did your parents...

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did your parents do bushcrafty type stuff

  • not not at all

    Votes: 220 49.0%
  • yes a little bit bushcrafty but lots outdoors

    Votes: 193 43.0%
  • lots of bushcraft

    Votes: 36 8.0%

  • Total voters
    449

Ogri the trog

Mod
Mod
Apr 29, 2005
7,182
71
60
Mid Wales UK
Nothing of the sort from my folks.
They were a bit too old to be hippies, but a bit too young to remember rationing after the war. Mam took over as Cub Scout Akela for a while and suffered the camping element, but a trip to the park once in a while was our outdoors experience.
I recall one particular incident on holiday at a Butlins, Mam & Dad bought us a meal of crab claws to show my brother and I, that not all food comes in packets - many years later, when I got my FAC and was into shooting, I was asked why I did it, and I retold them the story of the crab claws! Like many parents, you can provide a little guidance but the path taken by the child is entirely up to them.
Grandparents would tell stories of hardship and know a few edible plants but nothing out of the ordinary really.

So, my interest is totally self initiated, (can't say self taught as I have learned so much from other people) it feels good to be able to mention various natural things and provide little snippets of information to them as they get older.

ATB

Ogri the trog
 

Ian H

Tenderfoot
Jun 5, 2009
58
0
37
South Wales
nope sadly, went on loads of walks on sunday afternoon and what not and would go away with a caravan club quite alot (used to let me sleep in my tent in the awning ha ha!) but that was as close as it got for me.
 

charadeur

Tenderfoot
May 4, 2009
65
0
USA Michigan
Growing up in Michigan it was hard not to do that kind of thing. Nearly everyone hunted. We hunted ducks, rabbits, squires, pheasants, deer and even woodchucks. My friend lived on a lake and we did a lot of fishing. Mushroom hunting every spring. We did camp but not as rustic as most bushcraters would. We had tents with cots and heaters. We did eat crawdads and frog legs often. My friend had a uncle that was a Blackfoot Indian and he showed us a lot about deadfalls and snares. From him we learned how to survive without guns and did so for a week or two several summers in a row.

I am able to find morel mushrooms easy because of the tricks I learn as a lad. But other than the mushrooms and a few other thing we did not do what most today consider traditional bushcraft. I never learned how to make a fire by friction or build a natural shelter so I am working on those skills now. Maybe I can show my grand kids in a couple of years.
 

scrogger

Native
Sep 16, 2008
1,080
1
56
east yorkshire
LOL Gary he wasnt a chef though he was "just a cook"

I grew up on a council estate in Hull it was quite rough but I think we were pretty good kids really. We would play out on an old disused farm with outbuildings etc we would build dens and catch field voles etc just good fun really.

We would Fish a lot but didnt eat any!! and we watched lots of wild life. I was the only kid at my school in the Y.O.C. My Mum and Dad encouraged me to be outdoors might be that they wanted rid of me who knows but I loved it they also use to take me to the North Yorks Moors alot walking etc.

I think they did there bit but i think it was maybe always there.
 

Gaoler

Tenderfoot
Jun 22, 2009
68
0
Notts
I was born and raised in the country, as were my younger sister and brother, so grew with it ingrained thanks to the local farmer and his family where I seemd to spend most of my time.

I joined the cubs then the scouts but the only holidays we had as kids were camping in the UK or France.

My parents are city born and this was their first time living in the country and what I grew up learning they had to learn the hard way.

They now live back in the city, as do my brother and sister, and all are glad of it. I live in a small town and crave the solitude of an isolated cottage like I grew up in.
 

