I was looking thru a hunting catalog the other day and it got me to thinking,are basic woodsmanship skills being lost? There were so many items that will find your game for you,hide your scent,find your way for you,find your downed game,instant blinds,scents baits,etc.
What happened to scouting an area,playing the wind,a compass and topo map,tracking skills,and others.
Im not saying that the new poducts are bad,but do we loose a little something when we use these things to make it easier?
I know its our responsibility to pass our knowledge and experiance on to others,but i wonder, will technology and the claims of making you a better hunter, faster and easier over ride the woodsmanship skills that we pass on as hunters.To me these skills are a huge part of the love of hunting and the overall experiance.
Im not trying to be contriversial,just fishing for youre thoughts on this subject. :coffee:
They're not being lost just improved upon.
My answer is that when we look for shortcuts, we diminish our abilities. Looking for the easy way is not for me. I stay away from the stuff you are talking about. My successes are my experiences in the fields and woods. I don't know about others, but the using technology to avoid learning skills is a waste of time.
Agree with Spencer. It really goes against the mantra of challenge in many respects. I can certainly understand folks reasoning for using such things...and I believe to some degree we are all guilty, but we are only cheating ourselves, really. It lessens the journey and shortcuts the process, although many will argue that it enriches it somehow...like game cameras opening up more possibilities. I guess I still like the "unknowns" some, and my abilities and knowledge, and faith in them, being tested.
I suspect that most of us here, are here for those challenges, and should we not be able to use those crutches, we would still be at it. We all have to choose our level of challenge and live with our choices, year to year.
This should end up being a good thread.
I remember when I first started hunting about 20 years ago I always loved looking at the hunting catalogs and drooling over the latest gadget and this that and the other. Never got most of it and somewhere I ended up with to much of it. LOL
I've spent the last seven years hunting with trad gear for the most part and I find my self getting to where I take less technology and gadgetry every year and pick up something useful from a better time be it a tool or a skill.
I don't think woodsmanship is lost but in a society of instant gratification it sure seems it is harder to find. I used to be all about the kill but over the last several years it really has become about the lifestyle and the journey.
I have more woodsmanship skills than alot of younger folks and try to pass on what I can. I also try to learn what I can from the folks that have been doing it longer than me. I thrive on learning new things of old so to speak. As long as there are folks like you and me and a place like TG I don't think the simple ways of knowing and being one with the woods will ever be lost.
Stiks
Tough one to answer. overall the marketing machine behind hunting makes it more mainstream and in many ways more acceptable - so in that way I like it. ... I see where you are going with this though. The problem is the continued urbanization means fewer and fewer know things that would be easy if people lived outside a city.
I think if more people invested more in themselves.If they devolped all the different skill sets needed to be a good hunter and outdorsman they would be better off. In every aspect of hunting there are things we can buy that will in some minds make them a better hunter. Will the $1,000.00 bow make you a better shot or hunter than the $200.00 bow? If you have not mastered the $200.00 bow how can you expect to take advantage of what the $1000.00 bow may have to offer if any. I remeber even as kid finding out real fast just because you buy this or that it will not make you more sucessfull. What makes you better is being in the woods more than a couple weekends. Shooting your bow year round instead of two weeks before the season. You can have all the latest and greatest but if you spend two full weekends a year in the woods probably aint gonna happen. If a couple of weekends is all that can be done and that person is happy with that let him have all the toys he wants. I dont think the deer herd will suffer much. Invest more in yourself and it will pay off and that goes for more than hunting.
I see both sides of this and really feel it has changed, but wouldn't say it's lost.
I'm always venturing onto new areas of state land and do alot of pre-scouting via the internet, pouring over maps, topo photos from google earth and others and seeking other information from forums like this to shorten my learning curve. Often times I have parking spots, possible bedding areas, funnels, points, swamps, creek crossings, feeding areas and potential stand sites marked on my gps before I even have a view of the land at ground level.
Once on foot my basic woodsmanship takes over. I either validate or nix what plans or thoughts I had for an area based on sign, cover, traffic, etc. and set up a more solid plan for the season.
The same things are done as they were 50 years ago, just with more technology. The stands are lighweight alluminum and not a pallet set in the crotch of a tree, I still silently sneak into my stand area well before dawn trying not do disturb game, and I'm hunting the down wind of the same trails as was done by those that came and went before me.
Dan
I've been lost twice. Both times when that was a life and death deal. Once in a huge wilderness area with no roads in 50 miles and terrible weather. Rain and cold. I was blessed to have God deliver me in that one by recognizing a landmark I had seen coming in in the morning. I found that being lost is a matter of mind. If you are misplaced you have a good state of mind to survive. When you are lost you panic. That has to be overcome. You lose faith in your ability to know where you are at at all and you stop thinking right. You literally have to sit down and rationalize things out instead of allowing panic to take over.
In the other case I was caught high in the mountains in an area I knew like the back of my hand. It started snowing and no big deal. I have been in a lot of snow. Then it becamse a whiteout. you could not see 5 feet. This was not a good deal. I headed downhill hoping to get to an elevation where I couls see and it was still solid. I literally did not have any idea what to do and so I prayed. Along comes a pick up truck driving off road out in the middle of no where and they stop and the guy says your are lost aren't you. I said yes but now I'm found. He said no you aren't , Were lost too. LOL. But We found out way out.
With these two experiences young in my western hunting life I decided to make absolutely sure I did not enter any situation where I did not have at least a fanny pack with fire , space blanket, compass,. cordage and what it would take to survive. That is with me no matter how well I know the country. I do not leave without it. Period. I also make it a point to keep myself totally oriented at all times knowing where I am form a stretch of road or a creek that I can walk to and walk out on.
God bless you all, Steve
Depends on where you live I think. Here in Alaska the difference is obvious in who knows what sometimes. I don't know that "woodsman ship" is the best topic to argue on the internet, but I do understand and agree with your post, though I sure enjoy google earth and game bags. It is all of our responsibility to pass on what we know to others, and I think this site goes a long way in meeting that obligation. There are surely things being missed or forgotten, but for some of us, these are the good old days, metal risers and bloodtrail flashlights included. Is it for the better, I don't know, I doubt it.
Yes. If you look at the percentage of americans that could survive 3 days in the wilderness it is clearly diminshing. We are becoming a very urban society. As for gadgets dimimishing it? I would say no. Many people choose to buy into the hype and try to short cut success with equipment. Most of those folks are not successful hunters. Others use the equipment to enhance their skill sets and become more successful. It really comes down to fewer and fewer people are teaching wilderness skills and that is why they are declining.
Three days in the wilderness??? Most americans couldn`t survive three days without their cell phone.
