Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Kentucky Woodsmans Weekend


This past weekend I was privledged to attend the KWW at Fort Boonesborough in Richmond Kentucky.The KWW is a yearly event of seminars dealing with many diverse topics that a 18th century woodsman would have known or been aware of.I had a very good time.The lectures were great.The deer meat stew on saturday night was yummy.It was a very stress releaving weekend and I look forward to next year when I might possibly be a presenter.The fat guy second from the right in the photo is me.God Im a fat bear but a happy fat bear.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Makin Plans


Its a new month....November.Deer season is fast approaching.A fella on FrontierFolk was asking about what folks do when preparing for a scout ie cut back on stuff like sugar and caffiene or sleep on the floor ect ect.So what shall follow is how I do it.

Where are you going;

Lay out on paper where you are going and if possible plot it out on a map.List who might know the area ie Nathan has been there.List contact numbers for emergency services in the area where you are going.If possible get a gps number for where you park your car,modern woodsman use gps more than not,it gives them a starting point if shit goes wrong.List when your going to be there and for how long and what the reason your there for.

The number one thing that most forget is a bugout plan.If you have to get out quick due to weather,accident or anything have a plan of your bugout route.If it turns to crao it does no good to have everyone else speculating on what your possibly doing.WRITE IT DOWN AND DO NOT DEVIATE FROM A BUGOUT PLAN.

Prescout Preps:

Somefolks swear off thier favorite foods or drinks.Somefolks start sleeping on the floor.Somefolks switch to different footwear.I do none of the above.

I find that swearing off my favorite foods or drinks before a scout makes it worse for me.I start jonesing bad.Its works better for me to substitute the things Im addicted to with something period proper.Pepsi is substituted with tea.That is my addiction.

Feet run the whole machine.If your feet hurt the rest of you will hurt.I wear period shoes a lot so I dont have to condition my feet to period shoes.I wear moccs around camp or when I go to bed.You will get what I call moccasin horrors if you do not wear moccasins on a regular weekly basis.

Your gear speaks a lot about your experiances.Having your gear ride well and stay put is very important.It totally sucks when stuff is flopping around and swinging in your way getting caught on every stick in the world.Wear your gear around the house or around town and get comfortable with it and learn how to use it.I hope your stuff isnt just cool looking props.

You will get cold.You will get hot.You will get dirty and you will smell.I always find that I get cold the first night sleeping out,after that I sleep much warmer.


Im gonna try and put up a bunch of posts on basic gear and skills that you should know and a reading list of books that I have found usefull.This is enough for now.The photo above is of Jon Haggees pack and hat.