Shadows Of Sanity And Survival (Old Preppers Die Hard Book 3) by Ron Foster Page A

for a long hard winter and that means firewood first and foremost as the main attraction for this week. But that is not only thing I need you all to do. I need your help gathering and cutting firewood albeit doing with a twist. I need for you all to try and do most all of your gathering and cutting wood down along and around my old trap line around the perimeter of this place. The reason that we are going to have to do it this way is that I want you to utilize some of that wood that you will be cutting for constructing deadfalls. Now listen up, I don’t want you to set them deadfall traps up just yet, just see that you have everything you need there in position with your triggers all cut and smoothed made up for later on in the season on site and ready. The extra branches and debris from our clearing out some dead trees along the trail will create some good habitat for the wild game to hide in that I am hoping to draw back over here and with a little thoughtfulness on your parts you can channel the game trails by those readymade sets you will be building that will also be seasoning the firewood. The animals will get used to the smells and those sets position as part of the scenery so they might do better and catch more game if the forest and field critters are comfortable with the new available cover.” Farley declared.
     
    “You going to try to stay closer to home this winter, Farley?” Jeremy asked hoping that this was going to be so.
     
    “Hopefully so, that’s the pan but who knows? Either way the job needs to be done and you bright lads got tasked to do it until I get back to help you. I haven’t put too much pressure on the game close to home and it will take a spring birthing season to start replenishing the deer herd in these parts. You can’t believe how over hunted the woods everywhere are now, thankfully most folks don’t know how to hunt or trap the other critters living in the woods, so we will still be eating ok I hope.” Farley said somberly.
     
    “How many deadfalls you got planned for us to get ready for setting Farley?” Fong said anxiously just itching to going back to more trapping and snaring and doing less Farm chores as he called them. Farley had advised them both previously to let the game go back to feeling safe around the confines of the resort in hopes more animals would seek refuge there. The less they had to go far from camp to hunt or trap the better this winter.
     
    “Well that kind of is confidential right at the moment if you know what I mean. I don’t want you all talking much about that and getting all the folks around here overly worried on a number. We got ourselves a real hard winter coming; the signs are all around indicating that is so in my opinion. . Trees have been dropping more acorns than normal; ducks were hatching earlier and in bigger numbers etc.” Farley declared looking at the falling leaves and then went on to tell them a few more reading the signs tricks.
     
      Cleveland   weather guru, Dick Goddard put together a laundry list of “signs” of nature in 1978 and it is still relevant today.
    Here are the  20 Signs of A Hard Winter .
    •            Thicker than normal corn husks
    •            Woodpeckers sharing a tree
    •            Early arrival of the Snowy owl
    •            Early departure of geese and ducks
    •            Early migration of the Monarch butterfly
    •            Thick hair on the nape (back) of the cow’s neck
    •            Heavy and numerous fogs during August
    •            Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
    •            Mice eating ravenously into the home
    •            Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
    •            Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
    •            Pigs gathering sticks
    •            Insects marching a bee line rather