Backwoods Home Magazine - Practical Self-Reliance

How to begin taking wildlife photographs

the gee-whiz! page: Animals, humans, extraterrestrials, and tools

The homestead cat

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson We have had at least one cat in our home ever since I was a young child. So it’s no wonder we...

Boost your immune system with fast and easy fish dishes

Vitamins D and K — way more important than you thought

Grow some winter squash this year

Your Manure Pile — For Fuel, Fertilizer, and Maybe Even Improved...

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 It's been well over a decade now since I first heard my friend Pete voice his amazement...

By Hook or Crook: A Billhook is a Handy Homestead Tool

Growing and Using Bamboo on the Homestead

Follow Jackie Clay-Atkinson and her husband, Will, as they homestead a 120-acre piece of northern Minnesotan woods entirely off-grid. Sharing their homestead are horses, beef cattle, a milk cow, dairy goats, chickens and turkeys.

Massad Ayoob on Guns

This blog, from a retired police captain and self-defense instructor, covers the use of different firearms, political musings, and self-defense tactics.

Building

A recycled dresser makes a useful bathroom vanity

Build a Trapper’s Tilt

Build your own repeating mouse trap

Build a barrel stove

Self-Reliance

Fully Involved

The community treasure chest

By Sandy Coates Issue #114 • November/December, 2008 Do you have odds and ends sitting around that you no longer need? Are you a "green" thinker,...

Space heater safety tips

By Tom Kovach Issue #90 • November/December, 2004 If you are going to try to take the chill out of your home without turning on your...

Animals

The homestead cat

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson We have had at least one cat in our home ever since I was a young child. So it’s no wonder we...

Cheaper than Store-Bought Eggs

Raising your own beef

Fermenting Chicken Feed

Keeping homestead animals healthy

Science and Education

The world is coming to an end… and this time, I’m not kidding

Zombie Apocalypse

A doomsday scenario to sleep on

The MTHFR mutation and why it may matter to you

Energy

Solar power for farm and ranch

By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E. It may be surprising to learn that there are now all kinds of do-it-yourself solar powered devices specifically designed to...

Power-up bag

Amateur Ham Radio – The Ultimate Tool for Survival Communications

Keep the Ice On

Power Up

Americana and History

Oregon Trail preparedness: What supplies did the settlers carry?

The greatest American who was never President

Presidents’ wives of the past Part 4 — Cunning, vindictive, and one may have been a murderess

James Polk — A model for modern presidents

Firearms

Big boomer guns

The M1A — A rifle that makes a statement

By Massad Ayoob Issue #45 • May/June, 1997 I take the Springfield Armory rifle out of the box, and savor it. I seldom do that with...

Military surplus and military “clone” rifles

By Massad Ayoob Issue #116 • March/April, 2009 One reader writes to ask if military surplus rifles are still a good idea for hunting, recreational shooting,...

Affordable firearms

By Massad Ayoob Issue #134 • March/April, 2012 Knowing that frugality is one of the cornerstones of rural living, Editor Annie Tuttle suggested that I tackle...

Preparedness

Protein — The Cornerstone of a Survival Diet

Build a community assistance recharging station

Bartering for bad times

With commonsense planning, you can survive hard times

7 Mistakes of food storage

Disaster preparation!

Articles By Dave Duffy

My View: Call Me Miracle Man!

By Dave Duffy Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019 Superheroes are the rage these days at movie theaters. Even I am fascinated by them. Old style heroes...