10 Tips To Backyard Bushcraft – Part 1

Posted by Self Reliance Outfitters on May 05, 2014  

When considering how to become more proficient at bushcraft, you might not consider using your immediate surroundings. But, with a little imagination you might be surprised how one can hone his or her wilderness survival skills right from home.

While most would consider bushcraft a collection of wilderness survival techniques that must be utilized in a primitive surrounding, the principals of bushcraft are not constrained to some distant wilderness. Bushcraft techniques can be taught on your back porch and learned in the backyard.

Renown athlete, Arthur Ashe, once said, “”Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” This can be applied to bushcraft as well. Here are five tips to do just that!

1. FIRE BUILDING – USE WHAT YOU HAVE

Fire is an essential part of bushcraft. No matter what type of survival situation you may find yourself in, the ability to start a fire is key to staying alive. This means fire starting is paramount in the list of bushcraft skills.

In bushcraft, fire begins by collecting necessary items before the need for a fire arises. If your backyard doesn’t offer tinder material, find it elsewhere and bring it back to the house. If trying to locate wood, look for a neighbor with a brush pile. Most people will be happy to get rid of a few limbs and branches. Once you’ve located tinder and wood, consider using The Mini Inferno to start your fire.

Depending on where you live, some areas may restrict fire to specified enclosures. If restricted when trying to further your fire building skills in the backyard, consider using a homemade or purchased fire-pit for containment. Depending on what type of fire you are wanting to become more proficient at; spark based, friction based or heat based, consider using some 12”x12”concreate pavers to create a flat dry surface to practice on.

2. SHELTER CONSTRUCTION – DO WHAT YOU CAN

While the backyard may not be the most ideal place to build a shelter, it can be a good place to practice the basics skills needed for shelter construction. Your backyard might not have all the necessary items to construct a shelter, but use your imagination and set out to do what you can.

The fundamentals of shelter building remain the same no matter where you’re building a shelter. Once you locate the basic items for your shelter’s construction, practice assembly in your own backyard. This will include effectively tying cordage and fastening the various pieces of the shelter together.

If you can’t locate adequate poles to construct a shelter, consider inquiring at a nearby nursery to see if they have any smaller trees that may have died. These small trees can give you an adequate feel for the size of poles that would be needed to build a shelter if in an emergency situation. In a life or death situation, shelter is essential to survival and simply practicing shelter building in your backyard can help to sharpen your bushcraft skills.

4. BATONING – PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Batoning is the art of splitting wood with your survival knife. Mastering this technique can add a valuable wilderness survival skill to your roster. With a full tang survival knife batoning allows you to spit fire wood in an emergency situation.

Your backyard makes a perfect setting to practice this bushcrafting skill. In a more relaxed environment, you can perfect valuable skills that will be necessary if a real need arises. By using a piece of wood approximately the size of a baton, your survival knife now has an additional function. By batoning, you can notch, shape or carve wood as needed.

4. COOKING – JUST TRY IT

While practicing your fire building skills, you might as well use those coals and try your hand at cooking over an open fire. Whether you choose to use an open grate or cook with a stainless steel container, both can help you know what to and not to do if faced with a survival situation.

Butchering a Cornish hen or small chicken can help you become proficient at dressing your game and both will be tasty if cooked over open coals. You can also use a ready made survival stew to make things simple. By using your imagination you’ll be surprised how much fun cooking in your own backyard can be.

5. COMPASS AND MAPS – INCLUDE THE FAMILY

Although most bushcrafters will already be familiar with reading topographical maps and a compass, your children may not be. How to understand topographical maps and read a compass can be taught to the whole family right from your backyard.

To engage your children and make bushcraft fun for the whole family, put together a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood. This can be as simple as writing down navigational bearings and offering a reward when the last waypoint is reached.

Learning to be proficient at any skill takes time and effort; don’t expect it to be perfect the first time you try. But with patience anyone can increase their bushcraft skills – even in their own backyard.

Continue to “10 Tips to Backyard Bushcraft – Part 2″ to read tips 6-10.