hi i thought that maybe some of you experienced folk out there could help me compile a list of any thing bushcrafty for me to learn it will help an awfull lot of beginers that dont have a clue where to start in bushcarft like me
list to learn
- Thread starter leon-b
- Start date
If you are starting with a view to staying out at night and want to save some cash on buying tarps, try a leaf litter debris shelter. At this time of year it would be quite comfortable and you could perfect your technique before the cold weather comes back.
Theres nothing that you are compelled to learn, so don't feel as though you "have" to do anything. Start with whatever takes your fancy, progress on to something else and before you know it you'll be teaching others.
ATB
Ogri the trog
ATB
Ogri the trog
Probably seen a million times....dont' spend a fortune on a knife until you are happy you know what you're doing with it...especially sharpening. You could ruin a beautiful knife. 
Of course, I've never done this..... ....ahem.....
Phil
Of course, I've never done this.....
....ahem.....Phil
I agree with Ogri, there is no one skill that is so "bushcrafty" that you must learn it. There are an infinite number of things you could try to learn. Some are very traditional and considered de rigueur skills to learn, such as fire by friction, cordage making, and carving. However, these are merely content, and a tiny part of the content of bushcraft.
What really matters more is context. Maybe you are already wise in the ways of the outdoors. When you get out in the woods, how do you see the world? Do you see it as a bunch of scenery, or do you disect it and see and identify the details? Are you able to identify all the plants that you pass? Do you know their uses? How are you at seeing and identifying the signs of animals and birds, their calls, habits, and prefered areas? Can you stalk, or pick the right spots to sit and watch?
Without some degree of sensitivity for the natural world, it doesn't matter how many bow drills sets you have, how many spoons you make, or that you have slept under tarp in the woods.
When you practice fire lighting, do you do so in the dry? Learn more by going out just after, or during, rain. When you set out to learn a skill, be aware of what it will teach. Bow drill fire making teaches plant identification, cutting tool skills, at the least knots, maybe even cordage, and finally perseverance. And that is before you get more than a coal. Those skills are more likely to be useful than being able to make fire with sticks
PS. Nice looking site you have. I would recommend that you ask the owners of all those photos whether they mind you using them. Its just a small matter of copyright...
What really matters more is context. Maybe you are already wise in the ways of the outdoors. When you get out in the woods, how do you see the world? Do you see it as a bunch of scenery, or do you disect it and see and identify the details? Are you able to identify all the plants that you pass? Do you know their uses? How are you at seeing and identifying the signs of animals and birds, their calls, habits, and prefered areas? Can you stalk, or pick the right spots to sit and watch?
Without some degree of sensitivity for the natural world, it doesn't matter how many bow drills sets you have, how many spoons you make, or that you have slept under tarp in the woods.
When you practice fire lighting, do you do so in the dry? Learn more by going out just after, or during, rain. When you set out to learn a skill, be aware of what it will teach. Bow drill fire making teaches plant identification, cutting tool skills, at the least knots, maybe even cordage, and finally perseverance. And that is before you get more than a coal. Those skills are more likely to be useful than being able to make fire with sticks
PS. Nice looking site you have. I would recommend that you ask the owners of all those photos whether they mind you using them. Its just a small matter of copyright...
leon-b said:
I'd learn a dozen good knots. The square knot, bowline, clove hitch, sheet bend, taut-line hitch, two half hitches, etc., some knots to tie a hook to a line and a knot to splice two pieces of monofilament line together (e.g., blood knot).
OK, the gallery is gone, as in, you have removed the link to it from your index page. Great.
What about all the other images on your site?
You still have images sourced from:
http://www.mdc.mo.gov/
http://www.earthwalknorthwest.com/
http://www.naturalsciences.org/ - twice
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/
http://www.jackmountainbushcraft.com
and
http://outdoors-magazine.com
In the case of Jack Mountain Bushcraft you even left their logo on their picture.
