The Chip Monk Family Survival Podcast

I'll admit I love dogs.  Dogs of all shapes, sizes and colorations.  More than that, I think they are great companions in day-to-day life as well in crisis situations.  So in this episode I lay out some of the considerations for what to look for in selecting a dog to serve as a personal protection dog and how to go about optimizing the presence of canines in your survival plan. (NOTE: A significant portion of today's episode coincidentally has one of our dogs barking in the background as there was a thunderstorm going on when I recorded the episode.  I do mention it in the lead-in to the episode, but it might be distracting for some listeners so I did want to warn you.)

The humble little acorn.  Not much to it, is there?  Well, unless you consider their usefullness in a survival situation.  Which is why the Chipper takes time today to discuss how to fit them into your Survival/Preparedness plan.  Since these little guys are found just about everywhere (even in urban areas) it makes sense to consider ways to incorporate them, especially in a long-term disaster. Here are links to some acorn-based recipes (and additional information) as well: http://www.grandpappy.info/racorns.htm http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay79.html http://siouxme.com/acorn.html http://www.prodigalgardens.info/acorn%20recipes.htm (NOTE: These links were not used as sources for my podcast, so some information/terminology might be a touch different.  As always, my disclaimer is for you to seek out additional information on any topic and decide what works best for yourself.)

Have you ever thought about what it would take to start a survival group?  The logistics of getting connected with other like-minded folks?  Perhaps getting your family members on-board the "Preparedness Express"?  Well, I won't promise that it's an easy task, but I do share some thoughts about how to go about it in this episode.

What are the biggest concerns for people of the survivalist/preparedness mindset?  What are the major areas of concerns?  What are the events most likely to happen? These are the questions I ponder on today's episode, breaking into four or five categories the biggest potential crises I see on the horizon and ways to prepare for all of them in the simplest ways.  Take a listen and see if my concerns fall in line with your own, or if I suggest for your considerations something you haven't contemplated before.

The .22 long rifle is one of, if not the most valuable caliber for survival purposes.  With it you can keep yourself fed with small game, deal with pests and smaller predators, and use it as an emergency defensive weapon.  Also, with the ammunition remaining fairly cheap at this point and time it is possible to stock up on a good amount of ammo. Sure, there are limitations as with any tool, but every survivalist/prepper should at least consider adding a .22 rifle to their preparedness plan.  And in this episode I tell you some of the reasons why... :)

Today's episode is somewhat unique in the 82 episodes I've done so far for this program.  In it, I take you with me down on the beach at night, walking in the beautiful moonlight and waxing eloquent about the reasons and methods of family preparedness.  I thought it'd be kind of cool for you to be able to picture the Chipper walking along the ocean, with the vast celestial sphere of stars spinning above and conversing about survival and preparedness.  We'll see if it came off in the way I hoped.

One of the most important pieces of knowledge for anyone who hopes to survive in an unknown future is multiple ways to feed oneself.  In this episode I break down some of the major aspects of foraging for food and how to find wild culinary delights growing all around us.  Consider this a surface study of this concept, with future podcasts to delve deeper into the topic. BTW....  You'll notice I tried a different recording style, but the sound quality still isn't quite "there" yet.  In fact, it may even sound worse in this episode, although I spent an hour or two going in and manually removing breaths, etc.  I'm still working on it... :) )

The usefulness of this episode is going to depend on whether you can buy into the rather outlandish notion that a family of four could come close to getting all of their groceries for a month for the tidy sum of $100.  That may seem like an impossibility given the recent rise in food prices around the world, but I bet there are some coupon clippers out there that are able to do that fairly frequently.  For the Chipper and his family, we have been able to come quite close to $100 for our monthly food budget on occasion by following a few of the tips I outline in today's show. Now, I'm not suggesting that everyone can do that, am I?  Well, perhaps not....  However, by merely thinking about ways to trim your monthly food budget and acting on it you'll surely help your family save some money that can go towards other preps. And isn't that worth $100?  :)

(INTRO NOTE: In the prelude to this episode I talk a little about my efforts to improve the production quality and sound of the Chip Monk Family Survival Podcast.  Please bear with me a bit longer as I work to give you a more listenable experience. :)) The cowboys did it, so there must have been an advantage.  You know what I'm talking about.  The ol' "have a long arm and a handgun in the same caliber" trick.  So what are some of the advantages?  (Common ammunition, simplified logistics, etc.) And what are the tradeoffs?  (Less range out of your rifle, relative expense of the carbine platforms, etc.)  Want to know more? Well, it just so happens that I recorded a podcast about that very thing.  Join me today as I discuss some of the firearms combos available that allow you to stock only one caliber of ammunition and in some cases only one model of magazine as well (in the case of the semi-autos).  As a Survivalist/Prepper this makes quite a lot of sense and I hope you'll weigh some of the advantages and disadvantages of pistol/carbine combos after listening to this episode.

Sure, you've thought of ways to deal with most of the issues that could come up in a disaster.  You've spent a little of your hard-earned paycheck to have a means for ensuring clean water, you've stored some extra food, and you even bought a firearm or two. But have you thought of what you'll do if one of your efforts doesn't work out in the way you planned?  Have you considered other ways of doing things just in case you have a breakage at a bad time or have to leave your home and can't drag along whatever piece of equipment you based all of your plans on? In this episode I discuss the value of having multiple ways of doing the basic things necessary for survival and try to get you thinking of various things you might want to consider to make yourself and your family "just a little more prepared".

Have you taken time to think about the specific issues relating to food if you ever had to "bug out"?  It's one thing to be safely ensconced in your home with all of your supplies, but if a disaster struck that forced you out of your home what food should you prioritize taking with you to keep you and your family alive on the road?  Are there some things you haven't thought of?  This is the premise of today's episode.

Here is part two of today's special hunting episodes.  In this podcast, I actually talk about hunting while atop the mountain, describing the wondrous scenery around me while also sharing some additional insights into how to be a successful hunting in survival situations. Sadly, I didn't have any success today, but am heading back out in the morning with my little boy.  Here's hoping I'll have some good news to report to you next time. :)

Today I offer up for your consideration two episodes recorded during my foray out into the wilds to try to take out Bambi.  In part one I discuss some of the basic aspects of hunting game for survival purposes as I drive up into the mountains to my first hunting spot of the season.  I hope you'll pardon the road noise... :)

Believe it or not, there is a fantastic nutritional product that dates back to the ancient past made up of simple jerky, berries, and nuts that every modern-day survival/preparedness junkie should know about.  It's called "pemmican" and it is simply one of the best food options for a survival situation I can think of. Used as an instant high-energy boost during long journeys or times of war by our ancestors, pemmican is something you simply have to know about and is so simple to make that it should be one of those things you tuck away in your brain "for a rainy" day. In this episode I introduce you to pemmican, describe its history, and share with you how to make this wonderful and extremely useful culinary item. (NOTE: At roughly the 13 minute mark of this episode there is some static interference that comes and goes for the last seven minutes of the episode.  The episode is still listenable but does take a little more effort.  Just FYI... )

If you've listened to me for very long you know that I think almost everybody should consider having a firearm or two to fill certain roles in their Family Survival Plan.  One of the most flexible categories of firearm, in Chip's humble opinion, is a good, dependable .22LR rifle.  In this episode I extol the virtues of Ruger's semi-automatic .22LR rifle, the Model 10-22, and talk about it's attributes and applications in survival situations.  I also suggest some specific steps you might want to take to make it an even better firearm for your needs.  As you listen you'll be able to tell that I believe this rifle from Ruger offers a great deal of survival firepower at a reasonable price and you'll see why I feel that way.