There are high school graduates that cannot change a flat tire.
I agree and believe the biggest culprit is the GPS. We have an entire society that could not find their way to the bathroom if the sat nav birds went down. Very likely they will during the next high intensity conflict.
Bonebuster, there are college grads who can't change a tire. I know because I helped one about two weeks ago!!
Joe
Since taking up this sport I have tried to simplify my approach. Coming from the compound bow to traditional I was fascinated by the simplicity. Does it work, that all depends of what is your goal when spending a day in the woods and to what cost does it take for you to achieve it. Personally if I can get into a shooting situation, whether I shoot or not is a 5 star day. For me I have found I can do that with a traditional bow, no tree stand and no camo.
So far my family isn't relying on me to feed them from my ventures into the woods. If they did I might have to reverse my choice.
I need to go real slow here...lol
This is a great topic and it is making me think.(ouch)...lol
If I put my brain to work, it seems that most but not all of the technology is directed at helping the hunter be "successful"....ie putting the intended game on the ground dead.
I have to ask myself if that is my real goal and my answer is yes and no.
My next question to myself is: if I reach the point that I no longer want to kill what I'm after, would I continue to go into the field.
The answer for me is... I think I would, either with a camera or with my bow and arrows just to stump shoot.
I don't know that I have developed all the woodsman's skills I want or need but I do know that the latest technology isn't likely to be beneficial in helping me reach that point.
Therefore I choose to instead spend my money on new or (new to me) bows and let those that want to define "success" in their own way(dead animals) spend their money on the technology.
I have now spent some time trying to recall any of my hunts that I would call unsuccessful.
None come to mind, even my short hour long hunt last evening was a success in my mind.
I had my "Old Tom" in my hand, a back quiver with 5 Howard Hill tipped arrows and I stepped out of my truck into "Sherwood".
Good thought provoking thread... thanks!
Yes we are losing our wilderness skills and ability to survive on our own with out gadgets. I grew up in the fifty's and there were no DVD's or TV shows that showed short cuts, how to's, etc. Our father was not a hunter and there fore we learned by trail and error . I learned the hard way but when I did learned something it became a part of my hunting process. I have looked at a lot of these hunting aids but have put most of them in the not needed bank of my brain. To me learning the process is more satisfying then the kill. J M H O
I killed my first buck with a bow (compound) when I was 15. A lot of the stuff advertised today wasn't out there yet when I killed my first buck. I figure if I was successful back then without it, I don't need it now. Today, I'd rather take a doe with my longbow than a Pope & Young/Boone & Crocket buck with a compound/rifle because if I did, I'd just be disappointed I didn't take it with my longbow.
I think a far greater POTENTIAL crutch is the mentor.
I'm the father of a 32 year old son who I started taking with me to the woods when he was about 4 years old. In his early years I did the scouting, put up the stands, told him what to wear, took him to the stand, and even advised him where the deer would likely come and when. I was 20 yards away when he bow-killed his first deer in Missouri.
I'm a retired Forester and Wildlife Biologist so I taught him (more than he wanted I'm sure) different trees, animals, animal behavior and habits, etc. He learned what deer sign looked like, the sounds deer make, and many of the ways we bowhunters can blow an opportunity at a shot (I don't know any short-cut to those lessons). He was (and is) a terrific bow hunting buddy.
I noticed as he entered college that he didnt know why certain stand locations were selected. I realized that if something happened (when) to me he would be 'lost' when it comes to scouting. So, I changed my approach. Now we look over aerial photos together, scout the areas we hunt, and I ask him to discuss with me the pros and cons of good stand locations.
It is great to help young hunters, an essectial duty in fact. However, if we have the time, like we have with our children, we need to make sure we don't do so much for them that they learn success is achieved by doing just what Dad says.
My son has never hunted in the mountains or anywhere near anything resembling a wilderness. He's never hunted more than 1 mile from a road or ranch lane. If I'm able I have to get him to the mountains on an elk hunt, while I still can.
Oh, I've been 'delayed' due to directional confusion on 4 occassions; once in eastern National Forest, once in an August Hoosier Cornfield, and twice in the Colorado Rockies. Thanks goodness the longest of these delays was just under an hour. Embarrassing and anxiety-producing just the same.
Maybe so but I hope not. It is fun to start a fire with flint playing around the house but I do take some matches and a lighter with me when I go a field along with along with a film container filled with cotton balls and petroleum jelly to start a fire if needed.
Its all relative to personal lifestyle. People who live with hectic, busy lives around city/big town areas dont have as much time as some others and look for shortcuts to help out since time in the woods is not as available.
Others live with natural woodsman skills used daily thinking its just normal life. Then there are people with minimal time who "work" to learn as much woodsmanship skills as possible and limit shortcuts. And then there are woodsmen who would rather use shortcuts and techno. And on and on and on..............
I think if our world today crashed and everyone had to survive on own skills....only a very, very select few would make it.
I think some of the reason woodsmanship skills are not what they were is how we acquire them. For years I hunted with older hunters who taught me the good and the bad habits. I don't think that's a common today. When you have a mentor you seem to pick things up quicker and retain them. So the morale to the story.......take a young person hunting and show them the skills they will need in the future! :thumbsup:
Yornoc that is called "survival of the fittest" or "natural selection". I agree with you I think it would weed some out. But I also think it would surprise you how many people have those natural skills that are just under the surface. There have been gimicks around for ever. All you have to do is look at an old Herters catalog. I can remeber getting some fishing lure as a kid cause I seen some one catching a bunch of fish. I got some and could not catch a thing. Was it a gimick? No I just was not using it correctly. Later I told the neighbor I could not catch a fish with it he showed me how to fish that lure correctly. Once I saw how to use it I cought fish. The lure was a plastic worm I wonder what the live bait guys thought when that showed up on the fishing scene? Can a GPS help a guy out? Most defenitly. Will it teach him how to read the land go back 15 miles with his gear and come out with a trophy bull elk? Probably not. There is no gaurante with hunting or fishing. There is nothing that replaces good old time spent in the woods and gaining experiance. Learn from every trip and maybe help some one out to shorten there learning curve. Nothing you can buy replaces the sweat from working hard.
If the world crashed today, very very few of us would survive for sure. Even if everyone had great survival skills, there are just too many of us on this rock to survive without technology to raise food and clean our water. I think today's survival skills are more about protecting our planet.
With the slow but sure disappearance of available hunting ground the simple fact is that opportunities to learn and then practice woodsmanship are fewer.