I think it would be best for you to put your site on ice for a little. Learn more stuff, take your own photos (which you can taylor so they show things that other people's pictures don't), and improve on the content so that it becomes a really useful resource.
I don't suppose that you have bought any books on bushcraft yet? They make a good starting point since they are more structured than the internet.
What about all the other images on your site?
You still have images sourced from:
http://www.mdc.mo.gov/
http://www.earthwalknorthwest.com/
http://www.naturalsciences.org/ - twice
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/
http://www.jackmountainbushcraft.com
and
http://outdoors-magazine.com
In the case of Jack Mountain Bushcraft you even left their logo on their picture.
I think it would be best for you to put your site on ice for a little. Learn more stuff, take your own photos (which you can taylor so they show things that other people's pictures don't), and improve on the content so that it becomes a really useful resource.
I don't suppose that you have bought any books on bushcraft yet? They make a good starting point since they are more structured than the internet.
andyn
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Hi Leon,
Before i continue...can I just ask that you DELETE my pictures from your site, rather than just remove the link to the gallery from your home page.
Anyway..onto the subject that you asked about....
I'm glad that you are showing you enthusiasm to learn more about Bushcraft and that you have already learnt some new skills. I think it is important to ask questions, but as Stuart has pointed out, try to keep the questions together in one thread as you will not only confuse other people, but you will end up forgetting what you have asked where.
Something you may want to consider thinking about which isnt only realated to bushcraft but life skills in general.....If your planning on camping out on your own, another skill you may want to learn is cooking. I may be teaching you to suck eggs, but before you go out camping for the first time with your sausages in your rucksack. Be mindful that cooking over an open fire/embers is very different to the grill and hobs at home. Have you cooked on a BBQ before? If not now would be a great time of year to practice cooking meat on one. Will stop you burning your sausages to a crisp when your out in the woods and probably stop you from giving yourself food posioning.
Also be mindful as to your food preparation and storage of food in general so to avoid food posioning again.
Just something else for you to think about
Now you have your new Frost Clipper knife, you will want to learn how to use it correctly, although you might be able to pick up some of this from diagrams in a book or on here, I would recommend getting someone to show you the safe ways to hold and cut with a knife, or even see if you can find a demostartional video. I think everyone on here will put their hand up and admit that they have had a bite from a knife that with a little foresight they could have avoided. I know I have.
The other things I would recommend you do, and this has already been mentioned by c_claycomb in a way, is to pop out into a bit of mixed woodland and see how many trees you can already positively identify. Pick a few leaves from the ones you can id and put them in one pocket, then some from the ones you cant id and put them in another pocket. Take them home and id them from a book or off the internet, make sure that you were right about the ones you thought you could Id. Learn them. Then do it again. Watch how your first pocket builds up. Then learn what each of the trees you have learnt can be used for. Again search for the name of the tree on here and on the internet in general...lots of information already exists on this topic.
GOOD LUCK WITH IT ALL. Remember to look back and see how much you have learnt often and never stop thinking about learning more. becaue you will never know everything about anything. Its impossible.
Take care,
Andy.
Before i continue...can I just ask that you DELETE my pictures from your site, rather than just remove the link to the gallery from your home page.
Anyway..onto the subject that you asked about....
I'm glad that you are showing you enthusiasm to learn more about Bushcraft and that you have already learnt some new skills. I think it is important to ask questions, but as Stuart has pointed out, try to keep the questions together in one thread as you will not only confuse other people, but you will end up forgetting what you have asked where.
Something you may want to consider thinking about which isnt only realated to bushcraft but life skills in general.....If your planning on camping out on your own, another skill you may want to learn is cooking. I may be teaching you to suck eggs, but before you go out camping for the first time with your sausages in your rucksack. Be mindful that cooking over an open fire/embers is very different to the grill and hobs at home. Have you cooked on a BBQ before? If not now would be a great time of year to practice cooking meat on one. Will stop you burning your sausages to a crisp when your out in the woods and probably stop you from giving yourself food posioning.
