Thursday, March 28, 2013

How to Make Pemmican

 
 


H/T to www.tacticalintelligence.net for this instructional post for the making of Pemmican.

http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-pemmican.htm

Need some food that's light weight and nutritious for that long trip into the bush?  Why not Pemmican?

"Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. The word comes from the Cree word pimîhkân, which itself is derived from the word pimî, "fat, grease".[1] It was invented by the native peoples of North America.[2][3] It was widely adopted as a high-energy food by Europeans involved in the fur trade and later by Arctic and Antarctic explorers, such as Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen. "

"Traditionally, pemmican was prepared from the lean meat of large game such as buffalo, elk or deer. The meat was cut in thin slices and dried over a slow fire, or in the hot sun until it was hard and brittle. About five pounds of meat are required to make one pound of dried meat suitable for pemmican. Then it was pounded into very small pieces, almost powder-like in consistency, using stones. The pounded meat was mixed with melted fat in an approximate 1:1 ratio.[5] In some cases, dried fruits such as saskatoon berries, cranberries, blueberries, or choke cherries were pounded into powder and then added to the meat/fat mixture. The resulting mixture was then packed into rawhide pouches for storage.
A bag of buffalo pemmican weighing about 90 pounds was called a Taureau by the Métis of Red River.[6] It generally took the meat of one buffalo to fill a Taureau."


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Winter Survival Tips




 
One of the good things about being with Great Lake Survival is that the friends and family of this company actually get out in the wilderness to practice their survival skills on a regular basis.  It would be easy to sit behind the computer screen all the time.  Although it takes discipline to continually get out and practice what you know . . . it helps us keep grounded.  Not to mention staying out in the bush keeps giving us things to write about :)
 
Winter Survival Tips
(some of these tips we've had funny stories with, some of them more serious stories)
 
1.  Listen to your teammates:  When 3 guys on a 4 man team are telling you important task "X" would be better done by doing A instead of B (and if you screw up on B it costs your whole team a lot of work), it would pay to listen to the team.  After all, if you willingly go far enough into the bush to need a chopper out if someone gets hurt, you better trust the people you're with enough to listen to them.
 
2.  Sizing up the situation? Ever heard a coach say, "you will play in the game, the way you practice on the field". Constantly goofing off, or wasting energy, because it's just training . . . well that's not smart. Every time we go into winter survival training - it IS a survival situation. Weather can change an easy going training session into a butt-kicker in no time, let alone adding an injured team member into the mix.
 
3.  Have purpose in the morning:  During winter training, in the morning getting out of the bag and lean to is a dangerous time.  Usually everything is still bitterly cold, one's internal furnace is starving for food so that it can produce warmth.  The hands and feet will freeze up a lot quicker than usual.  There's a short period of time once the frozen boots are on to get a fire going, get hot liquids going or get moving if you need to bug out.  It's a mistake to get out of the sack without a purpose and sense of urgency.  It usually is a mistake only made once though.  Hypothermia is a B! 
 
4.  Sno-seal leather boots:  It's inexpensive, it works, it keeps your leather flexible and dry.  When the temp dumps really low, wet boots freeze up, so that the next morning it's like trying to get on a glass vase over the feet.  Sno-seal will keep leather pack boots from getting saturated with wet snow, keeping them flexible.
 
5.  Void the bladder before bed:  Some of the best advice we've ever heard.  Getting out of the bag in the middle of the night wastes energy.  Urinals make the risk of getting urine in the bag . . .
 
6.  Get some Wiggy's gear:  Wiggy's brand outdoor gear is pretty darn good stuff.  Boots, Sleeping bags, Gloves, Coats, Ground pads and Sweaters.  Wiggy's gear is insulated with Lamilite, which insulates even when wet, better than anything on the planet.  It wicks water like no other.  Seriously it's awesome stuff.  If you have to be in the bitterly cold, do it with Wiggy's by your side.  Trust us, we've tested the snot out of their products. 
 
