How to be a Backyardsman

how to be a backyardsmanEvery other month I look forward to the latest issue of The Backwoodsman. When I found this magazine it was like a breath of fresh air. Especially Being a “Backyardsman” in the July/August 2017 issue. Scott Siegfried could have been speaking for me. Like him, I wish I lived in a much more rural or even wild environment, but job and family responsibilities keep me in the city. But how can you be a backwoodsman in the city? His writing is full of ideas on living a backwoodsman life in the city – he calls it being a Backyardsman. I liked the idea so much that I decided to start this blog to explore it further. But how to be a backyardsman? How much can you really do in the city? If you think about it, quite a lot…

How to be a Backyardsman???

The first thing I read every time I get the latest issue of The Backwoodsman is read the Reader’s Requests box at the start of the letters section. This gives me an idea of what other people are interested in. Hopefully an idea for something to write about maybe. There are usually lots of good requests, but one in the March/April 2018 issue really surprised me – “How to be a Backyardsman.” Really? Every issue is packed with things you can do without being out in the woods. I got to thinking about it though and I’m guilty of the same kind of thinking sometimes. “Gee, if only I didn’t live in the city…” “Dang, if only I could take a month off from work and forget that I had a family to take care of, bills to pay…”

How to be a Backyardsman

First of all, what is a backyardsman? To quote Scott, “A backyardsman is basically a backwoodsman who sticks closer to home. He enjoys reading about survival, camping, old-timey stuff, self sufficiency, homesteading, etc. Dabbles in some ‘backwoodman-esque’ activities and hobbies. He may have a workshop where he makes…”

Well, you get the idea. Do you need to be living in a cabin or a tent to do any of these things? No. In fact, you could even do most of them in your… back yard. Wasn’t that easy? I’d even say that if you’re new at this, practicing in some skills in your backyard would be better than trying them for the first time in the back woods. For example using a tarp as an emergency shelter in a snow storm. Where would you rather try this for the first time? In your back yard, where failure means you go inside, have a cup of coffee, and think about what went wrong? Or out in the woods after a 10 mile hike, in territory you don’t know too well, where failure could mean that you freeze to death?

But what about??? I can’t…

Of course there are some things you can’t do in your back yard. Unless you’re incredibly fortunate, you probably can’t shoot a gun or hunt in your back yard. Heck, where I live it’s illegal to even shoot a BB gun in my back yard. That doesn’t stop you from building a black powder rifle kit though. Or learning to build an AR-15, refinishing the stock on an old rifle, making a custom set of grip for a handgun, reloading ammo, or studying for a CCW permit.

You probably can’t go fishing in your back yard. That doesn’t stop you from learning how to tie flies, make your own fishing lures, or raising worms to use or sell as bait. It doesn’t stop you from going to the park and learning to cast a fly rod. It doesn’t stop you from finding places to fish that are closer to home than your perfect backwoods fishing spot.

If you’re still doubting, just look through any issue of The Backwoodsman. In the latest issue, you can learn how to use a bow drill to start fires. Discover how to learn about your personal area of operation (AO) by going on micro adventures. Learn about whittling. How to make a quilt. Re-purpose a length of rebar into a walking stick. Make homemade grape wine. Put together a low budget camping kit. There is even a good write up on how to survive an active shooter situation. That’s just one issue, and every single one can be practiced in your own back yard. Heck, some of them don’t even require a back yard – a small bench somewhere is plenty of room.

What was the question?

Oh. “How to be a Backyardsman?” I hope this post answers the question. Being a backwoodsman or a backyardsman is a state of mind. You don’t have to be out in the woods to have that state of mind. You can have it and practice a lot of back woods skills right in your own back yard or abode.

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep… lately?

This week’s preps – Feb 23 (???) 2018

It’s not like I stopped prepping for the last 2 – 3 weeks, just nothing that fits into a nice little “what did you do to prep this week” label…

So what HAVE I been doing?