Also be mindful as to your food preparation and storage of food in general so to avoid food posioning again.
Just something else for you to think about
Now you have your new Frost Clipper knife, you will want to learn how to use it correctly, although you might be able to pick up some of this from diagrams in a book or on here, I would recommend getting someone to show you the safe ways to hold and cut with a knife, or even see if you can find a demostartional video. I think everyone on here will put their hand up and admit that they have had a bite from a knife that with a little foresight they could have avoided. I know I have.
The other things I would recommend you do, and this has already been mentioned by c_claycomb in a way, is to pop out into a bit of mixed woodland and see how many trees you can already positively identify. Pick a few leaves from the ones you can id and put them in one pocket, then some from the ones you cant id and put them in another pocket. Take them home and id them from a book or off the internet, make sure that you were right about the ones you thought you could Id. Learn them. Then do it again. Watch how your first pocket builds up. Then learn what each of the trees you have learnt can be used for. Again search for the name of the tree on here and on the internet in general...lots of information already exists on this topic.
GOOD LUCK WITH IT ALL. Remember to look back and see how much you have learnt often and never stop thinking about learning more. becaue you will never know everything about anything. Its impossible.
Take care,
Andy.
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Lol.....looks like the first two skills you need are to understand copyright law and to learn the search function on here.....funny as they aren't skills I've used out in the forest lol
As a beginner there is so much to learn, learning is always best done from somebody so why not think about meeting up with some of the other members off here and learning from them (the bushmoot would be a good place to go to).
If this isn't possible then go buy a book (Mors Kochanski's "Bushcraft" is a good one but there are plenty of others)....start at page one and slowly work your way through. Read it once and then go back to the start and read it again not turning a page until you can do or have at very least tried everything on the page you are on........this time next year you'll have the basics covered and will be asking us here what we think you should specialise in! lol
Hope that helps...
Bam.
As a beginner there is so much to learn, learning is always best done from somebody so why not think about meeting up with some of the other members off here and learning from them (the bushmoot would be a good place to go to).
If this isn't possible then go buy a book (Mors Kochanski's "Bushcraft" is a good one but there are plenty of others)....start at page one and slowly work your way through. Read it once and then go back to the start and read it again not turning a page until you can do or have at very least tried everything on the page you are on........this time next year you'll have the basics covered and will be asking us here what we think you should specialise in! lol
Hope that helps...
Bam.
I think you should go after your gut. if your interest lies with fire; start reading stuff about fires and how to make and maintain them. and then... just have fun experimenting. you can do this with fire or any subject that interest you.
and if you don't know and just like being out. just go out! walk around in the woods or anywhere you like. look around, really see what is around you and maybe start wondering about things. maybe that'll spark some ideas.
Great you're taking steps to learn more about bushcraft.
and if you don't know and just like being out. just go out! walk around in the woods or anywhere you like. look around, really see what is around you and maybe start wondering about things. maybe that'll spark some ideas.
Great you're taking steps to learn more about bushcraft.
Hey Bam,
You mean to say that when you are out in the woods, or have entered a new environment, you don't make an effort to observe, to pick up on signs, try to tune in to that environment? Then, when you see something that you don't understand, don't you use the tools you carry, along with the locally available resources, to try to answer the question yourself before asking someone else?
Living skill is living skill, whether you are living in the woods, or living on-line.
Fully with you on the book. That is how I started to learn stuff, lots of reading. Mind you, in my teens I did have trouble being disiplined enough to start at the beginning and not diving in at whatever page looked interesting. In retrospect, I spent more time doing it that way, than I would if I had read more methodically. I now know that some people are not good at learning by reading, if that is the case, then the best bet is to try to tie up with someone in your corner of the country who can show you stuff. How about getting yourself on one of Fenlander's courses for instance?
