The Bushcraft Show 2014

The Bushcraft Show is taking place between the 24th May and 26th May at Catton Hall in Derbyshire.

This is what we’re up to this year…

Tracker Central

Whether you are a beginner or experienced; enthusiast or expert come and visit the Tracker Central area at the Woodlife Trails stand at the Bushcraft Show. Renowned UK wildlife tracking experts JP and Pablo will invite you to pull up a chair around the fire and chat about all things tracking, bushcraft and wildlife. You will also be able to view their gallery and nature exhibits and interact with the birds of prey.

From their stand they will be talking, demonstrating and getting you personally involved in:

• Field-craft skills and techniques taken from military, law enforcement and countryman experiences;
• Track and sign identification and interpretation using elements of their famous "table of death" wildlife exhibits;
• UK indigenous countryside skills such as trapping, snaring, and hunting with birds of prey and, of course;
• Bushcraft skills which underpin everything tracking.

There will be special show offers if you sign up for their unique tracking courses which are held in association with the National Trust in Hatfield Forest, Essex. Visit our website at www.woodlife.co.uk for more details

The art of tracking is not new - it was our first ever science!

____________________________________________

All talks, activities and demonstrations will take place from the Woodlife Trails Stand

Field-craft skills – Getting close to wildlife (Talk and demo)

Woodlife Trails staff will explain how to get closer to wildlife than you ever thought possible by using a mixture of tracking, field-craft and surveillance techniques.

Track and sign identification and interpretation (Talk, demo and activity)

Woodlife Trails staff will explain the basics of track and sign identification and take you for a walk around the local area identifying some of these tracks and signs. We will also help you to interpret them.

UK Indigenous Hunting with Birds of Prey – (Demo and talk with Harris Hawk and Owl)

Woodlife Trails staff will explain and demonstrate UK hunting lore commonly called Countryman skills which includes trapping, snaring and hunting with birds of prey. Meet our Harris Hawk and Spock, the Ashy-faced Barn owl.

Fire lighting by friction – (Demo and activity)

If you’ve ever wanted to learn this technique which remains elusive to most, come and see how easy it is with our bow-drill technique. We will also suggest easier methods to light your fire.

The Bushcraft Show 2014

The Bushcraft Show is taking place between the 24th May and 26th May at Catton Hall in Derbyshire.

This is what we’re up to this year…

Tracker Central

Whether you are a beginner or experienced; enthusiast or expert come and visit the Tracker Central area at the Woodlife Trails stand at the Bushcraft Show. Renowned UK wildlife tracking experts JP and Pablo will invite you to pull up a chair around the fire and chat about all things tracking, bushcraft and wildlife. You will also be able to view their gallery and nature exhibits and interact with the birds of prey.

From their stand they will be talking, demonstrating and getting you personally involved in:

• Field-craft skills and techniques taken from military, law enforcement and countryman experiences;
• Track and sign identification and interpretation using elements of their famous "table of death" wildlife exhibits;
• UK indigenous countryside skills such as trapping, snaring, and hunting with birds of prey and, of course;
• Bushcraft skills which underpin everything tracking.

There will be special show offers if you sign up for their unique tracking courses which are held in association with the National Trust in Hatfield Forest, Essex. Visit our website at www.woodlife.co.uk for more details

The art of tracking is not new - it was our first ever science!

____________________________________________

All talks, activities and demonstrations will take place from the Woodlife Trails Stand

Field-craft skills – Getting close to wildlife (Talk and demo)

Woodlife Trails staff will explain how to get closer to wildlife than you ever thought possible by using a mixture of tracking, field-craft and surveillance techniques.

Track and sign identification and interpretation (Talk, demo and activity)

Woodlife Trails staff will explain the basics of track and sign identification and take you for a walk around the local area identifying some of these tracks and signs. We will also help you to interpret them.

UK Indigenous Hunting with Birds of Prey – (Demo and talk with Harris Hawk and Owl)

Woodlife Trails staff will explain and demonstrate UK hunting lore commonly called Countryman skills which includes trapping, snaring and hunting with birds of prey. Meet our Harris Hawk and Spock, the Ashy-faced Barn owl.

Fire lighting by friction – (Demo and activity)

If you’ve ever wanted to learn this technique which remains elusive to most, come and see how easy it is with our bow-drill technique. We will also suggest easier methods to light your fire.

