What do you think your chances are of heading to the hills ?

What do you think your chances really are with the heading to the hills mentality ? I am refering to those with no place to really go to , such as a cabin or cave etc. Do you think you really have a chance of surviving for more then a few weeks with no more then what you can carry on your backs ? I belong to more then just this site, and over and over again I see so very many people saying they are going to bug out to the hills with their bob and not much else. Unless your Jim Bridger or something like that, I think you should have some kind of idea what you are really planning on doing don't you ? So lets hear it if your up to discussing this very critical matter. By the way I should mention that I am bugged in. Rural, fat and happy

 

Another "bugger inner" here. I really get the impression that most people who say they will bug out and "live off the land" have:

1. No real clue just how hard it is to live off the land;

2. No real plan in place to deal with the loss of their home; and

3. Not thought about the fact that probably 95% of their unprepared neighbors and friends have the same plan to "live off the land" they do.

The problem is that if you live in any moderately sized city you may not have an option in certain situations except to bug out. And you are gonna be part of a massive exodus ... not a good situation to be in, regardless of your skill or preparation level.

It is a messy situation either way. Neither bugging in nor bugging out sound even remotely like a good time to me where I am now, but bugging in is the lesser of two evils for most scenarios I think are likely.

Even people who are prepared enough to bug in in remote areas (and who are already there) are eventually gonna have to deal with refugees. Our population is simply too large to avoid it.

I really don't think anyone is gonna be immune from the effects of people leaving urban areas, no matter where they are.

 

if it were just me? Yeah i could bugout and make it. but with wife,3 kids and father in law? Nope not gonna make it buggin out. too many mouths to feed on meager pickings.

In my case the best option is to bug in. Multiple FP's, knowing the surrounding area intimately, and a good network of like minded "Trusted" cohorts, supplies,tools,seeds and know how and some real life useful skills (post electricity/fossil fuels). Life will carry on albeit, the kids are not going to like going to bed when the sun goes down and they are really gonna miss cable something fierce[]

unfortunately my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are probably not going to make it past the rush on the supermarkets. They have very comfortable lives that revolve around electricity and the mass consumption of it. The gave us about 500 dollars worth of pressure canning equip/supplies cause their dabbling in it, turned them off .. too hard i think was the phrase they used.

 

Here in Colorado we get a lot of that "head for the hills" mentality. I have some thoughts for those folks, not that they listen: 1) A lot of people already live in the hills. They have guns, and you're not welcome at their homes. 2) It's chilly up there, most of the year. Then winter comes. 3) If you light a fire to stay warm, we can see you from a long way away. 4) It's dangerous enough up there during hunting season, when everyone's covered in blaze orange. If you're gonna wander around in your cammies playing Rambo, you'd best wear body armor. 5) The deer you plan to hunt to sustain yourself are the exact same deer 100,000 other people plan to hunt. 6) When others get really hungry, they'll start wondering how well marbled your fat city ass really is. Heard of Alfred Packer? That happened HERE, to unprepared people who ignored sound advice and headed for the hills in wintertime.

And they were tougher than you are.

All in all, you probably ought to get to know your neighbors, stock up on some food and plan to stay home.

 

Oggoly boogoly ... I have met some people in SE Oklahoma that I SWEAR are related to him ...

 

I have had a number of people tell me they can live off the land, anywhere...
all they need is:
1) some rope
2) a tarp
3) a knife
4) a way to make fire...
What can I say?
There are maybe a handful of people that could, but won't.
Personally, I'm going to be living in my own "up in the hills" area soon enough!

 

No way. Why go camping without a way to restock the cooler?

 

Ding Ding Ding ... we have a winner!

to me bugging out would be bugging out to an area with more resources than i have currently. Alas, too far away if i truly had to live off the land, it's gonna require more than what i can carry in a back pack. Stuff should be cached and waiting for you when you get there. The idea of a Bugout Bag is to provide you with the resources to get you to the next cache to resupply so you can get to your final bugout bugin destination.

my BOB (plus the other stuff in the trunk) is designed to get me from work or where ever to home.

i've got one friend that feels he could fish/hunt and gather for his needs. i asked him if he was gonna cache a good amt of supplies at his BOL, the answer, no. Ouch, hope he makes it.

