What makes you good at bushcraft

[moko]

Cruzing the forum the other day, I began to realise that alot of you out there seem to have some form of military experience.
Being new to the bushcraft family, I started to wonder if this community is made up of alot of ex-military types and if so, why? Are the military minded more likely to be drawn to bushcraft because it mirrors field craft traning or does bushcraft fulfill the basic need which ex army people sort to find in the military in the first place? What qualities make someone good at bushcraft?

 

[zackerty]

...making do with what you have, where you are....

 

[Goose]

I think maybe ex squaddies have more faith in themselves to be able to deal with whatever comes at them, where a lot of people need to follow the crowd to feel safe.

 

[Ogri the trog]

You have something there Moko,
Being Ex-Air Force myself, I think it (partly) stems from the fact that when you are out playing Dad's Army, if there is any little thing you can do to make your time a bit more comfortablr, then you do it.
Similarly, from childhood - kids who are outdoor adventurous might go looking for a job that entails running around playing on assault courses etc - when the military floats to the fore.
So one begets the other - a bit of chicken & egg syndrome.

As to what makes me good at Bushcraft. I don't think that I'm that good, but I do enjoy being outdoors instead of turning my brain to custard in front of the magic goldfish bowl (TV) now and again. The amazement on the faces of (NonBC)collegues when regailing some story, can often be sufficient encouragement to do something else next time.

Anyway, take it easy

Ogri the trog

 

[falcon]

Don't know if I'm good at bushcraft and I'm not sure what components you would want to see in a definition though I have varying levels of competence in a number of outdoor skills. There's always lots to learn and practice though, even at my age. And so to the second point....I've never been part of the military but I suspect that what we all share (and there seems to be scores of non-military people here) is a huge passion for the outdoors. Bushcraft seems to provide common ground for a wide variety of people whose interests range from camping to scouting to hillwalking to fieldsports to canoeing to archery and so on....the thread of bushcraft runs through all of it. You may not want to do exactly what the other person does, but you can enjoy their company round the campfire....

 

[mojofilter]

Cruzing the forum the other day, I began to realise that alot of you out there seem to have some form of military experience.
Being new to the bushcraft family, I started to wonder if this community is made up of alot of ex-military types and if so, why? Are the military minded more likely to be drawn to bushcraft because it mirrors field craft traning or does bushcraft fulfill the basic need which ex army people sort to find in the military in the first place? What qualities make someone good at bushcraft?

I dont see any reason why a military background would be necessary to be a good bushcrafter, after all the only thing the army teaches squaddies is how to break or nick things

Seriously though, although field training may be helpful, I would imagine that it is based around a different set of principals from bushcrafting, I dunno, Ive never been in the army, but I have been running around playing in the woods and the countryside since I was about 5, and I know how to be comfortable and enjoy myself.

I think you may br right about bushcraft fulfilling the need which drew people to the army in the first place!

 

[boaty]

I think imagination is an important quality - seeing the possibilities in raw materials

And a certain level of dexterity and hand-eye coordination

 

[Toddy]

Don't know if I'm good at bushcraft and I'm not sure what components you would want to see in a definition though I have varying levels of competence in a number of outdoor skills. There's always lots to learn and practice though, even at my age. And so to the second point....I've never been part of the military but I suspect that what we all share (and there seems to be scores of non-military people here) is a huge passion for the outdoors. Bushcraft seems to provide common ground for a wide variety of people whose interests range from camping to scouting to hillwalking to fieldsports to canoeing to archery and so on....the thread of bushcraft runs through all of it. You may not want to do exactly what the other person does, but you can enjoy their company round the campfire....

Hear! Hear!
I agree, it's not all military, though they are well represented. I think it's the attitude and the interest and determination to be capable outdoors away from most of our modern advantages that makes an individual participate. Strangely, it seems that most of us do so solitary, but we still like the tea break and the campfire company.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[AUSSIE]

My job routinely entails providing supplimentary training to Australian Defence Force personnel in order that the individuals can then return with the knowledge for dissemination through their respective units. So I feel I can confidently tell you that virtually everything the military knows about bushcraft, fieldcraft, climbing, tracking and outdoor survival has been learned from civilian sources! It is taken, modified and applied to suit a particular military requirement! A classic example of this is that virtually all British Armed Forces E & E / Combat Survival techniques and training trace their roots back to the experience and skills learned from traditional English and Scotttish Game Keepers and Poachers going back well over half a century ago!!! My point being is that in no way is not having a military background a handicap to being an excellent bushcrafter!!

