Stone Age Immersion Living...talk about going way out there

[Tac]

quite interesting. id go do it if it was free (which i highly doubt). Those skills always important.

[Wingnutt]

Those skills always important.

Ok, so this is where someone posts something like "especially with obama in office"
then the thread gros 3 pages in an hour before skuzzy walks in shaking his head with that "i cant take you people anywhere" look on his face and drops the doom hammer.

[DREDIOCK]

Ok, so this is where someone posts something like "especially with obama in office"
then the thread gros 3 pages in an hour before skuzzy walks in shaking his head with that "i cant take you people anywhere" look on his face and drops the doom hammer.

That reminds me.

Has anyone caught that new show on the History channel "Apocalypse Man"? Kinda like "survivor man" for the city
Program discription is as follows...

Government authorities say it's "not if... but when"...a moment in the future when, just as it has in the past, some catastrophe sparks mass destruction, leaving humans challenged to find shelter, heat, food, water and defense. If that happens, would you know what to do? Survival expert Rudy Reyes journeys through abandoned buildings showing us some surprising survival techniques, including making fire from steel wool, finding safe houses and creating shortwave radio transmissions.

Caught it the other night. Cant tell you how amused I was that he kept calling a "Pry Bar" a "Tire iron"

[Ghosth]

No mtnman, never used an atlatl,  while I do have lots of arrowheads around, most of them were knapped by indians and found by my Grandfather down in the Texas, New Mexico desert. (He was border patrol)

I have experimented with knapping Obsidion a bit, but I'm far from good at it.

Brain tanning hide, yes, been there done that. Probably won't do it again anytime soon.

Skin a deer, run a trot line, butcher a deer, hog, steer, cut and package for freezing yes.
Make Jerky from scratch sure. I've even butchered out road kill when it was fresh.

I noticed that the oldest of that group was in their mid 40's, with the average 10 years younger than that.
Back when I was that young I did stuff like walking into the woods mid winter for a 2 day camp with only what was in my pockets. Now that I'm 57, I shudder to think about what that would feel like.

[Reschke]

I used to do the leather tanning and had started learning and experimenting with making stone tips for spears and arrows. HOWEVER I gave it all up but still remember the basics enough to make mistakes and learn from them. I too used to do a lot of things that they are doing but I did it with a "modern" knife and a small back pack. We used to make jerky all the time and it was great time with my parents and other family members.

As for an atlatl...I wish I had that kind of skill and determination...but like I posted in another thread the guys who hunt with atlatls down here are some weird dudes in more ways than one.

[trigger2]

No he's telling you this will happen, w/ or w/out those things.
(Image removed from quote.)

Eh, you can buff it out. 

[SkyRock]

Please tell me I'm not the only one here with a garbage can of chert and obsidian nodules and flakes?  There must be others here with stone knapping tools and at least a little experience???

Some of you guys also have atlatls?  I'm not the only one, right?  Heck, I'm not super active in using 'em lately, but I've still got 2-3 of them around here...

The rest of you brain tan leather too, right?  And have your wives help when it comes to fleshing, scraping, and stretching the hides?  I know I can't be the only one who's borrowed the wife's blender for mixing up a batch of deer brain mash?

I learned what an atlatl is from your brother, as that was his cpid back in the day...and yes... I asked, "What in the hell does your name mean?"   

[DREDger]

I was wondering where the hell Lynx was.   

[mtnman]

I learned what an atlatl is from your brother, as that was his cpid back in the day...and yes... I asked, "What in the hell does your name mean?"   

LOL!  Did he tell you how many people called him "Atlanta"?

I got called "Mitten Man" again last night...  <sigh>

[mtnman]

Brain tanning hide, yes, been there done that. Probably won't do it again anytime soon.

I noticed that the oldest of that group was in their mid 40's, with the average 10 years younger than that.

I'd give up the tanning too, if I could afford to buy braintan instead.  Unfortunately, I'm too poor for that, and commercially tanned leather is so inferior it's not even really worth using for most of my projects...  So, it's a lot of work, but I don't see a way around it yet...

I saw the average age there too.  I wonder how many of the "original" stone age folks made it to 35yrs old.  I'm sure a few did, but even 30 yrs seems pretty extraordinary.

[mtnman]

As for an atlatl...I wish I had that kind of skill and determination...

There's nothing to 'em really.  Simple to make, and materials are lying around on the ground (or sticking up out of it).  Not very hard to get accurate with them either.  Sure beats throwing the darts by hand.  Comparable to a compound bow energy-wise.

Of course, like many things "old" they're no good anymore.  Illegal for hunting all but feral pigs for the most part.  Back in the day, they could kill a mammoth.  But they're not good enough for our modern deer...

