Jays Bushclass journey...

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#22
Did the simple snare lesson this morning...

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Setup to demonstrate in use
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No squirrels or rabbits were harmed during this exercise...

When I was a teen there was a group of guys that I was in Scouts with that did alot of trapping and I had alot of fun with it but it has been a long time since I had put it in practice. Kinda started practicing this skill last year when I was putting multiple field kits together. So this was fun to do. Once trapping season starts I'm have to get a license and put the skill to actual use.
 

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#24
Took a vacation day today to go to the farm for some bushcrafting and shooting and found a cool area to make a temp "camp" if you will... Tried the next lesson of cooking bannock, which is kind of a bisquity bread using basic ingredients.


I premixed the dry ingredients at home consisting of flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I made the mistake of adding too much water but hey, thats why these are lessons, right... So in the long run it ended up pretty good. Had a golden crust to it and a consistency like a pancake. I liked it. Next one I'll add less water and maybe a little olive oil.
 

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#26
Here is my tree identification practice submission. This was a hard one for being in the depth of winter here in Ohio but I used an online tree identification app called "Picture This" which was great for the mostly leafless winter landscape...

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga, family Pinaceae)
Locally abundant here in cool ravines and ridges.

(Pic 1)
20200214_095228.jpg
(Pic 2)
20200214_095244.jpg

Uses:
-Fatwood (who doesn't like Fatwood)
-Pine needle tea (great for treating coughs and colds which is nice when on a long trip in drier conditions) also a natural source of vitamin C
-The sap can be mixed with charcoal to make a waterproof glue
-The bark can also be used for tea and can be used for tanning leather.

Description:
Eastern hemlock is a straight-trunked, gracefully pyramidal tree with long, pendulous limbs and short-needled, feathery branches. Evergreen needles are dark-green with silvery undersides.Evergreen tree with conical crown of long, slender, horizontal branches often drooping down to the ground, and a slender, curved, and drooping leader. Height is usually 40-70 ft., but can reach 100 ft. or more.

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
Found everywhere here in our eastern woodlands. Besides oaks, Maple trees of every variety are extremely common.

(Pic 3)
Slide401.jpg
(Pic 4)
20200214_140045.jpg

Uses:
-great burning firewood
-its sap, although lower in sugar content, can still be boiled into a light syrup
-maple can be used for smoking meats
-the seeds can be boiled and eaten

Description:
Large tree with short, stout trunk, few large forks, spreading, open, irregular crown of long, curving branches, and graceful cut-leaves. A large canopy tree, 75-100 ft. tall, silver maple’s massive, ascending limbs form a graceful, oval or rounded crown. Plump, red flower buds are visible in winter and the first to bloom in spring. Deeply-cut, deciduous leaves are silvery underneath. Fall color ranges from yellow-brown to yellow tinged with bright red.

White oak (Quercus alba)
Like the Maple the White oak is very common here in the eastern woodlands.

(Pic 5)
20200214_135048.jpg
(Pic 6)
20200214_135108.jpg

Uses:
-Acorns, where do we start, acorns can be eaten after repeated soaks in warm water baths to knock down the acidity.
-the wate from the initial soak can be used to heal rashes and other skin ailments
-the wood is popular for construction including cabinetry, beams, and furniture.
-wine and whiskey barrel construction
-back to the acorn, the meat can be broken down and grinded into a flour for baking (like for in bannock)...

Description:
Popular and long-lived shade tree, which grows to 100 feet (30.5 m), with a widespreading rounded crown and with numerous horizontal branches. Bark light gray, shallow furrows forming scaly ridges or plates. Twigs slender to stout, gray to reddish-green twigs with star-shaped pith; buds are reddish-brown and broadly oval and hairless. Leaves petiole 3?8 - 1 inch (10 - 25 mm) in length; obovate to elliptical leaves, 4 - 8 inches (101 - 203 mm) long, 2 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (70 - 121 mm) wide, margin with 5 - 9 lobes that are widest beyond middle, deep sinuses extending a third or more to midrib; base acute to cuneate, apex broadly rounded; dull or shiny grayish green above, light green with slight pubescence which becomes smooth beneath as they mature.

White ash (Fraxinus americana)
This tree is found all over our area and is very common along cut woodlands and farm fields. Lots of young trees right now in the local parks and forests. Unfortunately the Ash tree as a species is quickly disappearing here in Ohio due to the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. So large, mature examples are dying but there are more and more young trees in my area. So maybe there is hope for the species to survive.