Hopefully your winter survival training gives you some nuggets of wisdom to share.  If you get out to test your skills, God bless ya.
 
 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Affordable Ballistic Protection - Protecting the Protector

For that protector in your family, that may find themselves in harms way during "a bump in the night" . . . finally, all around ballistic protection at an affordable rate has arrived.

First of all, "Bullet-proof vests" are not exactly bullet proof.  There are many styles and ranges of ballistic protection out there.  Some are rated for handgun rounds only, ranging all the way up to 30.06 armor piercing round protection.  Some are rated for protection for multiple rifle round hits.  The higher rated the protection of the plate or vest, the heavier the armor will be to carry.

There are vests that have "soft armor" (which protect against handgun rounds).  Then there are vests that have compartments to carry hard armor plates that Velcro into place.

Here is a decent explanation of body armor levels:
http://njlawman.com/Feature%20Pieces/Body%20Armor.htm

Simply put, it has been stated that you should use the level of body armor that would stop a round that your would carry in your defense weapon.

For those that protect their home with an AR-15 or a shotgun with slugs . . . you're looking at investing in at least Level III armor plates and a carrier to attach them to.

Is it practical to don an entire interceptor vest (if you could legally procure one) with armor plates for that bump in the night?  Probably not.  It wouldn't be easy to put in less than a second or two.

There is a more common sense solution though.  Voodoo Tactical makes a "High Mobility ICE Plate Carrier" that can be purchased and shipped free from ebay for around $50 depending on the color you choose.


With side release buckles, your family protector can slip into ballistic protection for his or her vital organs with little effort.  Throw a couple magazine pouches on the front and you're good to go for defending your little plot of land from would be thieves, hooligans and wrong-doers.

This vest is not complete without the ballistic armor plates that fit in the front and back secured by Velcro:  Both the front and back compartments each take a 10"x12" plate.  With this type of vest, you would probably put either a Level III or Level IV plate in the front and back.  You're looking at about 15 to 18 lbs depending on the level of protection your choose.

For instance, we came across a vendor on ebay that sells to law abiding citizens (who are NOT felons - as it is illegal for felons to possess body armor), under the name: Vacextar
http://myworld.ebay.com/vacextar?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

For $125 you can buy a front and back armor plate that will stop multiple rifle rounds and handgun rounds.  That includes M855 5.56MM rounds, 7.62x51MM Ball rounds and 7.62x39MM rounds.

Here is the current auction:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/AR500-Body-Armor-CURVED-Plates-Pair-Comfort-Cut-Level-III-10x12-Painted/281038745660?ssPageName=WDVW&rd=1&ih=018&category=102537&cmd=ViewItem


 
 
So basically for about $175 you can have a very strong ballistic protective vest for home / self defense.  When that bump in the night happens, you might consider grabbing that "easy to put on" plate carrier that you bought shortly after reading this, that protects your upper thoracic cavity and stacks the odds in your favor. 
 
It's something to think about anyway . . . thanks for reading.



Friday, January 18, 2013

The 2nd Amendment . . .



 


. . . has nothing to do with hunting or gun collecting, and everything to do with the final check and balance placed on our government in regard to the contract (U.S. Constitution) between the citizens of the USA and its officials.

What part of "shall not be infringed" is not understood?

When we started this blog, it was done so with the three pronged approach:  Individual Survival, Family Survival and Survival of our Liberties as Americans.

As of late most of the posts on this blog have been in regard to the topic of American Liberties and their survival.  It's not that we don't want to focus on outdoor survival or SHTF skills, etc, etc, etc.  However, it is now more crucial than ever, that Americans who like exercising liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights, stand up and be heard.  Because of that, this blog is currently dedicating much of its focus to Liberty related topics.

Please continue to contact your representatives, and let them know that you expect them to reject any new restrictions on your unalienable rights to keep and bear arms, and that you and everyone you know will remember before voting, how their representatives handled the gun ban situation.



