Being a feral
woodsman is just practice. If you already have mastered the many skills, this
“feral thing” is just a baby step up to improve and bring to real life what you
have learned. I do not advocate that you should drop it all and go wild. That
is not a prudent move. However, if you can bring yourself to practice being a
feral woodsman for a few hours at a time, I think it will bring personal
rewards, some of which have already been mentioned.
I know there are
some philosophies that advocate this as a full time deal. I really doubt many
could do it and seems to be pie in the sky kind of thinking. In today’s world,
fringe elements of being a caveman, or some such, are hatched out of some kind
of hate and payback for what modern civilization has become. We are not going
to change that. What I am trying to bring to mind is a thought pattern that you
can really hone your skills to a razor sharp instrument, by being in a feral
state of mind. That is what I mean by being a feral woodsman, or pioneer in the
feral scheme of things.
Being more aware of
your surroundings, by being quiet, with the ability to move like smoke, through
your environment, you become one with your skills and that is an attainable
goal. A very commendable one at that. Think of the longhunters, mountain men
and the training of Roger’s Rangers. It can be done, if you set your mind to
it. After all, they were really feral pioneers in the flesh. Many American
Indians had the ability also, as did countless indigenous people the world
over. I am only saying you can do it by placing your selves in the right frame
of mind. You don’t have to go goofy with it unless you want to.
We all need to
progress, or we grow stale and bored with life in general. By pushing yourself
and the collective skills you have gathered over a period of time, you keep
your mind and body sharp and tuned to the nuance of the nature around you. The
appreciation will be like looking in a mirror and you will see yourself as a
project that came alive. I believe, as you gain confidence in your pioneer
feral self, you will be amazed that you can, for one, move like that, and are
now “seeing” things as never before. Seeing is an art as well and is part of
becoming a feral woodsman.
Can I do all of
these things and have I accomplished any of them? Not yet, but I am working on
it and I find it to be fun and a new challenge. I welcome the environment it
places me in. Not to be mister nature boy but it does bring me a thrill knowing
I have come to within 5 feet of a jackrabbit that never even knew I was there.
Would have been bunny stew if I was hunting. Being more aware of the wind
direction and working it is really nothing new to me, but using it in this
manner has been a great lesson, because in the high desert, when the wind
blows, it really makes noise that also helps cover any noise you might make,
much less not carrying your scent. Jackrabbits are among the most alert and
skittish critters in the wild. In my life I have hunted them many times, with
and without dogs. I know how they are smart and alert. They hear predators from
all angles, up to and including man, much less coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes,
,and birds of prey and more. They are extremely wary.
So becoming a feral
pioneer is an art form, one you can paint yourself.
I hope this meets
with some thought and added ideas of your own….I would love to hear them.
Let’s see what the
feral woodsman day will bring to each of us.
By Dude McLean
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