Colin.W

Nomad
May 3, 2009
294
0
Weston Super Mare Somerset UK
I'm not sure which catagory I fit into, like many others here born in the 50's I grew up in the 60's as soon as we had got home from school and done our home work we were off out, weekends it was after breakfast untill dusk, obligatory contents of the shorts pocket was the pocket knife and a length of string. During the school holidays both my parents were keen campers although I think my mum did so because it was something dad was really into. woodland, moorland or coast dad was reasonably well informed about fauna and flora what he didnt know we would look up in a book he's bought for me. He used to work long hours and the odd saturday morning as a lorry driver so mum used to drive us kids to where we were to be camping for the weekend and dad used to meet us there after work often having to park his lorry somewhere nearby and walking to where we were (no mobile phones then) as he was based in Hamersmith it was usually one of the forests or somewhere along the Thames
 

Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
64
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
do bushcrafty type stuff?

Mine took me on lots and lots of walks to the local woods,. I still go out with them from time to time. They do a bit of foraging for mushrooms and other plants, often fermenting them and trying to get me drunk.
Many camping trips in the family force 10

Just found the thread.

I grew up in the 60's on a farm. We had nothing so always had to adapt something to do the job. Good backgrounding to living off the land and making do, patching, welding, and mending:240::D
 

mart

Forager
Apr 6, 2008
158
0
cumbria
I think if I asked my dad if he was into bushcraft he would laugh his socks off, even though he kind of is. He grew up in the countryside near the river eden so you can imagine where he spent his childhood. The stunts he got upto include bringing home deer and salmon despite being told not to, laying down on wetheral viaduct between the railway lines as a train went over, swimming the Eden in full flood. Jumping off the roof of the house with a golf brolly after seeing paratroopers on the pathe news. He loves fly fishing, but only upsteam dry fly mind. Maybee fly and maggot at night. When I was about 9 he once brought home over 80 trout from a night fish, have you ever had to gut that many fish, its so not funny. He has a love of nature, flora and fauna and his knowledge still surprises me sometimes. From time to time my brothers and I would try stuff like making tree houses or wood carving. Making bows and arrows. Knife throwing, making and setting snares, guess who would just laugh then show us how and be good in that annoying off hand manner. The knife throwing was a real eye opener cause his favorite knife was a Canadian 10" elk horn Bowie. I love my dad, can you tell.

Regards, Mart.
 
My mother never took us outside though was always telling us to get out.. I was always in the woods.. making bows, swords, catapults, spears, the lot as a kid.. it was my retreat.. my father however he had an interest in outdoor cooking.. and as a scoutleader taught me how to cook just about anything on an open fire.. how to buid ovans from nothing, and how to eat like a king while camping.. though I had to take my food.. I then learned from him and books how to build shelters and stay dry, start a fire in the pouring rain and most importantly how to keep my and others spirits up when it's pouring down all the time..

Thanks Dad!
 

rancid badger

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
My parents were both very much in touch with outdoor life, camping holidays were the norm for us and my dad was always tinkering with primus stoves,tilley lamps, huge chunks of flint, sticks, logs, all sorts of stuff.

We also used to spend hours, blackberrying in the hedgerows, then my mother would make fantastic bramble jelly, pies,flans etc. home brewing was also on the go too!:beerchug:

My dad died about 14 years ago and when I'm out 'scratting' I often think he would have been well into the whole 'bushcraft' thing, he was a great experimenter:naughty:

My mother used to knit fantastic clothing, stuff that you would now pay a lot of money to have made for you as a 'gucci' piece of kit, but at that time; she was simply eking out an often meagre, family budget. She cant knit anymore and I often wish I had kept some of the hand made sweaters, hats and gloves she made us:dunno:

nice to tootle back down memory lane:)

cheers

R.B.
 

sandsnakes

Life Member
May 22, 2006
983
13
68
West London
Hmmm, I can honestly say my parents inspired me!

I had the kind of childhood that is the delight of social workers and psychiatrists, so I just stayed in the woods as a child. Being wet and with nature under a dryish holly bush was much better than the indoor dry option.

So to me bushcraft and the woods are 'home and safe', the salvation of my soul.:)

Sandsnakes
 
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D

dboles

Guest
I was lucky Parents would break out the old canvas palace and away we would go auto camping,fishing usually in some provincial park.Then later when a teen I was invited along to the annual moose hunting trip and then in spring when iceout happened a fishing tripwith tinboats, canoes- portageing into remote lakes to catch Lake trout.There would be usually 3 generations of male family members all looking to harvest a moose or deer or a boatload of fish.Wonderful shining times
Dan'l
 
This is a really wonderful read.

