Traditional Archery = Traditional Life

[Mr.Vic]

There's over 20,000 traditional archers on this site. But, How many live a Traditional life style in a sense? Living in the backwoods or woods or along lakes and streams and walking a simple path?In 2008 the floods here in Iowa took my cabin. Than I moved to a camper until I lost my lot (People thinking I shouldn't be living like that) an had to move to a apartment.  This 16 x 30 apartment is like a cage to an animal for me and my wife. And the rent is too high, and giving money away to something that doesn't make us happy isn't our bag of tea. Town life is not us! Lately my Wife and I have been thinking about buying a camper and finding a place to park it or renting a small cabin/shed or home in the country and living like we want. But so far here in Iowa that's not going to happen, unless your rich. I was wondering if anyone out there lives in a camper, remodeled shed or small cabin and has ideas to share. Ideas where one might be directed to find a place to live doing this on a budget? Maybe a caretaker, or watching land for owners, etc. We have agreed we would need some electricity an access to drinking and daily water usage. And most of all NATURE. And a place were we can walk with longbows in hand. Anyone live a somewhat traditional life like this while enjoying the aspects of Traditional archery and if so, how about advice, stories, ideas, pictures. If this is deemed unappropriated for a thread. Could some please PM me or email me. And I'm sorry Mod's.         Thank you,    Vic

[frassettor]

You have a PM

[Ron+dog]

great minds think alike!
good luck vic

[mcgroundstalker]

Simple Is Better... This (city boy) can't seem to get up to those mountains enough these days. Best Of Luck To You Vic!

... mike ...

[HcSmitty]

Well id save as much money as possible n try for a acre of land n tha country n live n a teepee.

[wildcat hunter]

It kind of sucks that we can't live the life we chose - (Government and people. Lucky for us when we bought land you could still build your own house, put in your own septic, etc. We did it - by hand! Used a chainsaw and shovels, etc to create our homestead. We bought 12 acres and called a sawmill and were on our way. Its far from perfect but we love it! Now everything needs to be inspected, the plans for a house need to be on a blueprint and approvial for a septic need done. What a mess the government has us in, rules, regulation = big money for them!

[Green]

Where'd Ted Kazynski used to live?...lol.

[BlacktailBowhunter]

Out here in Oregon we have a ton of public land. Is all you have to do is move your camp/camper 100 yards every 2 wks.

I know an old boy that sets up camp on National Forest every year for about 6 wks. He sets his camper up 2wks. before elk season starts and stays in the woods locating the elk until the season opens and then he and his family hunt the entire season.

Good luck to you.

Paul

[rascal]

Funny, my wife and I just talked about this. Building a cabin of meager proportions on some land, gas lamps and wood heat. Electricity provided by a home wind turbine or generator when needed. Horses in the paddock out by the house and a vehicle down by the road when you needed to go to town for supplies. Electricity in a garage (also down by the road) to run a freezer and refridgerator.  Man I dont know if she was just teasing me or if she was serious but I could live that life buddy!

I think you could get away with something like that legally but it wouldnt be cheap by any stretch. Everything costs money and everyone just keeps wantin more of your money for less of their products and services every day.  Welcome to the future, no robot butlers no flying cars and no personal jet packs but plenty of people telling us how we should live.

[TKO]

Originally posted by BlacktailBowhunter:
Out here in Oregon we have a ton of public land. Is all you have to do is move your camp/camper 100 yards every 2 wks.

I know an old boy that sets up camp on National Forest every year for about 6 wks. He sets his camper up 2wks. before elk season starts and stays in the woods locating the elk until the season opens and then he and his family hunt the entire season.

Good luck to you.

Paul

I wish I had a job that afforded me that kind of latitude.

That being said, I thank God that I have a job at all in these trying times.

Good luck to the OP. I hope to find a way to simplify by the time my two boys have grown.

[tradtusker]

Simpler is definitely better Vic...but its not always easy.

Iv lived a lot of my Life on the farm, the road, and when not traveling i live as simple and as cheap as i can, Saving my money for things i want to do...things i enjoy.

Its important to find what makes you and your wife happy, i see little point in doing something if you are not truly happy doing it. Surprisingly few people in life really take the other path...and pursue what they really want, to easy to get stuck in our controlled molded society.
All depends on what makes "you" happy of course! "there is no One size fits all in life"  

There are however a lot of people doing what you speak of...and there are a lot of options.
I have a few friends in the US living in a converted school buss that stay in national forests moving every 2 weeks, quite self sufficient. Lots of options house or property sitting for others. Another option is doing work camper work in lieu of rent and electric, there are Campgrounds and RV resorts all over the US where this is an option.

Ideally if you could buy some property, build a cabin and be self sufficient, fishing, hunting and growing your own food as much as possible.
Land is not cheap though.

I lived in Teepee for 7 months In the mountains in Colorado, fun but not the best structure for the cold weather, but i cut my own wood, canned all my food etc

here's the inside of my Teepee at the start.
 

A yurt makes a very very good Non permanent structure and many people live in them year round.

you can find a nice balance between modern conveniences and resource's  ( like the internet ect) and the Tradition life style.

