To be or not to be - a Scavenger?

[sjj]

Denfition of Scavenge:

clean refuse from; salvage; collect discarded or refused material; feed on carrion or refuse; remove unwanted substances from.

[Sourdough]

Denfition of Scavenge:

clean refuse from; salvage; collect discarded or refused material; feed on carrion or refuse; remove unwanted substances from.


Maybe the key word here is "UNWANTED".........and what one person calls unwanted...........another may call: simple Unattended. Alaska Bush Pilots leave fuel "Caches" all over the state, Trappers leave traps all over the state, Lobster, Crab, Shrimp fisherman leave traps all along the coast of Alaska. Standard procedure was if you took a Crab or Lobster you left a 6-pack of beer in the trap. I think fantasy survivalist think the whole world will be their oyster, everything free for the taking, I think it will be more like the early mining towns, there was strict mining district law. Here in this town people were banished, killed, or sent to Seattle by trial of the mining district law.

I guess I'll need to change my sign to read: We shoot Scavengers, thieves, and any other scumbag, low-life Trespassers, who might proclaim to the Court: "I was just borrowing it, not stealing it".

[sthrnstrong]

One mans trash is another mans treasure

[Pal334]

I think that scavenging does have a place. Like in a circumstance like in the movie Jerimiah Johnson when he found the dead trapper and took the rifle. HOWEVER as Sourdough has said, what you may consider fair game is probably someone elses property. I know I would take it very personally if someone thought it was ok to help him or herself to the "stuff" that I took alot of time and effort to store. So be very wary and careful if you do scavenge, the stuff you snatch could be mine, and the day would then get very ugly

[aflineman]

I don't see anything wrong with folks scavenging, just not on my property. We have a 5¢ deposit on soda and beer cans around here and folks pick them up from the roadside all of the time. Every once in awhile I have one person that likes to walk down my driveway and scrounge in my garbage cans. I have my soda cans in a container by the trash. These folks think that since it is by the trash, it is free for the taking. Now when my trash is on the roadside for pick-up, it is fair gain. When you have to walk down my 700ft driveway to go through it, that is stealing. I hate to call the cops on folks, but I have when they have persisted.

Caches and stuff are excluded from scrounging. I have got fuel from them a time or two, but left payment and contacted the owners to let them know what I had to take. Nothing worse than expecting a cache to be there, and it is not the amount you were counting on. Beer is great for some things, but it does not work well for auto, boat or plane fuel.:)

[Rick]

In a serious major disaster? Crap, I do it now. I stopped a couple of days ago and picked up a screw driver that was laying in the road.

[SARKY]

I don't think that the majority would be scavengers. I do think that the smart ones will be!
Most of our society has been programed as sheeple, to sit and wait for uncle handout sam to come to their aid.
I believe that in a given disaster situation there will be 4 types of survivors
1: Those who have made no plans, no supplies, no way to defend/protect themselves and expect he government to step in hold their hand and make everything all right.
2: Those who have made plans put up supplies (bragging to everyone how prepared they are) but have no means of defending/protecting themselves or their supplies.
3: Those who have armed themselves, have no supplies and plan to take what they want or need from those survivors in categories 1 & 2.
4: Those who have made plans have supplies and armed themselves in order to defend and protect themselves and their supplies
" when you have nothing, nothing is useless or junk"

[your_comforting_company]

I scavenge all the time. If I find junk I can make something out of I grab it and make something. disaster wouldn't make much diff to me for that.

[SARKY]

scavenging is an art form. I do it on a daily basis. there are so many moving back to mexico yard sales here due to the economy. And they want to keep the goodies they bought here so i've found some great antique hard wood furniture just tossed out for garbage.

[rwc1969]

I'm a scavenger right now, opportunist, so is the bald eagle. It's the american way!

[oldsoldier]

To an extent yes. A couple of the stores i deliver to have their own bakeries, the cake icing they use comes in 5 gallon buckets with resealable lids. I talked to them about the stacks behind the stores near where I unload. They said if I would haul them off they would PAY ME 25 cents each. So......... I load em up about once a week, take them home wash them out good with a hose, and have a couple guys here that will give me $1 each for a bucket and lid, that they re-sell for $2 each.

