Bananabandit
.338 Win Mag
Id suggestion everyone (initially) to bug in unless no other option.
Beginning of shtf/wrol/doomsday
- Thread starter Drinkthekoolaid
- Start date
Blimey
.450/400 Nitro Ex
There is no deer population. I'm absolutely positive that if there was ever a SHTF situation, every deer within a hundred miles of any city center would be on a spit inside of two weeks. Something like 1/4 of the deer population is harvested annually in a pretty short hunting season within which only about 5% of the population bother partaking, and many half-assedly at that. Now turn this into a never-ending hunting season in which the bulk of the population are hunting, and doing so at night. If SHTF the only big game left will be those in remote areas.
If you have enough neighbors and they're willing to help protect livestock for a share of the harvest, you could still keep those around.
Blimey
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Agree, we have history and human nature to back it up. I also think in a zombie apocalypse the initial, knee-jerk reaction of everybody is to walk on egg shells and band together. It really is just what people do. And any cowboy who steps out of line will be put back in line very quickly. Most people have interests to protect and they will band together with like-minded people, and just hunker down together. In something like the road where there is no food left and no crops, I could ultimately see cannibalism, but that's years down the line.
I see the biggest factor being how many people are competing for resources on Day 1, Day 10, Day 100, etc.
A few nukes get lobbed around, 50% of the population (or more) is suddenly gone, well weather/fall out are probably your biggest concern because canned good would be relatively easy to find due to decreased population.
A solar flare pops the grid, but kills little to no people, you better be prepared because millions of people are looking for the same stuff as you. And that 5 mile buffer you have between you and town somewhere in upstate NY will shrink REAL fast when the reality of our planet's overpopulation hits.
A few nukes get lobbed around, 50% of the population (or more) is suddenly gone, well weather/fall out are probably your biggest concern because canned good would be relatively easy to find due to decreased population.
A solar flare pops the grid, but kills little to no people, you better be prepared because millions of people are looking for the same stuff as you. And that 5 mile buffer you have between you and town somewhere in upstate NY will shrink REAL fast when the reality of our planet's overpopulation hits.
This is tough to argue against
ArmedCorgi
.475 A&M Magnum
It really does boil down to natural law doesn't it? Just another reason to stock up and figure to bug in and hope to ride out the resource competition between the unprepared masses.
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
I don't know, I don't think it would take zombies, virus, or aliens for everyone to loose it. Maybe a day of easy going, look at shopping season. Forget it, I give them half a day. As soon as a small group in the hood find out that something is seriously wrong all bets are off. The first EBT card that doesn't work is all it's gonna take. And actually, I put more faith in aliens not being the great evil that the movies make them out to be. Think about it, statistics almost all agree that it isn't an "if" we find them, it's when. And most likely any advanced civilization that reaches us to pay a visit is going to be 100,000's of thousands+ of years older than us. Pretty sure even their evolution would default to a fairly peaceful civilization to make it that long without destroying themselves. I'm much more worried about how my fellow Man is going to react. I'm betting it won't be good.
First- get .30-06 ammo, put as much food as possible in my bag, then walk to grandmas, she is in a rural area, I already got stuff printed for the back roads, I've read lots of these kind of books about this stuff, read the angry american series
Catskillkid
.450/400 Nitro Ex
@Airborneguy do you know something about extraterrestrials that the rest of us don't?
By the way, I tend to agree with most of your analysis. Worst case scenario isn't massive die off via plague or what have you (other maybe catching the virus yourself) it's competing with others.
For the record I read The Road several years ago. By far the scariest novel I've ever read because (given the right right circumstances) I truly believe something like that could happen.
By the way, I tend to agree with most of your analysis. Worst case scenario isn't massive die off via plague or what have you (other maybe catching the virus yourself) it's competing with others.
For the record I read The Road several years ago. By far the scariest novel I've ever read because (given the right right circumstances) I truly believe something like that could happen.
How does the book compare to movie? I've heard a little about it,(that it's very bleak and depressing) but haven't seen either.
I'm probably going to get back into reading now that Christmas stuff is winding down
There have been times already where EBT cards went out for whatever reason for a day or so. Republicans even held up food stamp payments to states for a few months I believe a few years back. Even the worst ghettoes won't "explode" after only a few hours.
There's a reason why low-income areas contain their riots to their own 'hoods: they know they'd be demolished if they didn't. Sure they'll kill some people, wreak some havoc what have you, but should the ghetto spill out into working or upper class areas looking to "get mines", they would be handled in short order by whatever remains of the government forces and by locals alike.