Here in Wisconsin, I asked for clarification on the regulations regarding stone points on arrows 2-3 years ago (Illinois has comprehensive regulations for them regarding size, shape, etc).  The response I got was in the next published set of regulations- "Broadheads for hunting must be made of metal".  Stone points worked for 40,000 years, and without them, we might not be here today.  They're no good anymore though, apparently...  Or maybe we just know better know?

[mtnman]

Government authorities say it's "not if... but when"...a moment in the future when, just as it has in the past, some catastrophe sparks mass destruction, leaving humans challenged to find shelter, heat, food, water and defense. If that happens, would you know what to do? Survival expert Rudy Reyes journeys through abandoned buildings showing us some surprising survival techniques, including making fire from steel wool, finding safe houses and creating shortwave radio transmissions.

I actually believe this is true, and will happen.  I don't think most folks realize how fragile our civilization is, and how much of a mess things could get with a fairly minor push. 

I think I could survive with my family, but I sure don't want to see and try it first hand.  Makes me glad I don't live in a town, or especially a city.  Those would be deathtraps for sure, in a surprisingly short time, and extremely difficult to escape.

We can't go back to the stone age, if nobody "remembers" how to survive with stone age technology.  Learning how to do something simple like build a weatherproof shelter, start a fire, or make an arrowhead isn't something you want to try when your life (or your family's) depends on it.  In a survival situation, it doesn't take a large mistake, or even a bunch of small ones to kill you.

[Ghosth]

Actually Mtnman if the brown smelly stuff hit the spinning air mover I figured I'd sit tight in my basement for a month.

Then some night about 2am load the kayaks and a small amount of gear and hit the Red River. (8 blocks from my house)
Traveling mostly at night until we are far enough out not to have to worry about people so much.

I figure most will starve in the first 10 days. Half of the rest will get killed trying to attack others for food, goods, etc.

Most people don't realize or choose to believe that most City's in the US have about a 3 day supply of food on hand.
All you'd need is one piece of the puzzle to get screwed up for a week to start a cascading chain of events.

When its all over how do you build the tools to build the tools to rebuild civilization?

How many could figure out how to build even a small generator to power existing electrical equipment?
From scratch that is, simple stuff like smelting ore, drawing wire, building a bearing.

First generation after the fall will be mostly scavenging existing stuff. Alternators off cars that can be rewired to produce current etc.  All the while bringing in enough food to stay alive, enough security to keep others from taking it, and shelter which up here in the North country can be tough.

[Reschke]

There's nothing to 'em really.  Simple to make, and materials are lying around on the ground (or sticking up out of it).  Not very hard to get accurate with them either.  Sure beats throwing the darts by hand.  Comparable to a compound bow energy-wise.

Of course, like many things "old" they're no good anymore.  Illegal for hunting all but feral pigs for the most part.  Back in the day, they could kill a mammoth.  But they're not good enough for our modern deer...

Here in Wisconsin, I asked for clarification on the regulations regarding stone points on arrows 2-3 years ago (Illinois has comprehensive regulations for them regarding size, shape, etc).  The response I got was in the next published set of regulations- "Broadheads for hunting must be made of metal".  Stone points worked for 40,000 years, and without them, we might not be here today.  They're no good anymore though, apparently...  Or maybe we just know better know?

Not illegal for hunting deer down here but I don't know about the stone point part. As for using one I have thrown several and think that I could make one fairly easily if I had to or wanted to. I just don't have the patience to stalk into that kind of range of an animal anymore. I like taking my shots with my rifle between 75 and 100 yards now and am comfortable shooting between 200-400 with it in case I need to.

I agree with Ghosth though on the time frame for having to sit tight. Fortunately I don't think I will have to sit tight for that long; if it does go to SHTF mode down here I can put everyone in the Yukon and be out of the area within 15 minutes and at the rural home area within 2 hours.

It seems like each month we end up sending more and more canned, boxed and preserved items down to my parents place just in case. That way we can be gone quickly with just a few grab bags for clothing, guns and ammo. Right now since I go down there to hunt all my long guns are at my parents place and all I have here is a 12 gauge pump, 20 gauge auto and a handgun.

[mtnman]

Think- water.  Food won't be a big deal right away, water will.  Then, what water there is will likely be contaminated.  Boiling it won't take the chemical pollutants out. 

Water in the city still relies on electricity, so if that's out, it won't take long to have some pretty serious problems.  The water towers supply gravity feed, but the filtration requires electricity.  Drink some contaminated water and a simple upset stomach could turn deadly.

Without water, you've got maybe three or four days.  Unless you eat.  Then you won't get three or four days, you'll get less.

You may be right about sitting tight.  I don't know.  I'd tend to think that would be a mistake.  I'd want to sneak out before the confusion turned deadly, and the deadly turned to contamination and desperation.