sm
member
Mr. James T Thomas,
Your post in the Folding Shovel thread is an excellent post, and is the reason I started this thread.
I was born in the mid Fifties, and mentors included Military, both men and women.
The troops were being brought home from Vietnam about the time I was graduating high school, so I did not get to exchange my Draft Card with 1H, for a free, all expense paid vacation to Southeast Asia.
Oh how I would like to have some Army /Military issue gear I had coming up, including the folding shovels of the 50's and 60's.
As a brat in the 50's , that shovel was my size...
But you know what, the garden hoe, straight handle and D-handle made for me, "my size" were better.
Mentors included country folks, and while they carried guns and knives, these simple tools bought from a hardware store, feed-n-seed, or tractor supply, were proven non-firearm weapons against all sorts of threats.
A sharp garden hoe, or straight handle shovel will take a water moccasin on the bank of a farm pond, or one in a jonboat, without ricochet off water, or putting a hole in a jonboat, or Wizard boat motor.
These tools were sharp!
Just freehand sharpened using a file or Norton "puck", or the long gray Norton "utility stone".
Yes the folding shovel - fold up.
Still I spent time in Canada, portaging and canoeing a number of times, and as long as 4 weeks.
We traveled light, two, sometimes three folks shared one backpack. One fishing set up was shared among three or more folks. Other examples...
Still folks back then were not surprised when I shared we took one, straight handled shovel with us.
It was a serious survival tool, and there was a buddy system and assigned folks to keep up with that tool.
Oh I have been out for 3- 4 weeks with my only knife being a Case Peanut, we had one sometimes two Old Hickory knives ( always a butcher, sometimes a paring) and a shovel, with a file or stone.
Firewood we gathered, no batoning, or hacking down trees...
Now we might use a sharp shovel to cut limbs, and with the longer handle and leverage, get some bigger branches up and off the ground and attach a rope and "mule team" it back to camp site.
This branch might be for doing a lean-to shelter as we were going to stay put for a few days, or used for firewood.
Shovel was used to make drainage for tents, which were located on higher ground and drainage assisted in keeping water out of tents.
Camp fire of course...
Now many folks not raised in the country (rural or semi rural areas) or have spent any time in such areas, may not be aware of how useful these garden hoes, straight and D-handled shovels are.
Folks just have them handy all the time. Stop to say hi to someone and they will lean on that hoe,or shovel ...they walk about with one, like one uses a staff.
<chuckle> or they are liable to "have a seat" if they have D-Handle shovel as their companion.
I have taken a lot of doves, employing the "Art-n-Science" of D-handle shovels sitting.
Blade in the ground, I might use a forked stick with this shovel, still while it ain't a fancy shooting stick seat from Orvis, you can sit, and shoot them gray missiles ...
Or use a cane pole and take a mess of bream or crappie from a farm pond..
Folks have/had these not only in trucks, also in the trunk of momma's Caddy or Lincoln.
Them roads are what they are and not just in snow , just heavy rain might mean someone or momma herself got stuck.
Chain gangs were common when I was coming up, heck even in bigger cities inmates were used to do clean up and repair , and such.
Now the seasoned inmates tried to tell the young ones about country folks, and folks even in areas of some cities.
Oh sure in rural and semi rural them folks were armed...but that grandma with a garden hoe, was not easy prey either. She knew how to use that sharp garden hoe, and not just for gardening either.
Grandpa, knew his shovel like it was an extension of him, so some inmates got the message, that broke away from a chain gang, and come upon grandma and grandpa.
No, these hardware tools ain't kewl or tacti-kewl, but they do have a proven history , and continue to prove themselves.
Canada is not the only place I have used these for "survival" uses. I have spent time doing other things, and have had some mentoring in some of this.
I was the feller that "borrowed" a shovel during one survival dealie.
All I had was what was allowed for me to have on my person.
A Hen & Rooster pen knife, a compass, a small box of raisins, a few matches, tin cup, and not much else.
Three days of "you ended up here, and you have three days to get back".
The rules?
What rules?
Only one, survive and get back.
I used the heck out of that straight handled shovel.
Right off it was my walking staff...
And the SOS/Brillo pad , D cell batteries, I "borrowed" from a hen house.
Hubcap from a Ford truck makes a great frying pan for "borrowed eggs", in case you were wondering...
