Sunset at FOB

As the sun sets across the lake we watch the alligators trolling along the bank looking for an evening meal.

Keep your dogs inside tonight.













Steak for supper at FOB camp Duke.
not alligator steak....beef steak.

Camp Cooking, Shish Kabobs

I like to cook especially while camping or just enjoying the outdoors. shish kabobs is one of of those meals you can use what you like either chicken, beef, pork or all 3 together.
I cut beef (in this case) in cubes and marinated it in zesty Italian dressing overnight (shown in zip-loc bag) and then cut peppers, onion and pineapple into chunks.

Here is all the vegetables ready to start.

 All put together ready for the grill. Beef, peppers (3 different colors) pineapple, onion and tomatoes.










On the grill, I cook over coals and turn till they look done, usually about 20 minutes with a low heat.
With beef the only meat they can be a tad rare with no problem, not so with chicken or pork.

Ready to eat left, with corn on the cob and fresh french bread. As you can see I really like to rough it.

Ready For The Weekend

We arrived at our camp site, all set up ready for a relaxing weekend.
Need to start working on a secure perimeter .

Ready To Bug Out

Internet file photo.

I'm all loaded up and ready for a weekend camping trip. I am so ready to get away for a few days. We have a spot reserved on a lake about 200 miles away. I will try and get some blogs done about camp cuisine. It feels like forever since I have had a vacation so even a short one will be good.
Duke out.

I Think Strange Things

Maybe it's just me but when I watch old TV shows I have lots of questions
.
When I see Michael Landon on 'Little House on the Prairie' driving his wagon I wonder if he had to get a drivers license or a registration tag for his wagon.

When I watch 'Bonanza' I wonder if Ben Cartwright' had to have a permit from the EPA and the DEP to dig a pond on his property
When I watch the 'Waltons' I wonder if they had to have a logging permit to cut the trees for their lumber mill or if they had to worry OSHA would come by to inspect their operation.
When I watch 'The Andy Griffith Show' I wonder why someone who walks into the sheriff office with a shotgun is not immediately arrested and turned over to the ATF
When I watch  'Gunsmoke' I wonder if Miss Kitty had to worry about filing her taxes on April 15th or if the blacksmith had to have an occupational license and liability insurance to run his shop.

When I watch any old western I wonder if the train engineer, fireman and conductor had to be a union members or if the rail road had to get Army Corp Engineer permits to build the railroad over rivers and streams

 When I watch the 'Rifleman' I wonder if he had to fill out a form and get a background check to buy his rifle.

I wonder if John Wayne in any of his westerns was concerned if he would get sued for busting up a saloon.

I think it would make an interesting spoof to do a movie set in the 1800's and apply modern day laws and conditions. I would love to see Tom Selleck do a movie where he would play a rancher. I could see him building a new home on his property and the code enforcement people would show up with the health department and try and stop him because he did not get a clearing permit or building permit or septic tank permit or pay his down stream pollution charges, or electric permit or plumbing permit or get his plans approved through the neighborhood development commission.
Sometimes my mind wanders and I think how would our forefathers have handled all the restrictions we have in our lives today.

No More Warning Shots

Working The Butts

I was recently reading a girl and her gun, she was talking about her new job at the gun range and I was reminded of some of my favorite range times.
The military has a knack for taking a normally enjoyable experience and sucking all the fun out of it, be it camping (field exercise, no open camp fires) fitness training (forced run in full gear) and of course the rifle range.
Growing up I always enjoyed shooting practice, you throw a can into the air and shoot at it, or shoot at a can watching it bounce along the ground, shooting different pieces of junk to see what damage you could do, some favorite targets were, old refrigerators, old cars, TV sets, propane cylinders (partially full), concrete blocks etc. The military tends to frown on this kind of range activity (although we did get to shoot at old tanks with mortars)
At least once a year we went to the range to qualify with our rifles. we would be divided into three squads. We were then rotated between the firing line, the stand by where you waited behind the line for you chance to fire and the 'Butts'. On range day I enjoyed working the Butts the most (spare me cracks the jokes, I have heard them all)

Watching for shots, arrows show small marker discs.