I got to go to my prepper group meeting on the 8th. As always it was good information, but the specific topic was something that really isn’t on my personal list of imminent threats. On the 15th I went to my monthly CERT group meeting. This was about situational awareness and the speaker was very good. Plus they gave out a free tool (gas shut-off wrench)…

Prepping for health…

I joined the gym at my work and I’ve actually been going. I also bought a pair of 30 lb dumbells and started using them. Even my normally critical wife has is noticing the difference in my smaller belly and (very slightly) bigger arms. My plan to not drink is working out well (OK, “pretty well”) as is my attempts to eat healthier foods,

Back yard preps…

I ordered two more blackberry plants (should get here next week) and started looking for some heirloom squash seeds.  Got some yard cleanup done. Bought two camping/survival stoves – a Kelly Kettle and a Solo stove and pot combo. Both burn wood so they should be fun to experiment with.

Misc. preps…

Talked to my kid about backpacking this summer. Took him to the REI store to look at packs. Found a nice kid-sized Osprey and tried it out. Clerk was very helpful. Adjusted the fit for us and loaded it up to let my son try it. He loved the pack except for the color. He wants a “military color.” Only problem is I can’t find a good kid’s backpacking pack in anything except bright blue or bright green. I think the pack makers are missing out on a good marketing opportunity here…

I joined ARRL and the NRA. NRA because after the recent rants from the left about the “need” to destroy the 2nd Amendment and anyone who supports it, I think it’s important to do something to support and show my support for our American Bill of Rights. ARRL because they’re an incredible technical resource for anyone interested in radio communications. Speaking of radio comm, I also got a couple of really good antenna design references…

What did you do to prep over the last couple weeks?

Peace out,
porcupine

Related Links:

Kelly Kettle
National Rifle Association
ARRL

What did you do to prep this week?

This week’s preps – Feb 04 2018

Prepping for me over the past week was not so much. My kid had the flu really bad. So bad that we spent most of Wed. night with him in ER getting checked out and hydrated. I did manage to get a couple things done though. I got a Hatfield SGL shotgun and a Daisy 880. Yesterday I spent some time with the Daisy in the back yard and today I took the Hatfield out. SInce I was taking the shotgun out I also brought my RIA GI Commander and shot it for the first time. It was really nice to get out. I haven’t been shooting in at least 8 months. Managed to pick up about 150 rounds of range brass too…

I’m working on learning skills that might be useful to others, so I picked up a torch and some copper pipe. I want to learn plumbing the old school way. Started researching how to build an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) based on this post from PrepperRalph and started getting supplies. Other than that, not a whole lot. It’s getting warm so I need to get off my lazy butt and start getting more things done.

Next week…

Next week is the monthly meeting of a prepper group I belong to. The topic will be Hawaii’s false missile alert. Should be interesting.

What did you do to prep this week?

Peace out,
porcupine

The best laid plans…

of mice and menMy AR-15 rebuild is temporarily SNAFU. I got my Daniel Defense MFR rail and I really like it (kind of wish I’d gotten the 13.5″ instead of the 10″ though). Like I’d hoped, the barrel nut is the same as the RIS-II. Good so far – no need to remove the gas block. Well, except… oops. When I thought I might have to take it off, I went to DD’s site to find out what kind of Loctite it uses for the screws. Major problem It won’t work with my gas block, which is also from Daniel Defense:

“* Does not fit within the MFR XS”

In my defense, I bought the gas block before the MFR rail was on the market. It’s pretty low profile so I had no reason to think it wouldn’t fit. No problem, I’ll just get a different gas block. I’m sure their Mk12 gas block will work, right? Wrong. OK, I’ll get a new rail. Geissele and LaRue both make quality stuff, they probably have a rail. Nope, at least not one as nice (or light) as the Daniel Defense MFR. So back to looking for a new gas block. Contacted Daniel Defense and they recommended one from SLR Rifleworks. It has two set screws and can also be pinned to the barrel. I’m not a big fan of set screw gas blocks. I don’t feel they’re as secure as the clamp-on style. Also, for this gun I don’t want to drill the barrel for a pinned block. So I guess I’ll order the gas block and dimpling tool and go from there. Not my first choice but it is what it is…

Maybe a new rail?

