Types of real survivalists: 1. The bad man

[JavaScriptDonkey]

middle-aged-overweight-white-male-armchair-survivalist-posturing-about-zombie-hordes .....

Is an "armchair survivalist" one who fantasises about surviving apocalyptic events from his armchair or one who wishes to survive apocalyptic events and still have time to sit in his armchair?

It's an important distinction that needs to be made.

I think feathers is just trying to make a straw man point. In my experience it is only anti-gun campaigners who bang on about killing with guns.

[Catweazle]

middle-aged-overweight-white-male-armchair-survivalist-posturing-about-zombie-hordes .....

Is an "armchair survivalist" one who fantasises about surviving apocalyptic events from his armchair or one who wishes to survive apocalyptic events and still have time to sit in his armchair?

It's an important distinction that needs to be made.

What about if I sit in my armchair, watching my vegetable patch on CCTV and detonating Claymores by remote control, whilst stroking my white persian cat ?

Mwaahaahaaa.

Seriously though, some of you guys need to get a grip, a shotgun is a useful tool for killing food and keeping vermin from killing your livestock. When I referred to "other large breeds" I didn't mean people, I meant other large dogs that may well be wandering the countryside / urban area looking to eat your sheep / pigs / chickens / children.

Farmers have had shotguns almost since they were invented, for good reason, and in a society that may well have to devote more time and people to farming surely it makes sense to have the tools of the trade ?

I know a bit about guns and UK gun laws, having been a keen shooter for many years, but I hesitate to answer questions on here because of the subtext that shooters are some kind of homicidal breed intent on killing everyone within range.

[kenneal - lagger]

The problem that I have is with rabbits and deer mainly and foxes occasionally. I would have to put deer proof fencing around my half acre of house and garden, expensive, and keep the gate shut most of the time, bloody inconvenient. My other alternative is to shoot the buggers and eat them; a much more enjoyable option.

I am limited, at the moment, in the number of chickens that I can keep by the size of cage that I can conveniently move around my grass because foxes are a problem if I use electric fence to keep the chickens in and the fox out. A few years ago when we were using electric fencing to keep chickens behind we started one winter with 600 hens and ended it with 300. I only had a shot gun at the time which has a limited range and the police wouldn't let me have a firearm which would have put the foxes within range.

I have shot a few foxes with a shot gun but you have to be quite lucky or be able to spend a long time sitting hidden waiting for the buggers to turn up. I went out one night with a torch and shotgun and, shining the torch around the field, counted five pairs of fox eyes, all out of range, all waiting for me to let the chickens out of their houses.

Our rabbit problem is on the common land where we graze our cattle which is absolutely smothered in them. They all seem to be mixxy resistant at the moment so the only method of control is human intervention either by shooting or by ferreting. The council, the land owner, won't let us do either as they're frightened about the reaction from a bunny hugging public. Come the crash there will be plenty of food available so hopefully the great unwashed will go for the bunnies rather than my cattle. The bunnies might be more difficult to catch but they are much easier to take home.

In the UK you can't, legally, leave weapons lying around the house, they must be kept in a locked gun cabinet securely fixed to the structure of the house and, preferably, out of sight. Also the police would need to know why you needed so many weapons. Unless you were a collector of antiques or had a large estate you would have a problem amassing a large number.

[Little John]

The problem that I have is with rabbits and deer mainly and foxes occasionally. I would have to put deer proof fencing around my half acre of house and garden, expensive, and keep the gate shut most of the time, bloody inconvenient. My other alternative is to shoot the buggers and eat them; a much more enjoyable option.

I am limited, at the moment, in the number of chickens that I can keep by the size of cage that I can conveniently move around my grass because foxes are a problem if I use electric fence to keep the chickens in and the fox out. A few years ago when we were using electric fencing to keep chickens behind we started one winter with 600 hens and ended it with 300. I only had a shot gun at the time which has a limited range and the police wouldn't let me have a firearm which would have put the foxes within range.

