Hunting With a Crossbow Techniques and Methods

 

With strict gun controls here in the UK, arming ourselves and equipping ourselves for defence as part of our emergency planning and disaster preparedness is very difficult.

I have often wondered about crossbows which I have seen offered for sale.

The crossbow turned the tide in several conflicts during the late medieval period because practically anyone could use one – whether it was hunting with a crossbow or fighting with a crossbow – this weapon made its mark.

Long bowmen were highly skilled thus highly valued warriors. To become a master at the longbow took years of training and dedication. Therefore, only a select few could be counted on to use the weapon effectively.

This reduced the overall effectiveness of the army until a weapon came along that even the untrained archer could master. The crossbow soon became a popular weapon with armies and hunters alike because of its ease of use and power.

Today modern hunters and others still use the crossbow for various reasons and anyone considering a weapon for hunting while in a wilderness environment should seriously consider a crossbow.

A crossbow is silent and is ideal for covert operations and on hunting trips. Flying bolts will not scare the game off like loud gunfire. If you find yourself in a survival situation, you may not want to reveal your location to others. Using a crossbow for hunting is ideal in these circumstances.

To find out more about crossbows, there is a really interesting article which I found: http://www.wildernesssurvivalskills.org/hunting-with-a-crossbow-techniques-and-methods

It’s well worth a read.

Now, I must say that I am not sure where we stand in the eyes of the law here in the UK about possessing what might be seen as an “offensive weapon” – I would love to hear from someone who can advise on this.

In the meantime – stay safe, stay health and be prepared!

 

 

Follow John on Twitter at @preppingUK - and listen out for Tom Linden's UK Prepper Show on UK Health Radio at the weekend! John’s health and wellness blog can be found at www.health-kicks.co.uk

 

Prepping UK is kindly sponsored by Hampshire Snow Clearance (www.hampshiresnowclearance) – helping businesses in the Basingstoke, Fleet and Hook areas of Hampshire, UK maintain safety and business continuity during adverse weather conditions. Services include preventative gritting of car parks and footpaths in icy conditions and heavy duty snow clearance of commercial premises.

Stark reminder for UK preppers from government research!

Government research identifies Supervolcanoes Spewing Deadly Gases as the Greatest Hazard to UK, writes John Hicks of PreppingUK.co.uk and the internationally-syndicated 'Health Kicks Show'.

 

Not just preppers but everyone in Britain should take notice that a high-level UK Government report has issued a stark warning of dangers posed to the United Kingdom.

Though not by terrorism, economic collapse or global warming, but the eruption of so-called 'supervolcanoes' in nearby Iceland threaten the UK. These hazards include extremes of cold in winter and heat in summer, catastrophic crop failure and deadly clouds of sulphur dioxide.

The Government commissioned the study by scientists from the UK Meteorological Office, universities and the British Geological Survey (BGS), following the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 which caused months of disruption for airlines because volcanic ash posed a threat to plane engines.

The report will be presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna.

Head of volcanology at the BGS Sue Loughlin will present the paper, and warns that Eyjafjallajokull was a relatively small eruption and would be dwarfed by eruptions at other volcanic systems, which have erupted in the relatively recent past.

Ms Loughlin's report warns that such eruptions, "typified by the Laki eruption in Iceland in 1783-84, have been identified as one of the three highest priority natural hazards faced by the UK."

Unlike with a traditional funnel-shaped volcano, the 1783 Laki event happened when a 17-mile fissure opened up in the Grimsvotn complex in the east of the island. This caused 130 craters along the crack to pump out 3.6 cubic miles of lava, sending lava fountains a mile into the sky.

The Laki event caused 120m tons of sulphur dioxide cloud to drift across the UK. Once inhaled it turns to sulphuric acid, which can cause fatal inflammation. Around 23,000 died in Britain – in an age when the population was far lower and there were far fewer older people. The consequences of "effusive gas-rich eruption" in a country of 63 million people could be truly disastrous.

In Iceland during 1783 the effects were even more devastating, with 80% of livestock being wiped out and crop failure causing 20% of the population to starve the death. Over the following years winters across Europe were exceptionally cold and summers blisteringly hot, and it has been suggested that the knock-on effects may have helped usher in the French Revolution of 1789.

The report found that major events at Grimsvotn and at Katla, a similar volcanic system, have occurred at least 40 times over the last 1,130 years. The government has now ordered the Met Office to monitor Iceland's active volcano systems.

John says: "So, in my view, it is a stark reminder to UK preppers, that we should continue our efforts to be able to look after ourselves and our families - even if just for a matter of weeks - in the event of a disaster affecting our region of the country."