It's amazing how may of us on here are saying how little we had but how happy we were. Now compare it to today where the kids have everything they could ask for and yet not one of them seems really happy!!

My parents were from 'country stock', Grandad had a small farm, so spent many happy summers there herding cows and sitting on the Massey Furgeson (or whatever it was!) mudguard whilst just being outdoors. Didn't like the straw bailing though, really hard work for a 7 year old!!! :)

My dad was a scout leader and always said my brother and I were scouts before we were cubs. He was also a retained fireman (and probably a pyromaniac) - I think that's were my tendencies come from!! We used to do loads outside and just disappear for hours at a time. I remember being in the woods aged about 7 or 8 with just my brother and a couple of his friends (yes, I was the annoying little tag along! :D ) and my brother cooking some sausages he'd brought from home, felt like we were kings at a feast with those burnt offerings!!

My Mum loves being outside too, brambling for hours, she was happy just to be outside then. Now she feels the cold too much so made my dad give up the canvas for a caravan!

we spent all our summers camping in the lakes or North Wales and she could feed us over a 2 ring calor gaz burner as good as at home.

Back then it wasn't called bushcraft, it was called being kids. Dad never 'taught' us anything, we just spent time watching and picking stuff up as he did it. Most of it was out of necessity as we had very little money and this was all free!!

I am really lucky that my lad now aged 8 is an 'outdoors' kid and he likes nothing better than being in the open. I hope I can teach him in the style of my dad, not be too pushy, I would hate to turn him off it!
 
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red dreads

Member
Nov 14, 2009
47
0
Eilean a Cheo
Dad was into fishing and hunting (Stateside, too expensive in Scotland)

Mum was no £^&%$£" way am I going outside.

Grandpa and great uncle Bob were the real outdoorsmen, every plant and animal were known to them.

Wish I'd paid more attention.
 

Omegarod

Forager
Dec 3, 2009
109
0
79
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
What a great topic! I have only just joined the forum today, and this has brought back so many memories.

Dad:

The man who took me out to the Peak District on a (steam!) train every Sunday, every week of the year in rain, sun and snow, from when I was 5 years old until 18 when I left home to go to college.

The guy who didn't have a lot of costly equipment, but who taught me to improvise with what we found.

The guy who taught me how to collect wild foods, and how to snare.

The guy who was asked by the local Territorial Army to teach them outdoor and mountain skills. I have a much loved photo of the group of them on Snowdon summit.... them all in uniform, and dad in his anorak and my scout beret that he borrowed so that he would "fit in". :)

The guy who one Christmas morning, suggested we go for a 10 mile walk in the snow. We had a brew in a sandstone cave, and got home at 3pm for the dinner mum had cooked.

A million stories more..... thanks for the prompts to remember some of them!
(Dad sadly died in 1978 at the age of 54)

Oh yes....
The guy who bought me my first proper knife when I was eleven years old. 4" blade, with stag and leather handle. I still have it, and now I am 65.

dad1-800cap.jpg


Rod
 
Jan 5, 2010
32
0
bedfordshire
My dad was in the special forces for 25yrs so I grew up doing alot of walking (or route marches as mum and i referred to them!! :)), lots of camping and abseiling.
As for the bushcraft side of things, dad taught us alittle, like how to build shelters,light and cook on the fire and of course each expedition was catered with rations packs and Dad was obviously able to 'acquire' alot of our kit!!

I'm sure I complained alot when I was young about the endless weekends walking the moors no matter what the weather, but in all honesty I quite enjoyed it and wouldn't know so much now or possibly even have an interest in these things if it wasnt for growing up doing it.
And of course it helps what with Sam being so obsessed that he's found someone who has the same interest!! Plus the fact my Dad is forever giveing him leftover kit that he no-longer uses!! Bonus eh!!:lmao:
Lisa - Lady of Tanith
 

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