Honestly if you work in the ghetto you'll hear it. They are afraid of us. They know where they belong, how to survive there, and what to do to make sure the gravy train continues to flow. It would take a hell of a lot to make them fan out, and if they did I am confident that fighting them off would be easy. I say this from years of experience doing just that and being a part of keeping them contained.
I only saw The Road once. Can't remember if they tell you what happened. Maybe I'll read the book one day.
I've read a lot of interesting posts in this thread that has changed my thinking.. I now think that a long term extreme grid down type scenario would be worse than I thought because there are already so many people living here that is well above carrying capacity for our natural resources and 90% of the population has no idea how to live or cope in an agricultural society. That's a lot of people competing for scarce resources.
I like this video. I made my wife watch it to try and get her thinking.
I like this video. I made my wife watch it to try and get her thinking.
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
You could be right, but those scenarios are different in the context that everything else is going on as normal. If there were a true SHTF scenario it may play out differently, enough people would know that something is very wrong. That of course would play into their fears. I wouldn't be really worried about the thugs fanning out into the country side for quite a while, they'll have easy picking in the hoods for a while to keep them occupied.
Unlike you, I'm never in the hood so you definitely got me there lol. I have no idea what they think, other than how I see them behave on the net when they decide to peacefully protest.
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Harry Hood
.223 Rem
Catskillkid
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Similar to the movie, but as with most of these things in my opinion, the book is WAY better. The suspense really gets built up far more than what you see on the screen.
@Airborneguy I don't think they actually say what caused the disaster in the book. I believe I read somewhere where the author (who also wrote No Country For Old Men by the way) said that he envisioned a comet hitting the Earth and that this was it's aftermath. Truly brings to the forefront how important ecosystems and the environment are to our survival. If you can't grow food or get clean water than nothing else really matters, does it?
Thanks. I think I'll read this after I get the final day (last book in one second after trilogy) which comes out in couple weeks
Blimey
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Movie compared very well IMO. The Road is a really solid story, but not a pleasant one. I made myself watch the movie a couple of nights ago but it's a grind. Just glad when it was over. It's a soul-sucking experience.
Great movie, though
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
Is that on Netflix?
First things first, coffee.
#1 skill will be a lack of empathy.
I would bug in and ride out the first few weeks as low key as humanly possible. No fraternizing and banding together, no fires, no generator, no nothing unless it's 100% necessary. I have a theory that in a supply chain disturbance hysteria will peak when medications and alcohol start to run out. Murder and suicide will be rampant. Alcohol and many drugs and medications withdrawals cause psychosis and death if not managed properly. After the medically sensitive and alcoholics self destruct i'll come out.
Nobody is dying of starvation in the first few weeks, they will die from fires, carbibon monixide poisoning, murder, car accidents, medical emergencies, dehydration, etc. You will be more likely to get snuffed over a loaf of bread for its monetary value than its nutritional value.
Also, on day 1 I would start and finish the construction of a very nondescript outhouse.
Nobody is dying of starvation in the first few weeks, they will die from fires, carbibon monixide poisoning, murder, car accidents, medical emergencies, dehydration, etc. You will be more likely to get snuffed over a loaf of bread for its monetary value than its nutritional value.
Also, on day 1 I would start and finish the construction of a very nondescript outhouse.
Bananabandit
.338 Win Mag
I practice that daily. I used to be a nice kid, cared about feelings of others. Now I cut out those who I care nothing about. I will spare some change or help someone having trouble...but if youre just another joe, I wont think twice about turning my back. Im unique. Its how I survive.
spat
.950 JDJ
Really, the first thing for any of us to do is gather information about the nature of the problem.
Establish comes with friends/family etc...
Find out the extent of the problem, is it local, regional, national, global ?
that makes a huge difference in what you do, are you preparing to ride out a temp situation till things return to normal, or are you looking at a complete replacement of political power structures.
I'm not worried about the tactical situation, it's the logistic and trategic one that is the big ?
Establish comes with friends/family etc...
Find out the extent of the problem, is it local, regional, national, global ?
that makes a huge difference in what you do, are you preparing to ride out a temp situation till things return to normal, or are you looking at a complete replacement of political power structures.
I'm not worried about the tactical situation, it's the logistic and trategic one that is the big ?
Funny, I have witnessed so much in my years on this Earth, more than I can remember or forget; many of my family and friends tell me that when it comes to others, I am dead inside. I have little empathy, sympathy or compassion left.
Funny thing about me is I'm probably one of the first to go either way because of my kids, but for most anyone else I wouldn't spare a scrap of cheese. I wouldn't even waste a bullet to put someone out of their misery.