Do we have any Bush Craft guys here?

[aclawrence]

Hey fellow turkey hunters, I was curious if any of y'all were into bushcraft stuff. I like to get the knives out this time of year and practice making fires. We had a nice 60 degree morning here in Alabama and it's got me ready to hit the trail and do some backpack camping. Speaking of bushcraft I got Jeff Harris to turn some handles for ferrocerium rods and they turned out pretty sweet. Let's see some knives or fire pictures.
Here's some old pics I found.

Cedar feather stick
Fat wood




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[J.D. Shellnut]

Awesome campsite!

[GobbleNut]

It seems to me the interest in bushcraft is a relatively recent phenomenon that has been spurred on by the advent of such shows like "Alone" and the like.  If I was about half-a-century younger than I am now, I think I would really have gotten into that sort of thing.  As it were, I did a moderate amount of backpacking in my younger years,...but that is obviously not on the same level.  At this point in my life, it just would require much more effort than I am willing to make.   

I think it is cool that bushcraft and survival skills have become a "thing" recently, though.  I enjoy watching those programs on the tube,...but that is about as far as my actual participation goes nowadays.   

To summarize,....Getting old is a bi-atch!   

[crow]

Nice pics


In my younger years I did some period trekking/hunting with gear from the longhunter time period.
for fire starting we used flint and steel with char cloth and tow.


have you ever made a leaf bed, they work good for added insulation in cold weather, and a little cushioning

[ChesterCopperpot]

Looks like a take on Kephart's knife. Who made it?


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[eggshell]

Many many moons ago a friend of mine and myself would take what we could fit in a 10 ft john boat and stay on the river for days at a time. made many beds with willow or pine bows and leaves. Would dig a fire pit deep and them scoop out our bed. Build as roaring hot fire firs as possible and then place rocks in it and by bed time let it burn down to coals. The ground would retain a fair amout of heat and the smoldering fire would suppress mosquitos some. A mummy bag and head net done the job. I have camped on a trapline down to 15 degrees F before. We ate what ever we killed or caught plus foraged for. That doesn't mean we didn't have a snack cooler.

However; those days are long gone. I am in Gobblenut's group now. Nightime will find me in a warm bed and a full bathroom close by. My last back pack and camping trip was 20+ years ago in the mountains above Marlington West Va.

[Sir-diealot]

Before my car accident I used to spend a lot of time in the woods sleeping under makeshift shelters or tents. I am trying to get back to doing some kind of camping now, slowly buying stuff but I won't be able to do anything like that again. Learned some from John Brown's Wilderness Survival book as well as from a old veteran that helped me through being homeless one winter, staying in a makeshift snow cave for almost a month under his tutelage.

[WV Flopper]

 Funny...Everyone that knows me is amazed that I hate camping. I can survive for a couple days out of a backpack and tent. Probably many more than a couple BUT WHY. I love a comfy bed, a hot shower after a long day in the woods, a great meal, electricity. I love comfort!

Hot running water is one of the greatest things ever!

P.S. try a hand full of dryer lent for a fire builder one time.

[Happy]

I enjoy watching the show "alone". However I don't really practice bushcrafting much. I feel like if your prepared you don't have to be so resourceful or work too hard.  That being said, I do have a crown royal bag stuffed with a lighter, seasoned salt, fire tinder, aspirin, bandages, tp, paracord and a few other items just in case. It's always in my turkey vest or hunting pack. A lot of times when hunting the late doe season I will kill a deer, text the boy my location and we will have a small fire and have a lunch of either heart or inner loin right on the spot. And I have always appreciated a good knife. Below is a 1970's Buck Akonua given to me by a friend I lost earlier this year as well as a knife made from bandsaw blades by Marvin Wotring. Most won't know who he is but some die hard WVU fans will. Oh, I also included my fire starting system.

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[aclawrence]

Looks like a take on Kephart's knife. Who made it?


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It's a Blind Horse Knife.


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[eggshell]

when you live in the woods and it's 1500 feet to a one lane township rd and you heat with wood, raise a huge garden,  make maple syrup, can, preserve and freeze a significant amount of your food, like us. Everyday has a little bush craft to it.

[crow]

Looks like a take on Kephart's knife. Who made it?


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It's a Blind Horse Knife.


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You can lead a blind horse to water,
but you can't make him see the forest for the trees




I have a belt ax from Dead Horse Forge, handy little ax

[aclawrence]

I should have been more specific. I like practicing bush crafty stuff with knives and fires but there's no way I'm going to crawl into a debris hut of leaves and spend the night lol.  If I do I've made some big mistakes. I enjoy hammock camping and much of the modern camping equipment.  I always try to carry lighters so I'm not relying on making sparks. What really started me down this path was an old show called I shouldn't be alive. After seeing so many people get into big trouble because of a few bad choices and lack of preparedness and skills I started carrying stuff like a compass and cigarette lighter. I do like watching Alone. It seems to be the most realistic out of all the survival type shows.


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[aclawrence]

when you live in the woods and it's 1500 feet to a one lane township rd and you heat with wood, raise a huge garden,  make maple syrup, can, preserve and freeze a significant amount of your food, like us. Everyday has a little bush craft to it.

That's awesome. I have freezers full of deer meat but I'm lacking in gardening skills. Also I don't really like vegetables


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