A craft in the bushes, Bushcraft is all about the ability and the skills to thrive and survive in the raw environment. It necessitates the achievement of such capabilities and knowledge to manipulate resources manually. It is having the taste of how our ancestors lived some thousand of years ago.
Bushcraft as a term is widely known in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The term was introduced in Australia by Les Hiddins, also know as the “Bush Tucker Man,” who also spread its popularity in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mors Kochanski made it known to the northern part of the world. Ray Mears, with this survival television shows popularized it in the United Kingdom.
Skills in Bushcraft include:
Environmental Education
It is the knowledge of wildlife behaviors, like for example foraging, a branch in science that actually studies the behavior of animals.
It can also be the knowledge on the identification of wild plants, how to use them, and ability to perceive weather conditions.
Tracking
Tracking in the wild denotes following animal’s track with the actual marks to be able to get hold of them. The skill will allow you to get to them close enough to kill them for food.
Hunting
Bushcraft hunting denotes the pursuit of animals for food. Fishing also falls under this category. One must also know how to obtain and purify water that is safe enough to drink.
Fire craft
The ability to start a fire is a life saving skill. Fire serves a lot of purposes, most especially in the wild. It gives comfort and warmth. It is very important not only to be able to cook food, but also to be able to preserve things. It can be used to sterilize bandages, to boil water for purification, provides protection from wild animals, and for rescue signals.
Shelter building
It is the ability to use all possible resources to create a shelter from environmental forces, animals, and any danger in the wild.
Use of Bushcraft tools such as:
•cutting tools, knives and axes
•carving tools
•bonfire cooking pot
•bonfire tripod
•bungees
•paracord spools, etc.
Rope Twine Making
It is the ability to twine ropes to be used as pulleys, to redirect pulling force to the opposite direction. It is also used as a means to have a mechanical advantage. Different kinds of knots are invented with different purposes, namely:
•pulling
•fastening
•hunting
•attaching
•fastening
•lifting
•carrying, etc.
One must also know how to join sticks or poles by lashing. To be able to do all of these things one must know how to look for raw materials that can be used to make a rope. Materials for rope making can be found just about anywhere, from palms, grasses, vines, barks, and even animal hair. Any material can be used as long as it is fibrous; it has enough length and have moderate strength and flexible.
Bushcraft will enable you to find inner harmony with the environment. It is not only a skill essential for survival, but also has become a skill to support other recreational activities, such as wild life watching, hunting, nature photography, and the like.
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