Survivalist. Don't forget protection from the wild.

One of my survival goals was to raise chikens. I accomplished that goal and built what I thought was a decent chicken jail.
The run is surrounded by 1" chicken wire that is set into the dirt 1ft deep and 1 1/2 wide to prevent tunneling. Coop is 1/2 " osb walls Windows and openings covered in the chicken wire.

I'll be damned if a coyote didnt try to get in. How? He ate his way through the plywood at the corner of the building. Fortunately he ran into a 4x4 post. He even tore at that for a while.
Then the bxxxstard bit chunks off of my aloe vera plant. I assume cause his mouth hurt.

I found a unexpected use for my 357. Last week my 22 took care of a sidewinder coiled next to the back porch. 5y/o 4' long.

Beware of the wild .

Those critters are certainly a threat.

Another threat to watch for is top tier predators. Our forefathers thought they had solved this problem by eliminating wolves , big cats and the like. Now, we have utter morons trying to re-wild America by reintroducing these top level predators. Watch as attacks on livestock and people increase.

I think we would all be served by feeding these "naturalist" extremists to their buddies:

i.ehow.com...

reply to post by praxis



Morons? the morons are the forefathers who killed everything off and hence we have no more big cats and wolves left IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

You're not the only species on earth, other beings have a right to exist too. If you can't live with nature, then go die in the city like a rat, but don't go kill off everything else co you can live in an empty forest.

Murderers. I'm all for hunting, take what you need and use what you take, but extermination of a species is beneficial in your eyes? Get off my planet, you're the moron, not me. Smack yourself for supporting genoicide, you sick individual. You're what's wrong with this planet, get off!

reply to post by praxis

Another threat to watch for is top tier predators. Our forefathers thought they had solved this problem by eliminating wolves , big cats and the like. Now, we have utter morons trying to re-wild America by reintroducing these top level predators. Watch as attacks on livestock and people increase.

Yes an as soon as the government realized wildlife attacks on humans were increasing they quit keeping records. Take a look at big cat attacks. they have really increased and those cats are now all up and down the east coast...... Hope they head for DC

reply to post by praxis


I have to agree, they went way to far in bringing back the wolves, here in our neck of the woods in montana, we had some, but not like we do now.. since they decided to up the numbers in yellowstone, now they have over populated and elk and deer are nothing like they were a few years ago. Wolves have moved in and multiplied, know of a few dens and packs in the area.
Some may be in favor of them, but i'm not a big fan.

With diamond backs, and Mt. lions where i am headed to when tshtf that is going to be an issue. The Mt. lions I can handle, its the diamond backs that scare me. To many close calls in my past.

Originally posted by DezertSkies
reply to post by praxis

 

Morons? the morons are the forefathers who killed everything off and hence we have no more big cats and wolves left IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

You're not the only species on earth, other beings have a right to exist too. If you can't live with nature, then go die in the city like a rat, but don't go kill off everything else co you can live in an empty forest.

Murderers. I'm all for hunting, take what you need and use what you take, but extermination of a species is beneficial in your eyes? Get off my planet, you're the moron, not me. Smack yourself for supporting genoicide, you sick individual. You're what's wrong with this planet, get off!

You sound like someone that praxis would feed to your buddies

Originally posted by Estharik

Originally posted by DezertSkies
reply to post by praxis

 

Morons? the morons are ...........

You sound like someone that praxis would feed to your buddies

Sorry, maybe i'm biased because i've spent a lot of time doing animal rescue, rehabilitation, and reintroduction, as well as being the caretaker for over 500 animals that humans have caused to be orphaned and caged. Lions, tiger, cougars, leopards, bears, primates, crocodiles, amphibians, and reptiles, birds, wolves, and critters you never even knew existed.

Sorry, but humans are the problem, and if human animal encounters become a problem because humans encroached on the animals' territory in an invasive destructive manner, then the humans need to back off or get eaten.