[aflineman]

The word "scavenge" was carefully selected and has a distinctly different meaning that the word "steal". The distinction can be a fine line which requires good judgement.

Examples: In the event of a serious major disaster or economic collapse, the very survival of your family could depend on the ability to acquire essentials to sustain life. After a catastrophe, you have a vehicle with 4 wheel drive and chains, you are heading out of town to your remote cabin where you have your supplies, its 30 below zero and you are running out of gas and the kids are crying and you happen upon several unoccupied vehicles that have slid off the road. Half the population is gone, stores are left unattended, you have no food and you know that supply lines have been broken and nothing is coming anytime soon and your kids are hungry. There is a catastrophe, you are concerned about your best friend who is single, you go check and find they have perished, you are very familiar with their survival cache just as they were aware of yours. After a catastophy you are in the woods and one of your children is freezing and you happen upon a lone unfortunate person who has perished and who has on a parka - and they happen to have a rifle and some ammo.

The Question is:

"In the event of a "serious major disaster or economic collapse" disregarding its likelihood, do you think the majority of those who survive would be scavengers?"

In that situation, YES I would be.

[Pal334]

"In the event of a "serious major disaster or economic collapse" disregarding its likelihood, do you think the majority of those who survive would be scavengers?""

Now I think I understand a bit better. And I think that the "successful" survivors will out of necessity be scavengers. Not thiefs, just folks that use the available resources

[crashdive123]

Yes.......

[Rick]

And you don't have to be heading to a remote cabin, either. Everyone knows I'm a bug in kind of guy but I'll certainly take advantage of any left overs of those who aren't. You can't take it all with you. :innocent:

[canid]

i'm big on recycling and re-use. i'm a salvage and scavenging enthusiast now.

see my knife projects for a good example.

i think a lot of what little i contribute here is oriented towards appropriate use of undervalued materials. i like this mentality.

[mcgyver]

I always thought that one skill that defines survivors is the ability to be creative with what is at hand. Scavenging someone's discards to make something you can use.
We all like to make things from what we find in the woods, but can we be that creative with the things we can find in the urban jungle?

Sure! I'm a scavenger right now.

[pocomoonskyeyes]

Yes..... When the chips are down, you will use whatever you can,however you can,wherever you find it. Someone mentioned using judgment.
Picking on ya' Rick.... Using Rick's screwdriver as an example. Obviously it was lost. But I'll bet they still wanted it. They may have come back looking for it,it wasn't "Refuse",merely lost. I would've done the same thing though. Also in Rick's case, where he Bugs-in, what about the houses that become abandoned? They may come back, they might not. Someone who thought they had a safe Bug-out location thinks they have the right spot, but when they get there find their spot destroyed. They decide to return to their home, only to find most of the stuff they left gone. Scavengers or thieves? Everyone knew they were leaving with no intentions of returning......
Unlike most here(most not all), I have scavenged for a "living", You will come across some interesting moral dilemmas.

[NightShade]

Like many here, I think a big part of being a "survivor" is being able to make the most out of what you can get your hands on.
Being an opportunist and having the ability to improvise is a huge part of "survivalism" in my opinion.
I wouldn't reccomend relying on scavenging as a means of survival, but I certainly am not above scavenging to supplement or enhance gear I had with me.

[BENESSE]

The Question is:

"In the event of a "serious major disaster or economic collapse" disregarding its likelihood, do you think the majority of those who survive would be scavengers?"[/QUOTE]

Absolutely! What's the alternative?
When your life depends on it, you'll do whatever it takes to survive.
Maybe there will be exceptions of some who'll just give up and die or take their own life but generally I don't think that'll happen much.
Humans are just not wired that way.

I remember reading stories about the passengers on the Titanic.
Most that didn't make it into the boats fought to survive in the icy waters by any means possible and some actually did.
Only a relative few did absolutely nothing fully expecting to go down with the ship and die.

