bushcraft usa Magazine - Volume 1

7/31/2019 bushcraft usa Magazine - Volume 1

1/11

VOLUME 1 SUMMER 2010

2010 WWW.BUSHCRAFTUSA.COM PAGE 1

WWW.BUSHCRAFTUSA.COM

http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/


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Contents:Hot Off The Press!

Koa Page 3: Introduction to the long awaited Bushcraft USA Magazine

1 Am Hardwoodsman, Hear Me RoarKoa Page 3: An in depth look at the up and coming group known as the Hardwoodsmen

Characteristics Are KingIz Turley Page 4: Recognize useful natural resources by their characteristics

Member SpotlightKoa Page 5: Meet Bushcraft USA member Homeslice, could he be the most improved bushcrafter of the year?

Whats This Got To Do With Survival?Koa Page 5: Learn how preparation and organization can increase your chance of surviving when the time comes

Book Review: Camping And WoodcraftGreyOne Page 6: Explore the classic work of Horace Kephart and learn where to download it for free

New York State MeetSkogKniv Page 7: Share the experiences of some BCUSA members who met in upstate New York this Spring

Squirrel PoleTerry Barney Page 8: Learn how to efficiently put a squirrel or two in the pot for dinner with this nifty trick

Survival PhilosophyKevin Estela Page 9: Being in a survival situation can be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Developing a good core philosophy can help you overcome challenging situations.
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Its fall in the hardwoodsforest , youre cold and indesperate need of a fire. You popinto a transition zone and see aplant that is sporting a downy fluff

at the top of its stem. Instantlyrecognizing it as flash tinder thatyou can use to catch your cedarbark more easily, you gather someand stuffit inside your coat. Youhave no clue that the plant you arelooking at is actually Bull Thistleand it doesnt matter because youhave recognized a useful resourceby its characteristics. Recognizing resources bycharacteristics is an invaluable

woodsmans skill to cultivate and

possess. It can be used andadapted for most anything withonly a couple of exceptions. When you hear this skilldescribed it often involvescordage. This is rightfully so ascordage is high on the list of usefulresources found in the woods. Thebest cordage Ive ever seen camefrom a plant that I dont evenknow the name of. Several of us

were out tromping around whenour friend Terry pulled up a plantand tested it for its cordagecharacteristics. He busted it openand inside were the most beautifulstrands of strong, white fiber Idseen in a plant. It looked and feltlike fishing line. Im fairly sure it

was a species of Milkweed (mostlikely Swamp Milkweed) but thats

the beauty of characteristics, itdoesnt matter what it is. Ill knowit again when I see it and Ill knowexactly what I can use it for. Cordage is a common skilllinked to characteristics but it canbe used in almost every otheraspect of bushcraft. Take flint forexample. True flint is only found inselect places across the earth butby using the idea of characteristicrecognition you can find rocks thatare flint-like and do flint likethings. This is how I find rocksthat act like flint; I listen for them

when Im walking in a creek bed.If I hear a glassy sound as I step onthe rocks I know Ive probablyfound what Im looking for. I pickup the glassy sounding rock andtry to bust offa flake. Sometimesthis produces useable tools forstaring fires or making blades andsometimes it fails. It all dependson the quality of the rock you find.You can do this just aboutanywhere in the world where rockis found. Im not saying youll

always find something with theproperties of flint but if its therethen this technique will help youfind it. Bow and drill friction fire is abig deal, both in its usefulness andits mystery for those new to tryingit. I get the same question overand over from bow and drillbeginners, What kind of woodshould I use?. When they ask thisquestion theyre really asking whatspecies they should look for. Butthats usually not the answer I givethem because all that matters arethe characteristics. Dead standing

wood that you can make athumbnail impression in is all youneed to know. Species has literallyalmost zero to do with it and infact it can hamper your efforts.

Ive heard of people using Oak fora bow and drill set when its in theproper state of rottenness and Iuse wood on occasion that I haveno clue what species it is basedsolely on its characteristics. As I touched on earlier, thereare a few spots to be careful with

when using character i s t icrecognition. Do not, under anycircumstances, judge food or waterby its characteristics. You just maymake yourself sick or dead if youare that careless about what youstick in your mouth. Always know

beyond a shadow of a doubt whatyou are eating or drinking. The other area to use cautionin would be plants that can causecontact poisoning or dermatitis. If

you know what Poison Ivy lookslike and what it does to you then

you wont be making cordage outof it if you have any smarts. By learning and applyingcharacteristic recognition a

woodsman can increa se h ischances of survival or enhance his

comfort level anywhere in theworld. He wont even ha ve toknow where in the world he is.

Iz Turley is the owner of

Turley Custom Knives

www.turleyknives.com

Characteristics are Kingby Iz Turley (Bindlestitch)
http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.turleyknives.com/http://www.turleyknives.com/http://www.turleyknives.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/


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Member Spotlight: HomeslicePossiblythemostimprovedbushcrafteroftheyear?

