woodsmanship skills being lost?

[moleman]

Well said Autumnarcher,well said.  

[Alvey]

yep, very well said autumnarcher  

[guspup]

Today, my son and I, and 2 friends took a 14 year old pheasant hunting..... it was thru the big brother program. We had a great time, and perhaps sparked an interest in the the outdoors for this young guy. We do this because I was introduced to the outdoors the same way. The spark that was set in me, has led to 50 some years of learning about nature. Yea, sometimes I bought a gadget or 2, but I got bored with them, and kept coming back to simply learning about nature, which I still am fascinated by every day. I don't believe we are losing future hunters or outdoorsmen. I see many who have an interest, that only need an opportunity to get introduced to the outdoors thru someone like us. I am often told by people that they would like to experience hunting/fishing/nature. They come from all walks of life and of all ages. Many are from other countries. It's cool to seem them soak it all in, and start their own journey on the wild side :-)

[moleman]

guspup,my hat is off to you for a job well done in the big brother program.If not for people like you some of these young guys would never experiance the outdoors.  

[maineac]

I think the percentage of "woodsmen" in society has always been reletively low.  When we were a more agrarian society people certainly spent more time outdoors, and had a better grasp of the weather through clouds and winds.  And they could certainly start fires quicker with primitive (now) equipment, since that was what they cooked on every day, but I don't think many had a lot of what we consider woodsmanship.  Look at how famous Daniel Boone and Davey Crocket became.  Why?  Because the were woodsmen.  Most people lived their whole lives within ten miles of their birthplace.  The first thing Europeans did when they arrived was clear the forest to "tame" the wilderness.  It was a scary place.  Even Native cultures had Hunters and scouts.  NOt every member of the village was out wandering about, only those with the best skills.  I think we have moved away from the wilderness even more now that more people live in urban areas than rural.  It is harder in our current culture to find the areas and time to develop the skills, and for most unnecessary.  Those on this site tend to honor and enjoy the simpler aspects of life and the outdoors.  When we started walking we all used furniture and objects to help us stand and balance.  If modern tools help start people in the exploration of the outdoors and outdoors pursuits all the better.

[Chain2]

I think some of this stuff comes down to necessity. If you have a certain amount of skill the necessity is less likely to occur. I took my son and his buddies hunting and fishing all over our area. I taught then skills taht I thought they ould need for our geography, with the tools at hand, including a GPS. Some of these things were navigation, night and daytime, fire starting, shelter building, what you can eat or drink, righting a canoe it water above your head etc. etc. My son will probably never have to use alot of these things, because he knows these things. He uses a GPS to find his way to a treestand in the dark. He carries a lighter to start a fire but has a backup flint and steel. In his pack is a space blanket but I am sure it will go unused barring an injury afield. I thought every young man should know these skills.
 With all that being said, I think it is nice to mark a rub line and some scrapes with a click of a button to figure out a bucks area but there is no way I am going to let the GPS be my sole way of navigation. My days of hunting with a compound are over. I have traded my in-line muzzleloader in on an old sidelock six years ago. However I do like shooting elk a long way off with my 300 win mag and a handload 210 gr Berger bullet.
 Does this make any sense ???

[Sam McMichael]

I think the skill scene is a circular journey. We learn basic stuff and get pretty good at it. Then we hear about new products and technologies that "hunt" for us if we only spend the money. We run out and spend all that money, but after a while realize that we have gone stale in the basic woods craft area. Then we relearn basic stuff until the next new craze comes along. Finally, we realize that all that super trendy stuff is not the Holy Grail, so we finally settle in during our middle years and become solid bowhunters without the need for the glitz. After all an "expert" is merely somebody who has become brilliant at the basics. In the final analysis, I don't think these basic skills are necessarily lost, but they do get periodically misplaced...kinda like our thumbs.