[Canadian-guerilla]

Yes..... When the chips are down, you will use whatever you can,however you can,wherever you find it.


Nothing is garbage anymore

http://frugalfestival.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/scavengers-manifesto-book-cover.jpg http://www.amazon.com/Scavengers-Manifesto-Anneli-Rufus/dp/1585427179


http://dumpsterworld.com/Themes/default/images/smflogo.gif http://dumpsterworld.com/index.php


for those who have read the book The Road
when father and son found the underground bunker and ate some of the food there
was that scavenging or stealing ? . . . . and what would you do ?

[SARKY]

No I don't think that the majority that survive will be scroungers or scavengers. I think that about a third will be an eighth to a quarter will become brigands and the rest will be waiting to be rescued.

[Batch]

For the survival of your family I would hope that everyone would do what ever it takes. also that you know that this is exactly what the other people are going to do as well and you plan accordingly.

Now, look at those looters that came out after Katrina. They were poor victims that just wanted food... BullSiht!

They STOLE food to survive maybe. But, they stole none the less.

I remember after Andrew hit Homestead all the people sitting in their driveway of their now gone house with signs that said looters will be shot!

So, I'd say if you NEED the fuel and you don't take it. Your family dies and the next guy down that road gets the gas and all you stuff too.

But, when you stop your vehicle you might want to consider how you will keep scavengers away. Hopefully, you are not alone and can leave an armed person guarding the vehicle and any supplies in the vehicle.

[Sourdough]

In the event of a catastrophy, the group's top scavenger will be a highly revered position.


Yea, just like today.......on Wall St. or just like the lobbyist in Washington.

[TucsonMax]

In the event of a "serious major disaster or economic collapse"

Not trying to be picky, but in my mind there are big differences between the two types of scenarios. Thus there eventual outcomes would be different and so would the scavenging.

A "serious major disaster" like an NBC or EMP attack would bring immediate (if not, in a very short time) destruction and much death... a halt to everything, operationally, locally and perhaps nationally, so scavenging would be widespread by the more intelligent, resourceful survivors.

An "economic collapse" is totally different, no immediate destruction of property, no immediate or even pending mass death or casualties. Operationally, the country would be working, food & medicine would be manufactured and delivered, etc. Utilities would work, gas available, etc. Certainly things could get bad, but not immediately devastating like a nuclear attack. So, much less scavenging. (Look at North Korea for example, which last week created new money and limited the amount its citizens could convert. Basically they confiscated the 95% of the net worth of the population. As bad as it is there, from everything I read, there were no changes in the day-to-day operations of the country.)

Personally, I'll do whatever is necessary to protect and provide for my family, without hurting someone else.

[cowgirlup]

for those who have read the book [B]The Road
when father and son found the underground bunker and ate some of the food there
was that scavenging or stealing ? . . . . and what would you do ?


I vote scavenging. If those people were alive they would have been down there. And yeah in that exact situation I would have done the same.

[canid]

here's a good everyday example:

i have a motorcycle which, by a relatively small margin will not pass Ca. emissions at factory specs, and the emissions are dirtier than my clean air minded views would like to begin with.

it has resonators at the end of the exhaust which help dampen the exhaust noise.

catalytic converters also dampen exhaust noise appreciably.

there is a large market for recycling catalytic converters for 10% their worth, even if they are not worn out.

my view of the situation: i can buy a lightly used cat with ceramic core, cut cores from it with a holesaw and replace my resonators with home made inserts to help clean my emissions.

there are commercial aftermarket cats manufactured for custom motorcycle exhausts which cost an arm and a leg. i figure i can make mine for about $50.

[Canadian-guerilla]

In the event of a catastrophy, the group's top scavenger will be a highly revered position.


when i was growing up and watching POW movies ( The Great Escape )
the character who interested me the most was the scavenger/scrounger

i wonder if that's where i got my fondness for flea markets/garage sales

[crashdive123]

Today, while on the way home from an appointment, I noticed a gentleman putting some trash out by the curb. One item caught my eye, so I stopped. He was throwing out an axe. I asked if it was OK to take it. He said sure, but it's so badly damaged you won't be able to do anything with it.