I did notice on DD’s web site that they have an XL version of the MFR rail that’s just a little fatter than the regular MFR. Maybe it is fat enough to work with the DD gas block? If so it will be tempting, but I already have too much money in this gun and I don’t want to drop another $279 for another rail. Besides, what would I do with my existing MFR? Sell it for a loss? I guess I could use it on an upcoming pistol build if the length is OK. Ah, the joys and frustrations of black rifle disease…

Peace out,
porcupine

Flu vaccine – Stupid is as Stupid does (or doesn’t)

flu-vaccine I had an interesting past two days. On Tuesday, my son had a high fever, sore throat, and chills so my wife kept him home from school and took him to urgent care. He tested negative for flu (more on that in a bit) and strep. They recommended ibuprofen for the fever and lots of water. She gave him ibuprofen and the fever came down. By Tuesday night he was fever free but vomiting. Yesterday, he couldn’t hold down food or water. When he wasn’t vomiting he was dry heaving. I took him back to urgent care. The gave him some meds to try and get his stomach settled down. We were there for about 3 hours and they couldn’t do anything for him. The medical technician was worried about dehydration since he hadn’t drank all day so he had us take him to ER.

Emergency Room (ER) vs. Urgent Care

We got him to ER around 8:00 pm it was a madhouse. I never realized how many people get sick at the same time. They checked him in right away and checked his vitals. Then we waited for a room. Finally they put us in a room at 11:00 pm. The doctor came in about 11:30. He had my son’s blood sugar level checked and tested again for flu. Turns out the hospital uses a flu test that’s 100% accurate. The test used at urgent care is only 70% accurate. It took a little over an hour to get the results back. My son did have the flu, Influenza B which is the same strain they’re vaccinating for this year. In other words, if we’d gotten our son a flu vaccine this year he wouldn’t have gotten the flu.

In the mean time they’d been treating him for nausea. By 1:00 am he could keep water down so we didn’t have to worry about dehydration. The doctor told us he was healthy enough to go home. By the time we finished up it was about 1:30 when we left the hospital.

I’ve never been big on getting a flu vaccine

I’ve never been big on getting flu vaccines for myself or my family. It seems like for awhile the only years I got the flu were the same years I got a flu shot. I have some close relatives that are always going on about how harmful flu shots really are. I never bought into the idea that flu shots were intentionally harmful, but the controversy kind of justified me not getting them. Well, in my mind at least…

Next year we’ll probably get flu vaccines. I didn’t like seeing my son suffer like he had to over the past couple of days. I’m sure I’m not going to like the ER bill when it gets here. And I keep hearing the words from the nurse:

If he’d gotten a flu shot this year, he wouldn’t have the flu right now.

OK. So next year, we’ll probably all (my family) get flu shots. I want to research it some more before I decide for sure. In the mean time, I’m looking into natural ways to boost our immune systems. That should help us to maybe not get the flu even if we don’t get flu shots. If we do get the flu, maybe it will help make the symptoms less severe. At least I hope. After all, the most important prep is to stay healthy…

Peace out,
porcupine

Buying guns at Walmart

buying guns at Walmart Would you buy a gun at Walmart? I’ve had mixed experiences with any gun related purchases at Walmart. A few years ago I bought a Ruger 10-22. The clerk was nice until he found out I wanted to buy a gun. Then all of the sudden I’m being treated like a suspected felon (though they did sell me the gun). Buying guns at Walmart? You’ve got to be kidding me.