 

Bugging out may put you and yours into a refugee status very shortly unless extremely prepared. I plan on bugging in and am fully prepared to do so. If that is not an option then we are prepared to leave very quickly. We have a virtual home stored in military shipping containers and most all our needs portable. Every April and Oct(next gathering is 15-17 Oct near Rockingham, NC) we have a gathering of folks and learn pioneering skills. They cover the gamut from first aid, food procurement, storage, nuke/bio survival, range time, self defense, reloading, etc. If close by please come and participate. Some drive several hundred miles. Bugging out to an unknown location is bordering on insanity-you will be eyed with great suspicion and probably shunned by everyone. If you do have to leave your "nest" then have a place to go. Having friends to the four winds is a comforting feeling. Knowing that you can "drop in" on someone is valuable. It goes both ways. Knowing others are coming to your home that are of like mind provides much needed "man power" to do the duties that may come up. Being able to "bug in" after bugging out may make the difference between not only life and death but comfort or drudgery.

 

I Spoke with a man living up north this evening for a couple of hours....
It's strange that after having been up there for about a year and a half, his concern is not the supplies, he has most of that taken care of in way of local ranchers....He shoots the coyotes, and they give him fresh meat.
His major concern is not even having to deal with the "golden hordes" or even the occasional "zombie" stereotypes...
His real concern is that of the "other" people out there, within about a 5 mile radius........There aren't many mind you, but there are some. I'd estimate maybe 12-18 at the most. Even if TSHTF, it's not a concern about the population of some 400+/- people living in the town, just 15 miles to his south.
Those people already have their own "contigency" plans for the entire town, and food and water supply there. I was "informed" that they already have a good sized "force" of people there that can and will take care of the town.
The real problem wil come from a closer neighbor, perhaps as close as 1/2 a mile! That man and wife have NO transportation, and can't afford any, so that rules out their going into town for supplies.....Already he has had to lock his gates and tell them, that the barbed wire fence was not put there for them to climb over or thru! There are a number of "individuals" living out there in the "toolies", that have NO means of support or income, except for food stamps, or public assistance. They are NOT eligible for anything like disability or social security. They come over to anyone's home and alway's "borrow" with NO intentions to replace things....
EG:
Gas for a chain saw, propane for a stove, water, and of course any and all foods! They have NEVER been denied water by anyone out there, ever.
I can see this is headed for a severe clash when things start to come apart. Not after, but long before that!
1 specific person up there "borrowed" a good amount of 2 x 4 lumber from this man, and hauled it, on foot, over a 2 mile distance to BURN for his heat. Unfortunately, the person did NOT ask for the wood, but rather "borrowed it without consent". What I call theft. The locals don't like to use that word....go figure! I tell it like it is! He was caught by my former "caretaker", in the process of "liberating" a 150 foot roll of my chicken wire.....
He was advised I was coming up there in the next few days...
But, the person with the "sticky fingers" seemed to have to suddenly make a trip to Kalifornia, and Nebraska, to visit relatives. He literally abandoned his property and took all he could carry, away in his "borrowed" (girlfriends) car.
As I see it, this is a nightmare in the making already...
There are a LOT of people living in areas which cannot support them by means of any fresh food supply, and most are not welcomed into the nearest town. They have already "burned their bridges" and in any real sceanrio, they will be at the nearest door looking for freebies! The locals already have an issue with these types and I can see there will be a change in residency and population coming!
I already have made a reputation in town and with both the local sheriff's offices.
( and so far, I've only been there on 4 occasions!)
Must be my aftershave?

