12 bad strategies that will get preppers killed. And my thoughts.

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Thunder5Ranch, Mar 2, 2017.


  1. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Apologies if this has been posted before. It is a article I read a while back that really stood out in my mind. As the Author admits it is going to irk a lot of folks but in the comments she explains it is not a one size fits all glove she is pushing and geared more towards newer preppers.

    12 Bad Strategies That Will Get Preppers Killed - The Organic Prepper

    My personal plans revolve around 1,2,7,9, and 12 to varying degrees with modifications for specific situation. Much of this I was quite simply born into and raised in. Other things I made it a point to learn and master over years. Just because you have a hammer and nails does not make you a carpenter :)

    Bad Strategy #1: “I’ll just hunt and live off the land.” A Terrible strategy indeed for most people that plan on this being a dependable source and primary food. Hunting for sport and hunting to survive are two very different critters. Then even if you manage to bring down a deer, what are you going to do with 80-150 pounds of hanging carcass? Can you preserve it safely in no refrigeration world? Just eat your fill and leave the rest to rot? I hunt quite a bit and there are often days I return home with a empty bag, there days every trap on the line is empty and there are days the fish just are not going to cooperate. Living off the land is viable if you are very skilled in multiple other skills to support it. Just looking at energy invested for nutrition and energy returned I would wager the vast majority with this as a primary plan will be running in the red more often than not.

    Bad Strategy #2: “I’ll go into the woods and live there.” Again I agree a horrible idea for the novice with minimally developed skill sets. With all of the same complications as #1.

    Bad Strategy #3: “I’ll bug out on foot for 73 miles through the mountains, even though I don’t regularly exercise.” On a average day I walk between 5 and 8 miles around the farm. The thought of walking long distances do not appeal to me even a little bit now days. Even though I am in great physical shape and could if I had to. Throw in a even light 50 pound pack, a side arm, a rifle, and a pocket full of gizmos and it is even less appealing. Fill a 5 gallon bucket up with water, put the lid, slide it into your back pack and then walk a mile. Now multiply that by how many miles it is to your destination. That is not even factoring in stress and fatigue sapping at you the entire march.

    Bad Strategy #4: “I don’t need a group. I’m going to go it alone.” Most people require social interaction to remain sane. Others can do quite well without other people pestering them or only occasional contact with other people. I wonder if smart phones and social media ceased to exist how many people would crumble. LOL I picture hordes of zombies walking aimlessly staring at their black phone screens. For most forming groups and making friendships is not just a easier way of life but will help maintain the mental fortitude and balance. Even myself the hermit that has gone 3 years without seeing or speaking to another person needs a dose of humanity and social interaction now and then.

    Bad Strategy #5: “I don’t need to store food, I’ll just take everyone else’s because I’m a bad-ass.” Really bad plan, it might work for a while and then you will run across someone like me that will kill you by any means possible. For myself these asswipes with this as a plan are a large concern, as locally we have two groups that plan on doing just that. The good thing about knowing them is, you know who to kill right off the bat for future security. The danger I see is the number of people with this mindset as a prep plan are growing. I was invited to join both of the larger local groups, they both have FSA maps of every farm for 3 counties with each farm listed as Easy- Very Hard targets. A few years back they were inviting those deemed to be very hard targets to join them. The leadership of both groups were the type of people you would least expect to be vermin. Got to admit though they have solid plans. From blocking and manning every road, rr track and bike trail coming into their turf and robbing and raping any refugees that come through, and killing the weakest, while conscripting the stronger into their forced labor plans. The plan I like best is they both plan on eliminating each other when the much awaited SHTF day arrives. Let them kill each other and then my crew can eliminate what is left. I don't need to get bit by a rabid dog, to decide the rabid dog needs shot. Btw my crew is small two regulars and 6 that will be traveling here and their immediate families. I will put my money on 9 combat vet X spec F's over 50 washouts, X MPs and Desk Jockeys. We have no offensive plans beyond eliminating predators, call it our public service plan. Non of us believe we have been relieved of the duty to defend the people, even if we will not allow them into our camp. Again a really bad plan to plan on being a raider.

