Bushcraft Course

Lesson 1 • Situational Awareness in the Field

Trains observation skills for reading terrain, weather, and hazards. Connects awareness to proactive decision-making before problems arise.

Lesson 2 • Personal Gear Philosophy and Kit Selection

Covers the ten essentials concept and layered kit building. Students evaluate gear choices against weight, function, and redundancy.

Lesson 3 • Leave No Trace and Wilderness Ethics

Establishes responsible land stewardship as a core bushcraft value. Students apply low-impact principles to every skill practiced in the course.

Lesson 4 • The Survival Priority Framework

Introduces the classic survival priorities: protection, water, fire, food. Students apply this hierarchy to field scenarios throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Debris Hut and Natural Shelter Techniques

Covers construction of debris huts, lean-tos, and wickiups using only natural materials. Students build and sleep in a completed natural shelter.

Lesson 2 • Site Selection for Shelter Building

Teaches criteria for choosing safe, effective shelter locations. Connects site choice to drainage, wind protection, and resource proximity.

Lesson 3 • Insulation and Bedding from Natural Materials

Focuses on ground insulation and body heat retention using leaves, grass, and bark. Students understand the R-value concept applied to natural bedding.

Lesson 4 • Managing Heat and Cold in Shelter

Addresses ventilation, fire placement near shelters, and shade structures for heat. Students adjust shelter designs for temperature extremes.

Lesson 1 • Modern Ignition Methods

Teaches reliable use of ferrocerium rods, lighters, and waterproof matches. Students practice ignition under simulated adverse conditions.

Lesson 2 • Fire Science and the Fire Triangle

Explains combustion chemistry and the roles of heat, fuel, and oxygen. This foundation informs every ignition and management decision in the chapter.

Lesson 3 • Tinder, Kindling, and Fuel Preparation

Covers identification, collection, and processing of fire materials by grade. Students build a complete fire lay before attempting ignition.

Lesson 4 • Friction Fire: Bow Drill and Hand Drill

Introduces primitive fire-starting through friction-based methods. Students produce an ember and transfer it to a tinder bundle independently.

Lesson 1 • Finding Water in the Wilderness

Teaches terrain reading, vegetation indicators, and animal behavior for locating water. Students identify likely water sources on a topographic map.

Lesson 2 • Boiling and Heat-Based Purification

Establishes boiling as the most reliable purification method and covers rock boiling. Students purify water without a metal container using primitive techniques.

Lesson 3 • Improvised Filtration and Pre-Treatment

Covers sand-charcoal-grass filters for removing sediment before purification. Students build a multi-stage improvised filter and understand its limits.

Lesson 4 • Water Collection Techniques

Covers solar stills, transpiration bags, and seepage wells for low-yield environments. Students construct and test each collection method in the field.

Lesson 1 • Environmental Emergencies: Heat, Cold, and Altitude

Addresses hypothermia, hyperthermia, frostbite, and altitude sickness recognition and treatment. Students apply rewarming and cooling protocols in simulated scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Wound Care and Infection Prevention

Covers irrigation, closure, and dressing of lacerations and puncture wounds. Students apply improvised dressings and recognize early infection signs.

Lesson 3 • Bites, Stings, and Toxic Plant Exposure

Covers snakebite, insect sting, and toxic plant contact management without antivenom. Students identify local venomous species and apply correct first-response protocols.

Lesson 4 • Fractures, Sprains, and Improvised Splinting

Teaches assessment and immobilization of musculoskeletal injuries using field materials. Students construct splints from sticks, clothing, and cordage.

Lesson 1 • Natural Navigation Techniques

Introduces sun, star, shadow, and vegetation cues for direction finding. Students use at least three natural methods to determine cardinal directions.

Lesson 2 • Compass Fundamentals and Declination

Covers compass parts, magnetic vs. true north, and declination adjustment. Students take accurate bearings and apply declination corrections.

Lesson 3 • Map and Compass Integration

Combines map reading and compass use for triangulation and route planning. Students plot a multi-leg route and navigate it in the field.

Lesson 4 • Route Planning and Lost Procedures

Covers pre-trip planning, handrails, baselines, and STOP protocol when lost. Students practice deliberate lost-and-found scenarios to build confidence.

Lesson 1 • Fishing with Primitive and Simple Gear

Covers hand-line fishing, improvised hooks, and fish traps for caloric gain. Students rig a functional fishing system from minimal or natural materials.

Lesson 2 • Field Cooking and Food Preservation

Teaches coal cooking, spit roasting, and primitive boiling for safe food preparation. Students preserve surplus food using drying and smoking techniques.

Lesson 3 • Trapping and Snaring Small Game

Introduces deadfall and snare trap mechanics for small game procurement. Students build and set functional traps, understanding legal and ethical considerations.

Lesson 4 • Fungi Foraging and Safety

Covers safe mushroom identification, spore prints, and deadly species avoidance. Students identify at least five edible fungi and their dangerous counterparts.

Lesson 1 • Cordage Making and Lashing

Teaches natural fiber cordage production and structural lashing for camp construction. Students produce usable cordage and lash a load-bearing camp structure.

Lesson 2 • Camp Cooking Systems and Utensils

Covers pot-over-fire systems, tripods, and carved wooden utensils for camp cooking. Students set up a complete cooking station using crafted and minimal gear.

Lesson 3 • Knife Skills and Safe Tool Use

Covers grip techniques, carving cuts, and maintenance for fixed-blade and folding knives. Students carve functional camp tools demonstrating safe technique throughout.

Lesson 4 • Axe and Saw Techniques

Introduces felling, limbing, and splitting with a camp axe and folding saw. Students process a log into firewood and shelter poles using correct form.