Bushcraft Wilderness Ranger Course Overview

We have identified the key components of Bushcraft and consolidated these into a comprehensive training course with International relevance and one which reflects our views on what Bushcraft is.

We view the True Bushcraft Practioner as a Wilderness Ranger who is the Custodian of the Body of Knowledge (Bushcraft) of our Fathers, Aboriginal and Native Peoples and who has both a responsibility and duty to learn and practice the skills and knowledge gained and to pass these on to others, to understand the Wilderness Environment and to act as a Guardian of these places.

The Course consists of 8 Modules with an Online Theoretical Component and a Practical Demonstration Component which can be submitted by email and or posted on a Blog or You Tube for assessment.

The course structure is as follows:

Module 1: Understanding Wilderness Areas
Components:

• Intro to Wilderness Areas
• Climate Zones
• Terrain
• Climate/Soil/Vegetation Interrelationships
• Ecological Relationships
• Understanding Weather
• Buschcraft Fitness - Physical and Mental

Module 2: Equipment
Components"\:

• Intro to Equipment
• Emergency Survival Kit - Equipping to Survive
• Essential Bushcraft Kit - Equipping to Sur-Thrive
• Bushcraft Clothing
• Bushcraft Nutrition

Module 3: Protection from the Elements
Components:

• Intro to Protection from the Elements
• Bushcraft Shelters
• Bushcraft Fires and Fire Lighting

Module 4: Natural Resources
Components:

• Intro to Natural Resources
• Water
• Food, Food Preparation & Preservation
• Animals as Food
• Plants as Food
• Useful Plants

Module 5: Navigation
Components:

• Intro to Bushcraft navigation
• Navigation Tools & Techniques
• Natural Navigation

Module 6: Emergencies
Components:

• Intro to Emergencies
• Basic First Aid Procedures
• Temperature Related Emergencies - Hypo and Hyperthermia
• Venomous Animals, Poisonous Plants
• Dangerous Animals
• Natural Emergencies
• Psychology of Survival

Module 7: Campcraft
Components:

• Intro to Campcraft
• Identifying Camp sites
• Camp Types - Short, Medium and Long Term Camps
• Camp Tools and Utensils
• Camp Waste - Camp and Human
• Breaking Camp

Module 8: Bushcraft Skills & Activities
Components:

• Intro to Bushcraft Skills
• Nature Observation & study
• Bushcraft Mapping & Orienteering
• Bushcraft Knots
• Bushcraft Cordage
• Environmental Activities
• Animal Tracks, Signs and Tracking
• Conservation of Wilderness areas
• Bushcraft Journal: Body of Knowledge (BOK)

On completion, the Bushcraft Student will be able to:

• Appreciate the scope and implications of Bushcraft in Wilderness areas
• Identify different types of Wilderness area based on Climatic and Terrain Factors
• Identify the Ecological Relationships within specified Wilderness areas
• Prepare for a Bushcraft excursion into a specific Wilderness area
• Identify the appropriat Survival equipment requirements for a specific Wilderness area
• Identify the appropriate Bushcraft equipment requirements for a specific Wilderness area
• Determine the appropriate Bushcraft methods of protecting against the elements within the specific Wilderness area
• Identify the nutritional requirements needed for activities within a specific Wilderness area
• Produce fire using Bushcraft Techniques
• Identify possible water sources within a specific Wilderness area, find and purify water
• Identify usefull animals and plants within a specific Wilderness area
• Produce food from animals and plants within a specific Wilderness area
• Navigate within a specific Wilderness area
• Identify potential hazards and the appropriate first aid actions within a specific Wilderness area
• Identify suitable and un-suitable camp sites within a specific Wilderness area
• Plan and run a safe and comfortable low impact camp within a specific Wilderness area
• Plan and cary out Bushcraft skills activities within a specific Wilderness area

The course has four levels of progression with Certification for each module completed. Students can complete the course at their own pace to suit time and budget constraints.

This course structure is currently being reviewed and we hope to have it finalised before January 2012. On-line components will be accessible 24/7 via the Internet, materials can be downloaded and component tests undertaken On-line.

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