So how to you generally spend your time in the woods?

tknife

tknife

Joined
Mar 18, 1999
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There's always great threads about gear we bring, kits we make and skills we practice, but on a normal weekend, what are you doing in the woods?

For me, it's generally hiking in local mountains. I may do some whittling, gather some wild plant foods and gather up different materials to make things or practice something at home. Usually the local trails are too crowded to sit down and practice skills in the field.

Second would be backpacking/camping. Here I can do more. Try primitive fire making, sit around the fire and make things, carve etc.

Finally straight out fieldcraft/survival skills type stuff I rarely get to do. The few survival courses were always the best places to learn and practice. Or if I am camping in a really remote spot.
 
Well in the fall and winter I like to go hunting. I own 85 acres, mostly woods with about 400 surrounding it.

I also like to hike in my woods and see what is growing, mushrooms, cool plants etc. We usually only do 2 or 3 miles on our hikes in our woods but the hills are fairly steep so it's a decent workout.

Then I like to go backpacking. Usually there it's walking. I work at a desk job and drive an hour each way to work and any day I can spend mostly walking is a good day. I like to stay on the move and then stop for say 30 45 min when I stop to swim or gawk. Make camp before dark and get a fire going and cook dinner, hang around the fire at night. In the morning wake up slowly drink coffee and dick around and get on the trail about 9 or 10.

So that's pretty much it for me. If I'm dayhiking USUALLY it's at home, hunting and then if I go somewhere it's backpacking. Car camp at music festivals but that's not real camping to me cause usually you can't even have a campfire.
 
During the summer around the mitten short weekend trips usually in the Westy for fishing and random hikes. Also we'll take off for some day hikes in the local state parks and metroparks, maybe get some fishing done also. Several times a year I try to get out backpacking, and my drill sounds about the same as HD's, usually look for a lake or a nice ridge to set up on.

I've been making it out to Colorado the last few years for vacation, and that is mostly long day hikes up to remote mountain lakes or whatever else we hear the locals talk up.

Wintertime is solely snowshoeing dayhikes, the girl is cold blooded and refuses to snow camp.
 
Let me see ... what two things do I like to do the most while in the outdoors?

First it would be something like this ...
THRC-Shooting2.jpg


And then it would be something like this ...
FishingAtRannoch2.jpg
 
Hunting, I have a farm in PA and a large some of family land in E-KY and family land in OH and MD. Here in MD I hunt alot of public or private land and draw hunts. Hunting, fishing, scouting take up alot of my time in the woods. The "camping" time depends, half the trips I like to go rough it and go as minimilist as I can. The rest of the time i bring two or three coolers of beer and food and all kinds of guns and toys and just go have fun around my pond. It all depends on the mood and the time of year I guess.

My last trip I brought a darn Aero bed:D, cuz sometimes I like to wake up and be in the woods but sleep well. I am sure SOME of you have had this kind of trip, plus the girlies really like the softness of the bed;)
 
Well, I've had 11 months past and about 4-5 months to go thinking about what I plan to do when I get back!!!

For day hikes, I like to get the kids to observe game trails, find and trim a walking stick, point out good material for tinder, look for natural shelters and we even will stop and sometimes construct a simple lean-to type shelter. This is where I get to test my blades out, just random chopping on downed wood, sharpening stakes, making fuzz sticks, sometimes attemping a figure-four trap.

When backpacking and camping, we get to do more battoning wood. I let the kids find, build their own fire using their fire steel (and half a cottonball soaked in vaseline). I like to sit at the camp fire and carve utensils...I suck, but I keep trying:D Of course, I usually catch a few fish, so it gives me an excuse to use the knife for some gutting/filleting.

Last year...well I guess it's year before last now, I was invited on a "winter survival" campout in Arkansas. My son and I went and had a blast. It was quite mild as far as weather goes, but the great part was the company and sharing ideas around the campfire. My son (he was 7 at the time) was able to participate in the firedrill/bow technique. He rounded up tinder, kept the fire going, carved stakes, walking sticks and plenty of spears:D

Alright, enough. As a family, we probably get out 2-3 times a month (mostly day hikes/picinics), depending on field exercises or my wifes teaching schedule, but we have two big trips planned next year. Big Bend (I'm currently stationed in TX) and we're looking into doing some camping and canoeing down in the FL Keys (my wife is from FL). I'm originally from WA state, so I really need to get back in the mountains with small rivers, evergreens, cool wind...it really sucks when it's still 110 degrees at midnight here in Iraq!!!!

