Dennis1209

Glad you brought it up.   One of the minor reasons I bought this place in the country was to dove hunt in my back fields. Long story short, no doves fly around here and it's not because of the feed availability, as corn is planted everywhere?   Anywho... Last year I was reviewing WMA land around here to dove hunt and found two in Henry County fairly close to me, between Paris and Big Sandy. I ended up not going last year basically because it required and additional permit. So, this year I decided I'm going come Hades or high water and went back to TWR website to get directions to these two places again and find out how/where to get one of those TWR permits.   Those two places I seen last year were not listed and thought that odd, so I emailed TWR and asked the status of those two WMA'S.   I got a terse response from the TWR lady saying, "if they're not listed on the website..."   I assume TWR must lease some private land for these WMA areas? Now there's no state land anywhere near here in NW Tennessee to bird hunt.   That's my meager experience.

I must not be the only one who got caught unaware? I order a few dozen O2 absorbers from Emergency Essentials or some place getting ready to store some rice, beans and flour in some 5 gallon buckets. Thinking the were individually sealed and packed got them out and "surprise", had to use them all at one time. Each bucket got about 18 O2 absorbers.   Learned my lesson and now go to Wally World and get those hunter chemical hand warmers. They will do the exact same thing but you have to be careful not to let the contents of the warmer to leak into the food.   Then I really got to thinking and looking into canned food preparations... If you really want to save a lot of money, do it right the first time, and get it done super fast! Call and visit your nearest local LDS cannery.

I'd like to write 47 paragraphs on the subject but...   I would be more productive going out and cutting some grass rather than writing what I think.

I'll try to keep this simple.   There's law, case law, the SCOTUS and the U.S. Constitution. Look at the trashing the U.S. Constitution has taken because of "law" and the SCOTUS interpretations and decisions.   Who has the authority and responsibility to coin money, and who now is in charge of that and shirked their responsibility?   According to the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives holds the purse strings and nothing gets funded without their approval. Look at where we are today with the executive branch passing more laws than Congress in the form of Executive Order, CFR'S, etc.  Congress has passed their Constitutional duties to the executive branch, plain and simple.   We are no longer three equal separate branches of government with checks and balances.   Edit: Now you got me on a rant! According to the U.S. Constitution, who has the authority to declare war and fund it? It now be the President of the United States, not Congress. We lost tens of thousands of our U.S military soldiers in undeclared wars called "police actions" or whatever. Korea, Vietnam and both Gulf wars seem to come to mind.   We don't be needing to shed one drop of American blood or one U.S. dollar for a Muslim country that would just as soon destroy the Satan empire, institute Sharia law here and abroad and live under Allah. Let the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds kill each other and let their Allah sort them all out.     We're not a world police force dedicated to keeping the world peace. Our sons and daughters are too precious for that.   Our military is and was to protect American soil and keep America safe from imitate global forces out to destroy our way of life.     God bless our troops!   RANT / OFF

It's about that time of year again when I get 1,759,321 quadrillion invasive Starlings around here. When the starlings land on my property they are so loud you can't hear a shotgun blast. When you startle them and they take off, the wind is so strong it's been known to blow shingles off the roof and turn my green Dodge Ram P/U white, not to mention when I'm  outside I'll be dipped in, you know what.  There's so many during the fall around here they block daylight and contribute to global cooling.   I may be exaggerating somewhat but... Them starlings need thinned out a bunch and where I came from the were not regulated at all by the state. Seems here in TN you need a hunting license to pick fallen leaves for a scrap book. The way I read it, you need a hunting license even for invasive and unregulated species here in TN.   TWR is going to regret regulating the invasive feral hog population as a game species in a decade. Then again it's just a matter of pointing fingers at each other? I wonder what the limit, size and possession limits in TN. are for Zebra mussels and Asian flying Carp?

Sorry to go off topic but, can anyone name just "one" area in our lives the government doesn't have a hand in and your paying for it one way or another? Just "one"!   I contend there's no area they're not involved in and I'll back up my claim with a free, I say again, "free" cyber lobster and steak dinner complete with wine and all the trimmings for anyone who can come up with just "one" area they're not involved in.   disclaimer: Cyber food has been found by the FDA to reduce obesity in both adult and children and has little if any nutritional value. For further nutritional information, please visit www.cyberfoodforthought.com

Galaxy CB w/ Road King mike with a 75w / 150w Boomer for emergencies only. Haven't used it in so long I don't know if it still works, breaker - breaker "good buddy".

