Most useful woodsmanship skills?

[trimmer21]

Knowing how to "finese filet" and only remove just the outer tartan cloth layer on a Dickie's trucker shirt using a Buck 110 knife. You leave the white insulation batting on the arms to keep your arms warm, but the outer cloth is used to clean the Nutella mudslide that just came out of your body after nine coffees and a day old honey bun. You're in a serious situation after you've burned up 3/4 of a roll of tickets, your socks, and the back of your t-shirt. This essential bush skill is a must.

ROFLMFAO!! Now,that's funny,right there.

[Mr.Boiler]

I'm curious to know, when you were getting started in hunting and the outdoors were there any skills you found essential?

For sure if you've got hunting/fishing tips you can drop them here, but I'm really curious about the general outdoors knowledge and skills that helped you along.

Learn to listen to gramps and follow his instructions no matter how absurd they may sound to you as a youngster.
Don't think you know more than him just because you watched a full season of Bear Grylls and bought all his "survival" stuff.
Listen to your mother when she tells you to pack extra socks and underwear.
Learn to bathe in 5'C water. If you think that to skip bathing when hunting will make you one with nature your wrong. If I can smell you standing 10 feet away then so can every other animal within a 1 kilometre radius.
Clean up after yourself. Your in the great outdoors not your back yard or bedroom. What you bring into the bush better be brought out.
If you s**t in the woods then dig a hole first and bury it.
Learn how to handle a knife and which end is the sharp end.
You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose. Just don't pick your friends nose...
If it itches don't pick at it. You'll make it worse.
Learn first aid.
Learn how to build AND CONTROL a fire.
Learn how to use a compass.
Don't drink more than you have to to have fun.
Learn how to have fun and not take yourself too seriously.

... I'm sure theres more but I'm tired and need my beauty sleep. So, learn to recognize when enough is enough.

[73hunter]

Learn to listen to gramps and follow his instructions no matter how absurd they may sound to you as a youngster.
Don't think you know more than him just because you watched a full season of Bear Grylls and bought all his "survival" stuff.
Listen to your mother when she tells you to pack extra socks and underwear.
Learn to bathe in 5'C water. If you think that to skip bathing when hunting will make you one with nature your wrong. If I can smell you standing 10 feet away then so can every other animal within a 1 kilometre radius.
Clean up after yourself. Your in the great outdoors not your back yard or bedroom. What you bring into the bush better be brought out.
If you s**t in the woods then dig a hole first and bury it.
Learn how to handle a knife and which end is the sharp end.
You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose. Just don't pick your friends nose...
If it itches don't pick at it. You'll make it worse.
Learn first aid.
Learn how to build AND CONTROL a fire.
Learn how to use a compass.
Don't drink more than you have to to have fun.
Learn how to have fun and not take yourself too seriously.

... I'm sure theres more but I'm tired and need my beauty sleep. So, learn to recognize when enough is enough.

Ding ding ding. This guy’s got it.

[Mr.Boiler]

Knowing how to "finese filet" and only remove just the outer tartan cloth layer on a Dickie's trucker shirt using a Buck 110 knife. You leave the white insulation batting on the arms to keep your arms warm, but the outer cloth is used to clean the Nutella mudslide that just came out of your body after nine coffees and a day old honey bun. You're in a serious situation after you've burned up 3/4 of a roll of tickets, your socks, and the back of your t-shirt. This essential bush skill is a must.

If you can imagine it then it probably has happened... Gramps

[MikePal]

Ding ding ding. This guy’s got it.

No kidding, thanks Mr.Boiler....that's a bunch of useful info for the OP !!

[RookieWild]

This has all been amazing! Lovin' all these posts.

So a bit of background. I'm a brand spanking new hunter and I've been on YouTube all winter watching all these bushcraft videos - and I'm like - while that might be a lot of fun I wonder what the essentials would be.

You've given me some things to think about.

I'd like to do some overnight camping in the bush, so here are some of my takeaways of the essentials.

1. Navigation - learn to use a compass, to read the landscape, and navigate by landmarks
2. Fire - start one.... Then don't start forest fires
3. Hunting skills - read the wind, tracking
4. Basic knife skills
5. Basic first aid (this probably should have been higher up the list)
6. Everything on Mr Boiler's list

Then I think there might be a whole group of skills that might make the woods more enjoyable if you're into that sort of thing (but non-essential):

- plant and animal identification
- deep woods orienteering

Then there are a whole host of bushcraft skills that I feel fall under the category of "heritage" or "hobbyist" skills. Like, if society as we know it ended tomorrow then that might be a useful skill, but otherwise you might as well take up needlepoint and not expend so many calories.

[Snowwalker]

Just remember you can never get lost.

Lost means you don't know where you are. You know where you are, just not how to get where you want to be.

You don't have to practice orientation in the woods. Cities are big enough you can get turned around in a section you have never been to. If you drive all the time, take a bus ride with a couple sections where you have to walk from one bus route to the next. Take a city map, and written direction for the trip. Your learning how to use a map.

Maybe not the most exciting way to start but at least your can ask for directions, if you get in trouble.

[DGearyFTE]

Admittedly, I like technology and therefore I use a GPS (Garmin Rino 650) going into the woods. WHY? Our hunt camp gang all have 650s or 610s. It uses the GMRS/FRS radio to allow for location of others in your group. This is a great feature that provides for safety in knowing where the others are and to hunt as a group to maintain spacing + situational awareness. Using Garmin Basecamp SW we can look at each hunter's track after the hunt and plan accordingly. Basecamp is compatible with Google Earth so reviewing the area and terrain is easier. This brings me to the next point. I have a compass and a map always. It is much easier to orient if you have a good understanding of the landmarks and features (MikePal - time spent on a recce is seldom wasted).
I find that there is no single pack up that I need for each day of a hunt. If I am only planning a day hunt then I typically pack those items I will need for an overnight. In other words I plan for the unexpected. i.e. I like to hunt on foot. I have fallen and can't walk. The GPS/Radio has failed, my cell phone is broken, out of power or out of range and I am waiting to be found.
I like Ziploc bags and I have a vacuum sealer. I use a combination of both to keep things dry (tinder to start a fire, jerky to hold me for a night, spare ammo, batteries, TP, extra water, matches, lighter). All these are there when I go hunting and it is just a matter of putting them in the pack as need. Otherwise they are just a part of the overall pack-up when I head to hunt camp.
All that said, I think the most valuable skill is to recognize/self correct as soon as you know something has gone wrong.

[MikePal]

All that said, I think the most valuable skill is to recognize/self correct as soon as you know something has gone wrong.

every one needs a Plan 'B'...Haha

[thunderbelly]

Dollar store wet wipes/ baby wipes.
I keep a spare pack in one of my pants pocket, my main pack is in my day pack. Yes there is also dry wipes rolled up in there too.