I have lived in a medium-sized town for my entire life. My dad did his best to teach me what he knew, but hunting on the weekends is a far cry from even 50 years ago when people were actually hunting for food. I can practice my shooting form, prepare and tinker with equipment, and scout from my PC...but learning how to move quietly or how a deer acts when its spooked...those are things that need to be experienced.
I believe there are a lot of companies capitalizing on the fact that people want to be good hunters, but they can't put in the time in the woods. Because of all the "instructional" tv shows and movies, featuring celebrities, (Blake Shelton, Brock lessner, Jeff Foxworthy) hunting has become mainstream. This actually has the benefit of attracting and keeping people who wouldn't normally hunt. It is causing our sport to survive and even grow! If those people can help themselves by buying spray to illuminate a tricky-for-them blood trail, so be it.
The point im trying to make is that woodsmanship isn't necessarily declining because of these products. The products are there because there are people who realize they need help and are willing to buy them.
Scott.
Look up 'woodsmanship' in Webster's and what do you find? Nothing. Because according to the dictionary there is no such word. Does it exist? Of course it does. You'll find out shortly if you are lost, freezing, hurt or otherwise in trouble in the woods and your GPS batteries die, electronics fail, vehicle gets stuck, phone doesn't work and there's nothing between you and help except 30 miles of trees and swamp. Under such conditions you'll find out what ISN'T woodsmanship in a hurry.
Reality isn't always what the dictionary says it is, and it's definately not what society's perception of it is. Woodsmanship, like the concept of traditional archery, is a combination of mindset; willingness and ability to use simple time-tested equipment and techniques; knowledge learned from hands-on applications; and confidence gained from that learned experience. It's resisting failure by embracing ingenuity over gadgetry. It's the difference between knowing what to do and knowing that you don't know how to do it. It's being able to cope with what is, rather than wishing for what isn't. It is, in the jargon of contemporary society, the real deal.
And yes, IMO most hunters today have lost the ability to recognize, let alone practice, woodsmanship skills. Push a button and buy some plastic...that's today's way.
I liked your words TSP.
It isn't just within the hunting crowd. I live in an area with lots of 'outdoorsy' people - mtn. bikers, skiers, climbers, etc. These people spend a lot of time outdoors, and for many, these activities, and a general 'outdoor' lifestyle, are definitely a big part of their identity. Some are even 'professional outdoor instructors.' Yet I know very few of them who know how to properly sharpen a knife, or build a fire in challenging conditions without a lighter, or who could dress an animal if they needed to, or even know how to move quietly and have basic wilderness observation skills. There is a whole culture of 'outdoorsiness' that has arisen in the last few decades that is completely gear reliant, and that retains few traditional outdoor skills, if any.
And, at the risk of sounding judgemental, I fear that for many of these folks, wilderness is just a gymnasium for self-absorbed recreation, with no deeper connection. Some of this has definitely bled into hunting as well, imo.
I take it from a different perspective, i work 60 plus hours a week, have 2 beautiful girls under the age of 4. I use alot of the gadgets that people here condem to help me better enjoy the few hours that i have in the woods each fall. I still shoot my recurve every day and have to make the shot when it counts. When I had more time in my life I did learn a lot about woodsmanship and have spent up to a week in the wilderness by myself with out the convienances of every day life and I tell you i enjoy knowing that when i go to the woods now I am doing everything that I can to come back safe and sound to enjoy my family. I carry with me GPS, my Iphone to call if I fall and use trail cameras and would not change anything on how I hunt. To each your own but by shooting and hunting traditional I can limit my opportunities but enjoy the outdoors at the same time.
Steve,
I agree with you. I also want to say even though you allready know this. You dont have to be ashamed of what you are doing. To me it sounds like you invested some time in yourself and you have some core skills. The things you talk about would be nothing with out your core skills.
Scott
Steve bring up a good point. I think it's the root of the issue. People have less time to spend in the woods these days. There are also fewer wild areas, so many people have to travel farther to reach them. I drive 2.5 hours to get to my hunting area. Let's be realistic, if you NEVER put an animal on the ground, would hunting be much fun? A lot of people would quit hunting if they never had any success. Gadgets try to make people more successful and that's keeps more people hunting. In the broad sense that's a good thing. For me, I'm going into the woods with a stick-bow, wooden arrows, a knife, and that's about it. If I'm in the high mountains or a huge wilderness area (doesn't ever happen here in Florida) I'm bring a GPS and some survival gear. I don't think hunting is worth dying over...
Interesting discussion, but what exactly would we define as "woodsmanship" skills? There is no real finite list of what those entail, and can be a rather broad based skillset. Some may have good skills when it comes to some areas, and be non-existent in others. Hunting skills-scouting, reading sign, choosing stand locations, still hunting, spot and stalk etc are all various skills that some may be very good at one, and very poor at another. Does it make him a lesser hunter? Not really.
Then you have another arena of skills which may be necessary- bushcraft skills. Depending on whre on how you hunt, these may take on varying degrees of importance. SHelter making, fire making, water procurement, food gathering, etc. The list is really endless.
While most of us would have a rough go at total wilderness indepenent living skills, some of these are basics that are important. Fire and shelter being the top of the list. skils that can make a unexpected overnight or two afield either a life and death situation, or just an uncomfortable incovenience.
When we talk about the use of gimmicks in some cases, or technology enhanced hunting gear, opinons are plentiful .
GPS is a good place to start. While using a compass and map are important skills, most of us lack the time, opportunity and competent instruction to master these skills. And while you may do ok with them in one region, a dramatic change in topography may throw you off completely. You may use them well in mountainous areas, with plenty of landmarks and the ability to view the landscape for long distances. Move to a huge tract of thick flat forest, where your field of vision is measured in yards intead of miles, and see how you do. GPS, used properly can ease your mind and assist in use of the compass, although far too many who utilize them follow then around, looking at the little arrow on the screen like some sort of homing device. In this case, that is a poor habit to get in to.
I teach an outdoors prepardness class to a bunch of kids every summmer in the course of our Hunter Safety youth camp. Im far from an expert, but I give them the basics of fire and shelter, as well as some tips on navigation.
I wish I was better with the map and compass. There is a lot of things to remember, where with a GPS, used with a map,simplifies it.Granted, all things electronic can fail. How many of us have the skills to determine direction of travel lacking even a compass?
The woodsmanship skill set is a broad and varying one for sure.
I always get a kick out of seeing what the next years latest gimmick hunting crutch to hit the market will be. So far, the last couple years have been pretty comical.
