If you’re interested in learning bushcraft, you may feel a little lost as to what to familiarize yourself with first. There are a lot of different skills to discover, and it can be daunting to prioritize them.
We’ve put together 17 of the most essential bushcraft skills for you to learn so you can dive in and get comfortable with them before you hit the woods running.
On top of these, you also must know how to start fire, cook, and navigate in the wilderness. Visit our guide to learn more about these essential bushcraft skills.
Then, come back here, and we’ll discuss the following:
What We’ll Cover
1. Tree, Plant, and Mushroom Identification
I can’t possibly stress enough how important it is to learn how to identify your local tree and plant species. You can’t imagine how many people end up in the hospital every year because they’ve used poison ivy as toilet paper.
Worse than that, thousands of people end up terribly ill (or dead) annually because they went foraging and ate something they thought was safe but absolutely were not.
There are a lot of lookalike plants and mushrooms out there, and many trees can sicken or kill you if you use parts of them the wrong way. For example, if you use oleander (Nerium) or yew (Taxus baccata) twigs as kebab skewers, you’ll likely poison yourself quite fatally.
Similarly, those roots you thought were wild carrots may actually be water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), which are fatal if ingested.
In addition to learning what may hurt you, being able to identify various species can also help to feed or heal you.
For example, if you learn how to identify sugar maple trees by their bark, you can tap them in early spring before their leaves form to get life-sustaining, sugary. Similarly, you’ll be able to reach for yarrow with confidence to staunch bleeding if you get cut.
While you can easily learn many skills by reading books and online through videos or tutorials, you should definitely learn at the side of an expert when learning how to identify mushrooms and other edible species.
You should also buy a local mushroom guide to keep on hand. For example, “All That the Rain Promises and More” by David Arora is a classic that has been cherished by western North American foragers for decades. Grab a copy at Amazon.
Those in the northeast can rely on Timber’s invaluable guide, which is also available at Amazon.
2. How to Make Cordage
If you lose or run out of paracord or rope, do you know how to make cordage to secure shelters, carry items, and so on? Many species that you find in the wild can be processed to make rope, twine, cord, yarn, and more.
Knowing how to create your own rope may not seem like one of the most essential bushcraft skills to learn, but it’s better to have that knowledge and never need it than the other way around.
Learn about the best plants to use for cordage in our article.
3. Knot Tying
Speaking of tying things, knowing how to tie knots is as essential as knowing what to tie them with. Different knots have different purposes, and knowing when to use the right one may come in ridiculously handy.
Our article on essential homestead knots is a great resource for basics, but it can’t hurt to familiarize yourself with a wide range of different tying techniques. Invest in a good knot-tying book, and practice while watching TV or listening to your favorite podcasts.
4. Tool Making
A key aspect of bushcraft skills is the ability to use items you find in the wild to their greatest potential. As such, it’s a good idea to learn how to make basic tools and other implements out of materials that are easily found in your area.
These may include building tools such as hammers and axes, using slate, wooden handles, and handmade cordage, or weapons such as spears and arrows. Personal items like snowshoes, travois, backpacks, and baskets also fall into this category, so consider learning how to use these as well.
Depending on your personal preferences and interests, you may also be interested in learning how to make drop spindles for processing fiber into yarn, handmade primitive looms for weaving fabric, and small tools such as knitting needles, crochet hoots, or nalbinding tools.
If you’re new to nalbinding, check out our article to learn the basics of this ancient craft.
5. Blade Sharpening and General Tool Maintenance
Working with nice, new, sharp tools is great, but what happens when they blunt with use? Get yourself some whetstones, sandpaper, and a leather strop, and learn how to hone your blades to maintain their sharpness.
Similarly, learn how to maintain the other tools that you use on a regular basis.
For example, if your axe head starts to loosen, you’ll need to learn how to create pressure inside the eye (the part of the handle you can see at the top of the head) so there’s a firmer grip.
