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housil, I saw the pics of your food and rations that you posted on the T-Rats section and I noticed that you mentioned about having enough for 150 days. Is there alot of survival and preparedness mindset in Germany, or is it frowned on by the government like it is here in the U.S. in many ways? Here if a person tries to be self-sufficient with food and other means including firearms, he/she can be made fun of or even "checked out" by local/state authorities. This especially applies if the person/persons are raising their own chickens for eggs or meat, cows for their own milk, stuff like that. A person who really is into the preparedness may not get a visit from the BATFE to confiscate his "assault weapons" but he may be visited by a US Dept. of Agriculture agent to see how many chickens he has, if he's raising them "properly" and if---God forbid --- he's raising cows for raw milk (you know, the way it was intended before pasteurizing and homoginizing sterilizes it and takes out all the vitamins and other good stuff.)

You're kidding, right?

In Eastern Europe people expected you to be self sufficient, even in big cities outskirts, where people live in houses with yards, is a matter of proud to have at least a chicken house and a patch of garden, raising your own food. In fact, among housewives (especially retired ones) are informal contests held with "the best preserve recipes", stuff like that. In smaller towns, where vegetable gardens tend to be bigger, almost all the food come from your own garden/yard, the only foods you buy are sugar, salt, condiments, coffee or exotic fruits like bananas, pineapples or oranges.

So, all the food here are organic, because we use only fertilizers like chicken manure in the gardens or cow/horse manure in the fields. Chemical fertilizers are considered both bad and expensive and are rarely used.

My parents have some 1000 square meters of garden (a quarter of acre) and raise poultry (chickens, ducks, geese), a pig or two (here is an traditional way to slaughter the pig before Christmas), and, because we're living on the banks of Danube river, is plenty of fish. My dad have an smokehouse (is here an thread with some pictures and recipes), so I use on the hikes almost homemade food only, rations being a hobby for me.

rationtin440 wrote:housil, I saw the pics of your food and rations that you posted on the T-Rats section and I noticed that you mentioned about having enough for 150 days.

At least I have enough rations for 1 year for all of my family. I have an own "quartermaster room" down in my basement with a total amount of 2.500 servings.

But I´m not a "prepper". It´s just my hobby to collect military rations. Usually they have to be edible, just for "in case off"

US peoples are much more prepared due to tornadoes, snow storms, black outs etc...
You will never find somebody here that just even know what a "bail out bag" is.
We have much less natural disasters, may a flood every 5-10 years. We have a very will equipped and almost military like organised civil protection as a heritage of cold war times.
Usually, in the US the peoples are used not to wait for help. They just help their selfs and their neighbours.
Over here, peoples have lost this and just "sit and wait" for the professional help that shows up within less than 30 min (by law). EMS has to show up with 12 min at every place.

I´m living in a village with a population of just 2.500. Everybody over here has it own garden with some fruits, vegetables etc. But not as we have to, we just like it.
We buy most of our vegetables straight from a farmer. Not because we are "organic peoples", we just like it.

Firearms are not allowed to anybody, not even big knifes (longer than 12cm/5inch) because they are "weapons" (except e.g. kitchen knifes etc.)

Our parents that grew up during WW2, were much more prepared, they still knew how to improvise.
Now we grew up at "cold war" and had to learn to deal with the threat for 40 years. So we got used to it and it became "normal" to us. No need to prepare for, but we had this schoolings at highschool like that "duck and cover" stuff, also first aid training at 8th grade.

If do you raise your own animals, you also inspected by the agriculture guys.

I´m just lucky to know if the shtf, I´m prepared to bail out, having a big tent and supplies for a looooooong time for all my family.
To bad we are not allowed to have weapons

Thanks for explaining it to me housil! In America, many people take freedom for granted, and our government has some pretty ridiculous policies, but I did not realize how restricted so many things are in your country. Not to get political here, but it would make sense that a government would encourage people to be prepared for emergencies and in that way ease the burden on EMS and other agencies in the event of an emergency. I'm glad to see that you and your family are prepared.

Is there no hunting there Housil? And if there is how do you do it if you aren't allowed to have anything.

Kats wrote:Is there no hunting there Housil? And if there is how do you do it if you aren't allowed to have anything.