[4 point]

Gene Wensel wrote a article for the PBS newsletter that touched on this subject and it got posted on another bowhunting website. The comments that were posted on the forum really showed the direction things were going. The thoughts some people have about what bowhunting and being outdoors are very scary for the future of bowhunting. If you haven't read the article try to find it, its very good. Maybe someone can post it on here.

[Paul/KS]

I am an older, low tech sort of guy, (despite typing this on a computer), and was dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Heck, I never got used to the 20th Century...
My woods skills are self taught from the old days when we read books on hunting and watched, in black and white at our house, the American Sportsman show. My dad did not hunt but he took me places where I could sometimes or I'd go on my own out back.

My take on this is if your "skills" require a battery they are probably just "apps"...  

[Bladepeek]

I read about 3/4 of the way through this post and then jumped to the end to ad my $.02.

My younger son is an IT techie who works 60 - 70 hours a week. He's the father of our only grandchild (a 6 year old sweetie that starts posing the minute she sees a camera). My older son is living in LA now, running a candle factory. He lived part of his life at 9K feet in CO and took 3-day back packing hikes in the mountains whenever he could get away.

Put them in a survival mode, lost in a big woods and I do think they would both survive. Why? Because they both know how to think. They've learned to think outside of the tight little box I grew up in. Yeah, they would suffer some, probably lose some weight and be a little the worse for wear, but they'd survive.

Yes, we have a large population that probably would not survive and "survival of the fittest" would surely be evident, but I strongly believe that those who manage to learn and improve their abilities in any kind of environment will make it. We may all learn something from their ability to adapt and innovate during the process  

[Phrogdrvr]

My Daughter's school asked me to teach a topographic map and compass reading class last year.  After my intro to the map and compass, one precocious young lady asked me why they should learn such an outdated skill when we have GPS now.  I fished around in my bag and pulled out a GPS unit I had brought with me.  I called her to the front and asked her to turn it on and tell me what she saw.  Her reply, after a couple of minutes, was, "I don't see anything, it's not working."  I replied, "Exactly, the batteries are dead."  (lucky for me and my object lesson, that I had neglected to change the batteries prior to the class).

To me is the essence of what we are losing, with all of our advanced tech, is our independence.  It's easy to become dependent on the gadgets because they work so well.  The down side is the gadgets are more vulnerable to failure IMHO.  If you don't have the older skills (ie: land navigation) to back it up, you can find yourself in a spot.

Tom

[toddster]

Land navigation
tracking
stalking
playing the wind
nature appreciation
fire making
water purification

[Knawbone]

Originally posted by Mac11700:
Are woodsman skills being forgotten...sure they are...each and every day...but let's face facts for a moment...and have a reality check...

We all use modern equipment of 1 type or another...and damn few "have to " hunt to put our only food we get on the table...Sure...it's nice to romanticize about not needing all of the gadgets we use...but the fact of life is we all don't have the time to go without them.Most of us work for a living..families to raise..bills to pay...and our free time is a precious commodity..

I could use a compass instead of having a satellite image and walk all over looking for a likely place to hunt...or I can simply pull up my stored maps and go hunt...

I could opt for a primitive bow too...shooting stone points too...if I wanted...but I much prefer my new bows with it's fast flight string shooting aluminum arrows...Just as I could wear non gortex items and stay wet all the time...but I don't...and won't...

Do I know how to trap and track game...sure I do...and this is something we need to teach...just as using a compass...or starting a fire by hand...but...don't confuse using the technology of the day in one thing...then lament about it in another...cause that isn't right...We each have to decide what and when we are going to use all of the modern equipment...Much of it does allow us to hunt longer...smarter...easier...but that doesn't make us better woodsman...it just allows us more time to do it..without having to struggle to stay warm..not get lost..stay dry..shoot better...We still have to teach the basics to those who don't know them...but...modern equipment makes things easier...and I for one wouldn't give them up to go back 100 years and all the hassle of that era..

Mac

Pretty much mirrors my feelings, Much woodcraft is learned from neccesity rather than sport. How much time out of a year are we able to practice woodcraft?I know the answer....not much.

