Honing the skills of a woodsman

[Rob W.]

I know for most of us it's the off season and there are sure to be a boat load of equipment threads. I like talking bows and broadheads as much as the next guy but would love to see more discussions about hunting tactics and general woods knowledge.  

I think even in our traditionally minded group it is easy to focus on good shooting and equipment but forget about all the other things that make a good hunter. Even the best shot in the world, shooting the most finely tuned equipment could find himself  In the woods after a shot wishing he had spent more time becoming a good tracker. That same person might also suffer the worst of all evils a dead cell phone     :D    and be wishing he had spent a little time with a compass in the off season.

I grew up in the country and take a bunch of this stuff for granted but feel it's my duty to learn as much as I can and pass that on to my boys.

I have also figured out over the years that reading a book or watching videos on these subjects is great but there is no substitute for actually getting out and doing it. Actually building a fire in a pinch in wet woods is a little more difficult than lighting your fire pit at home. Remembering what plants are edible is a lot easier when you have held them in your hands a few times. Taking part in as many tracking jobs during season no matter what the weapon will always pay off.  

During the off season backpacking trips not only keep us in hunting shape but help build a lot of these skills.

These are just a few things that crossed my mind after reading so many "which is the best" or arrow/ bow speed threads.  Sorry if I rambling on.

Rob

[Al_D]

Rob, I agree 100%.  I love taking my boys outdoors and teaching them all the little things I picked up over the years, from working on my uncle's horse farm to the Boy Scouts to to my years in the US military and so forth.  My 4 year old is all about sleeping in tents, fishing, riding in our canoe, and being outdoors in general.  He's already bugging me for his first bow.  We've built fires, pitched tents, built lean-tos, and I've taught him about common animal tracks and he eats it up.  It's going to be a lot of fun as they get older.

[Fattony77]

Here, here! I know in a lot of ways I am still a newbie, not just to trad shooting, but to woodsmanship in general. I am always looking to learn more and love when these types of threads come up. If a day goes by that I didn't learn something (or teach someone something), then it's a day that I WASTED. This applies to all aspects of life (I just really prefer it when I'm learning/teaching about hunting or archery     :D  ).  

So I implore all of you, share your knowledge of all things with us, you never know when something you taught someone might positively impact their life forever!

[Bowwild]

I started my kids learning certain trees. At the same time I taught them which animals these trees were important too and why. Now I'm doing this with my grandchildren, just like my dad did with me.  I have an advantage because of my chosen profession -- Purdue made me learn this stuff and more (Forestry and Wildlife). We had to learn about 120-130 trees and shrubs, field trip quizzes every class for a year.

I'll never forget my first job in Colorado. I had to know only 5 trees in that job. Diversity in the east is so much greater and challenging.

I can only imagine how much a hunter misses when they don't know various oaks, hickories, persimmon, dogwood, honeysuckle (even the pervasive exotic), etc.  At least know the "pointy" end-lobed red oak from the round end-lobed white oaks so you'll know which will produce acorns every year and which will only produce every other year. Know that 3 burr oak acorn will keep a squirrel alive on a winter day while it takes 11-13 red oak or walnuts to do the same (it takes much more energy to get to the meat of a walnut).

My oldest grandson didn't seem super interested in learning this stuff, I think he just took it for granted because he was around it all the time. Then his dad (my son) received his bow-killed Kudu and Impalas from the taxidermist. Now he is a monster!  He's bought two wildlife i.d. books (Africa) and is constantly downloading photos on our computers, phones, and his i-pad.

He also went on  his first deer hunts this past season (not ready for bow yet). He is hooked!

Of course the comfort and survival skills Rob refers too are critical as well. Especially to give the hunter confidence that they are in safe and much control over what happens in the wild.

I'll be getting my oldest grandson a compass this year. We'll use it and an aerial photo of the farm we hunt to do some orienting. We'll also discuss hunting edges, and predicting from the aerial where good deer sign should be.

I have to be careful though in all this "teaching" too make it practical and fun, almost subliminal. Mom and dad are for teaching and discipline, Papaw and mamaw are for fun'n.

[ron w]

You can never learn to much.....time spent in the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hike'n, birding, camping or whatever is all good. Each of those activities can teach you things that you can apply to better your hunting skills. The best part.......it's all fun!!

[smokin joe]

This thread is a great idea!!!!
   

[NoCams]

Just pulled two stands got two more to pull later this week. While we were there we tried to reflect and learn what we need to do for these spots next year. So busy hunting during season and not wanting to disturb the area, now is the time to learn and teach my son the how and why we picked this tree to hunt. I am a firm believer in during your homework and prep in the late winter / spring.

Good thread Rob......  

[Roger Norris]

Good post. I was recently with another guy on a small game hunt. we decided to make a fire and warm up while Daisy ran some rabbits. We were on private property that my family owns, and i have soe things stashed there that I may need...a big bag of Osage chips being one.

