Sunday, April 10th from 1 to 5 pm. Schiele Museum of Natural History 1500 East Garrison Boulevard Gastonia, NC 28054
Steven Miles Watts
1947 – 2016 The thoughtful man that Steve was, he called me right after he saw the photo below just to tell say how much he loved the trip we took together and especially that photo. The trip was an incredible visit to the Camp Fire Club of America, Dan Beard’s resting place, Bear Mountain […]
Homage to the Split Paper Match
Early on in a 7-day class taught by Cody Lundin, myself and two other fellas learned for the first time how to split a paper match. My initial thought was this is a “just in case” solution should a resource become limited, i.e., two fires from one match. Little did we know there was much more to […]
Bushcraft: The Case for Canvas
GET OVER YOUR GORE-TEX March 02, 2016 By Darren Bush In 1969, chemist Bill Gore took some polytetrafluoroethylene, heated it and stretched it, creating a membrane that had 14 million microscopic holes per square inch. The holes were large enough to let water molecules escape, but too small to let liquid water through. Waterproof breathable […]
Sans Trees Hammocking in Florida
by Kyle Albinus I love my hammock. In fact the company that made my hammock, Byer of Maine, changed the design and my old version is still better. The problem at hand was that there is a beautiful field of grass that didn’t actually have trees to hang my hammock for the night. Don’t get […]
Flint and Steel
by Michael May Mankind has possessed the ability to control fire for many thousands of years, and in this time we have developed a number of clever ways in which to start fires. To begin with, the most widely spread methods of fire making were friction-based. That is to say, the heat created by rubbing […]
Why Binoculars are Essential for Hunters and How to choose the right one
by John Lewis at Epic Wilderness If you are still considering whether or not you should get a pair of binoculars for your upcoming hunting trip, you should give this article a read. No, I am not saying that binoculars are only essential for hunters. In fact, I carry them along during hiking, camping, etc. In […]
Mors article at Outdoor Readiness
Nice article about Mors Kochanski at the blog Outdoor Readiness… Venerable bushcraft instructor Mors Kochanski is one of the most experienced outdoor skills instructors in North America. His specialty is northern forests, the boreal, all seasons. Kochanski bridged primitive and historical methods and skills (actual skills, not just descriptions of skills) into the 21st Century […]
KAMP KEPHART 2016
Kamp Kephart 2016 See below for the Kamp Kephart 2016 class schedule taught by Steve Watts at the Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, NC. Space is limited so sign up quick! To download the registration form in PDF, click here >>—> KAMP KEPHART 2016. Check out Steve Watts FaceBook Page!
Anthropology, Survival, and Emergency Preparation
It has been a warm autumn, but winter is coming, and with it storms and extreme cold. Summer heat waves will follow. As we saw with Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy, electric and water services will fail, supermarket shelves will be stripped bare, and disaster-relief services will be overwhelmed. Nowadays, when something goes wrong, […]
Arrow Making
by Jeff Martin Primitive cultures and their means of making bows and arrows have always been an interest of mine. As a young boy, I remember visiting museums throughout the West with my Grandmother, where I had a deep fascination towards the Native American way of life. I always asked my Grandmother where the arrowheads […]
Camping with Younger Kids
Making it Fun & Educational by Joe Fischer Taking your kids camping is the perfect way to bond as a family and provides your children with ample opportunity to learn about nature. The only issue here is that many activities that adults find captivating are less than entertaining for the little ones, and boredom can […]
Real and Sham Survival/Bushcraft
I suppose it is the real demand for bushcraft and survival information that leads to its counterfeit, otherwise the counterfeit would stand a poor show. The growing demand for survival/bushcraft within the past few years has called forth a very large crop of TV Shows, YouTubers, Bloggers, & Books; good, bad, and indifferent — shows […]
Camping in the Old Style; Oct. 10, 2015
Classic Camping celebrates the Golden Age of Camping in America (1880s – 1920s). This was a time when camping meant sleeping under canvas and cooking over an open fire. It was a time when the most innovative urges of the Industrial Revolution were featured front and center against the backdrop of a vanishing frontier… a […]
Mentors
Mentor 1. noun – an experienced and trusted adviser. synonym – adviser, guide, guru, counselor, consultant 2. verb – advise or train (someone, especially a younger colleague). It was recently brought to my attention that portions of the Master Woodsman training/challenge, originally in David Wescott’s book, Camping in the Old Style, and subsequently this website, would at […]
An open letter to President Obama from Cody Lundin
I normally don’t share the latest social media on Master Woodsman; we are kind of like the NPR of outdoor skills… generally boring and no commercialism. However, I simply can’t resist this open letter to President Obama from Cody Lundin; a message that I have repeatedly been promoting here as it relates to the importance of […]
Rules of Survival
This article contains my current thoughts and perspective on survival rules and more. As this is a life or death topic, I take it very seriously. That being said, what follows may or may not be the right approach for you, i.e., I am not trying to be evangelical in what I have written, I am […]
Why a ‘Mora Knife’?