The Cruncher is still tops pn my list. If you havent seen this thing, its a small round plastic gizmo that you squeeze and it makes a loud crunching sound to " simulate the sound of a deer crunching acorns". LOL This year I found a store that sold a product, packaged by some resourceful enterpenuer, of packages of deer droppings. The package contained a heapinghandfull of dried deer poo, to put out to le the deer think there are more deer in the area, for a argain price of $8.99! I checked back later in the season, and they were sold out!!! Who buys this stuff?
I don't have any of the high tech stuff, I don't even have a cel phone. And for the exact reason stated in this post. I don't like to rely on things like that. If it's got a battery it'll die, if it needs a signal it'll get lost, a compass, a hatchet, a good knife, and a sharp mind can go a long way in the wilderness if you know what you're doing.
-Mike
I like technology. Like the beer cans i make alcohol stoves from. I like the plastic in the shower curtain i carry in my pack to sit on when it is wet. It also helps water proof the shelter i build if i am going to be in the area a while. I like the steel in my mini hatchet for more reasons than i can list. I like the jute twine for tying everything together and as a fire starter to. I like the stainless steel pot i cook my food in. I like my fire steel as it never fails to give fire. Folding saw and shovel? Must have . Compass and paper map to. Leather harness to carry my knife under my arm out of the way. Space blanket? One please. All in a good pack. Water food shelter. If you are out three days you will survive. Yeah i like technology just fine thank you.
Technology, in and of itself, is seldom the problem. After all, technology is inanimate until we choose to do something with it. As pointed out above, I like my carbon arrows, and I like the resins in my longbow and I like the fact that UPS can transport a custom knife from the other side of the country to my doorstep.
The problem is in the application of technology, and whether or not we choose to impose limits on ourselves - whether or not we realize that less is truly more, and that excessive reliance on gadgetry is not self-reliance. The issue isn't technological, and never has been - it's human. Go figure.
Interesting discussion. Are the newer generations, those newer to hunting, failing to learn woodsmanship skills? Many are. Lack of time is the rationalization offered for substituting technology for learning woodsmanship. I don't buy that. We're all busy. It's how we choose to use our time. We make the time to do the things that are really important to us. In short, technology/gadget use, or the absense of it, is a pretty good measure of commitment level and woodsmanship skill.
I don't think anyone here is damning technology. I think it is the idea of using it as a crutch that many do not like the thought of. I hunted with a buddy on a local river yesterday. I had my Iphone 4, a Garmin 60CSX, and a flashlight in my haversack. Why? The phone to call my wife when I was headed home. The GPS to mark my kill if I found my deer or elk deer near dark and had to return to it. The flashlight for finding my way back to the boat. I don't use them to find animals, hunt the animals, or involve them in my hunting at all. they sure are nice when the hunt is done. Nothing like calling a buddy to say hey, meet me at the ramp at 6:00 I need help hauling a big bull out of the woods.
My grandad taught me to be prepared, "cuz when your not you will be dead". When I am going to be miles in from the trailhead I take a SPOT locator. Broken leg, hit the button, crawl to flat ground, work up a small fire, and light shelter, and wait. Far better than figuring out that you can't crawl 8 to 15 miles out so your dead.
The wilderness skills I have from spending 30+ years being outdoors would keep me and my family alive and reasonable comfortable indefinately. Very few people today are learning those skills
QuoteOriginally posted by Swamp Yankee:
If the world crashed today, very very few of us would survive for sure. Even if everyone had great survival skills, there are just too many of us on this rock to survive without technology to raise food and clean our water. I think today's survival skills are more about protecting our planet.
Profound insight right there...
The degree to which we depend on technology is magnified by our insane population and urbanization. If the infrastructure that we have created crashed it would be a truly ugly experience.
In terms of the original question, I think that gps has actually made people more aware of the world that they live in. They have a greater understanding of maps, scale, distance, topography, and imagery than they ever have before. That being said, less people can actually use a compass and map to navigate than in prior generations. Trapping, shelter building, and basic survival skills are also lost to the general populance.
But there is some light at the end of the tunnel in the form of ecotourism and adventure trekking. Combined with a trend towards better fitness these these activities are pushing more people outdoors. People from all walks of life are participating in these events and having their curiosity aroused by the experience. Among these groups, there is a trend towards more awareness of outdoor skills.
I think that the tecnology can help and it is cool stuff. I don't spend the money on it myself. I have a large family and spend my money on them. So I just stick to the basics. Bow,arrows,map,compass,Knife,tarp,water. That's what I hunt with. It works for me.
" I don't have any of the high tech stuff'
You sure do Mike you just used one to type out that line. :D
I thought shooting a bow and arrow was a woodsmanship skill :dunno:
I suggest to everybody to get off the computer(Unless your at work like I am) grab there bows and get out into the woods and practice some of these lost skills your talking about. Make sure to take a camera, (Although it is modern to) then bring those picks back and post them on this site for all to learn from.
That's what this site used to be about passing on are skills for everybody to learn from and believe me I have learned plenty from alot of good Tradgangers. I am self taught, My dad passed away when I was young and my mom and step dad never hunted but supported me by bying me the things I requested most of the time ;) I have raised three kids and showed them everything I know old and new good and bad.
Thats why I love this place, Good people, good storys and lots of learning to be done. So show what you do know and I will show you what I know and we can all learn these 'woodsmanship' skills togather.
I like to practice some of my skills this way.
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Woolaroc013-1.jpg)
I like it modern and the old ways!
Tracy
QuoteOriginally posted by K.S.TRAPPER:
I suggest to everybody to get off the computer(Unless your at work like I am) grab there bows and get out into the woods and practice some of these lost skills your talking about.
That's exactly what I'm doing. Last week on my whitetail tag. Later!
My fondest memories are when we used to travel to the National forest in Forest county in Pa. and bow hunt. In those days there weren't any tree stands or compound bows and the woods went on for miles. We would all be hunting off the ground and using woods savy to get deer. Now 45 years later I'm hunting on the ground with a Osage self bow and self made arrows. I haven't changed much but everything around me sure has.lol
It doesn't make things easier with all this crap they are selling it makes things a lot more complicated. I grab my folding stool and my bow and a couple of arrows and enjoy hunting without all the extras. I even get a deer once in a while.
As long as my cognitive skills remain intact I can find my way with out a compass or GPS. But I always carry a good compass and I take a reading away from my vehicle before entering the woods. I used to do some coon hunting and I learned how to know where I was by the moon and stars as well as land marks and terrain features. Anyone can get turned around especially if your attention is interupted like when trailing a blood trail.
I'll say this about GPS, as with a compass, you need to know how to use it properly or you can still get lost with it.
