by Woodsbum
This video is about handtools that are used for building and repairing National Forest trails. The importance of this video stems from the instructional basis that covers the actual usage of these tools from both a safety and function standpoint.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.
by Woodsbum
Considering the “Arctic Freeze”, “Polar Invasion”, “cold front that made me shiver in my Jockeys”, or whatever you decide to call it that just rolled in, I decided that a quick post on making a debris hut might be a good idea. For those of you who do not know what a debris hut is, just think of a framed in structure with lots of leaves and branches over the top for insulation.
Here is the structure of one that we use when the bad weather comes in and we get stuck up in one of our camping areas. As you can see, my lazy hound likes it.
Debris Hut Frame
Debris Hut Frame
Because I have never felt it necessary until now to have pictures of the building process, I am going to borrow a bit from the Internet. Here is a link to Wiki-How’s page on building them. I would like to toss out that the biggest reason that these type structures fail is due to a poor ridgepole and supporting structure. Many times I have found my friends scrambling to get out of their collapsed structures. Even though I find it humorous, they do not and in a real survival type situation this type thing could be bad.
This video is done by a very skilled bushcrafter that I know from BushcraftUSA. There are dozens of these type videos out there, but considering I know him from the Internet I felt that his was the best to use.
There are numerous variations of these type structures that are only hindered by your imagination. The important thing to remember is that you will need some strength to the frame and lots of insulation on top to ensure you don’t get cold/wet.
I hope everyone found this post informative. If you want even more resources on woodman structures, I suggest you get this book. About any type structure you would want to build is covered in this book. It also goes over such necessities as heating and waterproofing. It is truly a great resource.
Shelters, Shacks and Shanties
by Woodsbum
I ran across this video a while ago and thought you guys might like it. It is put out by the US Forest Service and is about logging, axes and shows some really amazing old growth video. The great part is that it covers about anything you ever wanted to know about an axe and didn’t know how to ask. This truly is a great instructional video.
Enjoy!!!
by Woodsbum
I thought I would do a quick post about one of the many things that I love about being a bit “redneck.” Every fall, hunting season creeps in and my family creeps out to go shoot things. We hunt both big game and small game, so many different species of critters run through my kitchen. Although there is no season for them where I live, Western Gray Squirrels are an invasive species and can be harvested at any time with a small game license. This means that these little suckers are targets of opportunity when hunting.
I will spare you the gory details regarding the skinning and cleaning, but will mention this. You have to be very careful when cleaning a squirrel or you will get hair all over the meat and it is very difficult to get out. The easiest way to clean them is what I call the “split skinning method” where you literally split the animal’s skin in half and remove the hide off the ends of each side. Just do a Google search and there are plenty of videos that show how to clean a squirrel.
What I like to do after that is soak the squirrel in salt water. It takes all the odd flavors out of the meat. If you get one in the spring or summer you might need to use a bit of apple to soak it in. When in the hills, I keep powdered apple cider with me and just soak it for a few hours in the cider and salt mix.
Once cleaned and soaking, it should look like this.
Soaking squirrel
At home, when I smoke it, I use a dry rub of garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and sage. If you have not over cooked it (like I accidentally did for this picture – DOH!) it will be quite juicy and have a great flavor. Don’t forget to do the rub on the entire squirrel or you will get a bit of a tasteless treat.
Smoked Squirrel
Next time you are watching the squirrels bounce around you and you feel that rumbly in your tumbly, go ahead and bag a couple of those tree rats. With some care and decent cooking skills your day out of seeing nothing can turn into a day out with a good snack involved.
Happy hunting!!!!
by Woodsbum
I get a lot of questions about hammocks and how to get everything properly set up. Well people, this is the guy that I modeled everything after. Of course I made a few modifications to meet my needs. Overall this is really the best all around configuration to start with. When you are done with the first one, just click through all parts. You should also check out his YoutTube channel. He is really a wealth of information.
Enjoy!!!