When it comes to the design of a bushcraft knife, the classic Scandinavian style knife in my experience sets the standard and I will share my reasons as to why in this article. But before we get started, let’s be clear on what is meant by a Mora Knife — a term that has become […]
Vote Cumberland Island!
I am a member of the Georgia Conservancy. Through Woodsmoke Camping Company (WCC), of which I co-own with Chuck Winchester, we support paddle trips and do volunteer work. As a Master Woodsman reader, I am asking you to support a great cause of which we are yet volunteering again. And all you have to do is […]
Aeta Jungle Survival Trek with Colonel Thomas “Tomahawk” Moore
I was lying on my bamboo bed in the cool of the early morning jungle dawn. I was using a damp cotton bed sheet as a blanket, and my reeking pack as a pillow. It was very uncomfortable. The humidity and my wet clothing were conspiring to make comfortable sleep impossible. It had been raining […]
Rabbitstick 29; Sept 13 – 19
Rabbitstick is the Granddaddy of them all when it comes to primitive skills gatherings, so make your plans now to attend. I hope to be there for a few days myself after a visit to the far north, so let me know if you are coming. Not familiar with the event? Let me fill you in […]
Tim Smith interview at Bull Moose Patrol
Our good friend Scott Oeth just published a great article over at Bull Moose Patrol on our other good friend, Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft School. Strongly suggest you check it out… A few years ago, I attended the “Riverman Course” on expedition canoeing and guiding at Tim Smith’s Jack Mountain Bushcraft school […]
Do Preppers Really Need to Know Wilderness Survival Skills?
Several weeks ago I taught another tree and plant identification class. As is usually the case, the majority of students were very interested in edible wild plants, most considering it a priority. After discussing ALL the different aspects one could learn about trees, and more importantly, why, edibility dropped lower on everyone’s list, especially for […]
How to Clean a Snapping Turtle
I was down on the creek fishing a few weeks ago and what did my wondering eyes see? Yep, a snapping turtle trying to hurry and get to deeper water because he knew he had been spotted. I didn’t bother jumping down the bank and grabbing him this time but I usually do that once […]
Where Have All the Axes Gone?
Thank you Tony Nester for sharing this (surprising) article from The Atlantic… Where Have All the Axes Gone? The treasured woodchopper’s talisman is a guide to an almost-lost way of life, an Object Lesson. Last year was, by some accounts, the year of the lumbersexual—big beard, big plaid, big boots. Although not measured by time […]
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Survival Entertainment, Friend or Foe? An exclusive interview with Cody Lundin
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Leave No Trace killed Woodcraft… almost
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Steven Miles Watts
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Promoting Outdoor Living Skills
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Your Guide To Survival Using A Trash Bag
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Ross Hinter: Thank you Chris, excellent article. Sure looking f...
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