A year later I tried getting a hunting license. The clerk insisted that I needed a copy of my Hunter’s Safety Certificate. Never mind that I’m over 50. Never mind that I had the previous two years’ hunting licenses with me. Nope, according to the clerk I needed a 42 year old document from a different state that’s probably been lost for 40 years. I finally convinced her to sell me the d@*! license, if I could remember the exact date my safety certificate was issued. So I made up a date and got the license.

Usually that kind of crap would make me want to never buy any sporting goods at Walmart ever again. Small problem with that idea though. A few months ago Backwoodsman Magazine published a piece on the Hatfield SGL shotgun. I decided I needed one and the only place in town that has them is Walmart. Hmmm…

Buying guns at Walmart

I went to look at their gun display and a clerk walked up and asked me what I was looking for. I viewed this as an interruption because usually the Walmart clerks don’t know jack about guns. But since he asked, I told him I was looking for a Hatfield SGL single shot shotgun. Wonder of wonders, he actually knew what I was talking about. He pulled a 12 gauge out of the display case to show me and mentioned they also had the 20 ga. and 410 versions in stock, but not on display.

I told him I was interested in the 410. He said that’s a fun choice, but pointed out that 410 ammo is over twice the price of 12 or 20 ga. so I might want to consider the 20 ga. instead. We talked a bit and I thanked him for his time. I wanted to check 410 ammo prices online before deciding between the 410 and 20 ga. He agreed that was a good idea and thanked me for coming in. Wow, where was this guy before?

My Walmart gun purchase

After checking ammo prices online, I decided on the 410. I went back the next day hoping to get the same clerk. No luck, he was off. The lady clerk asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted to buy a gun.

“Oh. Do you have a CCW?”

I told her yes, I do.

“Good. That way you won’t have to pay for a background check.”

WHAT??? Two clerks in two days that are knowledgeable about guns? Unbelievable… So I did my FFL form and walked out of the store with two guns…

Two guns for less than $200???

The same issue of Backwoodsman Magazine that had the article about the Hatfield SGL also had one on the Daisy 880 pellet gun. I decided I needed one of those too. Since Walmart had them on the shelf for only $35.00 (with scope!!!) I decided to get one of those while I was there.

Price for both guns (including tax): $148.08

Not a bad way to spend a “buck fifty” and 20 minutes of my time. I guess that just like you can get crappy customer service anywhere, you can also get good customer service anywhere. Even at Walmart.

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep this week?

This week’s preps – Jan 30 2018

Another day late and a dollar short. OK, two days late… or two weeks… Well, it’s not like I haven’t been prepping for the last two weeks, it’s just that I haven’t done any thing. Or at least done much…

But, what I did do is start dieting. Not a real diet, just a change in what I put in my pie hole. Lots less carbs, more meat and veggies. I’m also drinking smoothies every night. Organic yogurt, celery, wheat grass, frozen cherries, frozen blueberries, almond milk, and a little bit of honey. Tasty. I also started working out to the program in Convict Conditioning. I also started taking prescription level doses of vitamin D. For the past two weeks I’ve been rucking around my neighborhood. Not just on hump day either… I joined the gym at work yesterday. Today I bought two 30 lb dumbells at Walmart and started working my arms and shoulders. I’m kind of sore right now but it’s a good kind of sore.

All this is because two weeks ago my left ankle started acting up again. I got a new doctor who is very aggressive about finding out what’s wrong. She ordered a complete blood panel, including testing my uric acid level. The great news is my uric acid levels are well below what would cause gout. (See honey? I told you it wasn’t gout.) The good news is my cholesterol levels are almost normal in spite of being over weight and NOT taking my prescription cholesterol medicine for over a year now. My doctor said I can probably get it well into the normal range with just exercise and a fish oil supplement. The bad news is my liver enzymes are high and my vitamin D levels are low. Hence the no more beer, wheat grass smoothies, and prescription vitamin D. Oh, and my left ankle and knee still flair up too often (even though it’s NOT gout) so I’m working on leg strength and losing weight.

Besides that, I bought Forging the Hero for one of my friends and started some winter lettuce.