If you reside in Michigan, you might be encouraged to see that the following state senators PAVLOV, JONES, GREEN, CASPERSON, MEEKHOF, PROOS, JANSEN, BRANDENBURG, HILDENBRAND, NOFS, COLBECK, and EMMONS introduced the following Michigan Firearms Freedom act bill.

If you live in a state that hasn't made efforts toward such legislation, again, contact your representative and ask them why they haven't stepped up to the plate.




Michigan
SENATE BILL No. 63
January 16, 2013, Introduced by Senators PAVLOV, JONES, GREEN, CASPERSON, MEEKHOF,
PROOS, JANSEN, BRANDENBURG, HILDENBRAND, NOFS, COLBECK, EMMONS and
MARLEAU and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
A bill to create the Michigan firearms freedom act; to make
certain findings regarding intrastate commerce; to prohibit federal
regulation of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition
involved purely in intrastate commerce in this state; to provide
for certain exceptions to federal regulation; and to establish
certain manufacturing requirements.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1. This act shall 1 be known and may be cited as the
2 "Michigan firearms freedom act".
3 Sec. 2. The legislature finds all of the following:
4 (a) Amendment X of the constitution of the United States
5 guarantees to the states and their people all powers not granted to
6 the federal government elsewhere in the constitution and reserves
7 to the state and people of Michigan certain powers as they were
2
00997'13 KHS
understood at the time that Michigan was 1 admitted to statehood on
2 January 26, 1837. The guaranty of those powers is a matter of
3 contract between the state and people of Michigan and the United
4 States as of the time that the compact with the United States was
5 agreed upon and adopted by Michigan and the United States.
6 (b) Amendment IX of the constitution of the United States
7 guarantees to the people rights not granted in the constitution and
8 reserves to the people of Michigan certain rights, as they were
9 understood at the time that Michigan was admitted to statehood. The
10 guaranty of those rights is a matter of contract between the state
11 and people of Michigan and the United States as of the time that
12 the compact with the United States was agreed upon and adopted by
13 Michigan and the United States.
14 (c) The regulation of intrastate commerce is vested in the
15 states under amendments IX and X of the constitution of the United
16 States, particularly if not expressly preempted by federal law.
17 Congress has not expressly preempted state regulation of intrastate
18 commerce pertaining to the manufacture on an intrastate basis of
19 firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition.
20 (d) Amendment II of the constitution of the United States
21 reserves to the people the right to keep and bear arms as that
22 right was understood at the time that Michigan was admitted to
23 statehood, and the guaranty of the right is a matter of contract
24 between the state and people of Michigan and the United States as
25 of the time that the compact with the United States was agreed upon
26 and adopted by Michigan and the United States.
27 (e) Section 6 of article I of the state constitution of 1963
3
00997'13 KHS
clearly secures to Michigan citizens, 1 and prohibits government
2 interference with, the right of individual Michigan citizens to
3 keep and bear arms. This constitutional protection is unchanged
4 from the original Michigan constitution, which was approved by
5 congress and the people of Michigan, and the right exists, as it
6 was understood at the time that the compact with the United States
7 was agreed upon and adopted by Michigan and the United States.
8 Sec. 3. A personal firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition
9 that is manufactured commercially or privately in Michigan and that
10 remains within the borders of Michigan is not subject to federal
11 law or federal regulation, including registration, under the
12 authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce. It is
13 declared by the legislature that those items have not traveled in
14 interstate commerce. This section applies to a firearm, a firearm
15 accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured in Michigan from
16 basic materials and that can be manufactured without the inclusion
17 of any significant parts imported from another state. Generic and
18 insignificant parts that have other manufacturing or consumer
19 product applications are not firearms, firearms accessories, or
20 ammunition, and their importation into Michigan and incorporation
21 into a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition manufactured in
22 Michigan does not subject the firearm, firearm accessory, or
23 ammunition to federal regulation. It is declared by the legislature
24 that basic materials, such as unmachined steel and unshaped wood,
25 are not firearms, firearms accessories, or ammunition and are not
26 subject to congressional authority to regulate firearms, firearms
27 accessories, and ammunition under interstate commerce as if they
4
00997'13 KHS
were actually firearms, firearms 1 accessories, or ammunition. The
2 authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce in basic
3 materials does not include authority to regulate firearms, firearms
4 accessories, and ammunition made in Michigan from those materials.
5 Firearms accessories that are imported into Michigan from another
6 state and that are subject to federal regulation as being in
7 interstate commerce do not subject a firearm to federal regulation
8 under interstate commerce because they are attached to or used in
9 conjunction with a firearm in Michigan.
10 Sec. 4. Section 3 does not apply to any of the following:
11 (a) A firearm that cannot be carried and used by 1 person.
12 (b) A firearm that has a bore diameter greater than 1-1/2
13 inches and that uses smokeless powder, not black powder, as a
14 propellant.
15 (c) Ammunition with a projectile that explodes using an
16 explosion of chemical energy after the projectile leaves the
17 firearm.
18 (d) A firearm that discharges 2 or more projectiles with 1
19 activation of the trigger or other firing device.
20 Sec. 5. A firearm manufactured or sold in Michigan under this
21 act shall have the words "Made in Michigan" clearly stamped on a
22 central metallic part, such as the receiver or frame.
23 Sec. 6. This act applies to firearms, firearms accessories,
24 and ammunition that are manufactured and retained in Michigan on or
25 after October 1, 2013.
26 Sec. 7. As used in this act:
27 (a) "Borders of Michigan" means the boundaries of Michigan
5
00997'13 Final Page KHS
established 1 for purposes of statehood.
2 (b) "Firearms accessories" means items that are used in
3 conjunction with or mounted upon a firearm but are not essential to
4 the basic function of a firearm, including, but not limited to,
5 telescopic or laser sights, magazines, flash or sound suppressors,
6 folding or aftermarket stocks and grips, speedloaders, ammunition
7 carriers, and lights for target illumination.
8 (c) "Generic and insignificant parts" includes, but is not
9 limited to, springs, screws, nuts, and pins.
10 (d) "Manufactured" means that a firearm, a firearm accessory,
11 or ammunition has been created from basic materials for functional
12 usefulness, including, but not limited to, forging, casting,
13 machining, or other processes for working materials.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A powerful letter from a Marine

