Turning a city boy in to a country survivalist.

I'm guessing the first thing one should do is buy land in a rural area. What's a good place to start? A good price? Should one buy it with a home or structure on it? If there is no structure, how would surviving in a yurt with some solar panels work out? What about water and a waste system? Then it's time to start growing and buying storable food. What's next? What have I left out?

Id' start by finding land that has a big enough area for you to build a sufficient garden. Also make sure the property has it's own well, or is underneath a water tablet you can tap.

I wouln't know too much about prices, but as far as location, elevation is key.

Cheers!

Elevation is good, but not the top of a hill. If things go that bat **** crazy you don't want to stand out like that. Water is very important, if not on the property, at least within proximity. Look for a place with decent soil to grow food, and hopefully some wildlife in the area.
Another consideration for me when I was looking was access to sunshine. Many of the tracts were very overgrown and had no sunlight to use solar. Solar is great for small electric devices and chargers.

Learn to fish

It takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.
If you can fish successfully, its almost impossible to go hungry.

Even if you don't want to do it for the learning part, do it for the experience. There is NOTHING like watching the sun come up while you're pulling in your first catch of the day.


Learn to shoot

Again, minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.
If you can exercise good gun control, it'll be nearly impossible to go hungry.

I haven't been hunting YET, but can only imagine it would be just as fun, if not more, than fishing.


Talk to old people.
It seems obvious, but usually they can't shut up when engaged and you can learn a ton from those that have experience. It should go without saying you want to talk to those that have worked and produced and experienced as opposed to those that have vegged and taken and watched others do.

reply to post by slicobacon


I agree with your idea that too high isn't any good. And yes, learning to fish as well as hunt is extremely important. Luckily i live in New Brunswick and we don't have a lack of game to shoot at.

You'll also want a place that contains some sort of wooded area not far, if your planning on going somewhere it snows, wood will be very important.

I think this might be an issue exclusive to this sceptred-isle but as far as I'm aware there isn't much in the way of suitable land available for purchase anywhere.

Buying land is for the wealthy and those who don't mind leaving fingerprints.

I think my best bet is an ocean-vehicle, melting ice-caps and a covert trip to Antarctica.

[edit on 20-1-2009 by Nirgal]

Eat them beans boy! Ooh Wee, we country folk love em beans yeah, just fry em like that over the hot fire and dig in boys.

Beans are the ultimate survival foods i tells ya

If your not sure where to start, I suggest listening to the country song "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams Jr. In that song it has some good lyrics to give you a prospective on what it can take to survive out in the open when the SHTF.



Cheers!!!!

Originally posted by Amelie
I'm guessing the first thing one should do is buy land in a rural area. What's a good place to start? A good price? Should one buy it with a home or structure on it? If there is no structure, how would surviving in a yurt with some solar panels work out? What about water and a waste system? Then it's time to start growing and buying storable food. What's next? What have I left out?

No Sir, absolutely not, keep your money in the bank to begin with. First go and vist some eco or sustyainable communities, speak with and visit these people. Vist with them and possibly work with them for a while in your spare time / vacation periods.

Are you on your own or do you have a family in tow, that will decide if you need a place with a house on it.

Are they into survival, if not then to need to gemntly encourage them by taking them on "" Camping"" or ""Adventure"" trips to the area you think you may settle in.

But before any of that you need to do lots of reading and studying, Please get hold of or subscribe to a Magazine that specifically meets your needs, It is called Backwoods Home Magazine and I believe in located in the place/ state called Oregon. 99% of the info you need is in BWH and its forums.

Here is the link , its a very good magazine especially for the Americans and Canadians to benefit from

www.backwoodshome.com...

[edit on 21-1-2009 by Northern Raider]

Originally posted by Nirgal
I think this might be an issue exclusive to this sceptred-isle but as far as I'm aware there isn't much in the way of suitable land available for purchase anywhere.

Buying land is for the wealthy and those who don't mind leaving fingerprints.

I think my best bet is an ocean-vehicle, melting ice-caps and a covert trip to Antarctica.

