Homesteading 2/64

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Your Go-Bag Is Probably Wrong

If you've been prepping for a while, you've probably got plenty of gear. Water. Food. Flashlights. Batteries. First-aid supplies. Maybe a radio, tools, and enough equipment to make a Boy Scout jealous. But here's the problem: an evacuation isn't a camping trip. When you're told to leave, you may have minutes—not hours—to get out. Your destination may be a friend's house, a motel, a shelter, or somewhere you've never been before. Roads may be jammed. Cell service may be unreli

Survivalist Scoop

Sep 14

That Possum Might Be Helping You

If you’ve spent enough time around a farm, acreage, or hunting property, you’ve probably encountered one: a gray, long-snouted creature shuffling through the darkness, raiding the feed area or wandering beneath the porch. Your first reaction might be, “Get that thing off my property.” But before you reach for a trap, consider what you’re looking at. The Virginia opossum is North America’s only native marsupial, and despite its rough appearance, it can actually provide some us

Survivalist Scoop

Sep 14

The Prepper’s Vaccine Question

Preppers are taught one fundamental rule: don’t blindly trust a system you haven’t examined. That principle applies to food, water, communications, firearms, fuel—and medical decisions. A recent Natural News article makes an extreme claim that mRNA vaccines amount to a “bioterrorism distribution platform.” That allegation goes considerably beyond what has been established by mainstream medical evidence, but it raises a question worth taking seriously: How much should ordinary

Survivalist Scoop

Sep 14

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The $2 Food Worth Stockpiling

When people talk about long-term food storage, the usual suspects get all the attention: rice, wheat and dry beans. Those foods deserve a place in a serious pantry. But there's another inexpensive staple that doesn't get nearly enough attention from preppers: lentils. They're cheap, compact, nutritious, easy to store and—perhaps most importantly when you're thinking about a prolonged power outage or fuel shortage—they don't require soaking and cook much faster than most dried

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The 10-Second Survival Scan

After years of writing about preparedness and teaching survival skills, I’ve learned something that is easy to forget: The fundamentals aren't exciting—but they are what keep you functioning when everything else gets complicated. People naturally gravitate toward the flashy stuff. The newest gear. The latest threat. The newest piece of technology. The dramatic headline about some crisis halfway around the world. There’s nothing wrong with paying attention to those things. But

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The Hidden Cost of Clean Water

When you're over 50 and you've been preparing for a while, you've probably learned an important lesson: Every piece of gear you add to your property eventually becomes another thing you have to maintain. That's easy to forget when the equipment is cheap—or better yet, free. Water is a perfect example. After a major disaster, municipal water systems can fail, wells can become contaminated, pumps can quit, and infrastructure can be damaged. That's when having your own dependabl

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10 Weird Homestead Moneymakers

Most homesteaders make the same mistake when they think about earning money from their property. They grow what everybody else grows. Tomatoes. Peppers. Zucchini. Maybe some eggs, honey, or firewood. There’s nothing wrong with any of those. In fact, they’re proven products. But if you're already putting in the work, there may be a smarter question to ask: What can I produce that people want but few local producers are supplying? That is where things get interesting. You don't

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DOJ Says Federal Handgun Sales Ban for 18–20-Year-Olds Is Unconstitutional

A major change in the federal government’s position on firearm law could affect how adults ages 18 to 20 obtain handguns—but there are still important details to understand before assuming the rules have completely changed. On September 17, 2026, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued an opinion concluding that federal laws restricting federally licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to otherwise eligible adults ages 18 to 20 cannot constitutio

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Bear Attack? Know This First

Most people want bear safety reduced to a simple formula: Black bear = fight. Grizzly = play dead. That's easy to remember. It's also incomplete. A real bear encounter doesn't happen in a classroom. You may not get a good look at the animal. You may not know whether it's protecting cubs, defending food, startled by you, or treating you as potential prey. And you may have only seconds to react. The better approach is to understand bear behavior, distance, terrain, and the diff

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The Poison Ivy Mistake Hikers Keep Making

If you spend enough time in the woods, eventually you learn a simple truth: The forest doesn't care how experienced you are. You can have a well-stocked pack, good boots, a compass, fire-starting skills, and decades of outdoor experience—and still ruin a weekend by grabbing the wrong vine. Poison ivy is one of those hazards that's easy to underestimate. Most people remember the old saying: “Leaves of three, let it be.” That's a useful warning, but it's not a complete identifi

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The Lost Art of Family Survival: Why Your Grandchildren Can't Cook or Build

When the SHTF or the modern economy finally hits a wall, what are you actually leaving the next generation? A fading bank account? A mortgage on a tract house? A pile of plastic gadgets that will end up in a landfill? If the grid goes down or corporate supply chains vanish overnight, a stack of fiat currency won't teach your grandchildren how to put food on the table. Real generational security isn't about a trust fund managed by people who hate your values. It’s about buildi

Survivalist Scoop

Prepare to Survive

Welcome to Survivalist Scoop! Here you will learn skills designed to help you and your family not only survive, but even thrive in the face of disaster. Grab Your Bug-Out bag, put your survival hat on, and get ready to prepare!