I guess I'm guilty of playing on both sides of the fence , I have a GPS in every hunting pack that goes into the field with me. They are a powerful tool when I'm exploring new territories in the spring. I mark points of interest, and then I'm confident I can get back to the exact spot months later. Out in the west where I do the majority of my hunting they are a perfect tool for determining property boundaries too. The public ground I hunt is bordered by private properties with no fence lines to let you know when you're crossing over into some high priced hunting areas. Out here in Utah we have Corporative Wildlife Hunting Units, (CWMU) and if you accidently find yourself just across the border on one of these that little spike elk you just arrowed could end up costing you a trespassing fine and a couple of thousand dollars in fines for hunting a CWMU without a tag. And for getting into a particular spot in the dark without a lot of unnecessary movement and flashlight beams bouncing around the quite forest nothing beats them for that. With all that being said I also carry my trusty and well used Silva Ranger compass in my breast pocket with a note pad and pencil. The compass gets far more use then the GPS and marking the last known location of a downed bird or where your just arrowed buck entered the tree line and then walking right to that spot always seems to impress people who have never used a compass. I use the high tech stuff to compliment my survival/ woodsmanship skills. Every time I step into the field I'm prepared to spend at least 3 nights in the in relative comfort if the situation arises, my son is the same way. As a youngster I spent a cold and sleepless night on the mountain because I was chasing some Mule deer on an archery hunt and forgot to pay attention to time and the quickly setting sun. When I walked back into camp the next morning I vowed to never be that unprepared again.
My 12 year old daughter is the only child I have left at home and we regularly spend one night a week every month sleeping in the tents or lean to in the back yard. I've tried to teach all my kids if you can do and survive when you DON'T have to it will come easier when you DO have to.
In many ways, the knowledge is more readily available to all, via the technology....it is more in the application and practice of it where it becomes a skillset, that we no longer (as a society) have time or need for such skills. Lets face it, we are a dying breed....and the existence of the crutches, gives no incentive for younger folks to learn them. Those of us who are "older" and learned these skills the hardway because we had to, fondly look back on the "journey", and would'nt trade it for anything! But its all relative. Who is to say the way in which a particular person learns is any better of a memory to them....not me. Also, as we get older, and we know that the ranks of hunters is quickly filling up with a bunch of "old farts" that carry the torch, we tend to adopt many of these crutches to reach goals we may have....bucket lists, perhaps, or we get to be a lot less adventurous in our older age. When I was younger, I'd have been much more apt to head out on this cold, windy, winter day to harvest bow wood, or shoot my bow and hunt some rabbits, or any number of things....and here I am on this computer, cause it just looks miserable out there!
I guess it's not any of our place to preach to each other our motives for being out there. Even on here our motives vary quite a bit... as does arranging our time to pursue those things....and it does take time to do them. Woodcraft skills are not something you really learn by reading, you have to also practice them, and it's easy to say, yes, they are disappearing as a percentage of the population that aquires these skills. But there will always be some enthusiasts, I hope anyway, that will keep them alive.
Also, my perspective, sitting here along the Yellowstone River in Montana, is much different than most who live in a much more urban environment. I HAD to learn skills...as did my kids. Even here, though, they are in a minority among their peers.
I guess my point is that in order to pass on those skills, including woodsmanship, you have to first learn them, practice them and teach them. Otherwise they are lost forever. And that would be the issue. We must keep them alive and pass them on, or we as a people are lost with them.
I have been thinking a lot about this thread since my first post and through my thinking and I could be wrong so take it with a grain of salt. I feel that the learning curve that I am going through with many of these gadgets is a form of woodsmanship. Every generation has embraced new knowledge and added it to how they live in everyday life you go back through time you just have to l look at the native americans, as soon as they were introduced to metal they changed how they made their weapons and when they were given guns they used them. did this make them worse in the woods, they took all available new gadgets and added to what they already knew. the generations after them kept adding to what they already had. we are advancing at a rapid pace and I feel that it ethical for me to use this new technology to humanly hunt the animals that I hunt. Even though i know how to make fire with a firestarter I feel that my time is better spent using my zippo.
Good thread. I think the basic issue is it's human nature to always find a easier way. If that wasn't true we'd still be huddled together in cave without a fire and throwing rocks at our quarry. Like so many have said its the way or the extent we use our easier way. Many have decided personally where they "jump" off the technology band wagon or where they draw the line in the sand.
Back to the original question is woodsmanship being lost? Yes absolutely IMHO. Atleast in my neck of the woods. Face it's alot easier to throw a bag of corn out and hang a tree stand rather than burn up boot leather scouting reading sign finding trails, funnels etc. knowing full well you may sit your scouted stand several times without seeing a single deer. Just a quick scan of the outhouse channels on TV or a glance through a modern bowhunting mag most articles are about best tractors, seed and fertizler to use rather than hunting. I'm not knocking either method but it has erroded what hunting is about atleast for me. I also understand that part of the problem is less and less of hunting land access so many are stuck to hunting 10 to 15 acres. Hunting now adays is nothing like it was when I started 37 years ago. Most "hunters" I know locally now adays couldn't kill a deer if it was in their living room if they didn't opt to use any method legal.
Now through the years especially early on I fell for some of those gimmicks that would guarantee my trophy kill. I soon learned I'd been had and my old ways were if not equal were than better than using said gadget. So with that said I think alot of the gimmicks are just that gimmicks and don't increase anyones chance of anything other that the seller getting richer. The difference I went back to using my woodmanship while others go back to the catalog looking for another gadget!
Now adays I personally know where my line in the sand is and I fully understand alot of folks won't agree with it. I just feel that alot of folks are missing the whole point of hunting now adays.
I stumbled on to a great forum a couple months ago. Lots of good stuff on here. I'm gonna start on the Bush craft classes/practice this winter after huntin season is over. Gonna get my kids to do it as well, something we can do together, and then do a few outings to practice skills, so some stump shootin and enjoy some winter camping together.
http://www.bushcraftusa.com/forum/index.php
Successful hunting is more about thinking than shooting.
I started this thing,so i better chime in.
I went fishing for your thoughts on this post and am very surprised and enlightened by the discussions that have come of it.After reading the discussions on here,I feel that as long as we, as a whole,continue to learn and then share what we learn with others we will all bennefit from that wisdom.
Furthermore I have found that the integrity and respect shown in this discussion toward each other,is what makes the Gang stand apart from others.
:notworthy:
QuoteOriginally posted by Autumnarcher:
I stumbled on to a great forum a couple months ago. Lots of good stuff on here. I'm gonna start on the Bush craft classes/practice this winter after huntin season is over. Gonna get my kids to do it as well, something we can do together, and then do a few outings to practice skills, so some stump shootin and enjoy some winter camping together.
http://www.bushcraftusa.com/forum/index.php
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I build websites for a living, so I look at screens and work with code all day long. Needless to say, I like getting away from technology. That's part of the reason I switched to traditional. I embrace technology every day because it puts food on my table, but when I'm hunting, I want simplicity.