(Pic7)
eab-identify-leaves_kindlephoto-696102622.jpg
(Pic 8)
20200214_104000.jpg

Uses:
-great firewood
-traditionally used for bows and spears due to its long, straight grain and natural spring
-the leaves can be used for tea
-the seed wings (called keys) can be used for making "pickled ash keys" and was common in Europe and Asia.
www.eatweeds.co.uk

Description:
Large tree with straight trunk and dense, conical or rounded crown of foliage with whitish lower surfaces. White ash is a 75-120 ft., large-canopied, deciduous tree with dense branching, pinnate leaves, and early fall color. Leaves turn yellow, then change to purple in autumn.

American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
The grand American beach tree. Planted in many of our local parks and golf courses for it's pretty shape. These are found in many of our local parks and forests and the beech nut is a favorite of the local deer and squirrel populations (which we have an abundance of)! The beech tree holds most of its leaves during the winter making it easier to identify year round and in it's smooth bark it is common to see age old initials carved into it.

(Pic 9)
20200214_095145.jpg
(Pic 10)
20200214_095017.jpg

Uses:
-edible beechnuts (raw and cooked in small quantities.
-oil from the nuts can be extracted and is similar to olive oil.
-Young leaves can be used as greens in salads but older leaves are poisonous.

Description:
50-80 ft. tall, with a maximum height of 120 ft. Its bark is very smooth and light gray, remaining so as the tree ages. Large tree with rounded crown of many long, spreading and horizontal branches, producing edible beechnuts. Branches spread horizontally to form a rounded top and dense growth. Dark-green, glossy, prominently veined leaves turn copper-colored in the fall and hold on most of the winter. Beechnuts are among the most important of wildlife food.

*Picture #'s 3 and 7 were pulled from the internet, the rest of the pictures are mine*
 
Last edited:

Mattsn

Well-known member
Brass Subscriber
#28
Here is my tree identification practice submission. This was a hard one for being in the depth of winter here in Ohio but I used an online tree identification app called "Picture This" which was great for the mostly leafless winter landscape...

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga, family Pinaceae)
Locally abundant here in cool ravines and ridges.

(Pic 1)

(Pic 2)


Uses:
-Fatwood (who doesn't like Fatwood)
-Pine needle tea (great for treating coughs and colds which is nice when on a long trip in drier conditions) also a natural source of vitamin C
-The sap can be mixed with charcoal to make a waterproof glue
-The bark can also be used for tea and can be used for tanning leather.

Description:
Eastern hemlock is a straight-trunked, gracefully pyramidal tree with long, pendulous limbs and short-needled, feathery branches. Evergreen needles are dark-green with silvery undersides.Evergreen tree with conical crown of long, slender, horizontal branches often drooping down to the ground, and a slender, curved, and drooping leader. Height is usually 40-70 ft., but can reach 100 ft. or more.

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
Found everywhere here in our eastern woodlands. Besides oaks, Maple trees of every variety are extremely common.

(Pic 3)

(Pic 4)


Uses:
-great burning firewood
-its sap, although lower in sugar content, can still be boiled into a light syrup
-maple can be used for smoking meats
-the seeds can be boiled and eaten

Description:
Large tree with short, stout trunk, few large forks, spreading, open, irregular crown of long, curving branches, and graceful cut-leaves. A large canopy tree, 75-100 ft. tall, silver maple’s massive, ascending limbs form a graceful, oval or rounded crown. Plump, red flower buds are visible in winter and the first to bloom in spring. Deeply-cut, deciduous leaves are silvery underneath. Fall color ranges from yellow-brown to yellow tinged with bright red.

White oak (Quercus alba)
Like the Maple the White oak is very common here in the eastern woodlands.

(Pic 5)

(Pic 6)


Uses:
-Acorns, where do we start, acorns can be eaten after repeated soaks in warm water baths to knock down the acidity.
-the wate from the initial soak can be used to heal rashes and other skin ailments
-the wood is popular for construction including cabinetry, beams, and furniture.
-wine and whiskey barrel construction
-back to the acorn, the meat can be broken down and grinded into a flour for baking (like for in bannock)...

Description:
Popular and long-lived shade tree, which grows to 100 feet (30.5 m), with a widespreading rounded crown and with numerous horizontal branches. Bark light gray, shallow furrows forming scaly ridges or plates. Twigs slender to stout, gray to reddish-green twigs with star-shaped pith; buds are reddish-brown and broadly oval and hairless. Leaves petiole 3?8 - 1 inch (10 - 25 mm) in length; obovate to elliptical leaves, 4 - 8 inches (101 - 203 mm) long, 2 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (70 - 121 mm) wide, margin with 5 - 9 lobes that are widest beyond middle, deep sinuses extending a third or more to midrib; base acute to cuneate, apex broadly rounded; dull or shiny grayish green above, light green with slight pubescence which becomes smooth beneath as they mature.

