Sharecropping The Apocalypse: A Prepper is Cast Adrift (43 page)

As you see from the pictures you can set it from over hanging limbs etc or use it on a rod if you desire. While you’re not doing anything now, you see that little whole on top of the reel? Go ahead and run about a foot of line through it so it leaves you two loose ends, this reduces the need too perform this task later I the field so you can attach it to something.  Go ahead and buy you some pre-snelled hooks also, you can just attach them directly to the swivel.

Now while your doing all that wandering around high profile bait hunting, fishing pole making, sitting on the side of the pond fishing waiting on farmer john or another survivor to wander by and come ask you what it is your doing, I got better things to do.

I can move back in the woods to make camp, gather firewood, recon the area, go hunting etc and check my luck at the fishing hole later or just keep an eye on my automatic fishing reels from the obscurity of some cover while I rest.

Hey by the way when you decide to break camp and dismantle your fishing pole, do yourself a favor and make your self a simple bottle reel.

The simplest of the fishing rigs: a line, a hook, a weight, some bait, and a can or coke bottle. Variations of this arrangement are used all over the world by local fishermen for whom owning a fishing rod and reel would be considered very much a luxury. It works on the same principle as the basic spinning reel. The line is secured to and wrapped around the can or bottle, while the weighted and baited end is swung overhead generating speed, and released toward the water. The line then peels off the bottle or can with as little friction as possible. I am always amazed at what a considerable distance can be achieved by fisherman tossing a weighted hook by hand.

I have no idea how the fishing is in that pond is going to be and neither do you so I decide to hunt and trap some small game while waiting for the fish to bite.

Yes I said my backpack. The entire rifle breaks down and fits in the stock. Worth mentioning is the entire gun will float when stored away – especially meaningful to boaters. Since 1959 the venerable AR-7 has been the choice of U.S. Air Force pilots who need a small-caliber rifle they can count on should they have to punch out over a remote area. Through the years the AR-7′s reputation for portability, ease of operation and reliability has carried over to the civilian world. Today it’s a favorite of bush pilots, backpackers and backcountry adventurers who, like their Air Force counterparts, need a rifle that’s easy to carry yet has the accuracy to reliably take down small game.

Like the barrel, the receiver is also coated with a layer of waterproof Teflon for superior weatherproofing, waterproof protection, even in harsh salt water environments. The .22LR chambering provides the ability to carry lots of ammunition with little bulk and weight. The .22LR is also one of the most versatile rounds affording the user to dispatch a variety sizes of game and if need be can be used for self defense. CCI Mini-Mag’s is a great ammunition diet for these fine rifles. Its tack-driving accuracy, its light weight and compactness make it ideal where other firearms just can’t fill the niche

So perhaps you have a truck gun in some kind of pistol caliber carbine. Good choice, I won’t fault you for it as long as the caliber matches your carry pistol.  Those types of weapons are very expensive often times and not something I could afford to be leaving in my vehicle all the time. Gun laws in how you have to transport them can be kind of funky also but hey we are not worried about that here. You get the thing out, load it, hopefully its not to rusty or oily from storage and you are going hunting. What are you going hunting for? You probably got that thing loaded with the baddest, hottest, heaviest miracle hollow point bullet man stopper you could find so deer is your likely target. Problem is you know deer hunting ain`t that easy you are going to spend more calories hunting one than it would be worth to get a lucky shot so you decide to try your hand at trapping and snaring instead.

Well you got lots of brass wire and read lots of books on trapping and snaring go try your luck. Me I have different plans. I have me some rat traps put away in my food procurement bag that need to come out and play and that grove of oaks over there looks like a likely place to start setting up. Course if I see squirrel while setting a trap for one I could just shoot them with my .22, I hope you don’t decide to do the same with a 9mm or better. Which reminds me, when I go back to check my fish lines I hope them turtles I saw basking on a log are back, maybe I can get a shot off at one with my survival rifle. 