The 'Butts' was 200 yards down range where the targets were, they had to be manned while the range was hot. One man would be below each target which was numbered. If you qualified on a certain target you would work the same target in the butts. This was done to help certify scores. During 'doping in' you would wait for the first 3 shots and then pull the target down (as you see in the first target in the foreground) and mark it with little cardboard circles (picture at left) then raise it up so the shooter could see his round placement.. For certain courses of fire you would stand with the target raised, it would be only about 5 feet above your head, your head crammed back watching for the bullet hole to appear in the target, At 200 yards down range you could not hear the shot only a tap noise like you rapped the target with your finger, when you saw the hole you would quickly lower the target and mark the shot with a small marker that you would poke in the hole and raise it quickly for the next shot. On other courses of fire you would simply mark the shot placement with a paddle or disk which was a 12" round metal plate (red on one side white on the other) attached to a 6' broom handle.  When the hole appeared in the target you would not lower the target but rather raise the 'paddle' to cover the area of the shot so the shooter could see it, and then quickly lowering the paddle before it got shot while you were holding it. This was another reason we worked the same target as we shot so if your shooter shot the paddle while you were holding it you could return the favor for him when it was your turn to shoot.

'Dog' targets in raised position

There was also a range officer on the line as well as in the butt area with a phone line between them. This was so the line could tell you to pull a target if you failed to see the hole. The shooter would yell "mark target 45" the range officer would call to the butts and they would yell down the target line, "mark 45". On the other hand if you saw too many holes in our target we would relay it to the line so they could yell and shout verbal abuse to the  shooter like " 27 why are you shooting target 28."  I liked the action and bustle, you had to be on your game all the time when the range was hot and it was important to stay in your area with 50 shooters firing 5 to 6 feet over your head. On most ranges all the pine trees behind the target areas looked like they had been sawed off about 15' above the ground from the years and hundreds of thousands of rounds fired. I don't know why I liked working behind the berm but there were always stories to tell afterward.

Mr Raccoon Goes To Town

There is a very sweet lady who lives near me who has a few pets. Because food is left outdoors she attracts  raccoons and possums, this leads her to set traps for the wild critters which she then brings to me to dispose of.
 Years ago I would, and have, sold them in the poorer sections of town for their food value however the last dozen or so I have released at different remote locations. This is the latest creature which she brought to me. He was cranky due to being in the trap about 8 hours.

 So me and Mr Raccoon went for a ride. I figured he had been in the woods long enough and needed a change of scenery. I loaded him in the truck and we headed to town. Here you see we are crossing the river with the city skyline visible out the window.
                                                            


 It was later in the afternoon and most people were leaving the city. As I reached the edge of down town I found a parking lot, pulled in and stopped. I opened the trap and rapped in the top, he ambled out and hopped off the tailgate then lumbered slowly across the parking lot, disappearing between two buildings. There is a river and restaurants nearby with dumpsters. He will eat good.

Not Good # 32

"Fetch Fido"

I Know What He Meant.

The secret service has said they want to talk with Ted Nugent about this recent comment. I don't know why they are so upset, you don't have to read very far between the lines to know what he meant. I know Mr Ted is quite capable of speaking for himself  but I am sure he did not mean he was going to Washington and start shooting.
For the last few years there has been a lot of 'saber rattling' in Washington. There has been talk of weapons bans, semi auto, magazines and ammo bans,  a few cases of free speech being squelched, mandatory health care etc. and basically a lot of our freedoms going out the window. A few of us are paying attention and taking note but many have not been overly concerned because they have not been too effected yet. This may change if Obama gets re-elected. He will then be a 'lame duck' and will go for broke to dismantle what is left of our country. What will you do if they ban your guns, they may start out by wanting you to register them but then shift to an all out ban (read history people) What will you do when they outlaw any anti government speech. What would you do if they raised your taxes and sent IRS agents to seize your property for non-payment.
By the way, the only real obstacle to  Socialism in this country is the middle class, America is the 'inventor' of the middle class. Without the middle class you only have the wealthy and the poor, perfect environment for Socialism to thrive and be accepted. This is why some politicians play the class warfare card and I personally believe they strive to keep the poor down to achieve their goals and for the same reason seek to destroy the middle class.