Knocked her up, seemed like the right thing to do...   Especially when she gave me one of two options.   (1) You can marry me and I'll make your life a living hell for the next 21 years, or...   (2) You can NOT marry me, and I'll make sure you spend the next 21 years in the homeless shelter and your employment will consist of selling pencils on the city sidewalk :stunned:   Of course I'm just joking.

O.K. Now let's talk about the legal aspects of that situation :popcorn:

In 2008 I believe we had a 3. something earthquake along the New Madrid fault line. I was sitting at my desk the following day feeling one of the stronger after shocks, odd feeling. Odd thing was, I actually sensed something before I felt any shaking and determined what is was? Anywho...   Working mid-town St. Louis, Missouri and living just across the Mississippi river in Cahokia, IL. I got to thinking about how to get home if the big one hits and the biggest obstacle of the mighty Miss. I'd have to pray it wasn't in the winter for obvious freezing water reasons and if the many tug boat barges would be flowing backwards.

Mine is self explanatory...   I'm surprised I haven't been kicked off here yet!

Well, whatever suites you I suppose but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to get food poisoning and needlessly waste energy.   Traditional canning methods have been around a long, long time and have been improved upon and continue to do so. The government and FDA didn't invent canning or food preservation but adapted tried and true methods with additional precautions for safe food from independent research, history and modern knowledge.     Right or wrong, the government has set the standards and recommendations for food safety, and it doesn't vary much from what most canners / preservers adhere to.   An ovens temperature can not be accurately and consistently regulated to accomplish your goal, of having safe food to store and eat.   I highly recommend you stick to tried and true food preservation methods and invest in proper canning hardware, jars, temperatures and times.   EDIT: Oops... I just reread your post and it sounds like you're talking "dehydration"? That be the case, you can do it that way but it's a big waste of energy! A commercial dehydrator from Walmart or build your own solar dehydrator would save lots of $$$ in fuel usage??? 

I would suggest chemical, biological and nuclear weapons (NBC) are weapons of mass destruction that are indiscriminate in their killing and outlawed by the Geneva Convention, not that it matters to despots or religious Allah fanatics.   In my opinion, if you have a chemical weapon and use it, you will use a biological weapon or nuclear weapon if you have it. Fortunately, of the three classifications of mass destruction, chemical weapons are the least effective long and short term, in my opinion.   Other questions to ask yourself? We have a stockpile of NBC weapons... Who are "we" to tell another sovereign nation they may not posses them even though the nation might be a bunch of fanatic crazies?     Right or wrong, who has been the only sovereign nation to unleash it's atomic power on another nation and level two cities? So I don't think we can use the higher moral grounds argument to dissuade other nations WMD?   Just something to think about?

It sort of depends on what SHTF scenario is encountered?    A severe earthquake is a real possibility overdue around here or a terrorist attack, that's immediate action of course. I believe you would have plenty of time to bug out for economic collapse, default on interest payment, etc. to get rolling.   In the event everyone panics at once then I definitely concur to stay as isolated as possible, off the main roads, etc. As everyone knows, the shortest distance between point A and B is a straight line. Roads tend to follow the path of least resistance and generally are much longer than the crow flies. So a compass and "good" map are very essential.   I sure wouldn't want to have to build a crappy raft and try to float across the Ohio or Mississippi River trying to get home.

It's was caused by our 26 letter alphabet...   NAFTA, GATT, WTO, OSHA, OWCP, IRS, CFR, AFGE, UAW and G.R.E.E.D   Next thing you know, people are going to walk out on burger flipping jobs demanding $15.50 / hour and their own parking spaces and stock options?

Taste wise, how does a feral hog taste compared to a domestically raised hog and are they leaner, gamey tasting?   I also understand you're suppose to use caution handling / field dressing them because they can carry some nasty's?   Funny how many of the state(s) conservation laws treat invasive species from discovery to crises. First they deny a potential problem, then they regulate it like it's a wild game species and set limits, hours, dates, calibers, etc. I'm surprised in Tennessee you don't have to buy the additional "pig stamp". Then they ask for public help to try and control it?   Asian carp, zebra mussels and feral hogs come to mind to name a few.