Additional skills to learn under the “general maintenance” umbrella include (but are not limited to):
- How to sharpen saw blades with files
- The right oils to use to prevent rust damage (plus how to remove rust)
- How to cut and fit new handles for blades—this includes using natural materials such as pine pitch glue
We cover how to make pine pitch glue in our article.
6. Clothing Repair
This is another one of those bushcraft skills that some people write off as superfluous, but can be quite invaluable if you’re out in the wild for a protracted length of time.
Clothing rips and tears are inevitable, so it’s important to know how to fix items if you’d like to remain warm, dry, and comfortable. As such, be sure to learn some basic sewing techniques to mend tears, such as backstitch and blanket stitch.
While you’re at it, learn the dos and don’ts of patching various fabrics, as stitches you’ll use on synthetics may not work with wool or cotton, and vice versa, nor can you patch all different kinds of fabrics together.
It may also be beneficial to learn how to darn, as this technique can fix tears and holes in socks, elbows, shoulders, etc.
7. Weather Forecasting and Awareness
On the subject of watching the sky, do you know how to tell whether there’s a rainstorm or tornado approaching? This may seem like a lost art, but it’s among the bushcraft skills that can serve you well when you’re out in the wild.
Different types of clouds denote different types of weather. For example, mottled Altocumulus clouds may indicate that rain or snow is on the horizon, but won’t hit you for several hours yet. In contrast, if the sky suddenly darkens and develops a green hue, take cover—preferably in your dugout shelter—as a tornado is likely to tear through that area.
Harvard University offers a free course on backyard meteorology that can help you learn how to identify cloud types, estimate wind direction and speed, and avoid nasty experiences like being struck by lightning.
8. Animal Track Identification
This isn’t one of the top bushcraft skills on this list, but can be immensely valuable in certain situations.
For example, if you live in bear or mountain lion country, familiarize yourself with what their tracks look like. That way, if you see fresh tracks in mud nearby, you can get the hell out of there as quickly as possible.
Similarly, if hunting or trapping for food are among the bushcraft skills you’re keen on developing, then learning to identify different animal tracks will be invaluable. You’ll be able to identify their commonly used pathways to set snares effectively or recognize where said edible animals are likely to be so you can hunt one for dinner.
9. Moving Silently/Being Undetected
Whether you’re hunting for food or shooting the best wildlife photography of your life, it’s important to learn how to move as silently as possible so you don’t attract unwanted attention. This is also beneficial if you’re trying to avoid being trampled by an ornery moose or feasted upon by a bear you didn’t expect to run into.
Learn the basics of wind direction as well as personal scent control, i.e. masking your natural (albeit lovely) body odors with scents that match your surroundings. For example, if you’re out wandering in predator territory, skip the Axe body spray or baby powder deodorant.
Similarly, learn how to move without making much noise—this will include awareness of snappy twigs beneath and around you, as well as how to control your breathing so you don’t rasp or pant, even when exerted.
One of the more fun bushcraft skills to learn is how to make a DIY ghillie suit for camouflage.
These are great for both hunters and wildlife photographers, as they can help you blend rather seamlessly into the background, provided that you create them to suit your surrounding terrain.
If you’ve created a grasslands suit and you’re wearing it in the middle of the woods, you might as well douse yourself in steak sauce and start singing to draw more attention to yourself.
10. Trap Setting
If your ideal bushcraft skills include snaring or trapping game to eat, then you’ll need to learn how to set these traps. There are tricks to each of them, depending on which species you’re aiming for, so try to learn as many different techniques as possible for the sake of broadening your skill set.
For example, knowing how to set snares is all well and good, but won’t be terribly helpful if small game is scarce, or if your campsite is surrounded by more water than woodland.
As such, learning how to weave some quick fish-trapping baskets can mean the difference between a tasty dinner and going hungry. The same goes for deadfall traps if you’re aiming for medium-sized animals.
Read our article on how to make basket fish traps here to broaden your bushcraft skills.
