Hunting for Meat, 18th century Style. Video.

This hunt & video was made by one of our group members & good friend of mine Mopoke, also known as Mick. I must stress that this deer was shot for food, not for the fun of it or for the antlers. Though knowing Mick as I do, I know he will be making good use of the antler & hide as well as the meat for his family table.
Well done Mick, first class.

A Bridge Through The Reeds.

Right now it is trying to snow! Yes I know, it is spring, but this is New England and it is much like the Old Country. You never know when the weather will change!
For several days now we have had rain, the creek below us is in flood, and the header streams are flowing. Cattail Pond is overflowing, and a tree has fallen into the pond! I decided to check it out during a break in the rain, and I snuck up on a pair of wood ducks on the pond.

I only have a little digital camera now with limited zoom!

Primitive Skills. Stalking.

Sorry I could not show the whole stalk, but without any cover it took me a long time to get this close. The wind direction was not good either, and I really needed to be on the other side of that fence. But I wanted to show you how to get close enough to a wild animal to touch it, so I took the chance from where I was.
My most difficult stalk was getting into a herd of goats, it is always much harder when there is more than one animal to watch. A stalk into a ring of roos watching a roo fight was probably a close second, but all my stalks have been fun.
PS: I am not wearing camo!

18th Century Wilderness Survival.

Author's Tomahawk & Hunting Knife.

When choosing the equipment you need to participate in 18th century Historical Trekking it is important to take into account what is actually required in regards to survival and not just a matter of fulfilling your persona's historical needs. A militia man or woodsman/woodswoman needs to carry a hunting knife and a tomahawk or hatchet. Just make sure it is of the correct type to actually help you survive if you ever find yourself in a survival situation.

I have seen a lot of so called survival knives in my time, some just ordinary knives of personal choice, usually with short blades. I don't think people put enough thought into the gear that they use, and the knife is one of the more important items.
The knife is made for cutting and stabbing, it is not made to chop wood! You carry a hatchet or tomahawk for cutting wood, but you can use a good hatchet or tomahawk for dressing game.
In a situation where all you have is your knife, then it must be used as a hunting tool. The best way to do this is to secure your knife to a haft to make a stabbing spear. IF you are good at stalking you can get close enough to an animal to stab it with your knife on this haft. If you are not so good at stalking or for other reasons are unable to stalk, then you can lay in wait on a well used trail.
A short narrow bladed knife is not as good as a longer broader blade for this use, and a survival knife with serations/teeth on the back of the blade is likely to get snagged on a rib and get pulled right out of your hands if the animal bolts. Cross bars on the tang will restrict the depth at which you can sink the knife, the same way a blade narrower than the handle will.
I can hunt and butcher game with both my knife and my tomahawk. It pays to think hard about the equipment you carry.