Tracker Courses

Hot on the success of the Wilderness Immersion Course and Tracking Fundamentals course, the Woodland Tracker will be taking place this weekend. (25th)

The Woodland Tracker is an intermediate technical tracking course that covers micro tracking, speculative and systematic techniques. We look at gait patterns and also delve deeper into field-craft techniques and ageing tracks and sign.

We have some places left so please give us an email bookings@woodlife.co.uk

The Immersion course once again proved a great success and we received some tremendous feedback from our inaugural Tracking Fundamentals course.

It’s all systems go as we move from tracking-led to bushcraft-led courses for summer. We will also be attending the usual shows this summer plus a few other that we will be revealing soon.

Let us know if you want to  be part of it. Have a look at our courses and events page http://www.woodlife.co.uk/course-events-calendar/

Tracker Courses

Hot on the success of the Wilderness Immersion Course and Tracking Fundamentals course, the Woodland Tracker will be taking place this weekend. (25th)

The Woodland Tracker is an intermediate technical tracking course that covers micro tracking, speculative and systematic techniques. We look at gait patterns and also delve deeper into field-craft techniques and ageing tracks and sign.

We have some places left so please give us an email bookings@woodlife.co.uk

The Immersion course once again proved a great success and we received some tremendous feedback from our inaugural Tracking Fundamentals course.

It’s all systems go as we move from tracking-led to bushcraft-led courses for summer. We will also be attending the usual shows this summer plus a few other that we will be revealing soon.

Let us know if you want to  be part of it. Have a look at our courses and events page http://www.woodlife.co.uk/course-events-calendar/

Forest Tracker

Last weekend saw the pilot of the Forest Tracker Course – and what a course it was!

All the ingredients for a good weekend were there. It was dry, it was warm (during the day at least), we were in an ancient forest, and we had great people to share the experience.

The Forest Tracker is designed to put all the other Woodlife Trails tracker courses together and take it up a notch. We introduced an Immersive Zone-in technique, looked at sensory tracking and paleo-movement and added some more tracking techniques into the toolbox.

Some of these techniques proved particularly useful now we are encouraging the trackers to track at ever faster speeds to close the time/distance gap to their quarry. Not easy when you have to think of all the other field-craft factors involved.

But it was the trailing techniques that we were concentrating on. This is a particularly difficult skill in any environment. Not only must you get close, but you must follow the quarry. There was some successes – but with all things practice will makes better. As with all things in tracking - It doesn’t take long to learn – but it takes a lifetime to master.

Our Forest trackers are at least on the road to Mastery!

Our Woodlife Trails Tracker courses are:

• Tracking Fundamentals Day
• Wilderness Immersion Course
• Woodland Tracker Course
• Forest Tracker Course

Details on our course list page

Forest Tracker

Last weekend saw the pilot of the Forest Tracker Course – and what a course it was!

All the ingredients for a good weekend were there. It was dry, it was warm (during the day at least), we were in an ancient forest, and we had great people to share the experience.

The Forest Tracker is designed to put all the other Woodlife Trails tracker courses together and take it up a notch. We introduced an Immersive Zone-in technique, looked at sensory tracking and paleo-movement and added some more tracking techniques into the toolbox.

Some of these techniques proved particularly useful now we are encouraging the trackers to track at ever faster speeds to close the time/distance gap to their quarry. Not easy when you have to think of all the other field-craft factors involved.

But it was the trailing techniques that we were concentrating on. This is a particularly difficult skill in any environment. Not only must you get close, but you must follow the quarry. There was some successes – but with all things practice will makes better. As with all things in tracking - It doesn’t take long to learn – but it takes a lifetime to master.

Our Forest trackers are at least on the road to Mastery!

Our Woodlife Trails Tracker courses are:

• Tracking Fundamentals Day
• Wilderness Immersion Course
• Woodland Tracker Course
• Forest Tracker Course

Details on our course list page

Diploma Weekend

We had a great weekend to finish off the year at Hatfield Forest.

The weekend was dedicated to our Diploma students who have just commenced Level 2 of the programme.

For most, level one was completed in the summer and the weekend saw the commencement of level 2 practical skills.

This included axe skills led by JP where the different types of axe and there uses was covered. Of course safety aspects, carving and axe use techniques were also covered as well as sharpening techniques.

In the afternoon Pablo gave an introduction to bird tracking.

Having a course weekend at this time of year wouldn't be complete without the requisite festive drinks and chicken curry cooked up by JP himself.

Thanks to all those who came along and our new assistant Austin who provided the base-camp assistance.