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Ask a Bushcraft Question!

291K views 560 replies 207 participants last post by  Eddie_T 
#1 ·
I figure, since we have plenty of knowledgeable people here, why not utilize them? Whether you are new or an old timer in bushcraft, I'm sure there is a question that you have.

This will be a safe place to ask questions, none too big, too small. None too "obvious" --as something plain as day to an old timer may be new and foreign to a newbie!

So, let's hear your questions and we will try to get an answer!


My question goes as such: I have heard that if a vine is to contain water, it will be potable, even if it does not taste well. I have read, or heard, too, that even if the vine is poisonous to eat, the water is still good. Is this true? I have not consumed water from a vine because I'm uncertain.
 
#3 ·
I have a question. I've practiced making and using a fire drill/bow and board. Sometimes with great success and other times complete failure. I've always started with very dry wood but it's not obvious to me what hardness of woods to use for my spindle or fireboard.

What are the qualities to look for in your woods that you use to make the fireboard and the spindle/drill?
 
#4 · (Edited)
BOW DRILL
Bow: should allow for full swing of the arm. Rotation/friction factor must be taken into consideration only slight curve in bow.

Spindle: Upper end should be pointed to created the smallest friction surface. Tip should be fairly flat. Hollowed center to eliminate dead zone (the end that’s going to touch the fire board, not the pointy end). Keep lubricated on top. Drill should be straight as possible.

Fire Board: Hole should burn in far enough from edge of board to keep drill from breaking out. Board can’t be too thin or thick otherwise no ignition will occur. Have more tahn one hole prepared for back up. Should be made of soft wood. Cedar works excellent for all parts of the bow drill.

Hand Hold : type of material wood should be hard and polish easily (hickory, osage, orange, serviceberry, and oak) Should fit properly and comfortably. Bone and antler also work well. Hole should be deep enough to keep drill from popping out.

here's the link to some more of my basic survival notes http://rucksacknation.wordpress.com/survival/
 
#14 ·
OK so soft woods for spindle and board and loose the tip on the end of the spindle that's in contact with the board.

I can see how no tip could help increase friction.
:thumb:
I use hardwood for the block and softwood for the drill.
works well the otherway around as well.

I put the drill hole 1 1/2 the width of drill from the edge, notch from drill hole to outside of block.
 
#91 ·
I'm thinking about purchasing a hammock to use when the weather is anything but winter in Maine, where my BOL is. I'm not a Maine native, I'm a NYC bred, NJ Shore proficient woman. Former lifeguard, amateur marine biologist, can sail a catamaran in the ocean, fish, clean my catch - that type of natural expertise. I spend time in the woods of Maine each Fall, so I'm accustomed to the woodlands now, but day trips don't give you a sense of the movements of the fauna.

So the question is: How to know that I'm not stringing my hammock up across a moose/bear/deer path?:eek:
 
#20 ·
Depends on the species. Some are edible. Saw palmetto for example. Other than that the frawns can be used as roofing or cordage. Saw palmetto has edible parts in the plant and berries. You can weave baskets with it, collect rain and a lot of other things.

This may be a stupid question, but I have always wondered what you are supposed to use to wipe with if you don't have tp. I heard leaves, but what if there aren't any leaves? What if there isn't any water to wash your hands with either? Is mud butt something that is a given in bushcraft?
When you are talking bush-craft... well you are in or near bushes so there will normally always be leaves. If you are in an area without leaves or water, then you would most likely be in the desert or the arctic. For these environments, I would grab a handfull of snow or sand and rub away.

Other things that have been used in the past are wooden flat spoons (to scrape), frayed rope, skins/fur, sticks (again to scrape), your left hand if there is water to wash, dirt, sand, snow, paper and all sorts of things.
 
#21 ·
About the bow drill. How about using two bound sticks for the base rather than a board with a hole drilled in it? It makes setup so much easier, allows alignment of the spindle, allows good oxygen flow to the embers, and is less prone to slipping. Like this:


About the mud-butt. I'd suggest learning to make a substitute. Get some strong bark and beat the crap (pun...) out of it and let it dry.
 
#33 ·
Saw palmetto, or Serenoa repens, is a palm tree that grows in the West Indies and along the southeastern coast of the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenoa

Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is the sole species currently classified in the genus Serenoa. It has been known by a number of synonyms, including Sabal serrulatum, under which name it still often appears in alternative medicine. It is a small palm, normally reaching a height of around 2–4 m (3–6 ft).[2] Its trunk is sprawling, and it grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal lands or as undergrowth in pine woods or hardwood hammocks.


So what I gather is that pretty much all palmettos are "Saw Palmettos"

Here is a picture of a few I took of them:

Umm....disregard that that one is on fire. lol. But you see how it is clustered like that and even growing upwards a bit like the palm tree does. They can look like mini-palm trees.





The fruits of the saw palmetto are highly enriched with fatty acids and phytosterols, and extracts of the fruits have been the subject of intensive research for the treatment of urinary tract infections. This extract is also commonly used for other medical conditions

The fruits are edible raw. The hard seeds may be ground into flour. The heart of the palm is a nutritious food source at any time. Cut off the top of the tree to obtain the palm heart.


Don't forget all the valuable uses of the leaves too, for hats, baskets, thatching, cordage, etc.


