Greetings from a prepping noob!

[Henner]

Hi all, I've just stumbled across this forum, and its great to know there's such a large community of likeminded individuals (:

I've not been 'prepping' for a long while, but take a somewhat different approach to lots of people I've heard talking about saving up tonnes of tinned food for a disaster.
It occurs to me that in a situation where there is no food on the supermarket shelves, and us preppers are bugging in/out with our various supplies, that there will naturally follow the in-enforceability of law. There'll just be far too many hungry people who are willing to go out of their way to eat by any means necessary to impose any sort of enforceable regulation.

This not only puts those with a few tins of tomatoes knocking about in their shelves at risk from gangs of thugs looking to pillage whatever they can, but puts those of us with a year's supply of tomatoes at far greater risk.

Wouldn't it be more feasible to go light, say with food to last you just a month for a 'transitional phase', from a time of plenty, to a time of very little, and over that time, slowly move your food sources from your prepped supplies to your food from your natural environment by using a crossbow/bow to hunt wild game from there? Ammunition is renewable, and such weapons are very versatile and durable, and surprisingly legal to purchase in the UK.

It would after all be a WROL situation, without (stupid) laws stopping people from hunting with that type of weapon, and a group of people armed with crossbows is not only a formidable enemy to a group of bat-weilding thugs, but may also be an attraction to others looking to join a group.

Any ideas? (:

[pseudonym]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

My thoughts are that the amount of stored dried, canned, tinned and frozen food will allow you to last up to and through a planting season.

that is the main long term goal.

All those without any stored food will soon deplete the wild food/animals to an unsustainable level.

[preppingsu]

Well, I suppose it really does depend on what you are prepping for.
I am one of those that does have a good few months worth of food stored, plus the space and ability to grow our own fruit and veg.

I prep for bad weather, ill health, unemployment, rising living costs. So the food stores help us.

The end of society as we know it is a little further down my list

Anyhow, we are a mixed bunch on here so welcome to the forum.

[preppingsu]

All those without any stored food will soon deplete the wild food/animals to an unsustainable level.

And then we're all stuffed....

[Henner]

I'm personally prepping for financial collapse. I see it as the most realistic, and indeed imminent-a-threat.
The rises in costs are down to the rotten system we're all stuck in, and as far as I'm concerned, whilst the politicians sit there twiddling their thumbs, letting our debt skyrocket to unpayable figures, the only thing to do is prepare yourself for a rough time.

I don't like the idea of just hunkering down with some food and expecting the problem to go away before you run out. It seems a little optimistic.
Personally, I'd like to know that I've got my affairs in order if the banks don't magically rejuvenate our currency, and the supermarkets don't restock overnight.

Overhunting is ehh, a minor issue. Very few people own crossbows and bows anyway.
A diet of wild game would of course be supplemented with wild edibles, but having some bushcraft experience myself, I remember being told specifically by my instructor that living solely of wild edibles is an impossible feat. And for those who don't own enough land to become self sufficient on, and the weapons required to defend it from hungry thugs looking for a quick meal, eating 'wild food' seems like the only option for them.

Cheers for the replies though, It's great to get some different perspectives on this topic! (:

[Cromicon]

Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of different approaches to prepping that people have discussed and are no doubt taking. All dependant on what scenario they are prepping for. Some declaring what they are doing, some not declaring their plan and some maybe using misdirection. It's all part of the rich tapestry of life!

[Henner]

Well, personally, I don't have a lot of secrets to disclose, per say. (:

I'm just keeping a mobile supply of equipment and food to stay versatile to any situation that may arise.
And I'm also looking to network with other people who'd like to work co-operatively, as a community in the same sort of manner.

Just being generally open and friendly, and recognising that we've all got similar needs, and that this great fear we all have of our neighbours is probably going to kill anybody before the great mutant zombie swine flu disease does. xD

[tigs]

welcome to the forum