Yes, there is hunting. But to become an official hunter over here with a weapons license is a pretty difficult way.
It´s a real vocational education that takes you three years. It´s not only grab a rifle, shoot a deer or what ever. You must study all about nature protection, landscape maintenance, prevent animal diseases, teaching trainee (deputy) hunters, taking care of flora and fauna and lots, lots more...
To carry a rifle is only one "tool" out of many to a hunter over here. To become a "deputy hunter" with no own territory, you can rent an "area" from the State you are responsible for it. Also if the deers are involved in car accidents or eat somebody´s else plants. To become "just" a "deputy hunter" takes ~one year with schooling at the weekends and in the evenings, ending with an oral & written exam and weapons safty and handling exam.
But even any hunter is not allowed to carry a loaded weapon! The weapon MUST be unloaded, the barrel must be knicked open so everybody can see, it´s not ready ti fire.

But a private person is not allowed at all to own a weapon. That´s not only fire arms, that could also be a sword, a knife, one of these fancy martial arts things like a nunchako (it´s a crime!).

rationtin440 wrote: but it would make sense that a government would encourage people to be prepared for emergencies and in that way ease the burden on EMS and other agencies in the event of an emergency.

To encourage the peoples to prepare them self's, is a confession that the government failed.
Taking care for the citizens is a law and State duty. They MUST. So lucky us we have that well organized, non profit, non private civil protection and one of the best EMS in the world (for free as every body over here has insurance)

I'm glad to see that you and your family are prepared.

Mrs. Housil and I are pro paramedics and EMS and civil protection is our business.

What about trapping, or say bow and arrow or atlatl?

Specifically 2 questions:

-Can a deputy hunter use a bow or non firearm to perform their duty?
-Is trapping under the same blanket of rules?

housil wrote:

Kats wrote:Is there no hunting there Housil? And if there is how do you do it if you aren't allowed to have anything.

Yes, there is hunting. But to become an official hunter over here with a weapons license is a pretty difficult way.
It´s a real vocational education that takes you three years. It´s not only grab a rifle, shoot a deer or what ever. You must study all about nature protection, landscape maintenance, prevent animal diseases, teaching trainee (deputy) hunters, taking care of flora and fauna and lots, lots more...
To carry a rifle is only one "tool" out of many to a hunter over here. To become a "deputy hunter" with no own territory, you can rent an "area" from the State you are responsible for it. Also if the deers are involved in car accidents or eat somebody´s else plants. To become "just" a "deputy hunter" takes ~one year with schooling at the weekends and in the evenings, ending with an oral & written exam and weapons safty and handling exam.
But even any hunter is not allowed to carry a loaded weapon! The weapon MUST be unloaded, the barrel must be knicked open so everybody can see, it´s not ready ti fire.

But a private person is not allowed at all to own a weapon. That´s not only fire arms, that could also be a sword, a knife, one of these fancy martial arts things like a nunchako (it´s a crime!).

housil wrote: To encourage the peoples to prepare them self's, is a confession that the government failed.
Taking care for the citizens is a law and State duty. They MUST. So lucky us we have that well organized, non profit, non private civil protection and one of the best EMS in the world (for free as every body over here has insurance)

Olli, you couldn't had said it better....
In Europa people expects the government to be there for them, like a steward that protects their resources for their benefit

The mentality is different in Europe than here in the U.S.
Here we are used to be "free" to do whatever we want with minimal government involvement.
That is why the survivalist sub culture is gaining strength here because people believe the government simply protects the powerful and not the average Joe.
Plus add to that the private corporations literally control everything. Is you have the $$$ to pay.

Bypah wrote:Olli, you couldn't had said it better....
In Europa people expects the government to be there for them, like a steward that protects their resources for their benefit

You pay taxes, isn't? Why you pay taxes? In Europe we pay taxes for free education, free health (hm, not best quality in Eastern Europe, but is much better than paid), some unemployment safety...

Case: I'm 37 years old, I'm enrolled in the land surveying college, I'm study for free all four years and, because I have good grades (my average in the first semester was 9, in the american grades it's B+ or A-), I got a scholarship for merit. Recently I had a respiratory trouble (I moved from home to be with my girlfriend and study at local college, some 500 km/300 miles from home, in a much drier area), so I had to see a doctor. All I had to do is to take my health insurance receipt and go to see any doctor in Romania. My trouble was an heavy irritation on respiratory tract, because I've lived for 36 years on banks of Danube river (half a mile from my door) and moved on a very dusty and dry area of Romania, also a big city. So, no surgery, just medication. All the costs was cab fee to the doctor and back.

Case closed.

So, why you pay taxes?