The new rat and mouse traps they have got out nowadays that have a little cup in them to hold the bait are so much easier to bait and use but they don’t pack down good. I have both anyway and I strategically put six of them out baited with MRE peanut butter for this set. Ok I have at least 3 fishing lines in the water, six squirrel traps (oh yea tie those squirrel traps off something bigger might get in the trap and then carry or drag it off) now for bigger game. A few commercial premade rabbit snares on the edge of this pasture should do the trick and I have only spent about an hour out here so far. How are you doing? Are you still looking for fish bait or building your first snare?

I could go sit off in the woods or rig up a shelter with my poncho and wait but I think I will go back to the fish pond and see if I caught anything yet. If I did get my a fish, I got plans for its head and Mr. snapping turtle that cost me the loss or the noise of a bullet.

Trying to keep a low profile and stay in the shadows is a important part of survival evasion and escape. I want to limit my exposure in this open field around the pond as much as I can.

Ok back to the story at hand, you needed to know a bit about how David thinks about his own bug out scenario so you can try to guess how he is planning to overcome other people’s different levels of preparedness or gear in a community prepper scenario.

“What’s in the grenade box David?” Crick said watching David carrying a small wooden crate with tarred rope handles in his and Loomis’s direction while wearing a sly knowing smile.

“Guess! Come on now you two, I will give you three guesses” David said chuckling as he set it down on the porch with a mischievous grin in the two men’s direction.

“Looks like it might have some weight to it” Crick said skeptically nudging the crate with the toe of his boot to test its weight and raising one eyebrow in David’s direction as the crate didn’t yield or slide across the deck boards when  a bit of pressure was put upon it.

“You don’t really have hand grenades in there do you?” Loomis said thinking it might not be out of the question for David to have some strange notion of doing a bit of dynamite style fishing.

“Nope, you got two more guesses.” David said with his eyes a twinkle and hugging a bemused Julie who was watching the pair studying the box like they had x-ray eyes.

“Can I pick it up?” Crick asked trying to figure out what it was David had called his “Nuclear Option”.

“Oh I suppose you can and you can shake it some also if you like, nothing breakable in there, but I am not answering any questions on its contents like the possibilities of “animal, vegetable or mineral.” David declared looking over in Loomis’s direction who was studying the box intently and reading the military stencils painted on it like they would give him some clue to the contents.

Crick picked up the small crate and hefted it a few times, gave it a shake, studied it at every angle and then set it down for Loomis to do the same with it. Both men looked puzzled and alternately eyed the box and David for further clues while pondering its contents.

“Its dang sure heavy enough. Crate says a box of grenades weighs 24 lbs. so you got me stymied. Did you fill it full of lead? Lead huh? I bet it has a shitload of 12 gauge birdshot and you’re going to organize a Dove hunt!” Crick said thinking he had figured out the mystery boxes contents.

“Nope wrong again! One more guesses left.” David said delighted at playing his game.

“We better be careful and discuss this next guess.” Loomis said picking the box back up and shaking it again.

“Hey no peeking you bunch of cheaters!’ David said laughing as Crick tried to lift the little bit of slack the lid had up to get a quick look through the crack..

‘Humm heavier than hell, let’s see Loomis do you think it might be a bunch of steel arrow points? Maybe David here has been out in the sun too long and fancies himself William Tell or something and is going to teach us all how to be English Bowmen?” Crick said with a snide look at David to which Loomis guffawed.

“Hey rattling my cage isn’t going to help you out none, let’s put a little wager on you all guessing right to make this more interesting.” David said looking at Julie who beamed a smile at David’s two guessing game contestants like they were in for it now.

“Like what? I don’t like to bet on another man’s game and particularly not so when it comes to anything David dreams up.” Loomis said frowning.

“Oh let’s see, Crick you had a half gallon of Ancient Age whiskey on your kitchen counter, if you lose its mine. Thanks for leaving it out by the way. Now then Loomis, if you lose, I like nothing better than a big roaring campfire to sit around and drink that bottle at. You have to gather the wood and tend it until that Jug is gone.” David said studying them with a poker face at first and then lost it and was back to being all smiles.