White ash (Fraxinus americana)
This tree is found all over our area and is very common along cut woodlands and farm fields. Lots of young trees right now in the local parks and forests. Unfortunately the Ash tree as a species is quickly disappearing here in Ohio due to the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. So large, mature examples are dying but there are more and more young trees in my area. So maybe there is hope for the species to survive.

(Pic7)

(Pic 8)


Uses:
-great firewood
-traditionally used for bows and spears due to its long, straight grain and natural spring
-the leaves can be used for read
-the seed wings (called keys) can be used for making "pickled ash keys" and was common in Europe and Asia.
www.eatweeds.co.uk

Description:
Large tree with straight trunk and dense, conical or rounded crown of foliage with whitish lower surfaces. White ash is a 75-120 ft., large-canopied, deciduous tree with dense branching, pinnate leaves, and early fall color. Leaves turn yellow, then change to purple in autumn.

American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
The grand American beach tree. Planted in many of our local parks and golf courses for it's pretty shape. These are found in many of our local parks and forests and the beech nut is a favorite of the local deer and squirrel populations (which we have an abundance of)! The beech tree holds most of its leaves during the winter making it easier to identify year round and in it's smooth bark it is common to see age old initials carved into it.

(Pic 9)

(Pic 10)


Uses:
-edible beechnuts (raw and cooked in small quantities.
-oil from the nuts can be extracted and is similar to olive oil.
-Young leaves can be used as greens in salads but older leaves are poisonous.

Description:
50-80 ft. tall, with a maximum height of 120 ft. Its bark is very smooth and light gray, remaining so as the tree ages. Large tree with rounded crown of many long, spreading and horizontal branches, producing edible beechnuts. Branches spread horizontally to form a rounded top and dense growth. Dark-green, glossy, prominently veined leaves turn copper-colored in the fall and hold on most of the winter. Beechnuts are among the most important of wildlife food.

*Picture #'s 3 and 7 were pulled from the internet, the rest of the pictures are mine*
Am I the only one who doesn't see any pictures at all.
 

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#33
Finished elective #2 of 5...

The braided shelter ridgeline.

20200217_215443_kindlephoto-778381613.jpg

The lesson called for at least 20' and had to have an eye on one end that could be whipped or braided. My line ended up being just over 27' and I did a whipped eye for one end and whipped the tail.

20200217_215638_kindlephoto-778427032.jpg 20200217_215612_kindlephoto-778448089.jpg

I had fun with this using a skill to make a really useful item. Now imagine having to make the same thing from natural materials and the time one would have to spend gathering the materials and braiding it together to make workable lengths of rope. Thats where this is going to lead to down the road!
 

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#35
Elective #3 the Twig Bundle Fire...

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This one was different from the twig fire in that it required you to stack the twig sizes into a tied off bundle that once lit you could manipulate.

So here are the materials...
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Tied together using a reed...
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For the lesson you could light it anyway you wanted to so I chose natural tinder using dead pine boughs, maple shavings, and fatwood shavings lit with a ferro rod...

Prepped and ready to go...
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Tinder lit...
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Put the twig bundle end in the fire and it took off really quick... Notice the laying of the twigs...
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Twig bundle burning like a torch... Showing that it can be moved around and to allow for getting more air to it...
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And back into the pit...
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I was really surprised at how quickly it took off.
 

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#38
Elective #4 completed! Did the lesson for making a Personal Survival Kit or PSK..

20200221_075635_kindlephoto-897351593.jpg

Ok, so I have to admit this was harder than I thought because I'm so use to having this type of kit spread throughout my EDC and my 1st tier kit. Usually the components are on me and in a chest rig/belt setup so minuturizing it was a little tough and I wasn't fully comfortable doing it. But this lesson leads into a future lesson where I will have to spend a night out with nothing but this kit so it was important to do it right.

Little video I did explaining it all...
 

Jayclimber

Well-known member
Moderator
#39
Elective #5 completed! I chose to do the lesson for making a first aid kit.

20200226_081335.jpg

So I used it as an exercise to make a backcountry kit for a small group of 3-4 people. I have IFAK's on just about every pack, belt, PC, and chest rigs so I wanted to focus more on just the basics of wilderness first aid.


So now it's onto the outings! :cool: