Small game/ self defense bow

Here is a pic from a upcoming article on how to make a field expedient bow capable of taking small game and fish. This bow punches through a 3 layer cardboard target with 7 inches of penetration. In a must use scenario it could take out squirrels and rabbits and other varmint sized game as well as small fish provided you have enough string.

Aquaponics update 10-AUG-12

So I have my system up and running. Just need to get some more grow medium and fish.

Aquaponics set up

This is a rough markup of my future aquaponic set up. I am going to have a tub that will hold the fish and 2 grow beds. It will be a "Simple Flood and Drain" set up. I have a deep cycle marine battery that will run the system and I plan on buying a pump and some solar panels to maintain the battery so the whole system will be off the grid. As the water falls back into the fish tank just above the surface it will aerate the fish tank so no need to run a air stone 24/7. I plan on documenting this whole setup and posting here. Since my plan is to not have to pay for food after 3 years of being out of the army I want to start playing with different ways to save space and mass produce and this seems to be one of if not the best way to do so. I highly recommend on reading up on Aquaponics if you have not heard of it before. The website posted below is a good source to start at as well as YouTube. Look for this guys videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYR9s6chrI0 youtube name is "fishandveggies"...Oh yea almost forgot to mention the fish. I have not decided yet on what i want to grow as far as fish goes. but since I am trying to keep this whole project under $50.00 I might just go and catch some blue gills and try to transplant them.

Simple Flood and Drain

This is possibly the most simple method of setting up a flood and drain system. The grow bed sits above the fish tank, water is pumped from the fish tank into the grow bed, then the water drains straight back into the fish tank below. The ultimate in simplicity. If there's a problem with the pump or power supply the water drains straight back into the fish tank. This style of system is compact and has very few disadvantages, the only minor disadvantage is that the water level in the fish tank fluctuates when flooding the beds. Also the pump is in the fish tank so if it's only a small pump with limited solid pumping capacity, solid wastes may clog up the pump, requiring periodic maintenance. taken from http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/information/4-home/aquaponic-information/44-designs.html

Improvised fish hooks (Guest Article)

Today I am going teach you how to make fishing hooks from the stuff around you. Start looking around for suitable thorns to use. In this article I will be using Wild Orange Thorns. The sharpest and sturdiest the better. Be careful not to dull the sharp tip of the thorns because this makes the hook so much more effective. I started by scraping the thin bark layer off my thorns this is not necessary, You can see how the tree has allowed the tip of the thorn to die so that it is harder and sharper. You need to find the strongest thorn branch possible, look for it to be thick at the base (next to the branch) and thin at the tip the thorns should be facing up. you could whittle it at the top for the string to fit and stay in place.

The thorn in the picture is not attached to the wood...but you could stick it to the wood with a very small amount of Pine tree resin or other glue to make binding the thorn less fiddly

Make a length of very thin cordage or you can just use a plain length of some kind of strong fiber or even a shoelace. Put the thorn through a loop knot on the end of the cordage. Hopefully the following pictures explain themselves and show how to bind the thorn to the wood.

 Continue wrapping the string around the stem of the hook and then to finish it off pass the end underneath the last couple of wraps and pull tight

Finished hook... It would have been better to carve the top of the hook so that it is easier to attach the line. Have fun!

Survival Kit

In this video I go over the basic load out of a grab and go survival kit. This kit at the bare minimum minus the knife and magnesium fire starter cost around 15 dollars to build and will make any emergency night in the woods more comfortable. This is something that should be in a drawer or cupboard that is easy to get to and grab for any emergency or natural disaster. Just throw this bag into your backpack any time you go on a hike go hunting or fishing and if you need to make a emergency night stay you will be set. Any questions just post in the comment section and I will answer them.

Fillet a Fish

This is a Guest Article written by my brother Corbin.

For someone in the forest near a river/lake/stream a major priority is
food. To catch a fish you need bait. In fresh water worms,bread, and
various bugs can be used. If you lack a fishing rod or net the best
substitute could be any form of string material and a stick/limb at
about 7-12 feet that wont break easily. If you lack hooks for a fish
to bite find some wood or bone, anything that can be
carved/ground/whittled down to the shape of a hook and sharp enough to
pierce the scales. If by any luck or use of manliness you find a fish
on the end of a line without a reel pull the string down to your waist
and pull as hard and fast as humanly possible. When your fish is on
the shore and dead, it's time to figure out how to skin/scale it.
first you'll need a knife that can be used to fillet the fish. Once
you obtain a knife/razor, put the blade next to the gills and push
down, Without cutting the fish in half, and slide it toward the tail.
Cut along the side of the spine without cutting off at the tail, leave
a little skin attaching the fillet and the fish together. Flip the
skin over so the meat is facing up and slide the knife along the
bottom of the meat between it and the skin. After a little
blood,sweat,and tears you have a cook-able fillet! 


If you prefer skinning the fish here is how
"Cut the skin behind the head and pectoral fins. Use pliers to remove
the cut skin from the catfish, starting at the head and pulling toward
the tail. Then, grasp the head of the fish with one hand and the body
with the other. Using both hands, break the backbone of the catfish at
the head, and then pull the head and guts away from the skinned body."
[Source: Take Me Fishing]


this is a catfish be careful for the spines in their fins