Flash back to the James Howard Kuntsler’s series “A World Made By Hand”…GroK reminded me: “Stephen Bullock is the fictional character you’re referring to. In James Howard Kunstler’s World Made by Hand, he is a wealthy landowner from an old family who manages a 2,000-acre estate along the Hudson River, operating it like a self-sufficient English manor with security and provisions for around 50 people.” When Dr. Martensen mentioned having property that supported 50 people, with 24 people doing 24-7 security rounds, it reminded me of the Jim’s Kunstler’s insightful and resourceful character of “Stephen Bullock!”
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I don’t care what direction a home invader is facing. If they’re inside my home with me and my family, it’s gonna be the same result.
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Great to see Nate here! I haven’t watched him in a while.
I’m no big survival expert, I’m just a farmwife living in the woods. The sentiment that people are just gonna go foraging struck me as sad. I’ve been through our woods plenty of times in all seasons. Very seldom is there anything out there people could get any meaningful nutrition from. Leaves and berries contain very few calories. Searching for them burns probably more calories than you could gather.
As a gardener and tender of animals and compost, there is one sure place to find protein and fat. Under the surface of the soil. Every time I dig a post hole or a planting hole or turn the earth for a garden row, i see a great many grubs and worms.
Nobody wants to eat grubs or worms. I don’t either. But i know they’ll have more calories than leaves and berries. In cajun country, we put our crawfish in a saltwater bath to purge the poop out of them. I assume you could do the same with grubs and worms.
They still wouldn’t taste good, I’d imagine. So maybe boil them, smear them into a homogenous paste so they aren’t so visually offensive, and add ketchup? Pickle them in vinegar? You’d need to boil them to kill microbial parasites, probably.
My point is, even living out here in the wild for 14 years and getting familiar with tree species, I know there’s not a lot to eat in wild woods. Better to look under your feet, if you’re in danger of starving.
But that’s why I have garden and animals, a compost pile, a little minnow pond, orchard, vineyard, chestnut trees and pecan trees. The wild is no place to be when you’re hungry. You can’t count on finding enough food. You would starve trying to subsist on leaves and berries.
Even in an urban green space, there’s likely grubs and worms under the surface of the soil. Yuck. But if you’re starving… ?
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That was a really good interview. Thank you.
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Slow is fast, fast is slow.
Competition is not real life.
Your limbic system will up your speed when you need it.
What matters is that the neural pathways are mapped and in place.
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Years ago I took a CWP course. The world’s best gun salesman was newly in office and there was a nationwide shortage of ammo. I was the Belle of the Ball with my .357 magnum rounds in a sea of .38 was cotters and .22.
What I learned from that course is that I am not ready for concealed carry even if I am legally able to do so.
I need some range time to start then some time with skilled friends who can walk me through scenarios and practice methods etc etc. A fellow prepper works and instructs at a range so I need to take advantage of that. Two girlfriends have taken extensive classes on weapons so we need to have a weekend camp and I can provide some ammo in exchange for their tutoring.
There are other areas I need to level up on also.
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Yeah, but I can’t picture Chris stringing up the road to his homestead with bodies 
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Just saw this - have not watched yet.
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Thanks for the great conversation! I’ll listen again. The discussion at the beginning stands out: how our capacity to fear is being “managed” for us, disparaged, redirected so that we are incentivized to fear inconsequential things while remaining oblivious to actual threats. Good framing. What odd creatures we humans are, so smart, capable of such depth, but also so easy to manipulate.
It was good to hear how clear and competent Nate’s thinking is. I am a sometime customer, but have not been checking out his videos lately.
Susan
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When I lived in Detroit area, I almost always open carried. Since moving, I seldom open carry, different environment. Three times, I had people approaching me had a complete change of heart and chose to walk away. Two, I’d suggest were non threats. One, I’m almost positive had nepharious intent. This article is a really good read. Took me a few minutes to find it again, had to use duckduckgo, google didn’t find it… big surprise there 
https://dailycaller.com/2015/04/22/the-pro-liberty-choice-dispelling-the-myths-of-open-carry/
Yes!! Nature will come back of you help it,
It is possible to integrate small things into your landscape that will make a space for nature.
When we bought out property it was 4.5 acres of scrapped clean clay soil. The land has had pines for wood/ paper on it. They were harvested, then the stumps were pulled piled and burned. Then the top soil was scaped and taken away to be sold.
There was a single small tree on the property. A tulip poplar. Now there are about 50/60 trees on the property and many bushes and shrubs and yet overall it’s still cleared land. Most of the trees are native volunteers and the remaining are fruit trees and two nut trees. Bushes include berry bushes and berry canes.
The birds love this place. I have water features on the property two of which are oil change pans recessed into the ground under shade of trees. Bird baths and a small depression where the AC condensation line ends. This is a favorite of deer and bunnies.
I have two small swales filled with rocks. These have to be weed wacked but serve as watering stations for amphibians and reptiles and small rodents. They are located quite some distance from the house and the brush and burn piles are near by.
We have seen an ever increasing amount of deer and turkey crossing the property since letting the trees grow at that end.