Sorry, but humans are the problem, and if human animal encounters become a problem because humans encroached on the animals' territory in an invasive destructive manner, then the humans need to back off or get eaten.

Oh then you aprove of my neighbor's young daughter getting her face ripped off. She was only 6 years old.

reply to post by DezertSkies


You're off topic. Survival means to kill before being killed. If that means making an orphan of a Bobcat or Diamondback ..so be it! If you don't like it eat some GM food and change species.
Really, you cant see the difference between sport and survival?

Actually where I live we have a big problem with wild dogs. These are the kind that used to be domesticated and have gone ferral and bread with wild animals. Very vicious, they attack full grown men if they outnumber them 10 to 1 or more. Children have been killed by them. Mostly they are in the river valley, if you are up on the cliffs they don't come up here.

Anyways the local police get locals together every 4 years or so to cull the packs of them. Problem is certain groups protested it and now they do it at night and no one talks much about it anymore.

Originally posted by crimvelvet

Sorry, but humans are the problem, and if human animal encounters become a problem because humans encroached on the animals' territory in an invasive destructive manner, then the humans need to back off or get eaten.

Oh then you aprove of my neighbor's young daughter getting her face ripped off. She was only 6 years old.

How ca i approve of it, i never knew it even happened. But, let me say this, without even knowing about the incident. If the presence of your community has displaced the creature that caused the harm, then yes, i feel sympathy for the child on a human level, but i don't feel bad that a cornered animal attacked, that's what happens. I'm not saying she cornered the animal, but your "civilization" has and i'm not surprised or outraged. That's nature and you choose to accept it.

I'm not saying i want to feed kids to lions for fun, i'm saying that if i move into ANOTHER ANIMAL'S NATURAL HABITAT and block or destroy it, do you think i should be surprised if that animal reacts in some way to my presence?

Like in Phoenix, people are killing coyotes because they built their house in the desert where coyotes live, or did live until they were kicked out by some idiot in an overpriced stucco and plaster prison with a pretty view. Now the people who moved to the desert for it's "beauty" found out that coyotes are part of the desert, and aren't going to go move to Acapulco or south Mars or wherever the hell these ignorant people think the animals that lived on the land they now occupy will go. They're not going anywhere just because you decide you want to be where they are.

Now we've got people killing animals off that have just as much right, to exist because they're an inconvenience.

I'm not saying if an animal attacks you go passive and get eaten, defend yourself, but why would anyone shoot an animal like a rattlesnake that was just sitting there coiled? Was it attacking you? Then get a big stick and move it out of the immediate area instead of a death sentence for daring to exist in your presence. That's what i mean by senseless killing. I hope you skinned it and ate it at least, and didn't just toss it in the bush like trash.

If a mountian lion ATTACKS me and i have a weapon i'll use it. If i need food i'll hunt a deer for sustenance, but just or kill something because it came to your fence or crossed your path is wrong. It's also wrong to destroy other animals' habitats in the name of a pretty view of the countryside. If you live in nature then live in BALANCE with it, not rule over it with your concept of supremacy and your murder weapons.


And exile, the feral dogs are what i'm talking about, that's not nature, that's man's doing. Most breeds of dog are genetically "engineered" by man anyway over a long time of selective breeding, and aren't wild animals, but man's creation run amok. They're another way man has displaced nature, through manipulation of biological organisms and the subsequent discarding of them.

And yes, this has everything to do with this thread, because people need to realize that if you move to the mountains, desert, plains, prairies, valleys, or wherever and set up your homestead, there's going to be things like cougars and wolves and coyotes and bears and snakes. They were there long before you were even conceived, never mind before you got conceived of the idea of invading predators' habitats. Stick your finger in a light socket, guess what happens?


