Improvised A Buck Saw And Saw An Improvised Buck

   This past Saturday started out warm, with the temperature around 34°F, and there was even a warm breeze, so it felt good to get out. Although the forecast said it was going to be getting colder, it was not expected until the afternoon.
   The previous Saturday saw the temperature and wind chills around -8°F. Minnesota is so weird when it comes to weather. Go figure.
   I went to the local state park for a regular meetup of Minnesota BushcraftUSA members and after waiting a half hour or so, I headed out to enjoy some well deserved bush time. It felt so good to get out and to get away from it all. I was determined to try a few fun things.
   I wanted to complete the bucksaw portion of the Intermediate BushclassUSA lesson "Student Practice to Improvise A Bowsaw & Bucksaw". After reviewing the instructor Croatoan's fine video on making the bucksaw on my smart phone, I thought I had it figured out. But it wasn't until I got home, that I found out I also had to split wood with it as well, to complete that part of the lesson for the buck saw.
   Oh well, it was still fun and I will do it again, (and again and again and again).
   After getting the bucksaw improvised, and using it for awhile, I felt inspired to try a couple of projects.
   The first one was to make a flat surface for the cutting station at the camp. I really needed a more stable platform for batoning wood and using the Cold Steel Trail Hawk. That was an easy task with the newly improvised buck saw.
   The second project was inspired by a post on the BushcraftUSA forum site by member Bushtramp, entitled "Bushcrafty Christmas Prank." This was a very interesting project that he undertook to put several bushcrafted fake "deer" out in a field beside his fathers country property. It was very funny and I have dubbed the fake deer "Cervus Bushtrampus" in honor of this famous stunt.
   I decided to fieldcraft a fake deer, just like the ones in Bushtramp's herd.
   I have found that having a few pieces of kit that can be used to improvise tools with, has put a little more "craft" in my bushraft.
   So here is the video of this last Saturday's adventure. It is a little long, because it shows three projects involving a lot of field work, but I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to skip ahead.

 

   The day out and all the dirt time was a lot of fun. It was also nice to not deal with any firecraft or meal prep. As the day grew longer and it started to get colder. The wind chill by 3pm was approaching 0°F.
    I decided to call it a day and head home.
   But I will be returning to make even more "deer" and "woods chairs" and "mallots" and many other things. I hope you can get familiar with a few good improvised tools and put a little more "craft" into your bushcraft. Until next time, Happy Exploring.

On Making A Handle For The Cold Steel Trail Hawk

     It was December 22nd, a Saturday, and the temperature was around 17°F and there was very little wind. A perfect winter day for getting out and having some bushcraft fun. It was also partly cloudy and the fresh fallen snow made a good crunching sound under my boot print. As I hiked out to my usual camp spot, I enjoyed the sun on my face and I could not help but feel there would be a lot of animal activity to be seen and heard. I was not mistaken.
   Shortly after heading down the hill towards the Minneopa Creek, I spotted a large buck just a short distance away. He snorted vigorously and trotted off in the direction of the creek, looking over his shoulder and wondering just who this interloper was that was invading his morning browse.
   I watched for awhile and got some video the best that I could and then headed further down the trail. I had it in mind to get a good fire going, make some hot water for cocoa and try my hand at improvising a handle for my Cold Steel Trail Hawk tomahawk head that was stuffed in my satchel. It proved to be a great adventure and I think the tomahawk worked great for all of my efforts. I know that I can definitely do this again and it will be fun to try over and over.
   Here is the video of my adventure and how things came together. I hope you enjoy it.

   It was a very enjoyable solo trip for the day and I am only sorry that some of the rest of the BushcraftUSA members could not make it out for the fun. Maybe next time. Until then, thanks for watching and Happy Exploring.