  Basically the same thing happened to me at Walmart today. Went grocery shopping with the wife and had to first stop by the sporting goods counter just because.   Asked the lady if they had any 9mm or .45 and she looked. Yep, I've got three boxes of .45 left but you can purchase only three boxes. "Really"? Told her I'll take two boxes and left one for the next guy. She looked dumbfounded?   It's getting spotty at Wally World but things are looking up.  

What enjoyable pictures and thread! Thank you!   Looks like your all set if TSHTF and not depend on fossil fuel.   The youngsters are going to have very fond memories of their experience all their lives :up:   Stuff like this makes my heart happy, happy, happy!

Sorry for going off topic but... Speaking of frogs...   Bet you young whipper snappers on here don't know who "Froggy" was on "The Little Rascals"!   I know, I need to keep my mouth shut and stay on topic!

  Yea me too, but not buying a heck of a lot at one time. My local FFL dealer for some reason has .45, 9mm and 5.56 / .223 in stock for the last couple of months. It's about 25% higher than Wally World and I like to support my local dealer because of obvious reasons.   I've also noticed some of the major outlets like Cabela's is getting flooded with ammunition, for a price of course.

My rule of thumb:   I won't say anything via computer, email, or letter I won't back up face-to-face.

Yep, seems things are easing up.   My local Wally World is loaded with MSR's and a trickle of popular ammunition calibers. I'm finally back to pre-craziness stocks and learned my lesson. I'm slowly going to triple my inventory as ammunition eases more.   Just bought two of the three boxes of .45 auto they had at Wally World today when we were grocery shopping. It's like being hooked on crack when we go to the local Walmart, I "always" have to check out the sporting goods ammo counter just as soon as I walk through the door?

My favorite meat is crab legs, shrimp and frog legs! I never met a frog I didn't like!   As a matter of fact, I have a pond in front with bull frogs but... They never get big enough to my liking and worth my while? Probably because of an over population of bass, turtles and snakes?   Now you got my mouth watering so thanks a lot!   Last time I went frog hunting in a 10 foot jon boat with "three" people on board I wasn't very popular. The guy in the rear paddled us around the large pond, the guy in front spotlighted them and gigged them. My job in the middle was to take the gigged frog off the gig, bash it's head against the boat. It was the spur of the moment when we went while out camping so we didn't have any bag to put them in... The gig was made out of a three fork limb.   Long story short, we gigged about a dozen frogs and I had about 4-5 come back to life and jump back into the water. I wasn't very popular that night!   Prior to that I always heard a frogs eyes would shine? I was thinking like an animals eyes, like bright? But those frog eyes were barely visible, just a dull white you have to concentrate on.     Frog-less in NW Tennessee.

A few days ago the wife called me in a panic to look at the snake coiled on our back deck and dispatch it. It's the four foot rat snake we've seen several times this and last summer. Based on the leaf rustling I frequently hear under the deck (not to be confused with them skinks) and where it went when I gently pushed it off the deck with a mop (it really didn't want to go nowhere)... I think it has made a home under the deck.   I've seen a number of species around my neck of the woods, ring neck, rat, king, rough scale green snake, racers, cotton mouth and copperhead. Yet to see a rattle snake and hope not to! My belief is snakes are very beneficial keeping our massive rodent population in check and are beautiful creatures and I let them be, even the venomous snakes. However...   In my lifetime I've had two cotton mouths evidently defending their territory and attack me minding my own business and dispatched both. So far the cotton mouths on my property flee when approached, except in spring when it's cool and their warming in the sun and won't budge for anything? But have yet to find it necessary to remove any.   Now a rattle snake, knowing the damage it can inflict on your flesh if bitten and the potential months / years of recovery time...  I'm on the fence if I would dispatch it or not. Regardless of the wildlife laws, it's human nature to dispatch a perceived wildlife threat to life and limb.   I don't think the habitat around here is favorable for the timber rattler anyway, I hope.

  My metabolism has changes over the years too. In my younger years I had a job that I got stung by wasps 3-10 times a day and it didn't physically affect me except for the initial pain.   Now, when I get stung by a wasp it's a three day affair with pain, swelling and itching. Same with poison ivy, oak and sumac... Used to be able to wipe with it in my military years, now if I look to hard at it, it's a case of the chalky pink stuff.