[edit on 8/23/2009 by DezertSkies]

Wild animals are every where in every habitat. What do you suppose we do wipe out the human race? Even the presence of one human is going to encroach on some animals territory. If I was my grandmother I would be giving you some long spiel on how animal rights activists are putting the lives of animals before millions of woman and children who are being enslaved and tortured , what about their rights? I'm gonna stop now. Mainly because I don't have the exact statistics to back up my argument and because we are getting way off topic.

I'm thinking some long pointy spears made out of 6 inch diameter logs and keep it handy. As far as snakes go, they say to shuffle your feet, and I here rattle snake meat tastes like chicken. Speaking of chicken, I really wish there was a way I could bug out with a few and not have to worry about them being killed.

reply to post by DezertSkies

but i don't feel bad that a cornered animal attacked, that's what happens. I'm not saying she cornered the animal, but your "civilization" has and i'm not surprised or outraged. That's nature and you choose to accept it.

The child was in her own backyard playing 50 miles from Boston MA not out in some "wilderness"

Animals will be animals.

First off, if you want to keep snakes out of your chickenhouse, build a fence around it and put a few goats in. Snakes won't be around there any more. That won't stop the larger predators like the coyotes, but an electric fence works wonders for them. Just place it where your chickens won't get to it. I plan on using a two-layer fence for that purpose: a layer of chicken wire on the inside, and a regular livestock fence just outside of that, with an electric wire on the outer fence. We already have an old abandoned goat pen that I want to put back into use around the chickenhouse.

Now a word on survival technique. Nature is not compassionate. If you think you are a prey animal, you are a prey animal. If you think you are the top predator, be prepared to prove it, but you are the top predator. It's that simple. I see a rattler, it's time to eat. I tried fried rattler once and love it. So now I no longer see rattlers. They know I'm not their prey; they are mine.

Around here we have plenty of wildlife: rabbits, squirrels, deer, bobcats, foxes, coons, coyotes, snakes, moles, rats, a few alligators, and the occasional cougar or black bear. Not too far away are some wild boar. And of course there are the wild dogs and feral cats that always seem to find a way to exist. My philosophy is simple: nothing that doesn't bother me gets killed unless I am hungry. It has worked for generations.

Animals can sense emotion. They know what you are feeling and how likely you are to try and hurt them. They respond accordingly. If I am walking through the mountain and come across a bobcat, I consider it as something cute that is fun to watch for a few minutes; nothing more. It is not a danger to me. Sure, they have claws and are pretty strong for their size. But I am bigger and I have the intelligence to use a stick to shish-ke-bob their butts should they get stupid. That makes me their biggest worry, not them mine.

Should I come across a black bear, I will give him space. I will also expect him to give me space. As long as that happens, we will get along fine. The same with a cougar, although I won't take my eyes off him. I expect he will be the same with me.

If something threatens me, I kill it. Period. There is no remorse, no thinking about the ecology or what role this creature plays in it. There is only the fact that this silly thing thinks it can challenge me. I must either give up my role at the top of the food chain or kill it. I have no intention of giving up my place.

Right now a lot of readers are thinking I am totally nuts and will be a meal for one of those cougars in the near future. Possibly, but I doubt it. It's not about being arrogant; it's about being a part of nature, not an intruder into it. This is how animals socialize; the stronger survives, and the more powerful gets a free pass. Could a black bear rip my arms off and use them for a eating utensil to finish me off? Sure. I know this. But will they? Nope, not unless I invite them to by being afraid.

If you want to survive in the wild, this is the attitude you must take. Anything less will make you a target for some predator.

Now, as to the genocide of species argument: too often people forget that we are a part of nature, not some outside force interfering with it. As such, it is perfectly acceptable to take what we need from nature. Should a pack of wolves begin terrorizing my goats or other livestock, then they are endangering my food supply and I must respond. That means I kill the wolves. If I am walking around and see a wolf cross my path and it tries to avoid me, then it is no threat. I leave it be. It is not my place to make sure the wolves survive; it is not my place to make sure they don't. It is only my place to make sure I survive.

