Primitive skills

[Rising Smoke]

I have been out of Scouting for many years and I am interested in better understanding the current thinking related to primitive or survival skills. Recently I have performed Scout Leader training seminars designed to train the trainers on things like cordage making, basic flint knapping and the making of fire without the use of modern tools. Participants are stunned to learn they can go the woods, prepared with nothing but their knowledge and make fire in a few minutes. Many years ago BSA offered fire by friction kits. Is there still an interest in such forgotten skills?

[kenk]

I'd suppose that every boy, both young and old, dreams of the ability to survive and maybe even prosper using only his bare hands and the knowledge to utilize nature's bounty.

 

These skills are sometimes discussed on http://www.equipped.org - if you're interested.

 

Ken K.

[LongHaul]

Welcome Rising Smoke,

When I took Woodbadge our trainer told our group that we could not use fire by friction in our area (Chicago) because we didnt have the right kind of trees to make the receiver block. I told him that I was sure glad I didnt know that thirty years ago when we used to do it every time we came to camp as a means of awing the new scouts. We used to have a Stalking Merit Badge and the field book taught trapping, snares, and how to dress game for the table. I wanted to teach my scouts some of this but was cautioned against it. PETA wants BSA to drop all fishing merit badges on the grounds that it is cruel to the fish. I wanted to have the boys actually kill live chickens, dress them and prepare them for dinner. My DE was horrified. Troops near my relatives in Wisconsin do these things as a matter of course in daily life but down here in da city Im not even supposed to talk about it.

LongHaul

 

[SR540Beaver]

Rising Smoke,

 

I'm stunned that you have a bunch of Scouters who are stunned that those things are possible. Anyone with cable TV can see shows such as Survivorman where the whole show revolves around a Canadian gent by the name of Les Stroud surviving 7 days with next to nothing to begin with. You can check out his site at www.survivorman.ca. One of my favorite magazines is Wilderness Way. Unfortunately, it only comes out quarterly. From a description I found on the web, "It offers instruction for those who want to know how to live close to the land. Each issue unlocks the secrets to making friction fires, primitive shelters, plant cordage, and spears, birch canoes, teepees and much more." You can find their website at www.wwmag.net.

[Rising Smoke]

Well, it appears there is interest here at least and that is encouraging. I sent a note to BSA several weeks ago asking why the fire by friction sets had been discontinued. I received response saying that suitable materials had become unavailable. ( Must have come from the Chicago area ..:)I know that both bow drill and hand drill sets can be had and there is no shortage of materials. In addition to teaching a useful skill, success in making fire by friction brings a young person a certain sense of accomplishment. I wonder how we get the powers that be to re-instate the kits...

[resqman]

Primitive Skills? It is hard enough to get someone to teach what I consider basic woods skills. How to lay a proper fire and light it using matches, lighter or other modern fire making device. Now that everyone cooks on stoves, no one seems to know how to lay a fire and light it.

 

Knots? With bungee cords and fiberglass tent poles, no one ties their tent, strings a line for a tarp, or can cut timber to make a lashing project.

 

I remember spending a day or two at summer camp as a boy 30 years ago lighting a fire with a bow and drill as part of wilderness surival merit badge. Somewhere in the garage is my dad's old flint and steel kit. My son and I practice lighting fires NOT using matches. As a Cub Scout he has gotten pretty good with the Gerber Strike Force and has done it successfully with the BSA Hot Spark. The batteries and steel wool have worked well.

 

My son and I harvested "lighter wood" or Fatwood from an old pine stump in the woods behind our house. It took a couple hours to dig up the stump. Add a few more hours to split into finger sized bits. Add a few hours practicing lighting with vaseline soaked cotton balls, dryer lint, cat tails or river birch bark collected from the local pond. Now every time we wander through the woods, he can identify pine stumps by sight and smell.

 

Last Pack campout, I taught a session on matchless fire starting. Getting boys to play with fire was not a difficult task. I had half a dozen BSA Hot Sparks and a couple of Gerber Strike Force, batteries, steel wool, sisal rope disassembled into bird nests, cotton balls and vaseline, dryer lint, and several cat tails. Each den got several methods and tinder and were allowed to practice under the watchful eye of the den leader on a gravel surface.

 

I say start introducing the idea that things can be done and let them try. Teach them the basics and they will yearn for more information. I applaude those who bring the basic woods skills to the boys and encourage the more primitive skills. Put the outing back into Scouting.

 

 

[Rising Smoke]

Ferocerium devices are interesting, however they relate to instant flame fire making. Instant flame technology has been with us for a couple of centuries now since the invention of the match around 1800. What I teach is a bit more basic. Coal to flame methods used sucessfully for millenium prior of 1800, such as taking a mullein stalk and a split branch and making a coal in about 20 seconds. Also the fire piston. A wooden device that creates a coal by the heat of compression. Its nearly effortless and really quite amazing.

 

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