woodsmanship skills being lost?

[YORNOC]

Its all relative to personal lifestyle. People who live with hectic, busy lives around city/big town areas dont have as much time as  some others and look for shortcuts to help out since time in the woods is not as available.
Others live with natural woodsman skills used daily thinking its just normal life.  Then there are people with minimal time who "work" to learn as much woodsmanship skills as possible and limit shortcuts. And then there are woodsmen who would rather use shortcuts and techno.  And on and on and on..............
I think if our world today crashed and everyone had to survive on own skills....only a very, very select few would make it.

[ron w]

I think some of the reason woodsmanship skills are not what they were is how we acquire them. For years I hunted with older hunters who taught me the good and the bad habits. I don't think that's a common today. When you have a mentor you seem to pick things up quicker and retain them. So the morale to the story.......take a young person hunting and show them the skills they will need in the future!  

[Scott Teaschner]

Yornoc that is called "survival of the fittest" or "natural selection". I agree with you I think it would weed some out. But I also think it would surprise you how many people have those natural skills that are just under the surface. There have been gimicks around for ever. All you have to do is look at an old Herters catalog. I can remeber getting some fishing lure as a kid cause I seen some one catching a bunch of fish. I got some and could not catch a thing. Was it a gimick? No I just was not using it correctly. Later I told the neighbor I could not catch a fish with it he showed me how to fish that lure correctly. Once I saw how to use it I cought fish. The lure was a plastic worm I wonder what the live bait guys thought when that showed up on the fishing scene? Can a GPS help a guy out? Most defenitly. Will it teach him how to read the land go back 15 miles with his gear and come out with a trophy bull elk? Probably not. There is no gaurante with hunting or fishing. There is nothing that replaces good old time spent in the woods and gaining experiance. Learn from every trip and maybe help some one out to shorten there learning curve. Nothing you can buy replaces the sweat from working hard.

[Swamp Yankee]

If the world crashed today, very very few of us would survive for sure.  Even if everyone had great survival skills, there are just too many of us on this rock to survive without technology to raise food and clean our water.  I think today's survival skills are more about protecting our planet.

[psychmonky]

With the slow but sure disappearance of available hunting ground the simple fact is that opportunities to learn and then practice woodsmanship are fewer.

I have lived in a medium-sized town for my entire life. My dad did his best to teach me what he knew, but hunting on the weekends is a far cry from even 50 years ago when people were actually hunting for food. I can practice my shooting form, prepare and tinker with equipment, and scout from my PC...but learning how to move quietly or how a deer acts when its spooked...those are things that need to be experienced.

I believe there are a lot of companies capitalizing on the fact that people want to be good hunters, but they can't put in the time in the woods. Because of all the "instructional" tv shows and movies, featuring celebrities, (Blake Shelton, Brock lessner, Jeff Foxworthy) hunting has become mainstream. This actually has the benefit of attracting and keeping people who wouldn't normally hunt. It is causing our sport to survive and even grow! If those people can help themselves by buying spray to illuminate a tricky-for-them blood trail, so be it.

The point im trying to make is that woodsmanship isn't necessarily declining because of these products. The products are there because there are people who realize they need help and are willing to buy them.

Scott.

[TSP]

Look up 'woodsmanship' in Webster's and what do you find?  Nothing.  Because according to the dictionary there is no such word.  Does it exist?  Of course it does.  You'll find out shortly if you are lost, freezing, hurt or otherwise in trouble in the woods and your GPS  batteries die, electronics fail, vehicle gets stuck, phone doesn't work and there's nothing between you and help except 30 miles of trees and swamp.  Under such conditions you'll find out what ISN'T woodsmanship in a hurry.

Reality isn't always what the dictionary says it is, and it's definately not what society's perception of it is.  Woodsmanship, like the concept of traditional archery, is a combination of mindset; willingness and ability to use simple time-tested equipment and techniques; knowledge learned from hands-on applications; and confidence gained from that learned experience.  It's resisting failure by embracing ingenuity over gadgetry.  It's the difference between knowing what to do and knowing that you don't know how to do it.  It's being able to cope with what is, rather than wishing for what isn't.  It is, in the jargon of contemporary society, the real deal.

And yes, IMO most hunters today have lost the ability to recognize, let alone practice, woodsmanship skills.  Push a button and buy some plastic...that's today's way.

[Scott Teaschner]

I liked your words TSP.

[Smithhammer]

It isn't just within the hunting crowd. I live in an area with lots of 'outdoorsy' people - mtn. bikers, skiers, climbers, etc. These people spend a lot of time outdoors, and for many, these activities, and a general 'outdoor' lifestyle, are definitely a big part of their identity. Some are even 'professional outdoor instructors.' Yet I know very few of them who know how to properly sharpen a knife, or build a fire in challenging conditions without a lighter, or who could dress an animal if they needed to, or even know how to move quietly and have basic wilderness observation skills. There is a whole culture of 'outdoorsiness' that has arisen in the last few decades that is completely gear reliant, and that retains few traditional outdoor skills, if any.