Spgahgnum moss tends to grow in bogs or other places with high acidity. One of the things you will notice with sphagnum moss is that if you ring it, quite a bit of water will come out. The way you can tell sphagnum moss from other moss is due to the way it clusters, it has quite a different branching of stems than other mosses.

Here is a picture of Spgahgnum (no mine :( )

and


These pictures of sphagnum don't seem to be reproducing, in which case (as with most moss) you will see these little sprouts or "feeler" looking things coming up. You can actually sex the moss but that's a story for another day.

Here is a more typical moss that IS NOT what you're looking for:

and
 
#37 ·
The top two pictures of moss are that of sphagnum moss. Sphagnum moss has a low pH (high acidity) and absorbs water really well! You can literally wring water out of it! Due to its pH and absorptive properties, the water SHOULD be safe to drink from live healthy looking sphagnum moss. By healthy looking, that means no mushrooms growing out of it, no rotting looking parts, etc. (I imagine it would be hard to find rotting things in a bog anyways...)

One would not want to use the other mosses in this way because, at least the ones pictured, do not contain the same pH levels and it would be hard to say they were "sterile". While that moss may be good for use as bedding, I wouldn't use that particular moss for baby diapers or bandages as sphagnum moss has been used for.


I believe also, due to some anecdotal evidence and late night discussions with my biologist friends as well as confirmation by Dr. Robertus, one should be able to consume the water from sphagnum moss as well as from the pitcher plant with relatively little concern. There is still the chance of illness, at least with sphagnum, but from my own research and some of what I've heard, it is a quite rare bacteria.
 
#38 ·
My question goes as such: I have heard that if a vine is to contain water, it will be potable, even if it does not taste well. I have read, or heard, too, that even if the vine is poisonous to eat, the water is still good. Is this true? I have not consumed water from a vine because I'm uncertain.

From my buddy STICKS65:

Heres some info I just found on collecting water from vines.

Water can also be obtained from vines. Water producing vines varying in size from pencil thickness up to the thickness of an adult man’s forearm can be found throughout much of the south-eastern United States. When selecting a vine, select those with a larger diameter. The greater the thickness of the vine the more water it is capable of producing. A sharp knife, or better still a machete, will be needed to sever the tough, woody vine. Vines that exude a white latex sap or those that produce a colored or foul smelling sap should be avoided. If no sap is observed, or if the sap that is observed is clear and without aroma, remove a twenty four inch section severing the higher end first and then the lower end. If the lower end is cut first, the water contained within the vine is drawn up by capillary action and far less water will drain out by the time that the upper end is severed. Once removed, the section of vine is held vertically and the water contained within it will drain into a container (perhaps a cupped hand) where it should be further evaluated. Liquid that is colored should not be consumed. Liquid that has an unpleasant aroma, other that a faint “woody” smell, should also be discarded. This water could be used to satisfy any hygiene needs. Taste a small amount of the water. Water that has a disagreeable flavor, other than a slightly “earthy” or “woody” taste, should not be utilized for drinking. Hold a small amount of water in your mouth for a few moments to determine if there is any burning or other disagreeable sensation. If any irritating sensation occurs, the water should be discarded. Ultimately, liquid that looks like water, smells like water and tastes like water, is water and can be safely consumed in large quantities without further purification.

thanks sticks! :thumb:
 
#73 ·
The guy that made the video gives classes in and around my home town. I have a buddy that goes to all of them, and he has learned A LOT of good info on edible wilds here in FL. if you are ever in central FL, his classes are a lot of fun, they basically consist of hiking through the woods and foraging. it wont be very useful knowledge to take with you to California. but it is a good time none the less, and i have discovered i can eat pretty much my entire 4 acres, LOL.:thumb: so when all my urban neighbors are hungry, ill be "eating the weeds". :D:
 
#67 ·
Natural:
camp fire

Covering yourself in mud, protects you from sun, helps keep in moisture, and fends off mosquitoes.

smudge bathes of cedar and/or juniper have worked quite effectively.

Light colored long clothing.

Mosquitoes tend to be attracted to CO2 and will find you more quickly if you've been exerting yourself.

I cannot vouch for this one, but people tend to say that eating a lot of garlic tends to keep the blood suckers away :)
 
#71 ·
Northern Michigan, Marquette area:

Cattail and cedar bark are the most abundant cordage material in my area. I find cedar to be one of the most amazing fibers I have worked with. It is strong and retains its flexibility without drying out or cracking. It is fantastic. It is also soft. The First Peoples used to use it to even make clothing.

Here is some cedar cord


This is the soft, almost cotton like fiber it turns into when you shred the bark.


Here is some cattail cordage I was playing with.


When I was in Florida, I used palmetto for a great and SUPER strong cordage! I only momentarily tried switch grass as I figured it would be pretty easy to do lol.



 
#74 ·
If you live in beaver country , regardless of weather and have the means of dispatching one when in dire need of calories, especially if its winter, remove the tail and make a set of tongs or similar and hold the tail over a fire or slit the tail along the edges and remove all the fat inside and put into a container and put over a fire and melt the fat. Once melted, and only do this if your situation looks bleak, drink the fat. One average sized tail will literally keep you " lit up " for just under 24 hours and youll be roasting warm as your body trys to burn all of this fat, downside is, you wont be able to sleep. Its like drinking 3 pots of coffee in one sitting. I learned this and partially tried this idea at one time with a fellow trapper I met while running beaver lines in far northern Minnesota. Only about half of the tail had me rocking hard. Gotta love old school trappers for insight.
 
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