[edit on 20-1-2009 by Nirgal]

Plenty for sale up here in rural Co Durham and Northumberland, and even in the Eden valley in Cumbria, must be the recession buggering up land values.

Find some partially wooded land that you can live off of and farm. Unless you get way off the beaten path, you'll still be vulnerable if the SHTF. But, if you have enough land somewhere, you can buy a used tanker, like they haul milk and other liquid food around in. Dig a big hole away from your primary residence, and bury it. Install ventilation. Hide the entrance. Fill it with your emergency provisions. This will be your safe place. Without a safe place, you'll always be vulnerable no matter where you go (unless of course you get way off the beaten path where nobody would bother to wander). If everything goes to hell, there will be people roaming all over the place from time to time looking for something or someone to eat. You must have a safe place away from your regular place where nobody would think to wander and look. If you have the bucks, you could get real elaborate and set up surveillance cameras, sensors, etc. Be careful to not leave a foot path from your main residence to your secret place.

If youre free to move there are a few towns out West that will give you land if you promise to build on it (no double-wides) and live on it for a certain period of time.

Iowa and Nebraska come to mind.

The trouble is that they give you fairly small lots of 2 acres or less and if the town is actively seeking growth like this chances are it wont be small and rural for very long and you'll eventually find yourself stuck in the middle of an urban cesspool that sprung up around you.

Just noticed your sig " Country Boy" named Amelie ???

[edit on 21-1-2009 by Northern Raider]

Originally posted by Northern Raider

Originally posted by Nirgal there isn't much in the way of suitable land available for purchase anywhere [in U.K.].

[edit on 20-1-2009 by Nirgal]

Plenty for sale up here in rural Co Durham and Northumberland, and even in the Eden valley in Cumbria, must be the recession buggering up land values.

I thought Durham was second only to London for it's commercial growth? I would imagine there are some great places in Northumberland but there are also a lot of Geordies, Mackems and Monkey Hangers and most of them are bigger than me.

I thought Durham was second only to London for it's commercial growth? I would imagine there are some great places in Northumberland but there are also a lot of Geordies, Mackems and Monkey Hangers and most of them are bigger than me.

Naa loads of space, loads of properties, If you look at a map you will see that all the places you refer to such as Newcastle, Sunderland, Hartlepool, and add to them Middlesbrough (smogmonsters) and most larger burgs up as far as Berwick (failed Jocks) are all coastal towns and cities. In most cases get ten miles inland from the coast and the place get steadily emptier all the way to the top of the pennines. Many survivalists who cant afford the over crowded minerally depleted south west and dont want to slum it in mid wales are heading this way. Cheapest housing, cheapest food, some of the best schools, fabulous environment ( out of the coastal towns). the population of the NE is actually falling as people moved to the horrible south east looking for jobs.

reply to post by Northern Raider


Yer dead right on Northumberland there...almost nicer than Yorkshire, plenty of open spaces and quiet villiages.

I can only hope the recession gets worse and more privately held plots of land become available at sensible prices

Originally posted by citizen smith
reply to post by Northern Raider

 

Yer dead right on Northumberland there...almost nicer than Yorkshire, plenty of open spaces and quiet villiages.

I can only hope the recession gets worse and more privately held plots of land become available at sensible prices

A lass I know who makes home made soap for a living managed to buy a 7 bed timber house plus 7 acres up near Hexham for a bloody silly price.
Some places around here you can buy bran new 3 story town houses or 120 K. theres land a plenty and we are up to our necks in mineral wealth, coal, iron, woodland, game animals, gravity fed clear northumbrian water.
The only thing the SW has over the NE is its slightly warmer, everything else we win hands down.

All great ideas...or at least most.

But you are all missing out on the TRUE way to get a city-boy ready for the wild...

Just have him watch Deliverance!!




Good times..!

reply to post by Northern Raider


That reminds me, would you know if they've removed the extra "e" from the signpost over the River Browney outside Durham?

Always gave me a chuckle.

Originally posted by Nirgal
reply to post by Northern Raider

 

That reminds me, would you know if they've removed the extra "e" from the signpost over the River Browney outside Durham?

Always gave me a chuckle.

Dunno to be honest.