd sooner go through life with my hands tied behind my back and a leash around my neck.  Same thing.)  No, spend your youth EARNING a living.  Even a modest income, properly stewarded, is better than spending buckets of borrowed capital on a slip of paper (a "degree") which probably won't mean a darn thing in the world you will see unfolding.  Don't pay to learn... GET PAID to learn a business or trade.  Then, become the leader.

Learn to MAKE or BUILD things.  DO something with the energy of your youth.  Pursue a career and life-path that will allow to you to step back from your efforts and say, "Look at THAT.  I made that.  I'm responsible for that coming to be."  There is a world looming in the distance which will not be friendly to those who cannot build a dwelling, cultivate a vegetable garden, hunt and prepare one's own meat and stitch up a wound.  Spend a significant amount of time and energy learning how to survive in the wilderness.  Be willing to do things, to solve problems, which most other people will avoid.  There is tremendous value in that.

Stay in shape.  Don't let yourself become lazy or complacent in the area of physical fitness.  Stay strong.  Create a lifelong habit of physical exertion.  You never know when you're going to have to run harder, swim farther, climb higher, or carry more than you ever thought you could.  Be ready.

Buy fertile, wooded land as soon as you possibly can.  Build a modest, simple, small and smart home on it, BEFORE you marry.  If you can do this, without getting bogged down in debt (preferably debt-free), you will alleviate yourself of the "life of quiet desperation" which Thoreau warned against.

Marry a woman whose Bible is worn out from use, and who is beautifully contented with the simple life God gives her.  A woman who spends very little on the things which mean little, and who is not afraid to pay cash-on-the-barrel for things that will last for decades (Proverbs 31).  Pour all of your manly love and affection into her alone, and don't waste your character on pursuing anyone else -- not even the thought of anyone else (Matthew 5:28).  And marry young.  Start having children (lots of them) as soon as possible.  Do not ever say something diabolically foolish, like "I don't know if we can afford to have any more than 2 children."  Be fruitful.  Multiply.  Trust God that He is better at providing for you and your family's needs than you will ever be.

Don't get comfortable in this life.  This world is not -- I repeat, NOT -- your home, if you have wisely and rightfully put your trust, your very life in the hands of King Jesus.  Be ready to say, "Where He leads me, I will follow.  What He feeds me, I will swallow."

Learn how to get along with all kinds of people.  Make the Golden Rule your life's theme.

_________

Well, it's getting late and I'm getting sleepy.  Perhaps there will be a Part 2 to this post.

What would you say to someone much younger than you?  Leave a comment below.

Venison Report, ongoing...

So, after marinating the meat in my "secret sauce" for about 3 days, I dehydrated it at 170 degrees in my oven (propped open about 1") overnight.  In the morning, I sampled a piece...

...and my face shriveled up like a Fresno raisin.  "Holy antlers, Batman!  That's salty stuff!"  I must have soaked it in the sauce too long, I mourned.

Later that day, I stumbled upon a sample of my friend Michael's venison jerky, and tried a piece.  Now granted, Michael is about as close to a Montana Mountain Man as I'll probably ever meet:  if it can be done in Montana, he's done it.  Twice.  And well.  As the jerky melted in my mouth, making my teeth lazy, all I could think was "Dang that guy!  He got it perfect!  How'd he do it??"

I humbly and embarassingly admitted my failure to Michael last Sunday, in hopes of getting some helpful advice.  When I got to the part about my use of a cup of salt (!) in my "special sauce", he just winced and chuckled a bit.

"What recipe did you use?", he asked.

"Something I got... off of... the... internet...", my voice trailed off, in reply.

More chuckling.  Then a sincerely kind and encouraging smile:

"You know, just a couple tablespoons of salt, or a little bit of soy sauce works much better", he said.

I questioned, "OK, but doesn't that decrease how long the jerky will 'keep'?"

"Well," he smiled (and his eyes lit up like a child's), "with my recipe, I'm not worried about how long the jerky will keep... I worry about how long I can keep the jerky!"

I thought back to how scrumptious that sample was... and how I uncontrollably finished the bag... and I saw his point.

Next time, I'm going with "handed down" preservation recipes... not Googled ones.

Have a great week!

Ric the Tanner, part 2 (NOT FOR THE SQUEEMISH!)

(Warning:  If you are a card-carrying member of PETA, please know that I did not harvest this animal.  She had already met her unfortunate demise before our acquaintance :-)


For those interested in how that bearskin is coming, here are some pictures.

(Scroll down for the slideshow)

Ric, the Tanner??

Yes, being the aspiring Mountan Man, I've been reading the definitive primer on the subject of tanning hides:



After deciding that I should, in fact, attempt to become adept at this primitive (but complex!) skill, I decided to post an ad on Craigslist, to see if anyone had any "hides" laying around in their freezer, just itching to be tanned.  Well, as it turned out, someone did!  Here's what I got back:

"Hi...  I shot a nice black bear last fall, the hide [and skull attached, I've been told] is in my freezer.  Was not quality to make a rug out of as she sat on tree limbs to eat apples and rubbed off alot of butt hair. I was shocked at the prices to get hides tanned. I don't want it to go to waste, so if you are interested in working out some sort of deal. If it turned out nice I could pay you for your time and get it back or if not we can say we tried to save it.  [He leaves his name and phone number here.]  Get ahold of me and see what we can do..."

So, I'll be picking it up on Saturday (of course I'm bringing the kids), and we'll see what becomes of it.  I'd like to look back on this day and be able to say it was the beginning of my long experience in the tanning trade.

Lunchtime Literature

It's lunchtime, and I know you've been looking for something challenging to read while you munch that leftover pizza.  Take 15 minutes to read this two-part article from Brandon Smith at http://www.alt-market.com/ and Stewart Rhodes of http://www.oathkeepers.org/.  Then, please post a comment or send me an email about how this article affected you.

"Getting Off the Globalist Chessboard"
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/96-getting-off-the-globalist-chessboard-an-introduction
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/232-getting-off-the-globalist-chess-board-safe-haven-relocation

God bless you, and let freedom ring.

Dr. Baldwin's annual "Survival List" column

Troubling times are imminent.  If you care to survive them, please read this.  Dr. Baldwin is a kind-hearted and level-headed man of God with a burden for the long-term persistence of the body of Christ in the U.S.

Chuck Baldwin Live | Fighting for Constitutional Government in America

It's time to rise up.

Hold them close, hug them tight

INSTANT SURVIVAL TIP: Hold your loved ones close

For the love of dogs

I've always been a "dog person".  Even for those long stretches when I haven't owned one (say, the last 27 years), I can still appreciate how loyal to and supportive of us humans they typically are.

But never more so than the last 10 days.  No sir.  You see, for the last week and a half, my life and the lives of my family have been significantly dependent on the stout hearts, attentive ears and watchful eyes of one shepherd-mix ("Selah") and one Great Pyrenees ("Buster").  While we sleep peacefully within the wafer-thin walls of our 12' x 16' Coleman tent in the middle of the Montana wilderness (but still thankfully within the front yard of their owners' house), Selah & Buster diligently take up the night watch.  The previous owners of our friends' house said that their dogs kept them from seeing even a single predator (and hardly even a deer) anywhere near the property for the entire 8 years they lived there.

So while thousands of little "rat-terriers" get strollered around metropolises wearing embarrassing little pink monogrammed sweaters, Selah and Buster are naked, proud and aware, earning their status as "Mountain Dogs" every single day.  So tonight -- and every night -- I'm saying a little prayer of gratitude for them...

...But I still sleep with my Glock.

;-)