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I don’t devote much mental energy to the nutritional challenges posed by SHTF (Sh!t Hits the Fan) and TEOTWAWKI (The End of the World As We Know It) scenarios; I’m too busy trying to keep the house stocked with chocolate chip waffles and Doritos. But if you think about it—and lots of people spend lots of time doing so—most Mad Max-wary OFWGs (Old Fat White Guys) reckon if worst comes to worst (WCTW) they’ll feed the fam by hunting. Maybe not . . .
When I bring up survival or preparedness to my friends, family, or co-workers, most just scoff and say things like “Well, I can keep food on my table by hunting.” Apparently, they think that they are the only ones with this idea, and that they will be in the woods alone to have their fill at nature’s table.
What they fail to understand is that others will be doing the same thing. They are right for the first few days of a disaster, when most people are not running out of food yet.
M.D. Creekmore at survivalistblog.net has a point. I’m not sure it’s particularly important, now, but it makes sense. So, what to do? First, scare me some more. I need a wake-up call. (The coffee hasn’t kicked-in yet.)
If the disaster lasts longer than a couple of weeks, all but the true survivalist will be out of food. Once their meager supplies of food are consumed or spoiled, the village will empty into the surrounding countryside. Deer, squirrels, rabbits, and other choice game will be hunted out within a few weeks. Hungry people will start turning to the less desirable table fare such as raccoons, possums, and rodents. This happened during the Great Depression in my home state of Tennessee . . .
Even if you own thousands of acres, you won’t be able to keep every poacher off your land, and you can’t protect every wild animal that passes through your land. You can more easily protect livestock, though, because it is generally kept close to the farmstead and will rely on you for care.
I know! I’ll raise livestock! Wait, don’t tell me. I’m f’ed there too . . .
Defending something in your yard is easier than defending something moving unseen through the woods a mile away. Livestock comes with its own set of issues for the survivalist, though. Most people don’t own enough land to have enough livestock to truly provide for them. In today’s modern agriculture, even large farms don’t raise all of their own animal feed. If the feed truck stopped running, would their livestock simply starve to death?
Luckily, Mr. Creekmore has a seven-point plan to cope with the feedstock conundrum and other challenges, available at the link above. It’s all common sense stuff that could save your life. That said, I’d rather buy 20,000 MRE’s, put them in the basement and spend my days plinking looters. Just sayin’ . . .