    Bad Strategy #6: “I have lots of weapons and tools. I’ve never used them. But I have them.” A hammer and nails does not make one a carpenter. A gun and ammo does not make one a warrior. Most folks I run across don't need a $3,000 weapon. They need a $500 weapon and $2,500 of training in how to use it. But hey they look really cool in their BDUs holding their really high end MP5 or Decked out AR, that will most likely get crammed up their back side and make them look like a human lollipop. You can have everything in the world and it is all worthless junk if you have not developed the skill sets to use all that crap.

    Bad Strategy #7: “I don’t store food. I store seeds.” Agriculture of any scale only survives and thrives in security. If you do not have the land and the community to defend and protect the garden the seeds will make........ The seeds don't mean much.

    Bad Strategy #8: “I’ll just run a generator and continue on like nothing ever happened.” Do I even need to comment on the obvious flaws with this plan :)

    Bad Strategy #9: “I’ll just use my fireplace for cooking and heating.” The Author put this out there very clearly. With a chainsaw I figure 1 day of work makes 1 week of fire wood in a average winter in my area. 3 days with a 2 man saw and axe/maul = 1 week of wood for winter with 2 people working it. And I double or even triple that to be safe. I do rely on my wood stoves year round for cooking and warmth. Can you make fire without your bic lighter or matches? Myself I can , but keep a stock of zippo lighters, flints, wicks, and a couple cases of lighter fluid............. I am lazy :) What do you think a Zippo Lighter, a strip of flints, and a 12oz can of lighter fluid will be worth in trade? Quite a lot I would imagine :) Can you preserve hot coals through a warm day to rekindle the fire for the cold night? Do you know how to regulate the stove temp for cooking? Do you know how to adjust the vents and damper for most efficient use of your wood? A wood stove while a simple tool requires a skill set to use to its maximum potential and efficiency. A fire place BTW is really attractive and not very efficient. There are exceptions to that but a wood stove is over all a far superior tool IMO.

    Bad Strategy #10: “I’m going to hunker down in the city and scavenge what I need.” I believe the Author covers my own thoughts on this pretty well.

    Bad Strategy #11: “I’ve got my supplies, and now I don’t need to think about gloom and doom.” You pretty much bet that whatever you plan for, will not be what happens. It is also impossible to make detailed plans for everything that could happen. A solid plan is one with enough flexibility to going in any direction on the fly with easy modifications to adapt it to multiple possibilities. What happens when you get to that Cache you stashed only to find someone else found and jacked all your preps? You planned for a Earthquake and society collapses from financial stress? Skills, Skills, Skills!!! I am pushing 50 and have a lot of skills that I range from proficient to Master of. That just ain't good enough. I make it a point to take up a new skill or one that I suck at and improve it and develop it every year. I suck at leather work, This year in my spare time I am working on that and planning on improving it to the point I can make useful items from my pile of tanned cow hides. On the other hand I can shoot the pecker off a squirrel at 500 yards and maintain that skill by practicing it enough to stay at that level. Same with other skills that decline without use. One does not simply prepare and then call it good enough :)

    Bad Strategy #12: We’ll set up a perimeter and shoot anyone who breaches it.

    In my way of thinking it simply has to be this way initially and until the herd of predators and sheep culls itself and the chaos subsides. 90 day?......... a year? Who knows, but it will be pockets of stability that are strong enough to hold what they have, that will be the building block of the new world we build. Putting that at risk via a open gate, come on in and take everything we have, kill us, and set up shop on our graves, really is not conducive to that long term goal of a better world. I have seen first hand how desperate people revert to little more than rabid animals and will push the knife in and twist it while looking you in the eye and smiling at you. It would simply be stupid to willingly allow that kind of risk into your camp IMO. If you are going to remain firm and stationary you simply have to have the strength and resources to hold what you have and make anyone who would try and take it from you suffer. A general rule in the world today, that will only be amplified in a TEOTWAWKI is If you have it, someone else wants it and will eventually try and take it from you. If you want to test this theory walk through Detroit wearing the most popular brand and style of sneakers.

