Wildcrafts at Hatfield Forest

We had another great weekend in Hatfield Forest as Wildcrafts held another Basic Bushcraft course.

Every participant on the course has mentioned that it’s harder than they thought, with shelter building an area which seems to test them the most. It certainly shows how much energy is expended but also shows if it’s not completed properly, there could be dire consequences as the participants actually sleep in their shelter for the final night.

As Les says, the basics should be tried out to appreciate the rest of the “bushcraft” experience. The basic course covers safe use of the knife and knife sharpening, shelter building, water collection and purification, fire preparation (firesteel) and food prep (usually skinning and cooking a rabbit). Add in a little tracking, tree ID and wild plant ID and what more would somebody need for an initial bushcraft event?

The stunning back drop of Hatfield forest is an additional incentive for people wanting to come on the course. One of the participants this weekend had never seen a deer outside of a road collision. I wish I had taken a picture of his face when, after a brief zone-in session, a family of fallow passed within 20 feet of him.  It’s moments like these that make me proud to be included in the Wildcrafts team.

When wandering alone looking for likely deer watching areas, I was drawn to the many ancient trees in the forest.

This area is the site of the ancient “Doodle” tree; the girth marked out by stakes.  The tree died in 1907 but was reportedly over 1,000 years old when it eventually fell and at one time one of only two trees in Britain of that size. The tree to the right is an off-shoot of the original tree, so technically the “Doodle” tree still survives.

As usual my summer set up is the Scout DD hammock and Auscam tarp. The camo on this tarp is excellent for this woodland. (Note the mug tree on the left in the foreground)

I’m off to Devon this weekend. I’m leading a Shadowhawk course and will be assessed by Max as a Shadowhawk instructor. This is the culmination of 5 years of hard work at Shadowhawk, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed all goes well.

See you next week.

Wildcrafts at Hatfield Forest

We had another great weekend in Hatfield Forest as Wildcrafts held another Basic Bushcraft course.

Every participant on the course has mentioned that it’s harder than they thought, with shelter building an area which seems to test them the most. It certainly shows how much energy is expended but also shows if it’s not completed properly, there could be dire consequences as the participants actually sleep in their shelter for the final night.

As Les says, the basics should be tried out to appreciate the rest of the “bushcraft” experience. The basic course covers safe use of the knife and knife sharpening, shelter building, water collection and purification, fire preparation (firesteel) and food prep (usually skinning and cooking a rabbit). Add in a little tracking, tree ID and wild plant ID and what more would somebody need for an initial bushcraft event?

The stunning back drop of Hatfield forest is an additional incentive for people wanting to come on the course. One of the participants this weekend had never seen a deer outside of a road collision. I wish I had taken a picture of his face when, after a brief zone-in session, a family of fallow passed within 20 feet of him.  It’s moments like these that make me proud to be included in the Wildcrafts team.

When wandering alone looking for likely deer watching areas, I was drawn to the many ancient trees in the forest.

This area is the site of the ancient “Doodle” tree; the girth marked out by stakes.  The tree died in 1907 but was reportedly over 1,000 years old when it eventually fell and at one time one of only two trees in Britain of that size. The tree to the right is an off-shoot of the original tree, so technically the “Doodle” tree still survives.

As usual my summer set up is the Scout DD hammock and Auscam tarp. The camo on this tarp is excellent for this woodland. (Note the mug tree on the left in the foreground)

I’m off to Devon this weekend. I’m leading a Shadowhawk course and will be assessed by Max as a Shadowhawk instructor. This is the culmination of 5 years of hard work at Shadowhawk, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed all goes well.

See you next week.

Dry Times Ahead

We haven’t had a good drop of rain for a while now. The rest of the UK has had a few downpours but we remain pretty dry here in East Anglia.

This led to a few nice sunsets last week as the dust mixed with the rays of the setting sun. I borrowed this 18mm lens. I think I’ll have to invest in one.

I went to Poor Park woods on Sunday. There was a surprising amount of activity and this was mid-morning. I saw three lots of fallow and a fox. The sighting caught me unawares and I didn’t even get a chance to capture them on film apart from this poor photo.

In the afternoon I went foraging for cherries off our local cheery trees, which were delicious.

There is an abundance of grasshoppers around at the moment making great snacks for the birds. A number of butterflies can be seen feeding on thistles, ragwort, and rosebay willowherb (below).

I’ve been taking Billy the Bichon out in the evenings as it’s cooler. It really is a spectacular time of the day once the oppressive heat has dissipated a little.

I’ll leave you with another sunset picture.

Thanks for the visit.

Dry Times Ahead

We haven’t had a good drop of rain for a while now. The rest of the UK has had a few downpours but we remain pretty dry here in East Anglia.

This led to a few nice sunsets last week as the dust mixed with the rays of the setting sun. I borrowed this 18mm lens. I think I’ll have to invest in one.

I went to Poor Park woods on Sunday. There was a surprising amount of activity and this was mid-morning. I saw three lots of fallow and a fox. The sighting caught me unawares and I didn’t even get a chance to capture them on film apart from this poor photo.