 

[Hoodoo]

Enthusiasm.

 

[NickBristol]

I think that the really 'good' bushcrafters are those that are always wanting - and willing - to learn, are open minded, enthusiastic, adaptable and mentally strong. A military background does help with some key skills, but then so too would a background in farming, pharmacology or fishing... to name but a few.

Maybe background doesn't matter at all, it seems to me that those who are keen and can adapt to circumstances and apply knowledge, however gained, do the best.

 

[Wayne]

Some of the best people i have met have had no professional background at all. Only a joy of learning and practising new skills. I think we can become too over professionalised. The military has some excellant practitioners and some not so good. I persons background is less important than their knowledge and love for the outdoors.

 

[arctic hobo]

Lots of people from a military background? Well one reason to join the military is that it involves the outdoors a lot more than 90% of jobs going... could be partly that.

 

[Gary]

Lots of people from a military background? Well one reason to join the military is that it involves the outdoors a lot more than 90% of jobs going... could be partly that.

I agree - also most people leaving the forces miss the outdoors too. When I left the army I got a job as a faciliites manager in a bank in the city, I was like a bear with a swore head - day in day out!

As I've said before once the craft is in your blood you need a regular fix of green to stay sane.

Question is 'what is a good bushcrafter?' is it someone who says his prayers every night? Seriously a good woodsman I can relate to, but a good bushcrafter?

Maybe the question should be what makes a happy bushcrafter not a good one? IMO.

 

[Wayne]

Maybe the question should be what makes a happy bushcrafter not a good one? IMO.

Not quite on topic but it would be interesting to know what people think makes a good bushcrafter. I guess a good all round knowledge of the fundamentals Fire, Water, Shelter, Safe Cutting tools, and Camping cooking etc. But that for me is just everyday level. What makes a good bushcrafter?

Plant and Tree knowledge
Tracking skills.

The more i think about the harder it is to answer.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Two cowboys were riding herd one day. Slim looks over to Buck and asks about this reincarnation stuff he read in a magazine. Buck says Slim, when you die we bury you. Now after awhile you decompose and with luck a seed falls on your grave. That spring a beautifull flower that once was you sprouts. Then one of our steers comes along and eats you. You spend a while as a steer and then get deposited back on our range. You lie there, basking in the sun all summer. I come riding along, look down on this thing that once was a steer, a flower and you. I stop and ponder for awhile, push my John B. back on my head, scratch my chin and say, Slim, you ain't changed that much. A good bushcrafter will leave at least one reclaimed acre of wilderness added to those he/she enjoyed and preserved and two new bushcrafters he introduced or helped along in the guild And if they see a sunset, flower or humble rock in their memory we were good bushcrafters.

 

[Tantalus]

to be able to laugh at the rain

make a meal out of weeds

to be able to find a spot out the wind to make a small fire

and find somewhere cosy to sleep

and most of all to smile when the sun shines

Tant

 

[Tantalus]

oh and i forgot, scary sharp knives and huge axes

Tant

 

[arctic hobo]

Two cowboys were riding herd one day. Slim looks over to Buck and asks about this reincarnation stuff he read in a magazine. Buck says Slim, when you die we bury you. Now after awhile you decompose and with luck a seed falls on your grave. That spring a beautifull flower that once was you sprouts. Then one of our steers comes along and eats you. You spend a while as a steer and then get deposited back on our range. You lie there, basking in the sun all summer. I come riding along, look down on this thing that once was a steer, a flower and you. I stop and ponder for awhile, push my John B. back on my head, scratch my chin and say, Slim, you ain't changed that much. A good bushcrafter will leave at least one reclaimed acre of wilderness added to those he/she enjoyed and preserved and two new bushcrafters he introduced or helped along in the guild And if they see a sunset, flower or humble rock in their memory we were good bushcrafters.

Brilliant story Chris!

 

[Wayland]

I got into bushcraft as a youngster, I later joined the territorials to see if I would enjoy the army but decided it wasn’t for me. The fieldcraft and exercises were fun but I never met an officer I would follow into a firefight.

It does seem that there is a military streak running through this pastime but it could be a chicken or egg situation.

There is little modern day requirement to go into the woods with a minimum of gear to eke out a living so if you need an excuse for it I guess being a squadie is one way to go.