I have shot a few foxes with a shot gun but you have to be quite lucky or be able to spend a long time sitting hidden waiting for the buggers to turn up. I went out one night with a torch and shotgun and, shining the torch around the field, counted five pairs of fox eyes, all out of range, all waiting for me to let the chickens out of their houses.

Our rabbit problem is on the common land where we graze our cattle which is absolutely smothered in them. They all seem to be mixxy resistant at the moment so the only method of control is human intervention either by shooting or by ferreting. The council, the land owner, won't let us do either as they're frightened about the reaction from a bunny hugging public. Come the crash there will be plenty of food available so hopefully the great unwashed will go for the bunnies rather than my cattle. The bunnies might be more difficult to catch but they are much easier to take home.

In the UK you can't, legally, leave weapons lying around the house, they must be kept in a locked gun cabinet securely fixed to the structure of the house and, preferably, out of sight. Also the police would need to know why you needed so many weapons. Unless you were a collector of antiques or had a large estate you would have a problem amassing a large number.

If you'd lived near me, K, with your permission, I'd have been round there and would have got rid of your rabbit problem for you (or a good portion of them)...no problem.... . I'd be very surpised if you put the word out, that there wouldn't be a couple of loacal lads who would be very happy to do the same.

[emordnilap]

Question: if a cow gets out on the road, enters my garden and ruins it, can I shoot it?

[featherstick]

Question: if a cow gets out on the road, enters my garden and ruins it, can I shoot it?

Depend how good a shot you are and what kind of gun you use.

[emordnilap]

Question: if a cow gets out on the road, enters my garden and ruins it, can I shoot it?

Depend how good a shot you are and what kind of gun you use.

So legally, it's ok?

[featherstick]

Question: if a cow gets out on the road, enters my garden and ruins it, can I shoot it?

Depend how good a shot you are and what kind of gun you use.

So legally, it's ok?

Doubt it. I imagine you have to contact the farmer, get him to remove the animal, and then pursue him for damages, a course of action that would have got your front garden sprayed with slurry and a broken-down tractor abandoned on your drive when I was living in Co. Wicklow. Galway in the 21 C may be different.

[featherstick]

middle-aged-overweight-white-male-armchair-survivalist-posturing-about-zombie-hordes .....

Is an "armchair survivalist" one who fantasises about surviving apocalyptic events from his armchair or one who wishes to survive apocalyptic events and still have time to sit in his armchair?

It's an important distinction that needs to be made.

I think feathers is just trying to make a straw man point. In my experience it is only anti-gun campaigners who bang on about killing with guns.

Feathers was laughing at himself, by the way. Anyone want to see my machete?

[emordnilap]

Depend how good a shot you are and what kind of gun you use.

So legally, it's ok?

Doubt it. I imagine you have to contact the farmer, get him to remove the animal, and then pursue him for damages, a course of action that would have got your front garden sprayed with slurry and a broken-down tractor abandoned on your drive when I was living in Co. Wicklow. Galway in the 21 C may be different.

OK.

So. Don't blame the animal. Blame yourself.

[featherstick]

No. Shoot it if it's wild and local legal conditions allow, stay on good terms with your neighbours if it belongs to one of them.

[emordnilap]

No. Shoot it if it's wild and local legal conditions allow, stay on good terms with your neighbours if it belongs to one of them.

Not many wild cows left, really. And staying on good terms with neighbours, though irrelevant to the question, is a given.

[vtsnowedin]

In the UK you can't, legally, leave weapons lying around the house, they must be kept in a locked gun cabinet securely fixed to the structure of the house and, preferably, out of sight. Also the police would need to know why you needed so many weapons. Unless you were a collector of antiques or had a large estate you would have a problem amassing a large number.

I expect similar regulations will be coming along here shortly. A pity when I have to take my beautiful oak gun cabinet and knock it into kindling to make room for an ugly steel safe.

[biffvernon]

I should milk the cow. Consider it an asset and make use of it till the farmer reclaims it.

[emordnilap]

I should milk the cow. Consider it an asset and make use of it till the farmer reclaims it.

Well, I've no use for milk; and the animal might not have been raped recently ('dry' ) anyway. 'Making use of it', especially after it's destroyed some of our crops, isn't on.