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Would like to start SHTF team

Hercules-H3T

Well-Known Member
Messages
144
Location
Brownwood, Texas
I have 200 acres with 2 ponds of water and 6 cows and 30 chickens that are a self sufficient source of eggs. Plenty of arms and ammo. Would like a group of people to join me in case of emergency. I am looking for people in Central Texas.

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JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
Is this a thing now? My parents are kind of on one of those over in Colorado Springs, but that is mostly because they are getting a free place to live for a while (the guy who is forming the team has a few pieces of land, and they are caretaking one of them for him) and because they bring the practical and working knowledge of how to be self sufficient (canning, farming, animal husbandry, etc).

I don't think it's a bad idea, provided it's not taken to extremes and is approached realistically (there is a difference between being self sufficient/prepared, and being a tinfoil hat wearing, arms/ammo/MRE stockpiling, vault dwelling nutjob). I'm all about becoming self sufficient and have a way to support yourself if things go south, even if it is just due to you losing your job or something mundane like that.

I own 4 dual purpose chickens (the max our city will allow, and dual purpose means they are good for eggs and meat), bottle food (I make some terrific jalapeno jelly), know how to bake bread from scratch (nothing better than fresh homemade wheat bread with butter and honey!), and am slowly building up a good food storage supply. That's just some of what I do. I'm no where near Texas though.
 

3Hummers

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,398
Location
Central Texas
Most of us in Texas are relatively self sufficient. Arms, ammo, foodstuffs, been hunting, camping, fishing since we were kiddos, have bug out capable vehicles, etc. family and like minded neighbors are your best source of reliable support.
 

skeptic

Well-Known Member
Messages
737
Location
Orygun
It's been a thing for decades, it's just getting more popular and well-known now.

I'd love 10+ acres and an off-grid capable house just outside a small to medium sized town (I'd still want high speed Internet). I don't think I'd ever go full self sufficient living, but I'd prep for short term.
 

3Hummers

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,398
Location
Central Texas
With hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes it is prudent to prep for short term, everyone should. Look at the aftermath of an Ike or Katrina. Given the rapidly changing nature and diversity of our population I think you can add significant civil and social uncertainty to the list of potential hazards for your family. I am not a bunker, end of days kind of prepper but I know people that had to fend for themselves for a month or more for the most part and thankfully were prepared.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
I was more talking about the actual team thing, rather than self sufficiency in general. I guess the reason I never really thought much about it is I am in a church (LDS) where everywhere I go there is a ward full of people willing to help each other already (and regularly being taught to be self sufficient in numerous ways), so I never really needed to form or belong to a "SHTF team" if you will, as we already kinda had one, just not specifically called such. :) Plus I focus mainly on preparing myself and my own family first, and still have a ways to go.

I'd love to eventually end up on several acres where I can raise all the food I need (including livestock), except maybe grain but that is cheap enough to stockpile and stores long term easily, and have a woodlot for a source of heat for the winter and for cooking. When I was out in Colorado Springs visiting my family my mom asked me if I was going to be keeping my H3 for long term, I asked her why and her response was "so that you have a good vehicle to get out of town with if needs be..." Momma didn't raise no fool as the saying goes, that is part of the reason I love the H3 so much is its capabilities on and offroad. I of course plan on actually using it regularly for day trips and camping excursions (I'm really interested in the whole overlanding thing, part of my drive to get a good offroading trailer setup), but that is also a good way to practice for more serious situations.

I can see the benefit though of having a specific place you can retreat to that is free and clear in title and deed, even if it's just a friend's place. I'm not knocking the team thing, it just seems like I am hearing more about these actual teams than before. It seems like previously it was mostly individuals/families doing it, rather than coordinating with groups of friends/acquaintances/like minded people. I will say that I think there is an underlying reason to the greater and greater interest in self sufficiency, but I don't know that everyone will agree with my thoughts on this matter. But it is good to see.

It would be nice to get with a group that are more serious about it than the average church member. Our emergency prep committee for our stake is having a class on earthquake prep on Thursday I am planning on attending (Utah is still earthquake country, though not to the regularity that Cali and other places are). I'm hoping it will be worthwhile. I also really need to get our 72 hour kits put back together and in the cars (my thinking is we always have the cars with us, whereas we are not always at home, odds are if you have to bug out you're probably not going to be at home or have time to even grab everything running out the house).
 

Hercules-H3T

Well-Known Member
Messages
144
Location
Brownwood, Texas
I wasn't suggesting that you come live on my ranch I was thinking more like in emergency we have a meet up spot for safety in numbers. I'm not a tin foil hat guy.

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JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
Texas is still a long drive for me. :giggle:

And I wasn't thinking you were going to have everyone come live with you (that'd be way too generous, my parents just happened to get really, really lucky, which was fortunate for them because they had *just* lost their house to foreclosure a couple months prior). I get the "have a place to bug out to, but live a normal life until then" thing. My parents introduced me to the guy that owns the land they are caring for, so that he wouldn't shoot me on sight if he saw me hanging around there (they actually called ahead when they brought me over so that he'd know the red H3 Hummer tailing them was a friendly). So I have that. Plus one of my sisters and her husband bought a bit of land up in the mountains in Colorado as well to build a cabin on. So there's that.

Now I'm thinking about all this stuff again and getting the bug to really get back into getting my crap together.
 

3Hummers

Super Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,398
Location
Central Texas
Teams need capabilities and trust. Finding the right mix of people could be daunting. I used to own a wholesale/retail ammunition company. Had one guy buy over 200 cases of ammo from me. ( pre Y2K ) ask him what he needed all of it for. Said some buddies and him had a place in West Texas they were all going to go to if the SHTF. Had an underground house, well, etc. I asked him if the $hit really did hit the fan what he thought his odds were of actually making it 300-400 hundred miles to his remote hideout. Said he was still working on some aspects of their plan. :)
 
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