He may be a smart-mouthedlittle runt but hes definitely gotgame. Fi rst spotted at theoriginal Missouri meet he wasntexpected to make it through thenight (at one point we even hadhim convinced that heinadvertently came to a meetingfor the Sierra Club). However, hedecided to make his camp anywayand surprised everyone with his

tenacity, passion for learning, andknack for bushcrafting. Aftermonths of practice and thepurchase of excessive amounts ofunnecessary gear we havewatched Homeslice develop intoa real hardwoodsman. Woolwatch caps offto this yuppie medstudent turned bushcrafter andfirst place winner of the Missouriskills competition! -Koa

PENCIL LEAD, PENCILS, AND THUMBS...WHATS THIS GOT TO DO WITH SURVIVAL?In medicine they say an

ounce of prevention is worth apound of cure but in survival itsmore like an ounce of preparationcould mean your backside! If youre

cold and wet or maybe just reallyhungry, a fire is one of your bestfriends. Getting a fire startedwith limited resources is a skillthat needs to be practiced overand over again until its more aref lex tha n a chor e. IAWoodsman taught me (as he hasmany of you) that even in the

wettest of conditions you canmake a good fire. (Watch Here)The key to your success is in thepreparation. Find the right drytinder, prepare a variety of sizes

of kindling (thus the pencil lead,penci ls , and thumb sizereferences) ahead of time andprotect it while you work. Thiswill allow you to focus on keepinga flame going after you finally getone. There is nothing worsethan working hard to get a flameonly to let it die due to lack of

kindling. All you need to do isspend the proper time onpreparation and youll be warm,dry, and fed rather than cold,hungry, or dead.

-by Koa

Congratulations to the newDr. and Mrs. Homeslice! Trueto form they had a verybushcrafty outdoor wedding.Appa re nt ly Homesli ce gotcaught scouting for sources ofnatural cordage and tinderwhile he was supposed to bepaying attent ion to moreimportant things.
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On Saturday April 17th at 10amthe first New York State meet

commenced. Several members ofthe forum arrived at the Bear Lake

trail in McKeever, New York. The weather was in the high30s and a warm fire was waiting

thanks to Marty Simon, his wife

Aggie, Kevin Estela, and Big

John , all of whom arrived the

night before. Over the next several

hours, other members slowly

started arriving.

The weather was a drizzly mixof rain and snow. Much of our

time was spent close to the fire,

covering many topics of discussion

one would be likely to find at a

bushcraft meet. As the weather

cleared up some, a little bit of

wandering commenced and Marty

Simon shared some of his vast

knowledge on the plant life (which

was quite remarkable), all this time

reminding me, and I am sure

others, how much more I want and

need to learn. Later in the afternoon theinevitable comparing of our

wilderness tools commenced and

knives began passing hands, with

oohs and aahs following.

After, there was some disbanding

to smaller groups, showing kit, and

wandering through the forest.

Some wood whittling was abound

of course. Around 4pm I set to puttingdinner on the fire. The fare was

corned beef, and corned venison.

The meat was well seasoned and

the sides included plenty of boiled

potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. It

seemed to go over well, especiallyon such a cold, overcast day. The

remainder of the evening was

spent telling stories and sharing

knowledge by the fire. Upon waking, the groundswere covered in a thin layer of ice.

The temperature dropped below

freezing through the night,

allowing snow and ice to form on

everything. The fire was once

again the center of attention

throughout the morning. Breakfast

consisted of bacon and eggs

generously provided by one of the

crew. A small trap demonstrationwas put on by Kevin Estela. Later

in the morning an arrow was found

in the forest, I made quick to

fashioning a small Atlatl in which

the arrow was thrown for a little

while until it was lost once again. Everyone finally departedaround noon on Sunday. Overall a

great first meet with fellow forum

members and some of their friends.

In all 9 showed up, with 8 staying

over the night, a healthy turn out in

my opinion. I would like to thank

Marty, Aggie, Kevin, John, Chris,

Timothy, Cody, and Amber for

showing up and making it a great

time. I have no doubt we will look

forward to future meets with all of

you.

-Leif B

(SkogKniv)

Leif was born and raised at the

foothills of the AdirondackWilderness and considers himself

to be a wildlife and wilderness

enthusiast, and novice bushcrafter

for life.

SkogKniv on YouTube

New York StateBCUSA Meet

April 17-18, 2010
http://www.bushcraftusa.com/storehttp://www.bushcraftusa.com/storehttp://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.youtube.com/user/SkogKnivhttp://www.bushcraftusa.com/storehttp://www.bushcraftusa.com/storehttp://www.youtube.com/user/SkogKnivhttp://www.youtube.com/user/SkogKnivhttp://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/


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When it comes to putting meat in the potone of my favorite techniques for snaring isthe squirrel pole. Before we go any further,make sure you check your local game laws to

see if snaring is legal in your area. Snare setsare in my opinion one of the best and easiestways to secure game for your table. Theywork for you 24/7 and bait is not necessary.You can use both manmade and naturalmaterials to construct them. Most of all,snares are easy to make and maintain, withthe squirrel pole being one of the easiest toconstruct and set.