Many of my friends and family want every advantage when hunting for reasons stated in this thread already. Less time to spend in the woods, etc. I am fine with that, because who am I to judge? It all comes down to the hunter's priorities. Do you simply want meat? Do you just want a big buck? Do you just want to be out there? Is the method by which you take your game just as important to you as the game itself, or are you a consequentialist (end justifies the means)?
To me, woodsmanship is about the skill of needing less. Not necessarily being out in the woods for days at a time, but a mentality that puts more emphasis on accomplishing a goal using skills rather than a piece of equipment.
Are woodsman skills being forgotten...sure they are...each and every day...but let's face facts for a moment...and have a reality check...
We all use modern equipment of 1 type or another...and damn few "have to " hunt to put our only food we get on the table...Sure...it's nice to romanticize about not needing all of the gadgets we use...but the fact of life is we all don't have the time to go without them.Most of us work for a living..families to raise..bills to pay...and our free time is a precious commodity..
I could use a compass instead of having a satellite image and walk all over looking for a likely place to hunt...or I can simply pull up my stored maps and go hunt...
I could opt for a primitive bow too...shooting stone points too...if I wanted...but I much prefer my new bows with it's fast flight string shooting aluminum arrows...Just as I could wear non gortex items and stay wet all the time...but I don't...and won't...
Do I know how to trap and track game...sure I do...and this is something we need to teach...just as using a compass...or starting a fire by hand...but...don't confuse using the technology of the day in one thing...then lament about it in another...cause that isn't right...We each have to decide what and when we are going to use all of the modern equipment...Much of it does allow us to hunt longer...smarter...easier...but that doesn't make us better woodsman...it just allows us more time to do it..without having to struggle to stay warm..not get lost..stay dry..shoot better...We still have to teach the basics to those who don't know them...but...modern equipment makes things easier...and I for one wouldn't give them up to go back 100 years and all the hassle of that era..
Mac
Moleman, Understand your point, however I do think that modern man has some real demands on his time, kids, wife, job - sometimes you have to cut corners in order to keep all the balls in the air. I use a GPS that does not mean I can't use a compass. I enjoy the extra features like how far from home as the crow flys. I use a pop up blind and that doesn't mean I can't build a natural blind. Just save time. Same with carbon vs wood arrows, they last longer and save time. My shots are 20yds or less so the tech. of carbon gives no extra value. Just saves time. Not an excuse but modern man has sooo many demands on his time. I DO respect people who do anything the old way however. I just hate to see us split hairs on things like longbow vs rec, treestand vs ground hunters, carbon vs wood, self bow vs laminated...
It depends on what you classify woodcraft or technology, I suppose. 500 - 1000 years ago no one west of China had ever seen or heard of a compass...now compasses are considered woodcraft. No one had topo maps, that's for sure - not until about 200 years ago, if I remember correctly. How did people manage???. Once upon a time everyone used spears to kill their prey - then along came atl-atls, then bows. Think about it: at one time in history the bow was the pinnacle of high technology, the ultimate game-changer for hunters and warriors alike.
Technology externalizes human skills. Like with bows: You shoot 'traditional', and all the aiming an pulling and release is up to you. If you go to a compound, the weight gets let off a little bit. The sights diminish your involvement in the aiming process. The mechanical release means you never have to worry about plucking a string. But the bow itself externalizes most of the functions of a spear - which externalizes killing force from your own body!
I think we should all attempt to duplicate some kind of 'old' skill, if only so that we're not out of luck if/when that technology fails. But we have to remember that technology is everywhere - it doesn't have to be electronic to be technology. all kinds of navigational skills have been lost as the technology used in that skill faded and was replaced by something else. The danger now is that so many of the instruments we use to 'survive' are comparably fragile. Obviously we need to have backup skills - and robust technology - to make up for it when the batteries die or the GPS gets dropped in a river.
Sometimes ..I'm scared where Trad. bowhunting is going !
I agree with Mark Baker, in that it depends on where you live. If you hunt in very remote areas, you need different skills than when you hunt in the more urban areas. If you hunt in an area where you can hear highway traffic, people talking, dogs barking, a compass and topo map are not necessary. The same isn't true if you hunt where you hear no man made sounds. If you go to an area that you are totally unfamiliar with, the best map and greatest skills with a compass are useless. You have to have knowledge of where you are and what you're looking at to successfully use your map & compass or GPS. A GPS doesn't always show you the hills, valleys, creeks, swamps that you have to navigate.
Great discussion, certainly thought provoking.
Woodsmanship- just what skills are considered woodsmanship skills, and where that line grays as to what traditonal skills are, and where technology intercedes will be as much subject to debate as what traditional archery is or isn't.
I'll use myself for an example. I like learning stuff. A new way to do this or that, new to me anyway. Dosent matter if its an old died in the wool skill, or something new and cutting edge. (Crossbows excluded lol).
I hunt with a longbow. No, its not an English longbow crafted from yew, its a modern R/D longbow. I shoot wood arrows, cuz I like 'em.
Traditonal enough for me anyway, and thats all that really matters. Still gotta put 'em where I'm lookin.
Now when I go afield, I'll admit I'm a it of a gear jumkie, probably carry too much crap with me that in most cases just rides along to weight my fanny pack down.
Now when I went on our long elk hunt this fall, I spent a lot of time, and hard earned money researching and getting top quality gear. Light weight tents, bags,packs, etc. GPS,SPOT locator etc. Same with the clothes we wore.
One camp was a canvas tent with a woodstove, the other a lightweight bivy tent. Nothing in my pack would do a thing to put me on the elk, other than maybe the boots on my feet.
We carried game calls, quality binoculars,topo maps and a compass. We filtered our water, or added purification drops to it. Sure we could boil it, but that is time taken that could be better spent huntin. Coulda just drank outta the creek, but the time spent crappin our brains out would cut into our huntin plenty too.
We started our fires with our fire striker and a knife, with either tinder we colelcted in our travels, or a cotton ball and vaseline.
We slept on packable air mattresses. Sure we coulds cut pine boughs, but Ireally dont think thats a responsible means of using such a beautiful wilderness unless it was necessary.
So when it comes to woodsmanship skills, both in hunting and in camp, there is room enough for a little of everything.
Now with all that, I enjoy getting out and practicing skills from days past. Challenging myself to improvise tools or things necessary.
Spending more time watching and learning the habits of the animals around me. Learning the clues they provide. Trying to identify every track, or scat we find. Using all of our senses to help us find game.