Nothings impossible...good luck and Enjoy the journey

Cheers Andy

[bigugly1]

I could live the simple life but not my wife! I sure would be in better shape if I was requird to hunt and gather!

[Shedrock]

How about rebuilding your cabin?

I would rebuild on stilts to protect from more flooding.

[Shedrock]

Or, you could move out west and be a sheep herder. Live in the mountains all summer and get paid for it. Live in the desert all winter here and freeze, but still get paid! The sheep owner will bring food and water once every week or two.

[Mr.Vic]

Nice to see like minded people. I can assure you neither my wife or I am strangers to living poor and a hard life. She being a Native Lady from the reservation and myself lived for three years without income. One and a half in that family cabin and after the flood one year in a ten foot camper. I had electricity. But collected pop cans, fished and hunted and traded things for food. What got me there is the same ole story that happens to alot of Americans, health, lost job, divorce, etc. And alot of other drama in my life. Rebuilding or moving to the same lot along the river is out of the question because my folks own it and they won't allow anyone to use it but them now. Acreages around here on the market run 35,000.00 to 45,000.00 for an acre or less with utilities on them. There is some that are around 15,000 to 20,000.00 with no utilities. and in my mind Too darn high for that size of ground. After working since i was 10 years old and lots of years working three jobs to fit in with societies materialistic ways. It took me forty years to figure out what really counts in life and it ain't busting butt for a Porsche or castle. It's nice to get other ideas and input from other Traditional thinking people.

[Mr.Vic]

Shedrock i spent three months of winter in Afton Wyoming and i want no part of your winters bro. But the sheepherder part in the summer sounds interesting, and plenty of stump shooting while watching the herd.

[Stumpkiller]

Lets see.  We heat the house and water with wood.  Have two dozen chickens and three turkeys currently.  Will be getting three Boer (meat) goats this spring.  Have three vegetable gardens for about 5,000 square feet tilled.  I have a 1956 Ford tractor for plowing and dragging logs.  The barn has no electricity or water so I have to go out twice a day and toss feed grains and turn out ice and fill the water pans.

My wife spins and knits wool.  We can most of our own vegetables.  And raise, hunt or fish 100% of our meat some years - though usually supplement 'cause we like ALL seafood and meat.  I make up 20 gallons of sauerkraut in the fall.  Here is some maple syrup I bolied down last year from our sugar maples.  Way too much work!

   

Oh, and I do most of my hunting on my own land and all of it starting at my back door on foot.

[Mark Baker]

We live as simple as possible here.  I built my house myself, straw bale construction with recycled "leftovers" from various construction jobs I've done, and re-used lumber.  I also collected driftwood and whatever to "decorate" and add wild touches to everything.  We live on property along the Yellowstone....15 acres, and in a very beautiful spot.  It's paid for doing whatever jobs I needed to do to make payments for 20 years.  At this point my debts are mostly nonexistant....just power and heat, and the few "luxuries" we afford ourselves like cable for internet and TV.  (winters are long here).  

We eat mostly what we can kill, then supliment with what we need.  We gather what we can during the short growing season.  We fish some.   We only buy, with cash, what we can afford...drive old beaters that are paid for, and work whatever we have to do to make ends meet.    It's pretty simple, and most folks that make it here also live similarly, I think.  Working folks anyway.  

We all have choices we can make regarding our lives, and the consequences of our choices can be rewarding, and sometimes frustrating and scary....but simple is better in my book anyway.  At least it's easier for me to understand it.    

[tradtusker]

Originally posted by Mark Baker:
We live as simple as possible here.  I built my house myself, straw bale construction with recycled "leftovers" from various construction jobs I've done, and re-used lumber.  I also collected driftwood and whatever to "decorate" and add wild touches to everything.  We live on property along the Yellowstone....15 acres, and in a very beautiful spot.  It's paid for doing whatever jobs I needed to do to make payments for 20 years.  At this point my debts are mostly nonexistant....just power and heat, and the few "luxuries" we afford ourselves like cable for internet and TV.  (winters are long here).  

We eat mostly what we can kill, then supliment with what we need.  We gather what we can during the short growing season.  We fish some.   We only buy, with cash, what we can afford...drive old beaters that are paid for, and work whatever we have to do to make ends meet.    It's pretty simple, and most folks that make it here also live similarly, I think.  Working folks anyway.  

We all have choices we can make regarding our lives, and the consequences of our choices can be rewarding, and sometimes frustrating and scary....but simple is better in my book anyway.  At least it's easier for me to understand it.      

Awesome!

[Mark Baker]

By the way, Andy...love the teepee thing.   I've had a few freinds live and brave the Montana winter here in a teepee in the past.   The yurt thing is also very cool.   Been considering putting up a couple and renting them out for summer rentals to bring in some income and help pay taxes!  

Everything is indeed relative.  We still have springtime runnoff threats on our property, but it's usually pretty easy to guage.   Still every once in a while mother nature throws out a "curveball".   Work can be hard to come by, and we do a lot of different things to make ends here, not relying on any one "career" but having more control in our lives of our time and that was our choice.  

It is certainly not for everyone, but making simplifying choices can be very liberating, and it can trickle down in a lot of ways, easing stress and validating time.  Just like the bowhunting we do, you get more out of it, the more you put into it yourself.