In the afternoon I went foraging for cherries off our local cheery trees, which were delicious.

There is an abundance of grasshoppers around at the moment making great snacks for the birds. A number of butterflies can be seen feeding on thistles, ragwort, and rosebay willowherb (below).

I’ve been taking Billy the Bichon out in the evenings as it’s cooler. It really is a spectacular time of the day once the oppressive heat has dissipated a little.

I’ll leave you with another sunset picture.

Thanks for the visit.

Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Survival kit Review

I’ve been waiting for a while to try out this kit from http://www.yoyofishing.co.uk/ and I only got a chance last time I went with Wildcrafts because of a nice lake system there.

I have to mention from the outset that this kit is for use in a survival situation only and was reviewed as such. The use of some of the kit as it stands is illegal in the UK under the Salmon and Fisheries Act .

The act says that any set line is not a legal “instrument” unless you attached it to a rod. Then you would need a rod licence. The kit is designed to be left alone and again this is illegal as no rods should be left unattended. I can assure you that the review was undertaken with due respect to the law.

The item is billed as a Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Survival kit and certainly contains everything you would need to catch some fish or trap and hunt animals up to rabbit size in the outdoors, if you know what you’re doing.

The whole thing comes in a handy Aloksack and contains the following:

2 x 9" x 7" Aloksak Element Proof Bags
Hunter Handmade Catapult with .44cal ammo
10 x 4 Ply Rabbit/Squirrel Snares
2 x Yoyo Automatic Fishing Reels
2x Speed hooks
2 x Dermasafe Folding Razor Blades, 1x Dermasafe Folding Saw
Non Toxic Lead Free Fishing Weights
Fishing Hooks and Bait
5x #18, 5x #16, 5x #14, 5x #12, 5x #10, 5x #8, 1x #2, 1x #1,  1x 10 gram jighead.
2x Flys
1x #8 Snap swivel, 2x #14 Snap swivels.
6 x Flavoured Artificial Bait.

There’s a much more detailed explanation of the contents here.

In short, this is everything you need in a handy package that you can put in your cargo trouser pocket or a space in your rucksack. But…does it work, and is it worth it?

Firstly, I looked at the catapult. I’ve got a Hunter catapult myself and I know you must handle it properly otherwise it will fail on you. You must follow the instructions for use to the letter; but get it right and it’s a fabulous hunting weapon with a very powerful fitted Theraband gold band. The kit is supplied with some heavy duty (40 cal) ammo.

The snare wire is also good stuff but is only 4 ply instead of 6 ply. The warning on the website states that for winter, when the rabbits are larger, you should use 6 ply. We didn’t try these out for the review.

I liked the little folding razor blades, and folding saw and these would be a great addition to any little survival kit or tin.

As we were near a lake, it was the fishing kit we concentrated on. I’m not the world’s greatest fisherman, so I handed the whole kit over to Scrivy and watched him struggle with the hooks!

The main pieces of the fishing kit are the Yo-Yo automatic fishing reels. This is an ingenious fishing reel which consists of a stainless-steel spring enclosed in a sheet-metal frame. The small circular device has a line attached to the top end that you use to tie the Yo-Yo to something (possibly a tree limb). The idea is that you pull out the desired length of line, and engage a small wire trigger on the side of the reel. The trigger holds the reel in place, and the spring inside the reel is coiled tightly.

 
When a fish takes the bait, it trips the trigger, causing the spring to uncoil quickly, which sets the hook and keeps tension on the line. As the fish swims away from the reel, the stainless-steel spring becomes even tighter. When the fish quits swimming, the spring jerks the line, pulling the fish back to the reel.

Now these reels are £20-00 each and you get two in this kit. We set the reels and even though we didn’t put on a hook, we certainly could see how they would work and quite frankly, we were quite impressed.

We couldn’t use the speed-hooks but we set them up and could tell that these would be pretty good for catching fish. The Speed-hook works like a spring loaded trap and when a fish takes the bait, it automatically springs open setting the hook.

Well, it all works and I like the way that the pack has been put together. It’s appreciated that this is a survival hunting/fishing kit but we got the feeling the kit could have done with a float and a ledger weight. Apart from that, all the items required to catch or trap something were all present and correct.

This is an excellent hunting, trapping fishing kit for stuffing in your rucksack. Add a firesteel and first aid kit and you couldn’t wish for anything more for a serious survival pack. You might think £65-00 is bit steep, but if you look at the 2 Yo-Yo reels at £20-00 each and the catapult another £20-00 and you’re already up to £60-00 even without the speed-hooks.

Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Survival kit Review

I’ve been waiting for a while to try out this kit from http://www.yoyofishing.co.uk/ and I only got a chance last time I went with Wildcrafts because of a nice lake system there.

I have to mention from the outset that this kit is for use in a survival situation only and was reviewed as such. The use of some of the kit as it stands is illegal in the UK under the Salmon and Fisheries Act .