[RC]

Its one thing to suit up and go on a couple days wilderness adventure or get together all prepared but it is another to have to live like that.
  I was raised by real swampers. Not the ones you see on TV. I did more work in "chores" every day when I was 12 than 16 year olds do in a whole year now.Not something to keep me busy but stuff that had to be done. I can remember we only went to town maybe once every two weeks and it was a big deal. I remember my Granddaddy would not go unless it was a must.Maybe a couple months of being around home. The good life.
 Point is I was raised like that and pride myself at being able to take care of things if I had too.....We had a terrible tornado about 10 years ago and lost power for 9 days. I`ve never felt so helpless in my life.RC

[jhg]

I have a buddy who exemplifies the belief that he is only making himself "better" at what he already knows by buying all the gagets: wheel bow, gps and smartphone in the woods, scent blocking clothes etc. He loves it- he can sit in a stand and play games on his smart phone and text his wife.
Its like he wasn't even there (until the only "important" moment arrives with the elk walking by).
He won't even use his map/compass smarts to locate himself anymore(even tho he is a good map/compass guy).

But I can tell you, he has very little in common with why I am out there. He wants to get-R-done as fast as he can. It has nothing to do with getting closer, or that the journey is at least half the reason. Or that being a part of the woods IS the idea.

Insecurity.

 I used to have so much respect for muzzleloaders- now their gear is all about making it "easier".

 All hunting is headed that way.
 
When will WE understand that "easier" is not the point. Every time we use something that makes it easier, we diminish the reward, the experience, the honor.
Go ahead, buy the next latest best thing.

 Justify it as a "tool".

I mean no disrespect in any direction, but this issue really riles me up.

 "Why are we out there" is what we should all ask ourselves when we stand in front of the display case.

Joshua

[BuckeyeGuy]

Technology is a wonderful thing when it works.  When it does not, it is amazing to watch how people function.  I do not have a bunch of hunting toys other than the necessities.  Mainly due to the cost of items such as trail cameras, GPS, etc. I can not justify the cost to purchase those items for what I want to accomplish when I go hunting.

There is nothing wrong with the use of these items, it is based on necessity.

[Mojostick]

The internet killed the letter writer and penmanship.

"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less."
--General Eric Shinseki, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff

[DayTripper]

A few years back, my friends and I were on a wilderness backpacking trip. Three days into the trip, we encountered a heavy storm after we made camp. That night lightning struck a tree no more than 50 feet away from our campsite.

Next morning, as we were ready to move out, we found out that all our electronics — cell phones and GPSes — were fried by the lightning the night before.

Since we were from the old school, we promptly pulled out our topo and compasses and on our way.

That could had been a disaster if we did not have the "manual" skill to navigate without GPS.

My point is this, use technologies to make your life easier BUT do not forget to learn and hone the "manual" skills.

[Bladepeek]

I just found out they're not teaching cursive in our school anymore. Kids can print a short note and are expected to use a computer for anything longer. Not only did my kids learn cursive, I can even read their handwriting.

My cardiologist was writing a Rx for me and I asked him if he flunked med school because I thought the first thing they taught doctors how to write encrypted. I could read it easily and complimented him on his penmanship. He's a Sikh from India, very proud of his penmanship and went on a rant about his daughter's cramped writing style.

Ah yes. The good old days    

[Hoyt]

My first memories of life are of me out back behind our old farm house alone in a patch of dog fennel's on a cool morning, happy with where I was. Don't know how old I was probably about 4, but I pretty much grew up in the woods following behind my Dad and learning all I could from him.

I've always felt more at home in the woods than anywhere else. I learned what critter makes what sounds, splash, the cadence of their wing beats in flight, shape of wings from a distance, their droppings..tracks, etc.

When I first started bow hunting I would take my recurve, hip quiver with arrows, a pocket knife, length of string and matches.

I'd find my way to a tree in the dark from long distances without a compass, light or any aid besides memory and landmarks...all this at a young age. Hate to see kids missing out on this part of life now days.