Found over at Western Rifle Shooter's Blog.
 
http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/all-that-needs-to-be-said-2/

All That Needs To Be Said

1st Marine Division welcomes new commanding general

Senator Dianne Feinstein,

I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the government’s right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime. You ma’am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one.

I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.

I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man.

I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public.

We, the people, deserve better than you.

Respectfully Submitted,
Joshua Boston
Cpl, United States Marine Corps
2004-2012

Background (h/t Maggie’s)
Semper fidelis.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

So let me get this straight

 
So let me get this straight . . .
 


I am to relinquish my unalienable rights to self defense supposedly for the greater good of the United States, because of the recommendation of an administration that doesn't know the first rule of gun safety is to treat every gun as though it is loaded (because they don't have to know firearm safety and protect themselves, they have paid ARMED guards unlike the rest of us common folk) . 

And as the picture of Dianne Feinstein so incorrectly demonstrates above, the first rule of gun safety leads to the next rule: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO FIRE YOUR WEAPON!

(Oh, I keep forgeting, this recommendation also comes from an administration that was caught running guns to criminals) .

Sarcasm On: Hmmm yeah, I'll take Feinstein's thoughts to heart . . . . I'm sure she know the first thing about responsible gun ownership. Sarcasm Off.

Feinstein and her ilk are trying to put the final nail in the coffin of American Liberty.  As though the recent consumer sell out of ammo, mags and firearms is not response enough . . . maybe we should write our Congressmen and Senators and tell them what we think.  


Friday, December 21, 2012

Merry Christmas

 
Merry Christmas from GLSC to you and yours.
 
Holy Night - Performed by Josh Groban