 

Next Level -Heading for the Hills

OK, I am getting the idea's to take this to the next level if you will. Now lets add a couple of things to this, such as it is now the first week of Oct, when the shtf and you grab your bag and run to the hills. Now, I am at 6,000 ft and snow can come anytime after tomorrow for real. Although not ususally much , it will make travel cold, messy and slower. I am wondering how many of you are preparred to deal with that ? Have you got water proof clothing ? Winter sleeping bags ? Imagine your in this sh.. and have to walk all day to find something to eat and burn for a fire at night to not only cook , but to boil water and keep warm. Are you ready for that? How many of you are packing a skidoo type snow suit ? Even the elementary ingreient known as saddle soap to protect your leather boots ? Now would would you give for a simple cup of coffee ?

 

I hear you loud and clear, as I also have a pretty nasty reputation up here in my neck of the woods also.

 

Bugging out to the hills is not the best option for a lot of people.. including myself. I would visit there in short periods of time if needed...but long term is a waste of time. Better the devil you know. I'll stay in my home as long as I can; head to the hills when there is ABSOLUTELY no other option, otherwise, the hills will be a source for gathering resources.

And for all you guys running to the hills on random property that you don't own.. please share

 

I seem to have the same type of After Shave !

 

Badge Bunny, I would say you have already made the right decision , even though I believe the first few weeks would be the worst After that, I really believe that the masses would be "thinned out" at best and it would finally get down to a day to day situation of living sort of. You would also want to pack away a lot of veggie seeds

 

I certainly hope you are right about that. It seems very likely to me that if I can just "stick it out" here unnoticed (or in a really bad mood ) the unprepared will go find easier pickings than me. However, I am not so stupid as to think that there won't be a pretty much constant problem with migrating looters if an event turns out to be an extended situation.

There is a group up around the Tulsa area who are very open about the fact that there is no real need for them to prepare as they will just take by force from those who are "dumb" enough to put back.

I have to admit that the rebel-rouser in me hopes they show up at my house cuz I could use the target practice. The realist in me is quite concerned about those types. I have no illusions about my strengths and weaknesses, some of which I can do nothing about. All I can say is they will have one heck of a fight on their hands and I would burn it to the ground before I would let the likes of them have it.

 

Personally, I'm bugging in, and prepping in that manner. I would bug out only if my city was nuked. I can't really see hordes of people banging on my door, unless we have a real-mindless-undead-zombies type of SHTF. In bad SHTF no one would trust no one, so I don't think that organized hordes would be a problem. If nukes were coming I have 4 locations scoped, all within 160 kilometers radius. Two of them are mine, two have no owners. Since we are family of 4, all big and strong, we can take a lot of stuff. I'll be packing a good supply of hairloom seeds also. My country is full of clean drinkable water. We have lots of lakes, rivers, streams, springs, artesian wells, etc...
We have very few hunters here. Our hunting cllubs have like 30-40 people each, and we have about 20 clubs. Lots of wildlife here, lots of mushrooms, few poisonous, but mostly edible. Oyster mushrooms do very well here and in abundance along with 2 other types I don't know English names of...one is like golf ball, and when young is edible even raw. When old, it's full of spores that are very strong local antibiotic. Other mushroom is small and yellow and very tasty. The biggest concern I have here are people with guns when SHTF...i.e. cops, military, illegal guns...

 

Good Post

We're already in the "Hills". We do from time to time come across people who think that because they know a perfect spot on the BLM or Forest Service land that they will be all set when TSHTF. BOY ARE THEY IN FOR A SURPRISE!

POWER
WATER
FOOD
SHELTER

Without those the perfect place is going to be hell


Dan

 

We have had a lot of people moving into the hills here in southern Oregon. They have torn down several abandoned structures and hauled off the materials to build shacks.
Now they are scoping out vacant homesteads. I think they have come from California, and have no idea about what they are facing at 4300 feet elevation when winter comes.
Winter will probably be interesting here.

There will be people with the "marauder" mentality, I have spoken with some of them.
They told me "When the time comes, we will take what we want". They are not just talking about material things. Seems like they are wanting a period of anarchy and chaos. It is unpleasant thinking about such things, it would be even more unpleasant if their dream becomes reality and you do not have a plan and the capability of dealing with them.