Where can I go to legally practice all aspects of Bushcraft without permission?

[Billy1]

By this I mean camp where I like, have open fires, make shelters and other camp items (including cutting live trees when necessary), hunt and fish for food and have absolute freedom to do this sort of thing. I have every intention of doing this responsibly and with minimal impact to the environment, I just want to know where to go... And it must be a forest!

It's pretty well known that you can wild camp in a lot of places in Scandinavia. However, I recently had a look on this site listing all of the National Parks in Sweden (I figured this would be a good place to start). All of them (I think, as it was a while ago when I looked at the list) say you can't cut live trees. Most say no fires unless it is in a designated area, or no fires at all. And a lot of them even say no camping. So... I guess Sweden's National Parks aren't the right place to go.

There is of course the normal privately owned land that you can wild camp on, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to cut live trees to make shelter, and hunt and fish without permission.

One option is to go somewhere remote where I am unlikely to be caught doing anything I am not allowed to, although I would have no idea where to start looking for somewhere suitable. Most importantly I want it to be completely legal, so I can relax whilst I am there and not have to constantly worry that I'm breaking the law.

I have tried for a long time to get permission from local land owners and I haven't had any luck yet. Yes, there are places I can legally go without permission to do most things, but like I said I want to freedom to be able to practice all aspects of Bushcraft.

Does a place like this exist anymore? I mean, it must do but I literally have no idea where it is... Somewhere in Alaska perhaps? How far will I have to travel? I don't mind travelling to somewhere in Europe but if the only real option is even further away then I will travel there too if I have to.

Also, if there do happen to be any landowners reading this who would be fine with me doing this sort of thing in exchange for payment or anything else then please PM me

Thanks a lot!

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

Just move to Australia!! Although it is still illegal to cut down trees, there is plenty of dead wood in most places.

 

[mrcharly]

Mongoose . . . . can't light fires most of the year in Oz and cutting live trees is kind of frowned on (although there is really no need to do it for shelter, these days I'd just hammock camp).

For the OP, the honest answer is "on your own land". What you are asking to do is to do stuff to a landscape that will take years to recover from. The world isn't all that large . . .

Even on private land, you can't fish without a licence in the UK.
I used to be able to do most of what you have mentioned in a valley in Lancaster. It wasn't 'free and without restrictions', I had to pay (a pittance) but could then (within reason) cut small amounts of wood, have fires, etc. That had a lot to do with my knowing the people who lived there. They have since moved to scotland, bought their own land. They are busy building log cabins (for themselves) atm.

 

[David LaFerney]

On your own land is the answer. Here in the U.S. There are thousands (millions?) Of acres of national forest where you can wild camp and do almost whatever you want within reason. But not cut trees, or hunt/fish out of season or without a license.

 

[Billy1]

On your own land is the answer. Here in the U.S. There are thousands (millions?) Of acres of national forest where you can wild camp and do almost whatever you want within reason. But not cut trees, or hunt/fish out of season or without a license.

I have a fishing license and don't mind hunting and fishing within the seasons (they are there for a good reason), and I'm not planning to cut down large areas of woodland or anything. I just want to be able to take what I need and no more. (A few support poles for a shelter, and some small branches for when dead wood isn't suitable for the task).

I'm not planning to go and live in the wild for an extended period and build a log cabin (yet), I just want a place to practice.

 

[Billy1]

Maybe I phrased the opening question wrong... When I said I'd like the freedom to do anything I want, I didn't mean I would do anything I want with complete disregard to the environment. It's the opportunity to practice skills that I'm after, not all of nature's resources... I would take just enough of what I needed, and cause as little impact as possible.

 

[mrcharly]

You'd be fine going somewhere like the place I mentioned - I can PM you info if you are interested. Although my friends have moved on there is still an active group there and wild camping facilities. The only difficult bit might be the hunting as I'm not sure *how* you'd legally hunt without a firearm.

