How do you define Bushcraft?

If you enjoy the Aussie bush and like living off what it has to offer, then you will find some great information here! Camping, Hiking, Bush Bumming and old world skills.

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Steven J
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How do you define Bushcraft?

#1 Post by Steven J » Sun May 22, 2011 10:04 pm

After having a look a the site that Clinton posted a link too I have been thinking about how different groups participate in bushcraft.

There appears to be a big difference between the British styles and American styles of bushcraft.

The Brits seem to find excitement in setting up a tent in the back yard, or trying to rough it in the local park without getting picked up by the rozzers. If you can sharpen the end of a hazel rod and cook a sausage on a fire the size of your tea cup then you are almost ready for your own TV show.

The Yanks tend to hike out to their nuclear shelter in the deep dark woods. The only thing that outnumbers the cans of food would be the number of firearms stored there. When I read American bushcraft sites, I think of the TV series LOST.

I would probably stereotype the Australian bushcraft as more 'camp craft', where most of your tricks involve a piece of fencing wire or two. I would be interested to here what others think.

Steve
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dmm
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Re: How do you define Bushcraft?

#2 Post by dmm » Sun May 22, 2011 11:31 pm

I love you stereotyping, and I think there is plenty of supporting evidence.
Personally I think bushcraft is quite different from survival training, although it could well help you to survive.
I think it is about being able to operate efficiently in the wilderness, probably in such a way that you don't find yourself in a survival situation.

I agree it's about knowing how to make a camp, probably with the bare necessities.
Why carry tent pegs when you can easily sharpen sticks found locally?

Check this guy out, and see if you can come up with a Romanian stereotype, I think you goings to think he has a lot more in common with an Aussie Bushcrafter.

http://www.youtube.com/user/bushcraftmyway
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kerrille
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Re: How do you define Bushcraft?

#3 Post by kerrille » Mon May 23, 2011 11:16 am

bushcraft/campcraft is the same thing, stuff my dad tought me and his dad before him. In the days before camping shops you had to make a lot of things your self we had a calico A frame tent that you cut the poles for before you could put it up ,pop and dad could make deck chairs, tables and have a fire going with in a couple of hours of getting to the camp site, they learnt their campcraft clearing land to farm on they could be in an area for months at a time so it had to be comfortable this camp craft they passed on to me ( i just wish i could remember it all ) as my dad use to say any mug can ruff it .

.....nev...
i hunt animals because they have legs and can run away ................plants dont

Vladtheimpaler
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Re: How do you define Bushcraft?

#4 Post by Vladtheimpaler » Mon May 23, 2011 8:17 pm

Campcraft to me in anycase is just a subtopic of the much larger topic of Bushcraft..

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rodlonq
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Re: How do you define Bushcraft?

#5 Post by rodlonq » Sun May 29, 2011 8:16 pm

This is a good topic for discussion Steve.

One of the reasons I have gone to the retail option is I feel it is no longer an option to lob into a camp site and hack a few saplings to make camp (as I did with my dad as far back as I can remember). You need to leave as small a footprint as possible because there are so many people putting pressure on property owners to let them on. It only takes one crew to go past the point of acceptability (in the extreme - such as killing a bullock and only cutting rump out of it - not funny it happened to a neighbor of mine). As far as making camp with a few saplings and so, it is really good to know how to do it for a survival situation but I would make sure the property owner is OK with it before doing it. This is the difference between bushcraft and campcraft to me.

Campcraft means you can cook a damper instead of carrying bread (only lasts a few days). You can catch a fish or game to eat in the area you are in as per your normal activities. You know to pick up all rubbish, extinguish fires, and leave your site much the same as it was when you got there, and you know to leave all property gates the way you found them. This is how we (my family and I) roll nowadays because we have so little time that a gas cooker and quick set up tent are the only things that make getting away possible. Making the necessary preparations so the trip meets your expectations is campcraft IMO.

Bushcraft to me means you can locate water where there is not an apparent and abundant source. You can find tucker in the way indigenous people have done, you can fashion a fish hook from a bit of wire and catch a fish with only 2 feet of cord, in fact the uses for a bit of wire is only limited by your creativity. You can set up a snare on a pad or watering hole to make sure there is a good chance you'll eat. You can make a shelter out of whatever materials are around you. You can find your way out of the bush in reasonable health if something goes wrong. You need to be able to find game, take it, process it and turn it into a decent feed. Making do with natural alternatives to the campcraft option is bushcraft IMO. I was lucky to learn a lot of this at a young age but haven't used it for ages. We used to get in the car with bows and a few spuds and onions and dad would say to mum, "don't worry he won't starve" - he came bloody close on a couple of occasions but it was great fun.

The next step from there is full on existence/survival training which requires a lot of study, local knowledge and a good deal of time to gather. To me the thing that differentiates this from bushcraft is you know what you can eat, even if it doesn't taste or look nice but you will do it to survive. It may not be comfortable but it will prevent over exposure. I don't have a lot of these skills but would like to have the time and patience to gather them at least for the areas I like to go to.

My 2 bobs worth........ Rod

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Flatliner
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Re: How do you define Bushcraft?

#6 Post by Flatliner » Sun May 29, 2011 9:51 pm

Couldn't have said it better my self Rod.
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