11. Hunting Methods
If you plan to live off the land as much as possible, then learning different hunting methods and techniques can be invaluable for your survival. Trapping and snaring small game can be effective, but knowing how to take down a deer or wild turkey is rather invaluable as well.
Do some research into the hunting laws in your area to find out which species can be hunted legally, by which method, and during what season. From there, you can determine the types of licensing and training you’ll need.
Some hunting weapons, such as bows and crossbows, may not require weapons licenses where you are, but most areas require a license that will allow you to take a certain number of animals per season.
Try to diversify your hunting methods if possible, as the more techniques you know, the better equipped you’ll be for whatever may come your way. For example, it can only benefit you to learn how to hunt with a bow as well as a rifle.
You may run out of ammunition for that rifle, but you can always make and fletch arrows with items you find in the woods.
Read our article on how to make arrowheads out of old spoons if you’re interested in learning how to create your own!
12. The Ability to Kill an Animal Quickly and Efficiently
I’m not going to sugar-coat this one with euphemisms like “dispatch” or “process.” If you intend to feed yourself by hunting or trapping animals in the wild, then you need to know if you can kill them humanely if you need to.
For example, if the snare you set catches a grouse or squirrel by the leg instead of the neck, do you have it in you to end its life so you can cook it and eat it?
Taking an animal’s life at a distance with a rifle or bow is much different from ending it up close, with your own hands. Learn how to do this as quickly and painlessly as possible, using different techniques for different species.
13. Wilderness Hygiene and Health
Don’t underestimate the importance of keeping yourself as clean and healthy as possible when you’re out in the bush. This is one of those bushcraft skills that can mean the difference between comfort and misery, so it’s vital to learn how to take care of yourself in the wild.
It’s up to you whether to use items that you take with you (i.e. toothbrush/toothpaste, soap, alcohol swabs, etc.) or if you’d prefer to focus on items and substances you can source in the wild.
For example, if you chew one end of a birch twig to loosen the fibers, you can use that as an impromptu toothbrush. Birch contains astringent and anti-inflammatory compounds, which can help maintain good dental health, which is an absolute must in the wild.
Similarly, be sure to familiarize yourself with anti-fungal plants in your area, such as chaparral if you’re in the American southwest, and usnea or echinacea if you’re in the northeast. Walking around in wet boots can cause fungal infections on your feet, and having these fungicides available can alleviate and heal such issues.
Horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum) and soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) can be used as soap for both personal hygiene and laundry detergent. Additionally, use boiling water to clean reusable menstrual cloths or diapers to kill off any potentially harmful bacteria.
14. Basic First Aid
If you don’t already know basic first aid, then take a course or do some essential reading as soon as possible. It’s one of the bushcraft skills that you will inevitably need, and you’ll be less likely to panic and freeze up if you have some idea of how to deal with common injuries.
Should you have the time and finances available, take an official first aid course with your local Red Cross (or similar) organization.
You may think you’d do just fine in an emergency situation, but tying a tourniquet the wrong way can either be ineffective for controlling blood loss or may result in nerve damage.
Similarly, if there’s a possibility that a blade has punctured a vein or artery, removing it can be far worse than leaving it where it is and seeking medical attention.
15. Emergency Signalling
You may write this one off as one of the more superfluous bushcraft skills on this list, but it can make a massive difference in life-or-death situations. It’s important to know how to signal for emergencies if need be, and that includes both visual and auditory alerts.
For example, you don’t need to memorize Morse code inside and out, but just about everyone can recognize the code for “SOS” ( … _ _ _ … ). You can create this sound with various items ranging from emergency whistles to bits of foraged scrap metal banging together, and repeat it (loudly) until health arrives.
If you have a gun with you, three shots fired in the air is a common signal for help. Similarly, flares or smoke signals that burn orange or red can be seen for miles. As such, it’s not a bad idea to carry one with you if you’re planning on heading into the bush for long periods of time.