What did you do to prep this week?

Peace out,
porcupine

Reconfigure an AR 15

black hole weaponry barrel The Sept/Oct 2017 Backwoodsman Magazine had a good article on the AR 15. It’s nice to see them being open to the AR platform. I think the AR 15 is ideal for the Backwoodsman or Backyardsman. The article was positive, but the author left out the biggest point: How easy it is to build, repair, or reconfigure an AR 15. Just about anyone can do it, with no expensive tools (i.e. lathe) or specialized skills required. If you have average or better hand-eye coordination and you can follow simple instructions, it’s easy to work on an AR 15.

My AR 15

My AR 15 is one I built myself about 3 years ago. I put it together not really knowing what I wanted. The lower is configured as an A2 (fixed stock). I’m OK with that, but I flubbed the upper. Barrel is a Black Hole Weaponry carbine length HBAR. Heavy. Rail is a Daniel Defense RIS-II. Heavy. Flash hider is a BE Meyers 249. Heavy. The scope and mount are also on the heavy side.Because of all the heavy parts, the gun itself is heavy – not what I really want.  The problem is I bought my parts without thinking about what I really wanted.

How to reconfigure an AR 15

Luck for me, it’s really easy to reconfigure an AR 15. My main goal was to reduce weight but keep the Black Hole barrel. Adding up the weight of things I could reduce gave me a total weight of 40.5 oz. (RIS-II 14.1, BE Meyers 3.1, LT104 7.1, and Viper PST 16.2). I started looking for lighter replacements. A Daniel Defense MFR is 8.4 oz. A plain A2 flash hider is 1.1 oz. lighter than the BEM 249. Aero Precision’s ultra light AR 15 scope mount is 3.3 oz. I can’t afford a new scope just yet, but Nikon M223 scope is an ounce less than my Vortex and gives twice the magnification.

Changing out the scope mount and flash hider is easy. The only potential issue is replacing the rail. Most of the time you’ll have to pull the gas block and tube to get the barrel nut off. In my case I hope it’s not an issue because my new MFR rail uses a similar barrel nut as the RIS-II. This is kind of a big deal to me because I used red Locktite to put the gas block on, and I don’t really want to take a torch to it. We’ll see when the MFR gets here later this week…

So what will I gain? Replacing the rail, flash hider, and scope mount take 10.6 oz. off the gun. That might not sound like a lot, but it should really change the feel and balance of the rifle.

Buck Brahma Review

Buck BrahmaWhen I was a kid, Buck knives were considered to be the best hunting knife you could get. Today, over 40 years later, Buck still makes great knives. The classic models are even still made in the USA. When I saw the Brahma version of their 119 Special I had to have one. The Buck Brahma has the same wonderful 420HC blade as the Special, combined with the classic good looks of a Ka-Bar military blade. After reading some of the negative reviews I almost changed my mind. More than a few were having issues with the handle being loose or misshapen. I decided to order one anyway. I figured the worst thing would be I’d get a chance to try out Buck’s customer service.

My Buck Brahma Review

I ordered my Brahma from Amazon and had it in two days. It didn’t have the handle issues that some of the reviewers on Amazon were complaining about. So far, so good. The first thing I did was compare it to my Ka-Bar. Yep, looks just like the Ka-Bar’s little brother. Nice. Overall quality seemed good, so lets look at the details.

Buck Brahma and KaBar 1220
Buck Brahma (next to Ka-Bar 1220 for size comparison)

Handle

My Brahma didn’t show any problems with the handle. The leather washers were all tight, finished to a smooth contour, and the whole assembly was correctly aligned. The leather looks like it has no finish, so I’ll treat mine with beeswax or something to help protect it. The handle gives 4 inches of grip between the finger guard and pommel. My hand fit (barely), but those with larger hands might have a problem.

