Well I have not posted much lately, so here are a few things related to woodcraft and the outdoors that I have been doing. The pictures are from a camping trip I took back in November. I wanted to test out some new equipment, build a shelter at my camp site, and camp in colder weather. I started out late so I ran out of daylight quickly, but I was able to build a shelter before dark. The main idea behind the shelter was to use some cedar tree tops that I knew were in the woods. So I tied a cedar pole across the two trees at the camp site, and leaned the cedar tops end first on the cross piece. Then I trimmed all the twigs from the inside and made sure I could get in. Then I covered the top with leaves and branches as needed. During the night it kept the cold wind from coming blowing in, all except for a spot that had not been covered, and that kept my face cold. I will need to improve this shelter in the future, but it was not bad for being built in a short amount of time. My fire was very cheery and was easy to start and easy to keep burning, this is not usually the case. The fire kept heat coming into the open side of the shelter and made it very comfortable, if I had built the shelter a little higher it might have been even warmer. It got quite cold and there were deer running around my camp all night long. At one point I heard two raccoons chattering in the dark very close. Deer were all over the place and I could see them in the moonlight. The next morning I sat by my fire drinking cups of hot tea warming my insides and watching wildlife, the deer did not seem to notice my fire and walked by quite undisturbed. A little later a group of turkeys came within just a few yards, it turned out that my shelter acted as a blind and concealed me very well.
I have also been making alot of spoons, forks, and other utensils. This has kept me very busy.
I have also been experimenting with a short bow that is attached to my back quiver. I use it as a back up for any other bow I take out. Well that is a little bit of what I have been doing in my woods, I hope you all have a happy new year.
