Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire "Hikers" - lack of outdoor skills, and loss of Scouting

I have my father's Boy Scout Handbook from the 1930's. I'm sure it would be an interesting contrast to one from today. He grew up in the middle of what is now a large metropolitan area, but even in the middle of town back then kids learned outdoor skills. He and my grandfather used to take their shotguns and bird dogs and catch the train north out of town, then hunt their way back. Lol, they'd be arrested for terrorism today. I also have a book of his from that was called the Deep-river Jim's Wilderness Trail Club. Lots of good lore in that one, although it was geared more to the North Woods and my dad was raised in the South. He used to say, only half jokingly, that after smokeless powder and breech-loading shotguns, nothing really worthwhile had been invented.

We are ALL amateurs compared to what I've witnessed in Africa when it comes to situational awareness. We were hunting the province of Dande North in Zimbabwe, thousands of square miles. We'd cruise the dirt roads until we cut a buffalo track (or tracks) and follow it for hours meandering all over the place. When it came time to go back, they cut a direct line and hit the spot where we parked spot on.

The day I killed a buffalo, it was pitch black, so off they went to get the truck which was miles away and they came right to the spot where myself and my hunting partner were sitting...Amazing

Two issues, for myself.
- I have always been both horseback and afoot in this region, west slope of the Rockies.
Firstly, the introduction of atv's and the like, this brought in motorsports people into our mountains.
It now is a huge lobby regarding back country access.
These users cannot imagine hunting without.
- I am always a little shocked when I see someone in short pants, no hat and no gear on a mountaintop. We were taught to be prepared and wear wool, light wool in the summer, a good felt hat. Country folks don't even leave the house without a proper lid.

You guys would love

Horace Kephart's Camping and Woodcraft book. Published 1917. My copy is 1974 edition. I got it from one of those Book club deals back in the 70s. Outdoor Life magazine.

Old school stuff and a joy to read.

You got that right. What is the obsession with always wearing shorts in the field. Makes no freaking sense to me.

There will always be pedophiles. Some churches are telling God to shove it and encouraging homosexuals. There's little hope for them.
At this point, I think Trail Life can face down the liberals who destroyed the BSA. TL isn't funded by Levi Strauss and other large corporations who threatened to unfund the scouts if they didn't allow queer leaders. TL is funded by local churches that can run the local troop like they want it run.

The first rendezvous I took my youngest son to, it rained all day every day. In January, in Texas. We were wearing good wool capotes and dressed for the conditions. All the events took place in light, steady rain. On the way home I asked him if he had fun. His answer was yes. I asked if he wanted to do it again sometime he said "yes but dad, everything we did this weekend is against the rules in Scouts" I asked why do you think that is? He said "too many idiots in Scouts"

I have a third issue and it regards technology.
GPS stuff. I don't like it much and I see younger people that have no sense of direction, no interest in developing one.
A while back we made a hospital run to a major city in our region- Calgary. They insisted on using this nonsense.
We did get to the hospital, but redirected through two school zones to do this.
Later on I picked up a city map, and turned off the hearing aids

The Zion Park woman's mental therapist recommended mushrooms.

I hike the Pacific Crest trail quite often during warm weather. I see many young people hiking, long distance. Far more than 40 years ago! Don't think these young people have no woods skills, because they weren't boy scouts! The area i hike the most includes Crater Lake park north to Sisters wilderness! Plus the gear available today is better than when I was younger!

I have OnX on my phone and I also have a heavier Garmin GPS with an OnX chip. I find them very useful. However, I also always have a compass. In this open country, if you can read a compass, you can usually get yourself found, map or not, unless you need pinpoint accuracy. Of course having a map is better but it's usually not needed for getting un-lost.

I learned a lot by being raised by folks that were up in the woods hunting.

Also was in the Scouts when they had trail craft as a skill.

I guess i have a sense of where i am,matters not in the piney woods and hollows of MS.or pout here where you can get away from town.

Same thing up in the Rockies hunting elk,just seems i can feel where i am relating to where i need to go.

something wrong with this story.

GPS will be useless when they detonate orbital nukes in WWIII. Satellite constellations are very vulnerable.

Simple navigation is a good skill to have.

Uhhhh....

What's amazing about that?

Jesus you can’t be that dumb... that whole story was amazing because he shot a buffaloe and went to Africa..

That is cool.

Fershure.

The whole thing is a 100% put up job done to gain attention or money via a go fund me. That lady wasn’t lost.

I was in the Boy Scouts and I learned a lot. We lived in the suburbs of north Atlanta, and my dad did not want to go camping.

I learned all that stuff when we went camping in Boy Scouts, how to find your way in the woods, how to find the North Star at night, how to build a shelter and build a fire.
Also at Camp Bert Adams we got to shoot rifles.
Also I went to Aquatics Week at Camp Bert Adams, in one week I earned 4 merit badges, Swimming, Canoeing, Mile Swim, and Red Cross Water Safety Instructor.
I was like a junior Navy SEAL at age 12.

I was enrolled freshman year at Ga. Tech, they had a famous swimming coach named Freddy Lanue. He had developed a technique called "Drownproofing." Basically taught you that if you ever went into the water, don't panic and taught you how to tread water for an hour. All freshmen had to take Drownproofing first quarter freshman year and if you flunked, they kicked you out of school. Ga. Tech figured, they didn't want to spend all that time and money to get you the Electrical Engineering degree, and then at age 25 at Lake Lanier, you fall out of the boat at midnight and drown.

Of course, I passed Drownproofing with ease from all my training in the Boy Scouts.

What value is there in joining a group
thats already lost?..