Supervolcanoes aren't just found in Iceland, but around the world. Earlier this year there were fears of an eruption at the Yellowstone National Park, which includes a 55-mile-wide underground cavern holding vast quantities of molten rock. Scientists fear if it erupts the impact on climate could potentially threaten the existence of all human life on earth.



Follow John on Twitter at @preppingUK - and listen out for Tom Linden's UK Prepper Show on UK Health Radio at the weekend!

A simple definition of prepping in the UK

By John Hicks of the UK Health Radio's weekly talk radio health and wellness 'Health Kicks Show'

So what is 'prepping' and who are 'preppers'.

Here in the UK, there are a growing number of people to devote some of their time and resources to learning about and preparing for  a major disaster in their locality which restricts the about of government resources to be able to support them in the immediate future.

Our newspapers, radio news and television news broadcasts are increasingly bringing us information about catastrophic events such as violent tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters which are are on the increase.

The world economy is still faltering and many are facing an uncertain financial future. Some people believe that the world will end because of an economic disaster; while others believe that there may be an EMP from a solar eclipse or the polar shift scientists have discovered will devastate the world we live in. All believe that in their lifetime that there will be a tipping point that will create social unrest and chaos.

In times of instability more people are looking for ways to not only provide for their families but to protect them. They want to make sure that in the event of a financial meltdown, catastrophic weather event, EMP, social unrest, or terrorist activity such as an attack on a nuclear power station, that they can provide their loved ones with the basic necessities required to survive.

We all watched in horror at the TV images of looting in riots here in the UK. And we stand by helpless when striking lorry drivers at petrol refineries threatened to starve fuel stations of the petrol and diesel supermarket delivery drivers needed to re-stock the shop shelves.

Those people who have decided to rely on themselves rather than waiting for the government to come in and rescue them from a crisis are called Preppers.

I am not an extreme prepper. I am ensuring that I have enough food, water, medicines and basic essentials for at least four weeks. But I am also looking at how I could take care of, and protect, my family over an extended period.

My first prepping handbook

By John Hicks of The Health Kicks Show on UK Health Radio

My daughter Chelsea-Anne thoughtfully gave me my first handbook on prepping - and I welcome this opportunity to share details with you as it is a very good starting point.

The book is called "The Doomsday Prepping Crash Course" by Patty Hahne and published by Skyhorse Publishing Inc.

I found it an easy read and a useful beginner's guide to being prepared for any event so I often return to it for tips and ideas as I develop my own personal emergency survival plan.

I was surprised that Chelsea bought me this book as, being a teenager, she finds my passion for such things as stocking-up on tins of foods and buying a generator slightly amusing. But she knew that it was something of great interest to me and I am hopeful that there is a begrudging acceptance in her mind that disaster can strike any of us, anywhere in the world, at any time. I certainly do not want her to be worried but I would like to think that she too will go on to have a plan in place when she comes to have a family of her own.

I explain to her that it is like having a car breakdown insurance policy or a life insurance policy. We all try and afford one, even if just a basic plan, but hope we never have to use it.

Patty Hahne's book is a good first step in being prepared.





Join John Hicks every week on UK Health Radio, your local radio station, iTunes or Podbean for The Health Kicks Show - follow the links on www.health-kicks.co.uk

Welcome to Prepping UK from UK Health Radio

By health and wellness radio talk show, John Hicks, of The Health Kicks Show on UK Health Radio - which is syndicated to radio stations worldwide and available on demand on iTunes and Podbean


This is just a brief note to welcome you to my new blog on prepping in the UK.

It is intended as a gentle introduction for people new to prepping as well as an opportunity for established preppers to share their expertise and passion with a whole new audience.

My name is John Hicks and I present a health and wellness radio show on UK Health Radio. My interest in prepping, however, started some years ago when the UK government circulated a newsletter warning every household that we should have enough supplies to last at least two weeks in the event of a national or regional emergency.

So, I began to stock up and build up reserves, including equipment such as gas heaters and a small generator. In the severe winter of 2010, these became very useful when heavy snowfall drew transport to a complete standstill for a week or more so that shop shelves became depleted and it was too cold for petrol station pumps to operate.

Then when we founded UK Health Radio, we had the opportunity to air The UK Prepper Radio Show with Tom Linden. His interesting insights into practical prepping caused me to become even more interested and to share ideas in The Health Kicks Show.

I am now looking particularly how traditional herbal remedies and natural medicines could, in the absence of medications on pharmacy shelves, could treat everyday ailments and common conditions the natural way of our forefathers!

I hope you find my blog interesting. If you have expertise and a passion for this subject, do please share your blogs with me by writing to john@ukhealthradio.com - and join me on Twitter @preppingUK








Keywords: survival techniques, prepping, UK preppers, bushcraft, being prepared, survivalists, survival kits, SHTF, disaster preparedness, emergency planning, practical prepping, natural medicines, herbal healing