Woodsmanship: The basic skill set

This is old news to seasoned hunters, but hopefully insightful for young hunters, less experienced hunters, and for sure individuals getting into the pursuit of deer hunting for the first time. I run into this a lot in my hunter safety courses especially with ladies getting ready to marry a hunter. They want to learn how to deer hunt, too.

What I tell them all is that becoming a proficient hunter begins with a basic knowledge of the outdoors. Becoming a good woodsman is Step 1 initiating the process of becoming a deer hunter.

Woodsmanship can be a taught skill through a variety of outdoor skills courses taught around the state. Most of these skills are learned over time either by apprenticeship with another hunter, parent, or hunting club member for example, or by being mentored by or shadowing an experienced hunter.

Learning by doing is the best teacher of all. For youth, look into Tara Wildlife summer camps at www.tarawildlife.com. These residential camps teach a host of useful outdoor skills. Becoming a hunter could in theory be self-taught, but that is a more difficult route. Experienced hunters take for granted many things that would be completely new learning situations for someone just starting the process.

It starts with good woodsmanship. Learning how to act and blend into the environment, as well as reading its signs, is critical.

But woodscraft goes a lot further. It entails a foundation of knowledge about all of the outdoors, wildlife, hunting, fishing, boating, safety, natural resources, and conservation. It can include orienteering, map reading, compass use, game recognition, calling, wildlife management, first aid, CPR, birding, habitats and vegetation, starting a campfire, dressing for the outdoors, bow and weapons use and practice, game handling, water safety, outdoor cooking, survival skills, signaling, and much, much more. Basic outdoors books, videos, and YouTube are available as a starting place.

Learning the skills necessary to become an accomplished hunter is not something acquired overnight. It has taken most of us a lifetime, and we still learn something new on almost every trip. Using the analogy of earning badges in the Boy or Girl Scouts, it means taking on one or more skills at a time, learning it, doing it and then demonstrating your proficiency at it. Take it one “badge” at a time.