We drilled properly sized and upwardly angled holes into our fence posts as a homeschooling lesson as homes for pollinators. I don’t remember the details.
I let the weeds and blackberries grow up on an area near the swales and brush piles mowing it only once or twice a year. The deer bed down in that space in the winter. I can spy on them from my home’s deck. It’s an especially lovely scene in winter if we get a snow. I think someone used to plant a feed plot there in the past and there is still evidence of that in the vegetation that grows there today.
I don’t hunt deer as a rule, but it’s nice to know I could, right from the porch. This was done last year when a friend helped me increase the chances of success by measuring and scoping etc, they took two from the porch, cleaned and loaded them into vehichle all in less than an hour. I maintain this nature froendly area with that in mind and know where I can do so safely. Ditto the turkeys.
Perennials and food forests are a great thing and lighten the load of gardening. The trees can mine nutrients from deep in the soil and this can be put to our advantage in a well thought out food forest.
I am still learning and look forward to seeing CPs video and how it varies in his climate. Locally we are mentored by Rick Austin who has written books on the topic.
Even a small urban garden can yield lots of food. Curtis Stone was very successful as an urban gardener in Canada, and has many YT videos and books etc on the topic.
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The scenario was, he was a contractor doing a quote inside the home at the request of the homeowner. What I did different than everyone else, I drew the firearm while I was ordering him to leave my home. He got to the door, reached past the door knob to his left side where a cross draw appendix carry may have been. He never got to his firearm and I fired two shots. It was my seeing, but not able to articulate him not grabbing the door knob.
I highly highly highly recommend gunsite. Their classes go through the mental prep, general legal standing on self defense, and shooting skills. I’ve taken a few classes there, and looking to maybe do another one in the spring. It’s not cheap, but it is worth every penny. There are other high quality schools around the country too. GunTalk now has their own range, and their chief instructor was the one that help set up and develop Ohio’s training program for school employees to carry. I personally know Tom Gresham, and I trust their program is rival to GS.
Great video on the food forest garden video well worth the 15 minutes
Ive been experimenting with something similar of similar size on my plan B “not as well with not as good of success though” so I’ll be reusing some of his tips and tricks to make it better…
In Philadelphia I only open-carried in uniform. Even there I preferred the element of surprise to the visual deterrent. When we get to the Mad Max stage I’ll open-carry for the slightly faster draw, with a concealed backup. But the standard wisdom on open-carry is you MUST use a Level 2 or Level 3 retention holster and practice the skills of firearm retention from take away attempts.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIiFUC8IHp4
Etc, etc, etc.
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Watched, enjoyed! Second Canadian Prepper long form I’ve seen this week, preferring these to the overproduced, quick video cuts short format ones.
Listened to audio version of Weinstein’s book a year ago, think it’s time to revisit.
I agree on retention holster… but don’t forget people conceal carrying have their firearms taken from them also. Happened at a Detroit mall a dozen years ago or so. It’s happened elsewhere too. I much prefer the deterrence of people seeing the firearm and deciding I’m not a soft target before going any further. Like I said, I personally saw the impact 3 separate times. At our summer home, we’re in the middle of nowhere with like zero crime. I have a tendency to not carry at all… I know bad idea. In our winter home in AZ, I don’t have a good feel for the community yet.
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Good points. We all have to make potentially life altering decisions about these issues so I’m not usually dogmatic (though I do have have strong opinions about what I do and why). YMMV as they say.
I could tell you personal stories of how thugs I saw approaching me (carrying concealed) veered off because they observed something about me which caused them to decide I didn’t look safe enough for their purposes. That includes carrying yourself with confidence (don’t try to fake confidence!), firm eye contact, and so forth. Taking an obvious grip on your concealed firearm under your garment or in your pocket as the suspicious character approaches works great too, but that requires you see him coming 2 or more seconds before he strikes.
But don’t take me as an internet warrior who has never “seen action” on the street. My self defense preferences include lessons learned having been robbed at gunpoint 3 times in 31 years in Philly, and probably a dozen occasions when the robber veered off at the last second. After each incident, especially the failures in which I was successfully robbed I learned some things and altered my tactics and equipment. The first time I was successfully robbed at gunpoint was when I was temporarily unarmed because my permit to carry renewal was delayed by an incompetent detective. I wrestled the robber for his revolver but he got away clean. The second time I saw the robber coming, took a grip on my pistol in my winter coat pocket, and shot him when he didn’t take the hint. The third time I saw the first thug armed with a pipe and was ready for him, but I missed the second robber behind me armed with a pistol who got the drop on me from 7 feet away. Too far to attempt a disarm but too close to miss me if I went for my gun. They got my wallet and concealed gun but they eventually got 14 years in prison. I’m still hoping to get that gun back when it’s used in another crime and is traced back to my incident. Live and learn!
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Notice that guy in the tank top had his pistol tucked under his left armpit. Probably ready to get down in case that crew was going after his buddy in the blue hat.
The other kid wearing black in red hoody man’s crew had some kind of rifle.