While making the fire (it was damp) I used some of the Osage, but not any paper, lighter fluid....other stuff I have stashed. The guy I was with could not understand why I made it difficult on myself. I was using the lighter in my pocket, some weeds and forest duff I scrounged from under logs, and wood I gathered (this really bothered him, as I had a full cord sitting right there under a tarp).

I explained to him that knowing how to build a fire under damp conditions takes practice....and this was practice. He looked at me like I was nuts.

I try and tweak my woodsmanship skills every time I am out.....whether it be fire building, compass work, or just plain scouting.

[ron w]

I love building a fire, just something about it.  

[ChiefStingingArrow]

My Brother and I would read book on Indian lore and such and then we would go out and try it. One of the things that we would do is have one person stand in the woods with their eyes closed while the other person practiced their stalking skills. the goal was to touch the person before he heard you. That really helped us with our stalking...and listening skills. You've got to be traditional to love this kind of stuff I guess.

[bretto]

My goal for this winter while I'm off work is to learn how to make fire in a Primative fashion.

I spent a couple of hrs. one day watching videos on Youtube. Some great learning tools on there.

This topic should be a good one to keep track of. Thanks for starting it Rob.

bretto

[Rob W.]

On a backpacking trip last year I decided to build a fire with the ferro rod that is on my knife sheath. It had rained and the temps were dropping to freezing that night. My buddies watched from their cozy fire that was started with a campstove. I would like to say it didn't take long and they didn't look at me like I was nuts but success was still satisfying.

 

 

[John146]

Rob, you mentioned staying in hunting shape. This is one of the things I took for granted in years past because the work I used to do kept me in shape but sitting behind a computer will make you soft.

Back before hunting season started last year someone wrote a tread encouraging everyone to get in shape. He said something to the effect that your body was one of the best tools you have in hunting. After reading that I decided to put some concerted effort into doing that. The energy and stamina I had was remarkable. I found myself going hunting more and on days that normally I would have probably passed.

I threw my back out exercising  :D   in November and had to lay off and heal. I never got back into it. I just got back from a hunt on a WMA I haven't hunted in 15 years. I walked a bunch and honestly - hit the wall a couple of times. In one season I experienced what it was like to hunt in shape and also out of shape.  

Trust me- In shape is a whole lot better.     It doesn't take much to make a huge difference and the biggest difference is mental. You "stay in the game" a lot better if your physically strong.

[Rob W.]

I know what you mean Todd. I stay in pretty good shape with my job but running and backpacking has helped in so many ways.

I hunt large tracts of public land and get pretty far in at times. Not to mention a mortally hit deer always seems to run the wrong way. 25 miles with a 30+# pack during the summer makes dragging so much easier.

Before I would come home dragging butt from work and drink some coffee to keep up with the kids for the evening. Now days when the weather is nice I run a couple miles and have energy the entire evening. No more "I'm too tired to hunt after a hard day" whining.

It also seems it is easier to stay warm on stand when you are in better shape. You don't sweat as much on the way in and your body if functioning as it should.

All this exercise also makes me drink more water which I neglected for years. Proper hydration has more benefits for a hunter than I care to list but we all already know that. Its just hard to stick to sometimes.    

[kagross]

I'm pretty decent at firemaking, but my wife is an absolute marvel.  At a mountainbike festival (camp in) a few years back where it rained for days beforehand, we were the only campsite with a fire.  It was all my wife.  I was ready with the hand sanitzer and a duraflame log, but she wouldn't have it.  It took her a little bit, but she split some smaller logs with the camp axe, took my Mora and shaved out a ton of strips from the dry middle of one, and started her pyramid from there, drying the next size by her tiny fire before adding and increasing the sizes.  We had a lot of company at our site.  They put her name on the shirt for that year.

[Rob W.]

I can remember when I was a kid my buddy had a copy of the SAS survival manual. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. No telling how many times I read that thing.

We would build our own shelters and cook fresh caught fish in a pop can over the fire.

I miss those days everything seems to move so fast anymore.

[lpcjon2]

A few years ago we did a great thread on land navigation, I think next to first aid that a refresher would be a great set of learning threads. Practice with a map and compass during summer will be a great benefit to some.

  I long for the teaching threads of the past.

[GUYZER]

Very good post like Roger Norris said!!
Woodsmanship is an art that is slowly fading away.
I am 51 and I have been practicing that art since the age of 16.Just the thought of making a fire with
some birch bark and some small spruce branches using
just some good old strike anywhere wooden matches or
my trusty fred bear sport club old zipo lighter,just
makes me come alive.Woodmanship is the way that nature was intented to be used!!!

MAY THE SPIRIT OF FRED BEAR GUIDE OUR ARROWS.

[ALwoodsman]

Good post.  I am amazed at the number of hunters that I know that do not know anything about the woods.  A lot of them can't ID more than a couple of trees.  I can't believe how many hunters only go in the woods during hunting season.  The rest of the year they will not set foot in there.

[bartcanoe]

Land navigation seems to be a dying art.  I not only hunt, but also regularly backpack and canoe and it surprises how the reliance on GPS has become so prevalent.  People don't seem to know how to use a compass nor terrain associate.