To construct this beauty we are going tohave to make several simple snares. If youneed help with this part look here. The snareswill need to be about 3 fingers wide. I use 7-10

depending on the length of the pole. Whenattaching them remember to keep the loopabout one finger in height above the pole. Ialways mark my snare location with loggingtape or bright cloth so they are easier to findwhen you check them. I check my snares inthe morning and the evening. Good luck andbon appetit!

A squirrels eye view

To start with, I like to find a tree that thelittle tree rats have a nest in. This is what weare going to set our pole against. We knowthat the squirrels need to climb the tree toget in and out of their home. We also knowthat they will take the path of least resistanceand in this case it will be the pole.

squirrel

poleby Terry Barney

(IA Woodsman)

Terry Barney is a former Air ForceSurvival Instructor (now referred to asSERE Specialist) and owner of theMidwest School of Bushcra&.

www.midwestschoolofbushcraft.com
http://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.midwestschoolofbushcraft.com/http://www.midwestschoolofbushcraft.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRfXRDR-byQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRfXRDR-byQhttp://www.bushcraftusa.com/http://www.bushcraftusa.com/


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Survival philosophy is a way ofviewing situations encounteredwith optimism and resolve. There isno room for a victim mentality and

regardless of the resources youhave, your brain is the mostimportant tool (given you haventlost your head). This philosophywill apply to all aspects of life.

Survival philosophy isnt asexciting, Hollywood camera-worthy or testosterone charged asfirecraft in wet conditions, trapping

Bambi or slashing through junglewith a Peruvian. After all, how do you honestly capture the inner workings ofsomeones mind other than cheesy MTV Real World type confessionals? Survivalphilosophy is usually the section most will skip over while flipping the pages of theirfavorite survival manual. While it may not have the flair of other skills, developing aproper mindset is of the utmost importance. It is the first topic covered in courses that Iteach and for good reason. Without a level head, all decisions become clouded byemotion or lack of logic.

Here are some of the fundamentals for developing your own personal survival

hiloso h :

Assessyourself...physically, emotionally and your skill level. There is no room for dishonesty here. Takeinventory of what you know, your abilities and goals. For example, if you are nervous andunsure when you are cold is there training you can experience to make you stronger? Howelse can you anticipate how you will react under pressure? Experience what makes you feelvulnerable in a controlled setting before it happens unexpectedly.

Determine

your

worth

and

motivationAre you a father, sister, best-friend? You are someone who will be missed. Can you carrypictures in your kit to help remind you of who you are to others? I do, and it pushes mefurther and harder in all aspects of my life.
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LearnacceptanceandoptimismMother nature will not conform to your needs just because you throw a hissy fit. If you arequick to frustration or anger, time to count down from 10. An unexpected night in thewoods should be a learning experience, not an inconvenience. Win little victories in yourdowntime by making cordage, purifying water or doing anything to free your mind of

negative thoughts.

FollowtheS.T.O.P.protocolThis methodical approach to emergencies prevents rushed decision making:

Stay put

Think

Observe

Plan

Commit this to memory!

The wilderness is filled with endless destinations and it is a place to develop all the physicalskills an outdoorsman needs. Just make sure to have a proper survival philosophy when youleave home and before an emergency tests you.

Alwaysprepared,PreparedAllWaysThis motto of the Wilderness Learning Center is one we impart on the students. With acore set of skills, you dont need a gadget for every contingency. With only a few items like

a knife,fire steel and bandana in your pockets, you already are more prepared than most ofthe population. This level of preparedness will help ease your stress level in performing themost basic survival tasks. That is, if you dont lose your kit.

Kevin Estela is a Survival Instructor with the Wilderness Learning Center(www.weteachu.com) in Chateaugay, NY. He regularly teaches courses in all aspects of

survival, emergency preparedness and bushcra* throughout the Northeast and Eastern

seaboard. He offers free instructional handouts for download at www.slideshare.net

under username Estela. To contact Kevin, e-mail [email protected] with any

questions or comments.
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Quick Pic:

Tortoise Shell Butterfly (Aglais urticae) resting quietly on

Burdock (Arctium lappa)

-sent in by Kepis

Magazine Staff

Editor: Koa

Editor: Faol

Contributors:

GreyOne

Iz Turley

Kepis

Terry Barney

Skogkniv

Kevin Estela

Bushcraft USA would like to extend a special thank you to all of the members who contributed to thefirst edition. Without such outstanding members this magazine would not be possible. Please send in

your submissions for publication and keep this Magazine alive. Please feel free to contact Koa [email protected] if you have any questions or suggestions.

National Meet

Lets try to bring everyone

together for a large scale

bushcraft meet. We dont

know when, we dont know

where, but there has to be

a way to make this

logistical nightmare a

reality! Please post your

suggestions on the forum.

The new BCUSA patches are coming soonand will be available for purchase at theBushcraft USA store for $3.50 shipped to

the continental United States

Visit our store
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