 

[Billy1]

You'd be fine going somewhere like the place I mentioned - I can PM you info if you are interested. Although my friends have moved on there is still an active group there and wild camping facilities. The only difficult bit might be the hunting as I'm not sure *how* you'd legally hunt without a firearm.

Please PM me the info! That would be amazing, thank you! I'm not bothered about the hunting for now, if I could just build a shelter to sleep in and have an open fire I would be so happy!

 

[Damascus]

Keep an eye on the Norfolk group thread?

 

[dewi]

Please PM me the info! That would be amazing, thank you! I'm not bothered about the hunting for now, if I could just build a shelter to sleep in and have an open fire I would be so happy!

Why not just join in one of the meet ups in your area then? There are rules that you have to follow... but usually you're allowed a fire, a shelter and on most there is a communal fire.

I'm off to such a place tomorrow for the weekend that is relatively local to me... we're having a pit oven, we're okay for small fires where we camp and people appear with tarps, tents or hammocks from what I can gather (my first time)

Just a mention, there is usually a small fee for meetups, but its usually less than a pint of bitter or two... so not exactly going to break the bank.

 

[bambodoggy]

There's a newish member based not far from you in Lincoln, her name is Woodslady and from the few posts she's made so far it would seem she is the answer to your prayers

She seems to have land and is keen for bushcrafters to go there and practice their skills.

Maybe drop her a pm on here and take it from there

Hope that helps,

Bam

 

[Billy1]

Keep an eye on the Norfolk group thread?

I will go and introduce myself shortly, I have been meaning to for a while now!

 

[tsitenha]

All aspects of bushcraft? part of bushcraft is not wasting nature's resources. I don't know how to say it but start with ready available courses, learn to do it proper, under supervision. When you are competent you can advance on your own, with a lot less wasting resources. I learnt from helping out/watching fishermen, hunters, campers, ladies, elders. You will be surprised how many *tricks* you will be exposed from them, observe.

 

[Billy1]

All aspects of bushcraft? part of bushcraft is not wasting nature's resources. I don't know how to say it but start with ready available courses, learn to do it proper, under supervision. When you are competent you can advance on your own, with a lot less wasting resources. I learnt from helping out/watching fishermen, hunters, campers, ladies, elders. You will be surprised how many *tricks* you will be exposed from them, observe.

I have already been on Bushcraft courses and have learnt to do "it" under supervision. I will probably do other courses in the future but that isn't what I'm looking for right now. I am also competent enough to go into the outdoors and not waste resources.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

There's tons of space in Canada. as to fishing you require a license, hunting you're required to take a hunter safety/conservation course then purchase a license and tags.

 

[petrochemicals]

Get a job that involves forestry work, deer warden, a coppicer, with the forestry commission, estate worker, they cut trees, light fires, and hunt all the time. You already have permission from the land owner for some activities, and it may involve some night time work. But even though you can do certain things, cutting of trees is a tough one as even owning the land doesn't always give you the right to cut down trees !

 

[rik_uk3]

Billy, take a tarp and leave the tree's alone mate.

 

[tsitenha]

rk_uk3, +1, I know there is a lot of trees here in Kanata, but just for practice???

Tarp is to way to go unless the black flies/mosquitoes are out, then its a tent.

 

[Laurentius]

What is legally practicable is one thing and what is morally acceptable is another. I can cut down as many trees as I like on my allotment, but then it is hardly a forest or a woods is it? If you have your own land then it is fine, but just don't presume you can go chopping down someone else's tree because you fancy it. To me sustainability is important. How long is your shelter going to last? What was it for? Did you need it?

 

[Quixoticgeek]

This makes me wonder. How much would it cost to buy 10 acres of woodland in the back of the a**e end of beyond in somewhere like Sweden or Canada? If you limit yourself to hand tools (no chainsaws), and you only take what you need, it would take you decades to make any mark on a 10 acre plot of forest.

Alternatively, the Arctic or the Antarctic... there you can cut down all the trees you want...

J