    Final thoughts on this article and expanding a bit on it. The are so many varieties of preppers at so many different levels, with so many different life experiences there really is no one size to fit all. There are some basic guidelines that are just general common sense. Many of us have $500,000 to Millions of dollars and 4+ decades of living this, others are relatively new and just starting out. My way of doing things is just that MY WAY. It is what I know and what works for me and what I believe gives myself, my family and my friends the best odds of not only surviving but thriving should the day ever come that the world melts down into a crap storm. That is not to say your way is wrong, it just is not my way. I actually hope we never have to find out who had the better plan. Because no matter how you break it down, a post total collapse world will suck at many levels. One thing everyone should do is develop as many skills and become as proficient in them as possible. And what you are not skilled in make friends and alliances with people who are. The broader a individual or groups skill sets are the more likely that person or group will see the other side. It really is a very simple equation the Smart and Strong will survive, the foolish and weak will not.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2017
  2. chimo

    chimo the few, the proud, the jarhead monkey crowd

    I'm betting that I can discover that secret portal to a parallel universe that is full of puppies, unicorns and hawt, mute women before SHTF.
     
    jim2, john3kbs, Tempstar and 10 others like this.
  3. Mindgrinder

    Mindgrinder Karma Pirate Ninja|RIP 12-25-2017

    I wonder what unicorn tastes like...
     
  4. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    Dog is a fine meal..

    Great post T5R:)
     
  5. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    One of my steers broke a horn off once making him a unicorn! He still tasted like beef :)
     
  6. runswithdogs

    runswithdogs Monkey+++

    Taste like Sparkles...Duhhhhhh:rolleyes:
    Canned_Unicorn_Meat.
     
  7. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    I'm tagging along with @chimo !!! :) Maybe streams of whiskey too!

    @runswithdogs that is some unpleasant looking meat.... You sure that is 100% USDA Unicorn?

    @Thunder5Ranch Great post! I always have a good laugh when guys tell me 'I'm just going to go up into the mountains and live off the land.' Like thousands others aren't thinking the same and there will be any real game after a month. Excellent post!
     
    Yard Dart, UncleMorgan and Dunerunner like this.
  8. chimo

    chimo the few, the proud, the jarhead monkey crowd

    chicken, of course
     
    UncleMorgan, Airtime and Mindgrinder like this.
  9. runswithdogs

    runswithdogs Monkey+++

    Nah, Black market stuff, cant get USD to aprove it due to the chemical content of the sparkles.

    And im sure there will be plenty of game left after a month, most of it watching from the bushes in horror as all those "wanna be beargrills twits" eat each other
     
  10. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Long Pigs Eatin Long Pigs , Wild dogs, wolves, Coyotes, bears, cougars, all the escaped zoo critters eatin the long pigs as well. Sadly the bulk of humanity has been tamed and turned into herds of ungulates. Pfft why work for a meal when you can just eat the family next door :(
     
    Gray Wolf and UncleMorgan like this.
  11. chimo

    chimo the few, the proud, the jarhead monkey crowd

    don't get me started on neighbor's I'd love to eat.
     
  12. Trouble

    Trouble Monkey

    Having a plan is good, having multiple plans is great. But being able to keep going when every plan you make seems to fail is, what I think, the most important.

    Improvise, adapt and overcome.
     
    jim2, sarawolf, chimo and 7 others like this.
  13. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Gotta ask...... In the good way? or the Bad Way?
     
    Trouble likes this.
  14. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    I always have a series of plans..... Plan A. How I want it to go and flow. Plan B through Y adaptations and modifications of plan A. Plan Z Well hell lets just see where the wind lands me and hope it is a nice place :)
     
    chelloveck and Trouble like this.
  15. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    To expand on this any pics on the good ones..... check that... withdraw my ?..... just got something thrown my way. :rolleyes:
     
  16. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    No more over the line pics from me tonight :)
     
    ghrit and Yard Dart like this.
  17. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    [chicken]
     
    Tully Mars likes this.
  18. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    @Yard Dart I ain't Skeerd I will post the same pic again here to prove it! Just modified it a bit :)

    1236895_620970857924427_2091805866_n.
     
    ghrit and Tully Mars like this.
  19. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Okay.... that one is my fault....don't shoot Ghrit. :)
     
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  20. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    See I just flip someone a apple tree and ............ LOL I was going to delete it anyway :) Been in meetings on and off all day with people like the target of that post. And that attitude just rubs me the wrong way. When someone for all practical purposes couldn't catch his backside tied up in a gunny sack, starts talking down to what he perceives to be inferior beings. That BTW should be #13 as a BAD Plan in SHTF.
     
    Tully Mars and chelloveck like this.
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