ROCK6
 
Big Bend is a blast. My favorite is the South Rim Trail. It is a hell of a climb out of the basin but the view down into Mexico is worth the effort.

Stay safe!
 
I generally take the path of least resistance, but lately I have been poking around where I sometimes need to crawl on my belly. Being a big guy, 6'2" and 350 pounds, that can be hard.
 
Hunting, walking the dogs, roving. Sometimes I'll just pull up a stump and hang out quietly alone, watching, listening. Looking forward to the days when my daughters get a little bigger and I can take them with me.
 
My love of the outdoors is quite different, I was hesitant in posting.

First, I live outside a medium sized town in Miss. on a few acres of land. My 3 year old and I go on "hikes" around the yard, a few times per week. We look for animal tracks and do plant identification.

Everyday I am outside doing martial arts forms,for piece of mind and relaxation, I love it. Often, a red fox will come snooping around. Since, I do alot of tai chi I am very quiet. After an hour or two of doing tai chi I blend in and animals seem to miss me.

Occassionally, my son and I get to go out in the wilderness and do more of the same. When he gets bigger we will do more backwoods camping.

Since having a kid, I have not been in the deep woods. I miss it so much. He is showing a desire to go backpacking, what kid doesn't? When I used to go out, I practised martial arts forms in many wilderness areas around the country. Staff forms are particularly fun.
 
I'm With GEL99,
INthe spring/ summer it's something like this...

Or this...


Fall, starts this...

Or this...

Which takes me into February THen I hole up in the shop and build stuff like this!


Majority of the time I'm in the woods is for hunting / fishing or preparing for hunting / fishing. It's the best to camp while doing either. Good times

'Slayer
 
Geeze ... you bow hunt (nice shot BTW) and do beautiful woodwork. That would be enough to make my wife jealous and pissed off at me. =)
 
Anymore, because of family needs, my limited amount of time is spent hiking locally. Which means, hide the SAK on my person and wear whatever I want, but usually it's what I wear bowhunting. That being a pair of cargo shorts, or green cargo pants and either a T shirt or plaid shirt, with hat and boots. Once I get up to the ridgeline trails, there are areas where, if building a fire weren't a moronic act, I can heat a cup of tea or coffee and do some whittling, but that's about it. For now....
 
For me i love to photograph. I carry my camera most of the time with me. When i go hiking i got my GPS with me and i use that for Geocaching. Using a camera got me to look at the smaller things around. I also learning to stop and pay attention to my surrondings. When i stop i like to read a book that i always carry with me. When i go backpacking i most of the time set my self target of where i want to get by the end of the day.. not that i always keeped to it. Again i would stop alot and take pics. I try to leave no trace of my camping so that means not playing with knifes no choping or cutting. I would also walk around look for animals or what ever insects out there. I like to obsorve the wilderness more then anything. It also seems that the animals know that im safe. I had many animals get very close to me and let me take some pics. Or i might find the right place to sit and read a book. I also do alot of thinking about life when im out there... things seem to be more on the simple side, out there. I guess im more of a simple guy nothing complicated with me. When im out there alone i feel more as i belong there more as part of it, then in it.. Does that make any sence??? I wish i could express my self better in writing.

DeerSlayer that a great job on the bed. Must be labor of love....

Sasha
 
If it's just me and buddies, and I'm not fly fishing or preparing meals, I'm drinking beer and playing cribbage:D
 
I've been hunting (bow, rifle and shotgun) fishing camping and hiking for over 50 years. Canada (all fly-in), Wyoming, Montana, South and North Dakota, Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. I have experienced BIG woods with a few close calls with big critters, only on survival situation (trek 40 miles in Northern Ontario to get to a place with supplies). I now mostly hunt and fish locally and have several good trout streams for fishing (West Central Wisconsin). I have used basically two knives in all that time (Buck 112 Ranger and Buck 5" Path Finder). These knives have field dressed Deer (Mule and White Tail) Elk, Moose (plus an Axe). I have never had to "baton" wood for a fire. I just bought a fixed blade Griptillian 151 recently to replace my much worn path finder. So far it's been a good general purpose knife. Better than the Bucks for cleaning fish and I'll try it on deer this fall. I have enjoyed this web site immensly and there are a number of very knowledgable people here.
 
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