Tag: Bushcraft (Page 2 of 5)

Shelter Maintenance…

July 15, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Improvised tarp shelter made from discarded sheet of plastic. Note stash of dry firewood under tarp - always good to plan ahead (Photo: Sean Fagan).

TARP SHELTER TIPS

There would seem to be a trend among some bushcrafters to leave permanent shelters in the woods for repeated visits.

Each to their own.

With bushcraft becoming ever more popular - it's becoming increasingly more common to come across various natural and man-made outdoor shelters scattered throughout many, often remote wild places.

Learn why I think this practice is generally bad for wild places - and also bad for shelters (such as tarps)...

...and why shelter maintenance is an important, often underrated, outdoor living skill...

How to make a Walking Staff

July 6, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Measuring up...about to cut a willow branch to the correct length for a walking staff (Photo: Sean Fagan).

I've used walking staffs for years and rate them very highly.

I consider a walking staff to be a surprisingly versatile outdoor aid for bushcrafters, hikers and pretty much anybody that likes walking in nature.

With experience, a good staff can be easily and quickly made from any suitable tree branch in as little as 5-10 minutes.

Learn why a walking staff is useful for the outdoors - and how to make a great walking staff in 3 easy steps...

Grounded in Nature…

June 19, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan.

A feeding, male COMMON BLUE butterfly (Polyommatus icarus), (Photo: Sean Fagan).

An Encounter with Nature...

A few days ago, before the date of this post, something special occurred.

While walking late at night on a quiet city road, I came across a mother red fox with her three cubs.

Learn more about my personal encounter with nature and what fox cubs and prehistoric cave art have in common...

and why being grounded in nature is important.

Tree of the Druids…

June 8, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

On the foothills of the McGillicuddy Reeks, Southwest Ireland - the beautiful, creamy-white blossom of ROWAN, Sorbus aucuparia (Photo: Sean Fagan).

TREE OF THE DRUIDS

The rowan was held in high esteem in the past as indicated by one of its Irish names, Fid na nDruad - Tree of the Druids.

Of all the native trees in Ireland, it's the diminutive rowan that has attained some of the greatest corpus of lore associated with any native tree.

Tracking: Puddles

April 14, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

A puddle that was disturbed 10 minutes ago. Already there are signs of the suspended sentiment settling. The edges of the puddle are becoming clear - eventually, after about 30 minutes, the whole puddle will become clear (Photo: Sean Fagan).

MUDDY WATERS

Short-Term Tracking Sign

Water puddles are a relatively common feature of landscapes that receive significant rainfall, especially where drainage is impeded.

They can be important for improving tracking skills - as animals commonly walk through puddles, especially puddles that occasionally form on animal trails.

When an animal walks through a puddle, often the sediment in the puddle will become disturbed - and the water will become temporarily murky.

Such tracking sign is short-lived - it's fresh tracking sign.

Learn why puddles are good short-term tacking sign and most importantly - how to improve your ability to accurately read puddles.

Heath Milkwort

April 12, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Heath Milkwort, Polygala serpyllifolia (Photo: Sean Fagan).

What a Bog Plant taught me about Bushcraft...

In photo above - the deep blue flowers of this diminutive, bog-land plant measure a measly 5-6cm across.

It’s a plant that's very easy to miss amongst the tangle of other bog-land flora such as sphagnum and heather.

In Ireland, Heath milkwort (polygala srpyllifolia) was traditionally used to increase the milk yield of cows.

Interestingly, heath milkwort has a remarkable cousin in North America – snakeroot, Polygala senega.

Learn all about the connection between a bog-land plant and a cure for snake bites...

and why bushcraft is so much more than physical skills.

Tracking: The Browse Line

February 23, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Fallow deer browse line on ivy (Photo: Sean Fagan).

An often overlooked tracking feature is the BROWSE LINE.

Herbivorous mammals will often browse deciduous tree leaves - especially in spring when the tree leaves are at their most palatable & nutritious (This is certainly the case throughout the temperate lands of Ireland & Britain).

Learn why browse lines are an important tracking sign and well worth getting to know...

Camp Craft: Smokey Fires

February 8, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

Taking a short, shade-break. South Portugal (Photo: Sean Fagan).

With bushcraft & survival that the ability to create a large, smokey fire can be important for emergency signalling when marooned in a wild, remote place.

Another essential application of smokey fires is for deterring biting flies, such as mosquitoes.

Where biting flies commonly occur - they can be a serious irritant when unchecked - so much so, that they can seriously mar any outdoor excursion into nature.

The standard approach to deterring biting flies is usually a combination of wearing protective clothes and applying insect repellent on exposed skin - but it's always a good idea to have a number of solutions to one problem, such as biting flies, because anybody can lose/forget their insect repellent and even protective clothing is often not enough to deter more aggressive biting flies (such as horseflies).

Find out how to make a smokey fire and what natural materials you can use to create a smokey fire...

Bushcraft Photography…

February 4, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

A kneeling pad is a photographer's friend (Photo: Sean Fagan).

Kneeling Pads

When I’m out in nature doing some close-up photography I always bring a garden kneeling pad.

When photographing small, ground-surface features such as mushrooms, tracks & wild flowers, a kneeling position is often required to acquire good quality photos.

Using a soft, foam kneeling pad is a very comfortable way to get close to ground level, especially when the ground surface is damp, cold or hard.

But it's not just close-up photography where kneeling pads excel.

Learn how kneeling pads can help get your campfire going, keep you warm while sitting in the cold, and even help organise your rucksack kit.

The Oak Tree & Ireland…

January 26, 2016 / pioneerbushcraft@gmail.com

By Sean Fagan

This was once Ireland. The upper lakes of the magnificent Killarney National Park (Photo: Sean Fagan).

Places to Visit in Ireland...

KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK

Near the base of the massive Iveragh peninsula of southwest Ireland are some of the best stands of native oak woodland in Ireland.

Evocative, dense stands of thickly-trunked, sessile oak adorn the undulating landscape of Killarney National Park.

To think, that throughout Ireland - from the banks of rivers and streams that meandered through the valley depths - right up along the steep, mountain slopes - vast stands of these woods once stood.