Buck Brahma handle
The Brahma handle fits my hand with no room to spare

The blade guard has lanyard holes on both sides and there’s a third lanyard hole in the pommel. The pommel itself attaches to the tang with a small threaded nut and a steel pin. I don’t like this, because using the pommel to hammer something (knife abuse!!!) will likely damage the nut. Not a great design. Looks really cool, but not so sure about durability if you actually used it as a pommel…

Buck Brahma pommel
The nut and pin that hold the pommel in place. Also note lanyard hole

Blade

The Buck Brahma uses the same blade as the 119 Special. This could be good or bad, depending on how you intend to use this blade. If you’re going to use it as a hunting knife, it’s ideal. The hollow grind slices nicely, and the up-swept tip means it can do a passable job at skinning. If you’re planning on using this as a bushcraft knife though, my advice would be – don’t. The same features that make this blade so nice for processing game also make it too delicate for serious wood processing chores like chopping or batoning IMO.

Buck Brahma blade
Buck Brahma blade (next to Ka-Bar 1220 for size comparison)

So back to game processing… The Brahma blade is ideally suited for processing game, but for some reason Buck decided to put some kind of coating on the blade. Some have stated it’s for “corrosion resistance,” but since Buck has shipped thousands (if not millions) of 420HC blades without coating  before the Brahma, I’m guessing it’s more for looks. That’s all fine and dandy, except it comes of really easy (you can see it on my hands in some of the pics). I don’t know about you, but I don’t like having unknown coatings transferring from my knife blade to my meat. Before using this on game, it would probably be a good idea to remove all the coating from the blade.

Sheath

The sheath is another thing some of the Amazon reviewers complained about. One complained that it wasn’t real leather and another said it wasn’t really MOLLE compatible.

I think it’s actually a pretty nice sheath. It’s mostly made from black nylon cloth of some sort. There’s a Kydex pocket that holds the blade which is sandwiched between the main part of the sheath on the back and a leather cover on the front.


Buck Brahma and sheath

Summary

Good: The Buck Brahma is a classic Buck hunting knife updated to look like a US military fighting knife. Made in USA, backed by Buck’s limited lifetime warranty.

Not so good: Pommel is mostly just for looks, not function. Coating on blade needs to be removed before processing game. Seems to be targeted at bushcrafters, but blade not suitable for bushcraft IMO.

Last word: The Buck Brahma is a really nice looking knife with a great hunting blade. If you’re looking for a hunting blade, though, you might as well just get the original – the Buck 119 Special. Heck, or maybe even a Pathfinder. If you want a more versatile blade but find the Ka-Bar 1220 series too big, consider the Ka-Bar 1250. It’s about the same size as the Brahma with a blade better suited to heavy use.

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep this week?

This week’s preps – Jan 14 2018

This week all I did was go to my monthly prepper group meeting. We didn’t have one in December so it was good to be back. Two of my friends (married couple) were sick and couldn’t make it. That sucked because I was looking forward to seeing them. On the plus side, there were 3 new people. That was nice since we haven’t had any fresh faces for quite awhile. One of the new guys did a nice presentation of a simple solar oven. Only five pieces: small piece of sign board, 9 x 9 inch mirror, 9 x 18 inch piece of aluminized mylar, small glass jar with lid, and second glass jar large enough to fit over the smaller one. I hope to build one soon and post pics and a how-to here…

We had a good discussion about “what is prepping” and what’s the difference between preppers and crazy, paranoid people. This was brought up by another one of the new guys. When I think of prepping, most of it would have been considered common sense not all that long ago. Know how to grow your own food. Know how to prepare, preserve, and store your own food. Be part of a resilient community.

Opsec? What opsec?

It was nice seeing some new people, but it also reminded me of the importance of Opsec. I guess going to a meeting isn’t an “Op” but you still need to know when to STFU when talking to people you don’t really know. So… the only thing I talked about was Baofeng radios and getting an amateur radio license. Better to just fly under the radar until I get to know them better (assuming they come back).

What did you do to prep this week?

Peace out,
porcupine