*run-whut-ya-brung*
Your post in the Folding Shovel thread is an excellent post, and is the reason I started this thread.
I was born in the mid Fifties, and mentors included Military, both men and women.
The troops were being brought home from Vietnam about the time I was graduating high school, so I did not get to exchange my Draft Card with 1H, for a free, all expense paid vacation to Southeast Asia.
Oh how I would like to have some Army /Military issue gear I had coming up, including the folding shovels of the 50's and 60's.
As a brat in the 50's , that shovel was my size...
But you know what, the garden hoe, straight handle and D-handle made for me, "my size" were better.
Mentors included country folks, and while they carried guns and knives, these simple tools bought from a hardware store, feed-n-seed, or tractor supply, were proven non-firearm weapons against all sorts of threats.
A sharp garden hoe, or straight handle shovel will take a water moccasin on the bank of a farm pond, or one in a jonboat, without ricochet off water, or putting a hole in a jonboat, or Wizard boat motor.
These tools were sharp!
Just freehand sharpened using a file or Norton "puck", or the long gray Norton "utility stone".
Yes the folding shovel - fold up.
Still I spent time in Canada, portaging and canoeing a number of times, and as long as 4 weeks.
We traveled light, two, sometimes three folks shared one backpack. One fishing set up was shared among three or more folks. Other examples...
Still folks back then were not surprised when I shared we took one, straight handled shovel with us.
It was a serious survival tool, and there was a buddy system and assigned folks to keep up with that tool.
Oh I have been out for 3- 4 weeks with my only knife being a Case Peanut, we had one sometimes two Old Hickory knives ( always a butcher, sometimes a paring) and a shovel, with a file or stone.
Firewood we gathered, no batoning, or hacking down trees...
Now we might use a sharp shovel to cut limbs, and with the longer handle and leverage, get some bigger branches up and off the ground and attach a rope and "mule team" it back to camp site.
This branch might be for doing a lean-to shelter as we were going to stay put for a few days, or used for firewood.
Shovel was used to make drainage for tents, which were located on higher ground and drainage assisted in keeping water out of tents.
Camp fire of course...
Now many folks not raised in the country (rural or semi rural areas) or have spent any time in such areas, may not be aware of how useful these garden hoes, straight and D-handled shovels are.
Folks just have them handy all the time. Stop to say hi to someone and they will lean on that hoe,or shovel ...they walk about with one, like one uses a staff.
<chuckle> or they are liable to "have a seat" if they have D-Handle shovel as their companion.
I have taken a lot of doves, employing the "Art-n-Science" of D-handle shovels sitting.
Blade in the ground, I might use a forked stick with this shovel, still while it ain't a fancy shooting stick seat from Orvis, you can sit, and shoot them gray missiles ...
Or use a cane pole and take a mess of bream or crappie from a farm pond..
Folks have/had these not only in trucks, also in the trunk of momma's Caddy or Lincoln.
Them roads are what they are and not just in snow , just heavy rain might mean someone or momma herself got stuck.
Chain gangs were common when I was coming up, heck even in bigger cities inmates were used to do clean up and repair , and such.
Now the seasoned inmates tried to tell the young ones about country folks, and folks even in areas of some cities.
Oh sure in rural and semi rural them folks were armed...but that grandma with a garden hoe, was not easy prey either. She knew how to use that sharp garden hoe, and not just for gardening either.
Grandpa, knew his shovel like it was an extension of him, so some inmates got the message, that broke away from a chain gang, and come upon grandma and grandpa.
No, these hardware tools ain't kewl or tacti-kewl, but they do have a proven history , and continue to prove themselves.
Canada is not the only place I have used these for "survival" uses. I have spent time doing other things, and have had some mentoring in some of this.
I was the feller that "borrowed" a shovel during one survival dealie.
All I had was what was allowed for me to have on my person.
A Hen & Rooster pen knife, a compass, a small box of raisins, a few matches, tin cup, and not much else.
Three days of "you ended up here, and you have three days to get back".
The rules?
What rules?
Only one, survive and get back.
I used the heck out of that straight handled shovel.
Right off it was my walking staff...
And the SOS/Brillo pad , D cell batteries, I "borrowed" from a hen house.
Hubcap from a Ford truck makes a great frying pan for "borrowed eggs", in case you were wondering...
*run-whut-ya-brung*
.
