We want the best
survival and self reliance options possible… a good solid goal. In order for
that to happen, one must own the skills that make up what a Feral Woodsman
needs are. Woodcraft, or if you prefer, bushcraft, and or woodslore skills are
essential and there are no short cuts. You have to dedicate the time, money,
and effort, to educate yourself to the point that you own those skills. This
soaks up time, but as Kephart said, “In the school of the woods, there is no
graduation day”. What that means is you are a perpetual student. If you don’t
know who Kephart is, get crackin, his book is a classic and much can be learned
from him,”Camping and Woodcraft”, by Horace Kephart. What you read in modern
camping manuals are mostly a rehash of what this man wrote, before any of us
were born. This man is a legend, when compared to many of the current crop of
survival and camping experts, who are only legends in their own outhouse.
You have many
choices to this living experiment. You can go fairly modern, or very primitive,
or in between. Having a cozy cabin as home base could be workable. The cabin
might be a shack or a trailer, best if it does not draw attention. A remote
cabin offers many possibilities, including the fact you are really hiding in
plain sight, so you dont stand out as too weird… Average weird is okay. You now
have a place to park your truck where it will be normal. In winters the cabin
offers a better option than some other choices. A great wood stove, or a real
fire place, designed for warmth and cooking, would be a great addition. Most
fire places are not designed to really work as well as one would like. They are
made to draw all the heat up and out. You need one that will reflect warmth
into your room, while drawing the smoke, yet large enough for the gear to cook
with, like an old pioneer cabin.
So your home base is
set up as a cabin and outfitted the way you want. Now you begin to explore your
chosen domain, setting up the syderholes and cache spots, in a rough circle
around the home base, like the spokes on a wheel, if possible. Outfitting these
extensions of the Feral Woodsman will bring you a lot of satisfaction and peace
of mind. Choose your routes, to and from, carefully and choose your methods
wisely. Using very primitive or infusing modern with primitive techniques is up
to you and might be dictated by the terrain, weather, season swings, and so
forth.
Where possible,
running a trap line could even bring in a few bucks, even in today’s world. I
know a few professional trappers who do okay for themselves.
I have known a few
squatters in my time, and one did it for years in sight of a sheriff’s station.
He was under an oak tree and it looked he belonged there, never hassled at all.
Today, I still see lots of squatters in the deserts. In a forest, you would be
hard to spot. Anything from a tent camper trailer to a luxury motor home would
work. I don’t advocate that type of deal, but it is done all over the country.
It’s your call.
On BLM land, you can
do what is called boondocking with a trailer, and get a 6 month permit. In the
past, I have done this, for months at a time in my motorhome, outside of
Quartzite, Arizona, I stayed for several months and was never checked on.
This is a good time
to have that dog with you as well. I trekked all over the mountains and river
washes. finding goodies and enjoying the wildness and desolation of it all, in
all of those explorations, I never saw a soul, ate bunny, dove and quail stews,
observed kit foxes and other shy critters. I towed a 4×4 and made a trip to
town once a week. It is a great way to go to begin your Feral Woodsman life
style and might make the transition a bit easier for some of you.
The total Primitive approach is also an option, but you have to own those
primitive skills. Being let off in your chosen location or hiding and using
camo for your truck is a must. Make sure someone knows your location, where by
prearranged times you will meet. If nothing else, to perhaps resupply. This
will be a real test for a pioneer Feral Woodsman, for sure. This brings us to a
few highly recommended books, “HowTo Survive Anywhere” by Christopher Nyerges.”
The Universal Tool Kit” by Paul Campbell. Also by Paul Campbell, ” Survival
Skills of Native Californians” See Chrstopherneyrges.com, where you can
purchase these books “Naked into the Wilderness” by John and Geri McPherson, is
another excellent book, covering primitive skills… it’s a classic. “The Modern
Hunter Gatherer, A practical guide to living off he land”, by Tony Nester, is
very good. “The Complete Survival in the Southwest”, by the Arizona Bushman,
John Campbell, any and all books by Cody Lundin are also excellent. Dont let
the titles dictate the skills, because no matter where you live, most will
apply. Armed with these books you can build a foundation that will be strong.
The next move for
most will be training. I recommend Winter Count, held every February in Arizona
and Rabbit Stick held in September in Idaho. Web site is www.backtracks.net.
for info. Mostly all primitive skills, but practical daily living frugal
skills. You might look into Dirttime in California, www.dirttime.com, a mix of primitive
and modern survival skills and self reliance All of these events bring in the
best instructors in the country. Dirttime is very hands on.and sells out every
year.. For schools during the year, there are many. Choose wisely and look into
the ones that will enhance your Feral Woodsman Lifestyle.
Once you get some
real hands on, you will begin to own the skills and gain the confidence as a
pioneer Feral Woodsman. It is very doable once you really know what you are
doing. Being a Feral Woodsman is just around the corner. It will take work and
effort on your part.
By Dude McLean
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