If that sounds cruel to someone, I challenge you to live for two weeks in any wilderness area, with only whatever you can carry for supplies on your back in a single trip. When you can do that, I will listen to your advice; until you can, don't lecture me. I live here already. Go back to your suburb.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by DezertSkies


Sorry, but humans are the problem, and if human animal encounters become a problem because humans encroached on the animals' territory in an invasive destructive manner, then the humans need to back off or get eaten.

people like you scare me. it is us humans that have a right to exist, and animals only exist if we choose to let them. they have a far lower level of consciousness, and are not spiritually aware. you are probably in support of mass depopulation so that the catterpillars can roam around in freedom.

[edit on 23-8-2009 by Spiritfilled]

Redneck, right on, the way it should be.

Originally posted by Spiritfilled

Originally posted by DezertSkies


Sorry, but humans are the problem, and if human animal encounters become a problem because humans encroached on the animals' territory in an invasive destructive manner, then the humans need to back off or get eaten.

people like you scare me. it is us humans that have a right to exist, and animals only exist if we choose to let them. they have a far lower level of consciousness, and are not spiritually aware. you are probably in support of mass depopulation so that the catterpillars can roam around in freedom.

[edit on 23-8-2009 by Spiritfilled]

Okay, maybe my dumb little brain can't comprehend what makes me superior in race to say, a crocodile. If anything the crocodile is superior in the fact that it's survived with it's way of life for the past 225 million years. And we came along what, in the last couple million and only became significant in population in the past few thousand?

You showed up like yesterday kid, and you want to dictate how 200 million years of what has already been is going to change on your silly whim?

And how do you KNOW you're the only sentient race? Because you've got football and fast cars and automatic weapons? I see little sentience and self awareness among the human race. Animals are aware of their surroundings, humans are completely oblivious until something chews on your head.

This is what my point is you're not superior, that's your inflated ego talking. This whole planet is like a speck in a sea of incomprehensible scale and somehow because a bipedal ape species figured out self awareness all of a sudden we're god's divine children above all other life? Yeah, make way for the divine humans with such high awareness and consciousness, that kills anything in it's path. All we do as a species is kill things, including each other on a mass scale. How many people does it take to bomb a nation into the stone age? How many does it take to get along well enough to not mass murder each other? We're self aware and conscious? We're a virus.

It must be awfully hard to sleep at night think of your self as a virus.
I wonder how many animals think "OH that's another species habitat, even though they are my food source, I'll just leave them alone and go munch on some grass." If we are not superior to animals, then we should be expected to behave like one, and live by the motto of the animal kingdom, kill or be killed.
To be superior to animals would be to .find a way to live with out affecting them, wouldn't you say?
So which is it? You have me very confused now on what you believe.

All we do as a species is kill things,

So do snakes and bears and crocodiles ect. I guess I just imagined all the trying to cure diseases, feeding the homeless, and all the other good things we do. Just recently on the news 2 brothers climbed into a fire engulfed vehicle while being caught on fire themselves trying to save a 4 yr old boy trapped inside the car. I don't know how many viruses would do that.
Somebody remind me to breath and not let this posters negative attitude get to me. Hey mods, I could use a warning here for getting sucked into conflict and getting way off topic.

edited to add quote.

[edit on 24-8-2009 by calstorm]

how's raising chicken's gaining protection from the wild?
wrong title maybe?

I know for cats and dogs here in the UK obviously guns are a no-no , but lemon juice squirted around the area normally keeps them away, failing that a 'sonic' horn will scare the little bleeders away as well. After a few times, they get the hint that its not really worth their time bothering you.
Of course you could just shoot them in the US and they'll never bother you again.

I'm also sure you can get some sort of 'sprinkle' powder that you can place in the dirt around the area you want to protect ( like your chicken hut) that smells really bad to them. if not try growing a thick thorny vine around the chicken mansion?.