Woodsmanship is a learning process that never ends. You'll never know it all.
For those guys who are big into self bows and self arrows, the very basic and primitive side of traditonal archery, I commend you. That is a inspiring discipline for sure.
For the most of us, we weave a path across and back again of that line of a modern era, and an era of days past. Is it really a line of black and white, or with a large band of grey in the middle?
While I use high-tech backcountry camping gear, I also have made a point to learn and master enoughbasic skills that if my modern stuff were to fail me I would not likely put myself in a threatening situation.
Getting in the woods and backcountry of our country is a blessing, whether it be 100 yds or 100 miles from the truck. Soak it all in, and learn much as you can.
Well said Autumnarcher,well said. :clapper:
yep, very well said autumnarcher :thumbsup:
Today, my son and I, and 2 friends took a 14 year old pheasant hunting..... it was thru the big brother program. We had a great time, and perhaps sparked an interest in the the outdoors for this young guy. We do this because I was introduced to the outdoors the same way. The spark that was set in me, has led to 50 some years of learning about nature. Yea, sometimes I bought a gadget or 2, but I got bored with them, and kept coming back to simply learning about nature, which I still am fascinated by every day. I don't believe we are losing future hunters or outdoorsmen. I see many who have an interest, that only need an opportunity to get introduced to the outdoors thru someone like us. I am often told by people that they would like to experience hunting/fishing/nature. They come from all walks of life and of all ages. Many are from other countries. It's cool to seem them soak it all in, and start their own journey on the wild side :-)
guspup,my hat is off to you for a job well done in the big brother program.If not for people like you some of these young guys would never experiance the outdoors. :thumbsup:
I think the percentage of "woodsmen" in society has always been reletively low. When we were a more agrarian society people certainly spent more time outdoors, and had a better grasp of the weather through clouds and winds. And they could certainly start fires quicker with primitive (now) equipment, since that was what they cooked on every day, but I don't think many had a lot of what we consider woodsmanship. Look at how famous Daniel Boone and Davey Crocket became. Why? Because the were woodsmen. Most people lived their whole lives within ten miles of their birthplace. The first thing Europeans did when they arrived was clear the forest to "tame" the wilderness. It was a scary place. Even Native cultures had Hunters and scouts. NOt every member of the village was out wandering about, only those with the best skills. I think we have moved away from the wilderness even more now that more people live in urban areas than rural. It is harder in our current culture to find the areas and time to develop the skills, and for most unnecessary. Those on this site tend to honor and enjoy the simpler aspects of life and the outdoors. When we started walking we all used furniture and objects to help us stand and balance. If modern tools help start people in the exploration of the outdoors and outdoors pursuits all the better.
I think some of this stuff comes down to necessity. If you have a certain amount of skill the necessity is less likely to occur. I took my son and his buddies hunting and fishing all over our area. I taught then skills taht I thought they ould need for our geography, with the tools at hand, including a GPS. Some of these things were navigation, night and daytime, fire starting, shelter building, what you can eat or drink, righting a canoe it water above your head etc. etc. My son will probably never have to use alot of these things, because he knows these things. He uses a GPS to find his way to a treestand in the dark. He carries a lighter to start a fire but has a backup flint and steel. In his pack is a space blanket but I am sure it will go unused barring an injury afield. I thought every young man should know these skills.
With all that being said, I think it is nice to mark a rub line and some scrapes with a click of a button to figure out a bucks area but there is no way I am going to let the GPS be my sole way of navigation. My days of hunting with a compound are over. I have traded my in-line muzzleloader in on an old sidelock six years ago. However I do like shooting elk a long way off with my 300 win mag and a handload 210 gr Berger bullet.
Does this make any sense ???
I think the skill scene is a circular journey. We learn basic stuff and get pretty good at it. Then we hear about new products and technologies that "hunt" for us if we only spend the money. We run out and spend all that money, but after a while realize that we have gone stale in the basic woods craft area. Then we relearn basic stuff until the next new craze comes along. Finally, we realize that all that super trendy stuff is not the Holy Grail, so we finally settle in during our middle years and become solid bowhunters without the need for the glitz. After all an "expert" is merely somebody who has become brilliant at the basics. In the final analysis, I don't think these basic skills are necessarily lost, but they do get periodically misplaced...kinda like our thumbs.
Gene Wensel wrote a article for the PBS newsletter that touched on this subject and it got posted on another bowhunting website. The comments that were posted on the forum really showed the direction things were going. The thoughts some people have about what bowhunting and being outdoors are very scary for the future of bowhunting. If you haven't read the article try to find it, its very good. Maybe someone can post it on here.
I am an older, low tech sort of guy, (despite typing this on a computer), and was dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Heck, I never got used to the 20th Century...
My woods skills are self taught from the old days when we read books on hunting and watched, in black and white at our house, the American Sportsman show. My dad did not hunt but he took me places where I could sometimes or I'd go on my own out back.
My take on this is if your "skills" require a battery they are probably just "apps"... ;)
I read about 3/4 of the way through this post and then jumped to the end to ad my $.02.
My younger son is an IT techie who works 60 - 70 hours a week. He's the father of our only grandchild (a 6 year old sweetie that starts posing the minute she sees a camera). My older son is living in LA now, running a candle factory. He lived part of his life at 9K feet in CO and took 3-day back packing hikes in the mountains whenever he could get away.
Put them in a survival mode, lost in a big woods and I do think they would both survive. Why? Because they both know how to think. They've learned to think outside of the tight little box I grew up in. Yeah, they would suffer some, probably lose some weight and be a little the worse for wear, but they'd survive.
Yes, we have a large population that probably would not survive and "survival of the fittest" would surely be evident, but I strongly believe that those who manage to learn and improve their abilities in any kind of environment will make it. We may all learn something from their ability to adapt and innovate during the process :)
My Daughter's school asked me to teach a topographic map and compass reading class last year. After my intro to the map and compass, one precocious young lady asked me why they should learn such an outdated skill when we have GPS now. I fished around in my bag and pulled out a GPS unit I had brought with me. I called her to the front and asked her to turn it on and tell me what she saw. Her reply, after a couple of minutes, was, "I don't see anything, it's not working." I replied, "Exactly, the batteries are dead." (lucky for me and my object lesson, that I had neglected to change the batteries prior to the class).
To me is the essence of what we are losing, with all of our advanced tech, is our independence. It's easy to become dependent on the gadgets because they work so well. The down side is the gadgets are more vulnerable to failure IMHO. If you don't have the older skills (ie: land navigation) to back it up, you can find yourself in a spot.
