Bushcraft Experts

[silentpaddler]

Just for kicks I did a google video search of the word 'Bushcraft',
then sifted through the first twenty or so pages of results.
I was especially entertained by the several home-made tutorials
hosted by people who seemed to have virtually no bushcraft
knowledge or skills whatsoever. And the carnage wreaked upon
forests building these shelters! Trees brutalized with dull axes;
some looked as if they were bludgeoned down with a hoe.
Get a tent!!!
So what is it about human nature that makes us want to impart
our knowledge on others whether we have it or not?
Be careful what you learn out there, I guess.
Here in Canada we have a few gozillion acres of bush, but it
would really bug me to find where someone had screwed up a
bunch of trees to make a lean-to for a night or two...over in the
UK this must be an issue for some of you too??

 

[AussieVic]

Yes. Over the last 1 to 2 years I've started to see evidence of people chopping down every sapling in an area to construct a flimsy lean to. Now there is a time and place to practice that, but when it is in a busy camp area, it really damages the place for everyone very quickly. Personally I think it is the influence of certain TV shows which portray such activities and I think people it is "just what you do" when you go to the bush.

I worry that this type of activity will prompt "authorities" to start placing more restrictions on us all ?

My kids and I have worked on a few shelters (for fun), but we only use fallen timber, make sure that we are in a remote or quite area, and when we're finished, we dismantle the structure so that it looks like we've never been there. I'm sure most people on this forum would do likewise.

 

[Kepis]

Some of the locals decided to make a bike track through one of the woods we use, they cut loads of trees down, made ramps and generally destroyed an area of ancient woodland, thankfully they also video's themseves and put it on YouTube, which made tracking them down a doddle, watch the video and you will see some of the stumps they left and the height

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY1iJd8YYcE

In the same woods though we quite regualry find evidence of shelter & tree house building and unauthorised tree felling, in some cases im not talking about small trees either, what we tend to do though if we find these kids up there is to engage in conversation with them rather than shouting and bawling at them and then we volunteer to show them the correct way to do things, 9 times out of 10 the kids will listen and learn, all they need is a bit of direction and to be shown right from wrong as they dont get it this type of "instruction" from their parents.

 

[Hoodoo]

I've come to the conclusion that the urge to chop is genetic. I think there is a separate allele for batonning.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

This is not athing just about bushcraft, the martial arts are probably way worse!