Anyway, back to the intent of this post. What would/will you do if government tries to force you to give up what's left of your freedoms. I have never made threats and I wont start here but I can tell you with out the Second Amendment all you can do is bend over and say 'yes sir master'
This is what Ted Nugent meant, many of us like him will not give up our freedoms..... but I will add one option we will either be dead, in jail or in a bug out location planning or next move.

I'm Really A Nice Person

I was reminded of this a few days ago while driving to work, there I was riding along pushing the buttons on the radio looking for the news, I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw something like this about 20' behind me. I was not on a busy highway like the photo shows but rather a 2 lane city street. I was driving about 40 MPH and here behind me was what looked like a college kid standing on the seat of his 'crotch rocket'
Many of you know I ride a motorcycle also, so I know the risks but this was just stupid. As the saying goes, "There are old riders and there are bold riders but not old-bold riders"
Anyway there I was looking at an idiot. My first thought was to slam on brakes......oh the urge was strong, I had this clear vision of the motorcycle slamming into the bumper of my truck and the rider flying head first into the rear window. I could see him flopping around like a mullet with a broke neck in the bed of the truck. Then I thought of the damage to my truck, the police report, being late to work, his grieving friends and family (all this went through my mind in a second or two)
 Sigh......I changed my mind, maybe I'm getting soft.
Note to his mother, you're welcome.......I am a nice guy.

Some People Aren't Normal

If you can start the day without coffee,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be thankful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without lashing back,
If you can conquer stress without seeing a Shrink,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
You must be my dog.

Welcome

Special welcome to spoildarmywife,
she has a fairly new blog,
Army Wife Prepper. 
Please stop by and say hello and that Duke sent you.

Not Good # 31

Not a good day for playful kitty.

Just an Observation

Many of you (like myself) are into firearms and survival subjects and we rely on the internet for a lot of information. This can be good and bad......especially bad if you can't trust or don't know the source.
I certainly don't consider myself an expert in this whole area but I am fairly well versed on a lot of it having much training and background.
I recently did a Google search on an old S&W Victory revolver I have, they are a very well documented gun and I have read a lot about them. I was shocked by the misinformation that was out there by people claiming to be 'experts' of course I also found correct history and information from other trusted sources but the point I want to make is be careful where you get information from. People will claim to be a master gunsmith, NRA instructor, military expert etc.  but you don't know for sure. Even on forums one person will state something wrong and many times almost everyone else will confirm their statements even if they don't know because they want to appear knowledgeable. I want to be quick to point out I am not referring to anyone I have read on these blog pages but more on general internet searches.

Weapons Expert

In the military I was trained in mortars and over the years I went to a few schools taught by the Marines (and one by the Army) I made it a point to understand the mechanics and physics behind the weapons systems because I encountered varying information along the way, and sometimes I think instructors would answer a question they didn't know the answer to just to appear knowledgeable. Here again, you have to be careful of all information.
The gun craze has made a lot of armchair experts and this can be dangerous because they read bad information then give their own interpretation and spout it as fact.
I will give an example which comes to mind.
A long range target shooter will bad mouth a certain gun and say it is inaccurate and shoots all over the place (meaning he can't cover his shots at 100 yards with a quarter) Others will agree and spread the word that the gun is a piece of junk and can't be trusted and someone will read this and go overspend on another gun when in fact the gun in question may put all shots in a 4" circle at 100 yards, while maybe it's not a good competition gun it may be a perfect battle rifle.
The trouble is there is so much technology out there in the gun world  you have to sort out the hype from whats real, go with what you know and have tried or experienced and put it together with trusted sources. As a side note there are many good and smart gun store employees however there are just as many who are idiots just trying to make a sale.
   I am sure this is old hat to many of you but we need to be reminded sometimes.
Oh well that is my rant for the day.