And, at the risk of sounding judgemental, I fear that for many of these folks, wilderness is just a gymnasium for self-absorbed recreation, with no deeper connection. Some of this has definitely bled into hunting as well, imo.

[Steve in Canton]

I take it from a different perspective, i work 60 plus hours a week, have 2 beautiful girls under the age of 4.  I use alot of the gadgets that people here condem to help me better enjoy the few hours that i have in the woods each fall.  I still shoot my recurve every day and have to make the shot when it counts.  When I had more time in my life I did learn a lot about woodsmanship and have spent up to a week in the wilderness by myself with out the convienances of every day life and I tell you i enjoy knowing that when i go to the woods now I am doing everything that I can to come back safe and sound to enjoy my family.  I carry with me GPS, my Iphone to call if I fall and use trail cameras and would not change anything on how I hunt.  To each your own but by shooting and hunting traditional I can limit my opportunities but enjoy the outdoors at the same time.

[Scott Teaschner]

Steve,
I agree with you. I also want to say even though you allready know this. You dont have to be ashamed of what you are doing. To me it sounds like you invested some time in yourself and you have some core skills. The things you talk about would be nothing with out your core skills.
Scott

[gringol]

Steve bring up a good point.  I think it's the root of the issue.  People have less time to spend in the woods these days.  There are also fewer wild areas, so many people have to travel farther to reach them.  I drive 2.5 hours to get to my hunting area.  Let's be realistic, if you NEVER put an animal on the ground, would hunting be much fun?  A lot of people would quit hunting if they never had any success.  Gadgets try to make people more successful and that's keeps more people hunting.  In the broad sense that's a good thing.  For me, I'm going into the woods with a stick-bow, wooden arrows, a knife, and that's about it. If I'm in the high mountains or a huge wilderness area (doesn't ever happen here in Florida) I'm bring a GPS and some survival gear.  I don't think hunting is worth dying over...

[Autumnarcher]

Interesting discussion, but what exactly would we define as "woodsmanship" skills? There is no real finite list of what those entail, and can be a rather broad based skillset. Some may have good skills when it comes to some areas, and be non-existent in others. Hunting skills-scouting, reading sign, choosing stand locations, still hunting, spot and stalk etc are all various skills that some may be very good at one, and very poor at another. Does it make him a lesser hunter? Not really.

Then you have another arena of skills which may be necessary- bushcraft skills. Depending on whre on how you hunt, these may take on varying degrees of importance. SHelter making, fire making, water procurement, food gathering, etc. The list is really endless.

While most of us would have a rough go at total wilderness indepenent living skills, some of these are basics that are important. Fire and shelter being the top of the list. skils that can make a unexpected overnight or two afield either a life and death situation, or just an uncomfortable incovenience.

When we talk about the use of gimmicks in some cases, or technology enhanced hunting gear, opinons are plentiful .

GPS is a good place to start. While using a compass and map are important skills, most of us lack the time, opportunity and competent instruction to master these skills. And while you may do ok with them in one region, a dramatic change in topography may throw you off completely. You may use them well in mountainous areas, with plenty of landmarks and the ability to view the landscape for long distances. Move to a huge tract of thick flat forest, where your field of vision is measured in yards intead of miles, and see how you do. GPS, used properly can ease your mind and assist in use of the compass, although far too many who utilize them follow then around, looking at the little arrow on the screen like some sort of homing device. In this case, that is a poor habit to get in to.

I teach an outdoors prepardness class to a bunch of kids every summmer in the course of our Hunter Safety youth camp. Im far from an expert, but I give them the basics of fire and shelter, as well as some tips on navigation.

I wish I was better with the map and compass. There is a lot of things to remember, where with a GPS, used with a map,simplifies it.Granted, all things electronic can fail. How many of us have the skills to determine direction of travel lacking even a compass?

The woodsmanship skill set is a broad and varying one for sure.

I always get a kick out of seeing what the next years latest gimmick hunting crutch to hit the market will be. So far, the last couple years have been pretty comical.

The Cruncher is still tops pn my list. If you havent seen this thing, its a small round plastic gizmo that you squeeze and it makes a loud crunching sound to " simulate the sound of a deer crunching acorns". LOL This year I found a store that sold a product, packaged by some resourceful enterpenuer, of packages of deer droppings. The package contained a heapinghandfull of dried deer poo, to put out to le the deer think there are more deer in the area, for a argain price of $8.99! I checked back later in the season, and they were sold out!!! Who buys this stuff?

[Mike Mecredy]

I don't have any of the high tech stuff, I don't even have a cel phone.  And for the exact reason stated in this post.  I don't like to rely on things like that.  If it's got a battery it'll die, if it needs a signal it'll get lost, a compass, a hatchet, a good knife, and a sharp mind can go a long way in the wilderness if you know what you're doing.