You mean to say that when you are out in the woods, or have entered a new environment, you don't make an effort to observe, to pick up on signs, try to tune in to that environment? Then, when you see something that you don't understand, don't you use the tools you carry, along with the locally available resources, to try to answer the question yourself before asking someone else?
Living skill is living skill, whether you are living in the woods, or living on-line.
Fully with you on the book. That is how I started to learn stuff, lots of reading. Mind you, in my teens I did have trouble being disiplined enough to start at the beginning and not diving in at whatever page looked interesting. In retrospect, I spent more time doing it that way, than I would if I had read more methodically.
I now know that some people are not good at learning by reading, if that is the case, then the best bet is to try to tie up with someone in your corner of the country who can show you stuff. How about getting yourself on one of Fenlander's courses for instance?
bambodoggy
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
C_Claycomb said:Hey Bam,
You mean to say that when you are out in the woods, or have entered a new environment, you don't make an effort to observe, to pick up on signs, try to tune in to that environment? Then, when you see something that you don't understand, don't you use the tools you carry, along with the locally available resources, to try to answer the question yourself before asking someone else?
Living skill is living skill, whether you are living in the woods, or living on-line.
That's a fair point Chris
.... I'm just not sure he needed quite the public flogging he got when one of your well versed pm's would have had the same effect I'm not sure I fully remember being 14 but I do know that I had all the patience of a bad tempered bull and would have asked the same questions rather than use the search function...just an observation
Cheers,
Bam.
Good luck with your learning Leon-b. If I had one piece of advice it's never think you don't know much about Bushcraft ! You probably know more than you are aware of and could impress many adults. Take your time in your learning, if you live to be 100 you'll never know it all, be humble. I still get a lot of joy from seeing and ID'ing a new tree or plant, or learning a new skill or lighting a fire. Not a lot is easy to learn in Bushcraft, it takes a lot of patience and practice and if you're a fisherman as you say you are, you,ve probably got some of that already. There are some nice little tutorials and projects, on knife handling, sharpening, making containers, etc on RM's DVD's from his last series - Bushcraft. Stick 'em on your birthday list. 
Good luck mate and remember to take some comments on here with a pinch of salt, and not to heart. Things come across differently in writing than with the spoken word, as happens sometimes
Good luck mate and remember to take some comments on here with a pinch of salt, and not to heart. Things come across differently in writing than with the spoken word, as happens sometimes 
bambodoggy said:That's a fair point Chris
I'm not sure I fully remember being 14 but I do know that I had all the patience of a bad tempered bull and would have asked the same questions rather than use the search function...just an observation
Cheers,
Bam.
Agree.I think the whole thread (including "copyright theft") would have been better conducted by PM.
I can't even remember being 14
but I'm sure that I would have responded better to a quiet word in private,rather than a public slagging. It depends on what trees you have in your area, but around where I live it is mostly ash and willow so one of the first things I tried was making willow cordage. Even before I got my trangia and was able to boil the cordage it was a great challenge to get long enough pieces of bark without splitting it wrong or taking too much off when I took the outer bark off. I still can't do it as well as I'd like!
Also, I use books when I'm out in the field, as it were, but at home I watch recorded episodes of Ray Mears' Bushcraft. These are great because not only do they tell you how to do it, they show you in moving pictures. That is much easier to understand for people of our generation!
Ray Mears is on alot on UKTV Documentary, so if you have sky or cable you should catch it.
Also, I use books when I'm out in the field, as it were, but at home I watch recorded episodes of Ray Mears' Bushcraft. These are great because not only do they tell you how to do it, they show you in moving pictures. That is much easier to understand for people of our generation!
Ray Mears is on alot on UKTV Documentary, so if you have sky or cable you should catch it.
Bambodoggy & BorderReiver please try to give the moderators some credit, things like this are always delt with in private and only made public if our private nudgings are ignored.
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