Bushcraft A Field Guide to Surviving the Wilderness

by Holtzman, Bob

• ISBN13: 9781577152095
• ISBN10: 1577152093
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2021-07-20
• Publisher: Wellfleet

Summary

Learn the ancient skill sets our forebears used to survive and thrive in the wild—complete with step-by-step illustrations and easy-to-follow diagrams.

The act of bushcraft is the revival of skills widely known and practiced for centuries that use the resources found in the natural environment to survive. Although traditional bushcraft is mainly about wilderness survival, its focus on using the tools that already surround us can be applied to urban or suburban settings to serve as a practice for self-sufficiency and decreasing your footprint on Earth.

Learn these basic bushcraft survival skills and more:

• Foraging
• Tools (knives, axes, rope, etc.)
• Trapping and Hunting Game
• Water Purification
• Shelter Building
• Fire Building

Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, the Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy references on a range of intriguing topics, including dream interpretation, techniques for harnessing the power of dreams, flower meanings, and the stories behind signs and symbols.

Also available in the series: Complete Book of Dreams, Complete Language of Flowers, Complete Book of Birthdays and Complete Guide to Astrological Self-Care.

Author Biography

Bob Holtzman has been writing about outdoor subjects for more than 25 years. A former book editor at outdoor publisher Ragged Mountain Press and International Marine, he lives in Maine, where he enjoys canoeing, practicing wilderness skills, and building small boats. He works as marketing director at Penobscot Marine Museum and writes the blog Indigenous Boats (indigenousboats.com).

Table of Contents

Introduction
1 Tools and Gear
Tent Types
Sleeping Bags and Pads
Clothing
Footwear
Stoves
Cookware
Knives
Axes and Hatchets
Saws
Flashlights and Lanterns
Cordage and Binding
Preparing a Survival Kit
How to Pack
2 Water
How to Find Water
How to Produce Water
How to Collect Water
Carrying Water
Making Water Safe to Drink
3 Food
Meal Planning
Pre-trip Food Preparation
Keeping Food Safe
Cooking Food
Hunting and Gathering
How to Hunt by Hand
How to Hunt with a Spear
Trapping
How to Catch Fish
Preparing Caught Food
4 Fire
Preparing a Fire
How to Lay a Fire
How to Light a Fire
How to Keep a Fire Going
How to Chop Firewood
Using a Fire for Warmth
Using a Fire for Signaling
5 Shelter
Ethics of Camping
Where to Camp
Survival Shelters
Creating a Latrine
Creating a Kitchen Area
Breaking Camp
6 Finding Your Way
Planning Your Trip
How to Navigate
Using a Compass
Maintaining a Course in the Field
What to do if You’re Lost
Dealing with Different Terrain
Winter Travel
7 Useful Skills
How to Hold a Knife Safely
Basic Knife Cutting Techniques
How to Fell a Tree
How to Sharpen a Knife
How to Use Axes and Hatchets Safely
How to Make Useful Tools
How to Make Camp More Comfortable
Using Birch Bark
How to Make Rope
Knots
Reading the Weather
8 Traveling by Boat
Options for Boatbuilding
Boat Propulsion
How to Load a Boat
9 Hazards
Dealing with Animals
Recognizing Poisonous Plants
Natural Disasters
10 First Aid
Illnesses and Injuries
First Aid Kit
Glossary
Index
Credits