Just a walk in the park

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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I 've been dealing with some issues lately so I wasn;t able to get up for my weekly weds Bush bumming day..so I just went to a quiet corner of an urban park by my house for a little "diet wilderness"

on my way down to the path to the pond Iran into this guy (eastern Box turtle)
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as well as some wild edibles
asiatic day flower (the leaves taste like green beans)
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Here's the pond (bluegill capitol of NYC)
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Lots of cattails
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Decided it was a good time to whip up some cattail cordage ( you can see as the cattail dries how the weave loosens up ) once it 's wet again though it;s right as rain
THis is about 12 feet (took me about 45 min)
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Now for an expedient hook tied on and secured with some pine pitch
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COuldn;t dig up any usable bait.. so I thought I'd try an improvised fly
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as you could imagine it didn't work out.so I shifted gears and messed around with a quick spoon or (SLO) spoon like object

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Than I harvested a futre hand drill set (waiting to dry) Cattail stalk with an Ailanthus board
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Found some more wild edibles on the way out including this baby.. (lady's thumb) a member of the knowtweed family
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SO I didn;t get to the bush, and I didn;t catch any fish... But on the bright side I was 15 min fromt he diner where I had lunch and coffee and than I took in a movie..just goes to show you don;t need a loot of bush to craft in....
Thanks for looking
 
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Cool pics RR. It would take me two days to make that much cordage. Hope the issues aren't too heavy, buddy.
 
Thanks bud.. Nothing too bad....Should lighten up soon.

As far as cordage goes... I've been playing with a thigh roll lately it alows for much quicler cordage.. although I find the quality is not the same as the ole reverse wrap technique..Maybe that is do to my lack of experience with it though...
 
Great stuff buddy, that cordage looks great I'll have to try some of that !
 
Nice! This proves that you can go 'wild' in a city like New York too!

;)
 
Cool man, one of my favorite trails is just that, a mile long nature trail by a nearby lake that me and my 4 year old son hike on. A great place to start him on, the dogs love it too
 
Hey RR,

Nice pictures and a good point. All you need to practice primitive/bushcraft skills is a ditch with native plants growing. Anything else is just icing.

BTW, are you making your Cattail cordage from green leaves or are you drying them, then soaking them?

I find for basket making, soaking the leaves is counterproductive. What I do is spray the leaves quickly, shake off the excess water, and 'mellow' them overnight between 2 damp towels. This makes them more user friendly for cordage and basket making.

A few years ago, I sought out a basket making instructor because I wanted to make a Cattail hat. She, obviously, had no experience with Cattails because she soaked them in her bathtub overnight. It was like working with limp sphaghetti. I tried for a bit (with no help from her), until I gave up.

Years later, I learned the proper method for preparing them.

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I have some Cattail leaves in my apartment that have been there for about 5 or 6 years and I want to see how well they reconstitute, so I've been thinking about doing a tutorial on making a basic Cattail basket, if anybody's interested. The basket:

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Doc
 
Glad you got to get out RR ! Good looking CatTail Rope...I need to try that, Got alot of cattail across from my house :thumbup: Hope everything works out for you 'Ol Bud !
 
Great to see what awareness can bring to an area that 99.99% of the population would never consider to be "wild".
 
Urban bushcraft at it's finest. Nature is all around us, not just in designated "green" areas. Some wild edibles are actually more likely to be found in disturbed areas like roadsides and abandoned lots.

Also, I like that Mora 2000. Hmm, didn't I cut myself with that one?:o
 
THanks for the comments guys.... DOC I ABsolutely 100 percent would be interested in that tutorial...also I;ve been using them green just because they are around... I usuallyt work them over with a stick a little to break up the cellulose and than have at it..

John G Thanks Bud.. Yep you and that knife are share a little something now...
 
Hi.

Where is NYC is this? I read about hunting and fishing in Manhattan in the NY DA's knife thread and was asking myself 'hunting and fishing in Manhattan?'
 
Wouldn't it have been something to land a big ol' bluegill like that?

Thanks for sharing, bro. Hope all is well soon :thumbup:
 
Forest Park..queens NY... hunting in NYC is a no no... but there are some good fishing spots... Hunting is avail however within a 30 min drive...As for the blue gill.. I'll get ehm next time when I brign some juicy ole night crawlers.
 
RescueRiley said:
Forest Park..queens NY... hunting in NYC is a no no... but there are some good fishing spots... Hunting is avail however within a 30 min drive...As for the blue gill.. I'll get ehm next time when I brign some juicy ole night crawlers.
Click to expand...

Thanks much. I checked it out on satellite. Those bluegills are trapped!
 
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