Our weekend bushcraft course offers a gentle introduction to wilderness survival skills. Expert instructors will demonstrate and explain each technique, before offering you the opportunity to have a go yourself!
Learn how to make primitive hunting tools, create natural cordage, and discover wild medicinal and edible plants. If you are looking to add to your wilderness survival knowledge, this is the perfect course for you!
Basic skills
During a weekend bushcraft course, students learn how to use resources in the wilderness to meet their basic needs. This involves identifying and foraging for food, water, and shelter, along with survival skills like knot-tying.
Knots such as the square knot, figure eight knot, and clove hitch are useful for securing cordage or creating footholds. Students also learn how to find, purify, and store water using a water filter or boiling method.
Foraging and identifying edible plants are essential bushcraft skills, as is knowing how to prepare rabbit, fish, and birds for food. Students will also learn how to make fires and craft simple shelters from natural materials. Orientation is an important skill as well, which can be learned through using a map and compass or by identifying natural landmarks.
Shelter
A shelter is a fundamental human requirement, protecting us from the weather and providing a place to live. It also provides a base to do other things such as cook, sleep and find water. Mastering shelter skills is a core area of bushcraft and survival training.
You will learn different techniques for creating both modern tarp shelters and natural shelters. On the first night of a course you may be encouraged to sleep under the shelter of your creation, though this isn’t compulsory if you prefer to bring a tent.
The Intermediate Wilderness Survival Course takes you beyond the basics, teaching a range of survival techniques and wood carving skills that are useful when travelling and living in remote wilderness environments. Tracking, fungi identification and preparation for remote expeditions are all part of the course too.
Food
The Woodlander course takes your bushcraft and wilderness survival skills to the next level, equipping you with a range of camp craft and woodcraft techniques that will enable you to live in the wild. From tracking to food preparation, this immersive course eases your transition into wilderness living as your apprehension turns to confidence and understanding.
Learn to track animals using traditional tracking methodologies, and improvise your own effective snares and traps. Practice hunting techniques that have been used across the world – from mammoths and reindeer to emus and antelope. Make a hearty pemmican, which can fuel you for hours and has the added advantage of being tamperproof. Become proficient in a range of campfire cooking techniques, including tongs and coal burned bowls.
Water
Water is a fundamental survival skill, dehydration impacts on strength and power and can lead to heat stroke. You will learn how to find and purify water during this weekend course.
Grazing animals and birds are a good indicator of water, the same applies to trails that they have made. However, it is still essential to use caution when sourcing water. Rainwater is usually contaminated with pesticides and herbicides from nearby farmland. It is important to boil water before drinking. This will kill any pathogenic organisms but it won’t remove chemical pollutants.
If you want to learn wilderness survival skills from experts in the field, consider taking a class with Cody Lundin at Aboriginal Living Skills School. He offers a 2-day Survival Skills Intensive course that includes learning how to build a wilderness shelter, disinfect water and signal for help.
Safety
A weekend bushcraft course is a great opportunity to get a taste of survival skills. It covers everything from shelter-building to sourcing water and foraging. It also gives you the knowledge and confidence to go camping or hiking on your own.
If you are interested in learning the skills of wilderness survival, consider taking a survival course at Thomas Coyne Survival Schools. The school’s accelerated 1-day Critical Survival Skills Intensive is an excellent choice for beginners and advanced survivalists alike.
In addition to basic bushcraft, you can also learn how to use primitive weapons and campfire cooking. You will be given a knife and loaned essential gear. Be sure to check out their risk assessments before deciding which course is right for you. They should be up-to-date and thorough.