Tom
Land navigation
tracking
stalking
playing the wind
nature appreciation
fire making
water purification
QuoteOriginally posted by Mac11700:
Are woodsman skills being forgotten...sure they are...each and every day...but let's face facts for a moment...and have a reality check...
We all use modern equipment of 1 type or another...and damn few "have to " hunt to put our only food we get on the table...Sure...it's nice to romanticize about not needing all of the gadgets we use...but the fact of life is we all don't have the time to go without them.Most of us work for a living..families to raise..bills to pay...and our free time is a precious commodity..
I could use a compass instead of having a satellite image and walk all over looking for a likely place to hunt...or I can simply pull up my stored maps and go hunt...
I could opt for a primitive bow too...shooting stone points too...if I wanted...but I much prefer my new bows with it's fast flight string shooting aluminum arrows...Just as I could wear non gortex items and stay wet all the time...but I don't...and won't...
Do I know how to trap and track game...sure I do...and this is something we need to teach...just as using a compass...or starting a fire by hand...but...don't confuse using the technology of the day in one thing...then lament about it in another...cause that isn't right...We each have to decide what and when we are going to use all of the modern equipment...Much of it does allow us to hunt longer...smarter...easier...but that doesn't make us better woodsman...it just allows us more time to do it..without having to struggle to stay warm..not get lost..stay dry..shoot better...We still have to teach the basics to those who don't know them...but...modern equipment makes things easier...and I for one wouldn't give them up to go back 100 years and all the hassle of that era..
Mac
Pretty much mirrors my feelings, Much woodcraft is learned from neccesity rather than sport. How much time out of a year are we able to practice woodcraft?I know the answer....not much.
Its one thing to suit up and go on a couple days wilderness adventure or get together all prepared but it is another to have to live like that.
I was raised by real swampers. Not the ones you see on TV. I did more work in "chores" every day when I was 12 than 16 year olds do in a whole year now.Not something to keep me busy but stuff that had to be done. I can remember we only went to town maybe once every two weeks and it was a big deal. I remember my Granddaddy would not go unless it was a must.Maybe a couple months of being around home. The good life.
Point is I was raised like that and pride myself at being able to take care of things if I had too.....We had a terrible tornado about 10 years ago and lost power for 9 days. I`ve never felt so helpless in my life.RC
I have a buddy who exemplifies the belief that he is only making himself "better" at what he already knows by buying all the gagets: wheel bow, gps and smartphone in the woods, scent blocking clothes etc. He loves it- he can sit in a stand and play games on his smart phone and text his wife.
Its like he wasn't even there (until the only "important" moment arrives with the elk walking by).
He won't even use his map/compass smarts to locate himself anymore(even tho he is a good map/compass guy).
But I can tell you, he has very little in common with why I am out there. He wants to get-R-done as fast as he can. It has nothing to do with getting closer, or that the journey is at least half the reason. Or that being a part of the woods IS the idea.
Insecurity.
I used to have so much respect for muzzleloaders- now their gear is all about making it "easier".
All hunting is headed that way.
When will WE understand that "easier" is not the point. Every time we use something that makes it easier, we diminish the reward, the experience, the honor.
Go ahead, buy the next latest best thing.
Justify it as a "tool".
I mean no disrespect in any direction, but this issue really riles me up.
"Why are we out there" is what we should all ask ourselves when we stand in front of the display case.
Joshua
Technology is a wonderful thing when it works. When it does not, it is amazing to watch how people function. I do not have a bunch of hunting toys other than the necessities. Mainly due to the cost of items such as trail cameras, GPS, etc. I can not justify the cost to purchase those items for what I want to accomplish when I go hunting.
There is nothing wrong with the use of these items, it is based on necessity.
The internet killed the letter writer and penmanship.
"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less."
--General Eric Shinseki, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff
A few years back, my friends and I were on a wilderness backpacking trip. Three days into the trip, we encountered a heavy storm after we made camp. That night lightning struck a tree no more than 50 feet away from our campsite.
Next morning, as we were ready to move out, we found out that all our electronics — cell phones and GPSes — were fried by the lightning the night before.
Since we were from the old school, we promptly pulled out our topo and compasses and on our way.
That could had been a disaster if we did not have the "manual" skill to navigate without GPS.
My point is this, use technologies to make your life easier BUT do not forget to learn and hone the "manual" skills.
I just found out they're not teaching cursive in our school anymore. Kids can print a short note and are expected to use a computer for anything longer. Not only did my kids learn cursive, I can even read their handwriting.
My cardiologist was writing a Rx for me and I asked him if he flunked med school because I thought the first thing they taught doctors how to write encrypted. I could read it easily and complimented him on his penmanship. He's a Sikh from India, very proud of his penmanship and went on a rant about his daughter's cramped writing style.
Ah yes. The good old days :)
My first memories of life are of me out back behind our old farm house alone in a patch of dog fennel's on a cool morning, happy with where I was. Don't know how old I was probably about 4, but I pretty much grew up in the woods following behind my Dad and learning all I could from him.
I've always felt more at home in the woods than anywhere else. I learned what critter makes what sounds, splash, the cadence of their wing beats in flight, shape of wings from a distance, their droppings..tracks, etc.
When I first started bow hunting I would take my recurve, hip quiver with arrows, a pocket knife, length of string and matches.
I'd find my way to a tree in the dark from long distances without a compass, light or any aid besides memory and landmarks...all this at a young age. Hate to see kids missing out on this part of life now days.
As far as reliance on technology goes...always remember that once upon a time the bow was the pinnacle of human weaponry. It is technology - and for the most part, the bows we use are more advanced in terms of materials and construction than anything used in the ancient world.
Technology always - always - replaces a skill that was previously abundant. The difficulty of the skill is the reason the new technology is invented - to make it cheaper, easier, faster. Blast furnaces and assembly lines replaced blacksmiths. The car replaced the horse and buggy The bow replaced the atl-atl. The gun replaced the bow. The GPS replaced the compass.
The problem is that the new high-tech - electronics especially - works so much like magic that people stop thinking about it like a tool. 99% of people who use a computer all day, every day, at work, would be hard pressed to tell you how it works at even a basic level. People don't understand the way it works, but trust it implicitly. Unlike bows and arrows, where it is readily apparent how it all works, GPS units, smartphones and computers are, for most people, magic boxes.
I guess the point to my rambling is, for most people woodsmanship skills are irrelevant...right up until the magic box fails. The complexity of it means that it can't be fixed or replaced in a primitive situation. The trust people have in fragile electronics, with no backup older tech like compass or any skills at all, is extremely dangerous.
End Rant, sorry for the wall of text!