Is Something Wrong With Me ?

There is something about this ring-tone that makes me smile.

Survival Tips

1, When roughing it in a camping or survival situation avoid cutting yourself while preparing meals by having someone else hold the meat or vegetables while you cut them.
2, High blood pressure is a problem for some, this can be solved by cutting yourself and releasing some of the pressure. Better yet have these people hold you vegetables while you cut them.
3, Bad coughs can be a problem while stalking food so take plenty of laxatives then you will be too afraid to cough.
4, Two basic survival supplies are duct tape and WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't use duct tape if it doesn't move and should use WD-40.
5, When dealing with machinery in the field if it can't be fixed with a hammer it's an electrical problem.
6, All other problems and issues can be solved with a suitable application of high explosives.

Not Good # 30

Not a good thing to see on your stroll across the walk bridge.

What If ?????

 Have you seen those ads on TV which say if you pay too much for cable TV things will snowball out of control ? Well what about this...................
Obama has come out and said the Supreme Court has never shot down a law congress has passed, (he is either the dumbest president ever or lying thinking we are stupid) So what if the court throws out the health care law and what if Obama says the court is out of control and needs to go and what if the extreme left wing starts to riot and protest adding to the protests on Wall Street and the Trayvon killing and what if the radicals start looting and burning and 'we the people' start to defend ourselves causing the looting and riots to increase. And what if it gets so bad Obama declares Martial Law and tries to confiscate all the guns and ammo and food supplies, and what if he suspends the elections because of the Martial Law, and what if this causes a full blown revolt of government and many military troops refuse to fight US citizens and what if UN troops have to be called in to help Hmmm.............................

Maybe this is a little far fetched and not really possible.... I mean for this to happen we would have to have a lot of well armed patriots with good supplies of food and ammo, and Obama would have to have set the stage by challenging our Constitution and legal system and the DHS would have to be well armed with lots of ammo and the government would have to be full of left wing extremists who have a history of wanting revolution dating back to the 60's and 70's and there would have to be very strict gun laws in Washington DC, LA, New York etc.so the conservatives would be unprotected and unable to fight back. There would also have to be a high percentage of Sheeple who would let the government get away with this because they relied on the government for their income. These Sheeple would have to be educated by the government making them think the government was their big brother. There would also have to be a lot of economic unrest over the whole world and a general consensus that we needed a one world government.
Obama would probably go on record saying he wanted to fundamentally transform our country as we know it. There would have to also be a majority of US troops who were devoted to up holding the Constitution and would defect thus requiring the UN to be brought in. The government would also have to have control of the media and be able to squelch those who oppose them by having control of the communications systems.
I would think Obama would have given us a hint by now of his intentions by wanting a national police force equal in strength to the military, he would have to be building strong ties with our enemies by sucking up to them apologizing for America or showing disrespect for our nation.......... Well surely this could never happen.
Disregard my last....carry on.





    

Ramblings and Welcome.

Special welcome to Destination Self Sufficiency , thanks for hitting the follow button, please be sure to swing by and check out his site.

Things are slow right now, Stephen is out of the hospital now so I guess it's time to stop being so nice to him.

I see DHS has ordered a whole bunch of ammo, I'm looking on the bright side, maybe they are going to start self defense training classes for the general public and need lots of practice ammo.

Oh well, life goes on. 

Not Good # 29

Not a good thing to see out the train window.

Dog Catchers.

I was reading Modern Day Redneck the other day and he was talking about calling animal control. It reminded me of an experience I had a few years back.
There had been two dogs running loose and chasing my chickens, I happened to catch them after a day or so and called Animal Control to come and get them. It was about 3:30 on a Friday. They explained that they got off at 4:00 and could not get them till Monday. I told them I did not want to keep, feed and water them all weekend but they insisted that was the best they could do.
I said no problem, would they please notify 'Dead Animal Pickup' to stop by Monday and pick them up. I hung up the phone.
Animal Control was there in 15 minutes.