The act says that any set line is not a legal “instrument” unless you attached it to a rod. Then you would need a rod licence. The kit is designed to be left alone and again this is illegal as no rods should be left unattended. I can assure you that the review was undertaken with due respect to the law.

The item is billed as a Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Survival kit and certainly contains everything you would need to catch some fish or trap and hunt animals up to rabbit size in the outdoors, if you know what you’re doing.

The whole thing comes in a handy Aloksack and contains the following:

2 x 9" x 7" Aloksak Element Proof Bags
Hunter Handmade Catapult with .44cal ammo
10 x 4 Ply Rabbit/Squirrel Snares
2 x Yoyo Automatic Fishing Reels
2x Speed hooks
2 x Dermasafe Folding Razor Blades, 1x Dermasafe Folding Saw
Non Toxic Lead Free Fishing Weights
Fishing Hooks and Bait
5x #18, 5x #16, 5x #14, 5x #12, 5x #10, 5x #8, 1x #2, 1x #1,  1x 10 gram jighead.
2x Flys
1x #8 Snap swivel, 2x #14 Snap swivels.
6 x Flavoured Artificial Bait.

There’s a much more detailed explanation of the contents here.

In short, this is everything you need in a handy package that you can put in your cargo trouser pocket or a space in your rucksack. But…does it work, and is it worth it?

Firstly, I looked at the catapult. I’ve got a Hunter catapult myself and I know you must handle it properly otherwise it will fail on you. You must follow the instructions for use to the letter; but get it right and it’s a fabulous hunting weapon with a very powerful fitted Theraband gold band. The kit is supplied with some heavy duty (40 cal) ammo.

The snare wire is also good stuff but is only 4 ply instead of 6 ply. The warning on the website states that for winter, when the rabbits are larger, you should use 6 ply. We didn’t try these out for the review.

I liked the little folding razor blades, and folding saw and these would be a great addition to any little survival kit or tin.

As we were near a lake, it was the fishing kit we concentrated on. I’m not the world’s greatest fisherman, so I handed the whole kit over to Scrivy and watched him struggle with the hooks!

The main pieces of the fishing kit are the Yo-Yo automatic fishing reels. This is an ingenious fishing reel which consists of a stainless-steel spring enclosed in a sheet-metal frame. The small circular device has a line attached to the top end that you use to tie the Yo-Yo to something (possibly a tree limb). The idea is that you pull out the desired length of line, and engage a small wire trigger on the side of the reel. The trigger holds the reel in place, and the spring inside the reel is coiled tightly.

 
When a fish takes the bait, it trips the trigger, causing the spring to uncoil quickly, which sets the hook and keeps tension on the line. As the fish swims away from the reel, the stainless-steel spring becomes even tighter. When the fish quits swimming, the spring jerks the line, pulling the fish back to the reel.

Now these reels are £20-00 each and you get two in this kit. We set the reels and even though we didn’t put on a hook, we certainly could see how they would work and quite frankly, we were quite impressed.

We couldn’t use the speed-hooks but we set them up and could tell that these would be pretty good for catching fish. The Speed-hook works like a spring loaded trap and when a fish takes the bait, it automatically springs open setting the hook.

Well, it all works and I like the way that the pack has been put together. It’s appreciated that this is a survival hunting/fishing kit but we got the feeling the kit could have done with a float and a ledger weight. Apart from that, all the items required to catch or trap something were all present and correct.

This is an excellent hunting, trapping fishing kit for stuffing in your rucksack. Add a firesteel and first aid kit and you couldn’t wish for anything more for a serious survival pack. You might think £65-00 is bit steep, but if you look at the 2 Yo-Yo reels at £20-00 each and the catapult another £20-00 and you’re already up to £60-00 even without the speed-hooks.

A Day out at Broaks and an Evening Safari

It has been a while since I went to Broaks wood, so I thought I go for the day to see what was about.

“There’s a an Azure damselfly over there!” said a familiar voice.

“ I know, I’ve seen it”.

“You’re getting good!” said the dragonfly-man.

“I’ve had a good teacher over the years,” I replied.

The sticks were already put in at angles around the pond, making it easy to focus on the larger four-spotted chasers.

Of course, there was an abundance of wildflowers around the woods, including these common spotted orchids.

I’m not sure how this mole met his demise, but it’s not the first time I’ve seen a dead mole in this exact spot.

It’s the first time I’ve seen a red admiral this year.

Great willowherb was seen on the side of some the paths.

Closer to home, I went on an evening safari around the local area. I’ve got some exciting news to tell you soon about this area.

Freshly cut hay means wildlife like this hare is easier to spot despite him trying to stay hidden by laying his ears down flat.

On the edges of the seldom used paths, there’s plenty of low lying biting stonecrop.

Newly hatched burnet moths feed on the scabious (field scabious I think)

I managed to sneak up to about 10 yards to take this shot of two young little owls.

And so ended a great couple of days in the woods and the fields of Essex.

I hope you have a good week ahead.