As our world is constantly changing with continually escalating costs and demands on families, it has forced many of them to revert to a more simpler, less costly approach to life. Many families have decided to become self-sustaining and live off grid, choosing the more secluded Homesteading life far removed from the cities.

If you've ever watched shows like: Homestead Rescue, Mountain Men, Life Below Zero, and a host of other off-grid shows, you quickly see that the people depicted chose this lifestyle for a myriad of reasons, but most have chosen to provide for themselves completely from the land and natural resources available to them on the property they've purchased, hoping to maintain a low to no-cost way of living. This of course, means that they need to provide for all of their food, shelter, and safety concerns on their own.

One of the prime focuses when a homesteader looks to buy acreage to engage in this type of lifestyle, is to look for a place that has water, a space to grow and harvest food, and one that is rich in wildlife as a food source, while always trying to mitigate the dangers of predators who try to eat their livestock and encroach on their land.

Protecting purchased livestock like cows, goats, chickens, and ducks is a constant chore to maintain their food sources, and in some cases their livelihood, if they raise these animals or byproducts such as eggs, to be sold for cash.

There are few food markets where these people live, if any, and most are quite far away and require cash, which many homesteaders don't have. So, families must be diligent growing and harvesting food to be able to sell or trade, and especially to make sure they have food to last them the entire winter.

The type of wildlife a homesteader kills determines the amount of meat they can store in the freezer, and how long it will last them. So, between building cabins, pens for their farm animals, planting food in the garden or greenhouse, chopping wood, doing maintenance work on their buildings, etc. hunting is of primary concern to sustain the family.

While, Moose, Elk, Bear, Caribou, Deer, and other wild animals are in high demand, families also crave diversity in their diet, and fish for Salmon, Trout, and other fresh and saltwater fish in quantity, to supplement their red meat reserves. However, when they do not acquire enough protein to last the harsh winter months, it becomes extremely difficult to try to replenish diminished food supplies in the winter. The consequences are deadly if they cannot find game to provide sustenance.

All wildlife on the homestead, have a purpose. Some animals, like Beaver, Squirrels, Fox, Ermine, Wolverine, and Marten, may not be a big food source' but their hides can be tanned and either sold or bartered, to provide some much-needed cash for things like solar panels, generators, equipment parts, gasoline, and chainsaws.

In many ways choosing this type of lifestyle can be more stressful than city life, but my observation of each family shows that they are totally committed to pursue their dream to be self-sufficient. Without nature providing them a viable food source by harvesting their local wildlife, many of these families would fail at their goals, and become dependent on some sort of governmental relief. In these extreme conditions, Wildlife is the key to a family either being successful and surviving, or failing and possibly perishing due to lack of food.