-Mike

[wds]

I like technology.  Like the beer cans i make alcohol stoves from. I like the plastic in the shower curtain i carry in my pack to sit on when it is wet. It also helps water proof the shelter i build if i am going to be in the area a while. I like the steel in my mini hatchet for more reasons than i can list. I like the jute twine for tying everything together and as a fire starter to. I like the stainless steel pot i cook my food in. I like my fire steel as it never fails to give fire. Folding saw and shovel? Must have . Compass and paper map to. Leather harness to carry my knife under my arm out of the way. Space blanket? One please. All in a good pack. Water food shelter. If you are out three days you will survive. Yeah i like technology just fine thank you.

[Smithhammer]

Technology, in and of itself, is seldom the problem. After all, technology is inanimate until we choose to do something with it. As pointed out above, I like my carbon arrows, and I like the resins in my longbow and I like the fact that UPS can transport a custom knife from the other side of the country to my doorstep.

The problem is in the application of technology, and whether or not we choose to impose limits on ourselves - whether or not we realize that less is truly more, and that excessive reliance on gadgetry is not self-reliance. The issue isn't technological, and never has been - it's human. Go figure.

[Orion]

Interesting discussion.  Are the newer generations, those newer to hunting, failing to learn woodsmanship skills?  Many are.  Lack of time is the rationalization offered for substituting technology for learning woodsmanship.  I don't buy that.  We're all busy.  It's how we choose to use our time. We make the time to do the things that are really important to us.  In short, technology/gadget use, or the absense of it, is a pretty good measure of commitment level and woodsmanship skill.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I don't think anyone here is damning technology.  I think it is the idea of using it as a crutch that many do not like the thought of.   I hunted with a buddy on a local river yesterday.  I had my Iphone 4, a Garmin 60CSX, and a flashlight in my haversack.  Why?  The phone to call my wife when I was headed home.  The GPS to mark my kill if I found my deer or elk deer near dark and had to return to it. The flashlight for finding my way back to the boat.  I don't use them to find animals, hunt the animals, or involve them in my hunting at all.  they sure are nice when the hunt is done.  Nothing like calling a buddy to say hey, meet me at the ramp at 6:00 I need help hauling a big bull out of the woods.

My grandad taught me to be prepared, "cuz when your not you will be dead".  When I am going to be miles in from the trailhead I take a SPOT locator.  Broken leg, hit the button, crawl to flat ground, work up a small fire, and light shelter, and wait.  Far better than figuring out that you can't crawl 8 to 15 miles out so your dead.  

The wilderness skills I have from spending 30+ years being outdoors would keep me and my family alive and reasonable comfortable indefinately.  Very few people today are learning those skills

[gregg dudley]

Originally posted by Swamp Yankee:
If the world crashed today, very very few of us would survive for sure.  Even if everyone had great survival skills, there are just too many of us on this rock to survive without technology to raise food and clean our water.  I think today's survival skills are more about protecting our planet.

Profound insight right there...

The degree to which we depend on technology is magnified by our insane population and urbanization.  If the infrastructure that we have created crashed it would be a truly ugly experience.

In terms of the original question, I think that gps has actually made people more aware of the world that they live in.  They have a greater understanding of maps, scale, distance, topography, and imagery than they ever have before.  That being said, less people can actually use a compass and map to navigate than in prior generations.  Trapping, shelter building, and basic survival skills are also lost to the general populance.

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel in the form of ecotourism and adventure trekking.  Combined with a trend towards better fitness these these activities are pushing more people outdoors.  People from all walks of life are participating in these events and having their curiosity aroused by the experience. Among these groups, there is a trend towards more awareness of outdoor skills.

[Llamma1]

I think that the tecnology can help and it is cool stuff. I don't spend the money on it myself. I have a large family and spend my money on them. So I just stick to the basics. Bow,arrows,map,compass,Knife,tarp,water. That's what I hunt with. It works for me.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

" I don't have any of the high tech stuff'

You sure do Mike you just used one to type out that line.   :D  

I thought shooting a bow and arrow was a woodsmanship skill    

I suggest to everybody to get off the computer(Unless your at work like I am) grab there bows and get out into the woods and practice some of these lost skills your talking about. Make sure to take a camera, (Although it is modern to) then bring those picks back and post them on this site for all to learn from.

That's what this site used to be about passing on are skills for everybody to learn from and believe me I have learned plenty from alot of good Tradgangers. I am self taught, My dad passed away when I was young and my mom and step dad never hunted but supported me by bying me the things I requested most of the time       I have raised three kids and showed them everything I know old and new good and bad.

Thats why I love this place, Good people, good storys and lots of learning to be done. So show what you do know and I will show you what I know and we can all learn these 'woodsmanship' skills togather.

 I like to  practice some of my skills this way.

 

I like it modern and the old ways!

Tracy