10 Essential Bushcraft Skills for Beginners
When you first dive into the world of bushcraft, it can be a bit overwhelming. It's easy to get lost in the world of bushcraft vs survival, what gear to buy, and countless other questions. However, knowledge is the most essential part of bushcraft. When looking at where to start your bushcraft skills journey, we suggest you focus on the requirements of fire, water, and shelter first and then dive into specific topics like knife use, navigation, plant identification, and more.
Fire Making
Fire is one of the most important survival skills. It provides warmth, you can use it to cook food and purify water, and, of course, it's a great morale booster. Start by learning the steps to successfully start a fire from gathered wood in a variety of conditions. Finding dry wood, recognizing when wood isn't great for a fire, and even knowledge of tree species are all important. From there you can explore different methods of fire starting like flint and steel, ferro rods, and friction fire methods.
Shelter Building
As romantic and appealing as firestarting can be, in a true survival situation shelter will go a long way. Of course, there are manmade packable shelters like tents and tarps. And even these require practice and technique to set up quickly and efficiently. On the other end of the spectrum lean-tos and other shelters made from natural materials require practice and adaptibilty. Starting with a simple debris shelter is a good way to experiment with natural material shelters, but when you're starting out, be sure to have emergency equipment on hand.
Water Purification
Water is a key to survival day to day, so of course it's important in the wilderness. While you boil wildwater to make it suitable for drinking there are also some great products on the market to filter or purify it. We're big fans of Grayl Filters here at GABC.
Knife Skills
Knives and other bladed tools are a big part of bushcraft. From carving projects to shelter building and from food prep to fire starting, knives are are essential. There are countless options available and it's best to decide what your budget is, what you value in a tool, and what you plan to use the knife for the majority of the time. From there you can select the best knife start off with.
Plant Identification
Outside of general knowledge, plant identifications are important to many facets of bushcraft. Knowing what types of wood burn the best, what plants are poisonous or cause skin irritations, and identifying plants that are edible or medicinal are all great ways to apply your knowledge in the wild. However, we strongly suggest getting training from reputable sources and excercising caution in any foraging situation.
Basic Navigation
You can become lost even in a small area of wilderness, so understanding the basics of navigation is a must. Outside of the navigation equipment, being aware of the common pitfalls and mistakes people can make can keep you "found." Navigation skills can not only keep you out of dangerous situations, but once you've mastered the skills they can give you the confidence to explore further from the beater track. Once again, we suggest seeking out quality training.
Cordage Making
Knots are a big part of bushcraft, but manmade cordage only lasts so long. Plus, bushcraft is about making what you can so that you have to carry fewer items into the wilderness. Cordage-making is actually a pretty easy skill set to learn and practice, and it ties in with plant identification. And there's a great chance your friends and family will be amazed when you show them the 10-foot length of cordage you made from poplar bark, yucca, or some other natural source.
Cooking Outdoors
We don't know why, but it's hard to argue against the fact that everyone tastes better cooked over a fire. However, there's a good amount of practice and maybe some art to making the best meals using only a fire. In order to expand your backcountry culinary repertoire, it's a good idea to read up on techniques, hacks, and helpful equipment before you try to feed yourself and/or your friends. Start off simple like a basic bread recipe, and go up in the complexity from there.
Animal Tracking and Nature Awareness
As you progress in bushcraft you'll undoubtedly realize that you become more in sync with the enviroment. You'll begin to take notice of small things in a more passive nature. It's a good idea to note tracks, scat, and other sign from wildlife. These skills will not only enhance your awareness but also help with locating resources and your overal enjoyment of nature.
Training
And even though we've mentioned before it's worth repeating that training in these specific areas is very important. You can learn a lot from books and online articles, but in person training provides nuances, feedback, and camaraderie that can't be replicated. While training in certain areas like foraging can be life or death, in many ways it offers just as much community building as it does practical knowledge. That's why we're happy to gather together so many experts at Georgia Bushcraft events.
Tips & Tricks
To get started be sure to download the Bushcraft Tips offered on this page. Those are a great way to get started on your bushcraft journey.