Before picture.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Knife%20Making/TodaysProjects009.jpg

After 45 seconds on the belt sander. A file would have worked, just taken a little longer.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Knife%20Making/TodaysProjects012.jpg

I still need to clean it up a little, but am constantly puzzled by what some folks call junk. I suppose I'm a scavanger

[Rick]

I gotta get out more often. Very nice job!!

[rwc1969]

My ex scavenged a bunch of old Lp's from the dumpster. I was a record collector. I recently sold them for $1500.00.

I've gathered many deer from the roadside and have actually butrchered more roadkill than I have my own kills. Got three one year which amounted to about 120 lbs. of good eatin'.

I've found many tools laying in the road and will always stop and pick em up. Got a whole toolbox full now.

if you look in the wild the most adaptable and persevering species are scavengers at least in part.

I don't go out of my way to scavenge, but if opportunity knocks i answer the door.

[crashdive123]

My ex scavenged a bunch of old Lp's from the dumpster. I was a record collector. I recently sold them for $1500.00.

I've gathered many deer from the roadside and have actually butrchered more roadkill than I have my own kills. Got three one year which amounted to about 120 lbs. of good eatin'.

I've found many tools laying in the road and will always stop and pick em up. Got a whole toolbox full now.

if you look in the wild the most adaptable and persevering species are scavengers at least in part.

I don't go out of my way to scavenge, but if opportunity knocks i answer the door.

If you don't mind my asking - how did you sell them? I was doing some cleaning and came across a few hundred that I had tucked away a long time ago. It may be time to part ways with them.

[2dumb2kwit]

Heck yeah, I'll scavenge. I do it now.

Crash's axe is a perfect example, of what some call trash or worthless. In a very easy to come up with scenario, that axe would be a prized commodity.

Besides...I've said it before......if your woman hasn't called you Fred Sanford, you just aren't trying hard enough.:innocent:

[gryffynklm]

I scavenge, best score was about 15 years ago I scrounged a bucket with old scrap iron in it. The neighbor's grandfather was a timber framer. In the bucket was a 3 1/2" socket slick, 1" corner chisel, a mortice chisel, 1" firmer chisel, 1/2" and 3/4" chisel (pattern makers chisel?) all socketed most with handles. Best chisels in the box late 1800's sheffield laminated steel, hold an edge like nothing else.

[rwc1969]

If you don't mind my asking - how did you sell them? I was doing some cleaning and came across a few hundred that I had tucked away a long time ago. It may be time to part ways with them.

I had a garage sale and posted them on Craigslist. The buyer saw "records" in the garage sale ad and came on by. I'm pretty sure he was a "non-admitted" collector/ re-seller. Mind you if I had sold the records individually on e-bay or the like they may have been worth $2,500 to $10,000 or more. There were between 600 and 800 records total. one record can be worth $10,000 or more. If you have some that you think may be worth something I'd suggest getting the "goldmine records" price guide and looking them up.

'50s rock, 60's rock and a few others can go for a lot of coin.

If I weren't in such dire straits I'd have kept them.

[crashdive123]

Thanks. These are mostly 60's and 70's.

[Ken]

If I weren't in such dire straits I'd have kept them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j34gG2xR3I

[oly]

I would be an scavenger in any emergency situation if need be.

As far as the axe goes crash, he didn't know who he was talking to.
I wish I had 1/2 the skills you have.

[rwc1969]

Ahh yes Ken. Mark Knopfler rocks IMO. One of my favorite bands.

[BENESSE]

If you've got books that are falling apart or missing pages, this is a fun way to recycle and just in tome for the holidays.

I also love the mat from recycled tape measures.

[BENESSE]

If you've got books that are falling apart or missing pages, this is a fun way to recycle.
I also just love this mat made from recycled tape measures.

[Swamprat1958]

I have scavenged and scrounged my entire life. Tools, light to heavy chains, knives, bungee cords, lumber, full sheets of plywood, nursery plants, firewood, you name it you can find it along the highways. I also look close at items on the side of the road waiting on garbage truck.