The Bushcraft Magazine Winter 2011/2012 by Steven Kirk

How to tan a rabbit skin Traps, tracks and rabbit recipes Simple spooncarving skills Winter in Lapland plus Star Lore, Weather Lore and more

Saturday March 31st

Leatherworking

Learn leatherworking techniques and make your own personal items under the experienced guidance and tuition of our craftsman Paul Bradley at an indoor venue in Kent. There will be a small additional charge of £5 for materials.

Sunday April 1st

Our one-day taster courses cost: £35 for a single person £70 for a family of up to five. You may camp overnight at our farm in Kent if you wish, at no extra charge. We will provide tea and coffee and a hot vegetable soup as part of the day.

Advanced Spring Foraging

For those who like a challenge; learn how to identify edible plants in their early growth stages, when at their most nutritious; visit a variety of habitats around Egerton in Kent under the guidance of our expert forager Steve Kirk; lunch in the countryside and sample your forage.

Saturday April 14th

Shrimping and Sandy Shore Foraging

Learn to use a shrimp net and collect shellfish in a beautiful sandy bay on the south coast of Kent under the experienced leadership of lifeboatman John Ruffhead. Bring warm clothes and waders or be prepared to paddle. No bare feet, please, because of Weever Fish.

Keep up to date and book online at www.bushcraft-magazine.co.uk

Sunday April 15th

Foraging Field, Wood and Hedgerow

No experience necessary; learn how to identify edible Spring greens in a variety of habitats around Egerton in Kent under the guidance of our expert forager Steve Kirk. A useful refresher if you’ve foraged before, with the opportunity to sample genuine wild food.

Saturday May 5th - Bank Holiday Monday May 7th

Bushcraft Magazine May Meet Book in for a weekend of courses and a chance for bushcrafters and adventurous families to share skills, and swap stories. Taster courses, demonstrations and mini-workshops include Animal Tracking, Atlatls, Archery, Catapults, Ferreting, Fire and Forge, Fire-by-Friction, Green Woodworking, Spoon Carving, Star Gazing, Storytelling, Wild Cooking, Wild Forage and much, much more. See our website for full details.

Costs for the weekend, including 3 courses/ workshops/demos per day, camping and firewood: £75 per person, £125 family of up to five. Single all-day ticket £35 per person (accompanied single child under 11 FREE); Family of up to 5, £70.

Saturday May 19th

Intermediate Leatherworking

Learn techniques to make and decorate your own personal items under the experienced guidance and tuition of our craftsman Paul Bradley at an indoor venue in Kent. There will be a small additional charge of £5 for materials.

Sunday May 20th

Fire and Forge (max. 6 people)

Try your hand at our blacksmith’s forge and make some gypsy fire-irons, tripods, pot-hangers or fire strikers under the knowledgeable guidance of Huw Woodman, the magazine’s founder, up on his farm in Kent. There will be a small additional charge of £5 for materials.

Saturday June 9th

Spoon Carving

Learn the skills and try out the tools under the guidance and tuition of our skilled craftsman Paul Bradley at our farm site in Egerton, Kent. Make and take away your own spoons.

Sunday June 10th

Saltmarsh and Rocky Shore Foraging

Visit contrasting habitats on the north Kent coast with a view to discovering the foraging possibilities. Shellfish and seaweeds at Tankerton with samphire and salt-marsh plants at Oare Marshes. Discover the habitats and identify your finds under the guidance of Steve Kirk.

Volume 7 Number 4 Winter 2011/12 The Bushcraft Magazine is published by:

The Bushcraft MagazineTM .

Egerton House Cottage, Egerton, Ashford, KENT TN27 9BD Founder: Huw Woodman Editor: Steve Kirk Advertising: Matthew Selfe Webmaster: Paul Bradley Soup Dragon: Cathy Hill E-mail: info@bushcraft-magazine.co.uk Advertising: mafro@bushcraft-magazine.co.uk

CONTENTS

6 MAKING TRACKS ...THE RABBIT Steve Kirk is cold on its heels. 8 HOW HIGH IS THAT TREE? Phil Ireland knows a way to find out. 12 RABBIT, BEWARE MY SNARE Des Portelli keeps you in the loop. 15 WINTER FARE — COOK WILD with Carol Hunt. 20 A HARDWOOD SPOON MADE EASY Paul Bradley makes it seem so simple. 22 THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE TASK Paul Bradley has o so many. 26 “CATCH A LITTLE RABBIT SKIN” Kieron Stewart with the perfect cure for dead skin. 28 WINTER IN LAPLAND Kevin Warrington loved it so much, he moved out there. 34 THE LAST WORD Lloyd Hooper has it. REGULARS 2 COURSES 4 CAMO PAGES 10 WEATHER LORE 24 STAR LORE

EDITORIAL When you catch, butcher and prepare your food yourself you look the ethics squarely in the eye. A quick, humane death should follow a free and natural life. It must be done with respect for the animal and with the minimum of waste, in which case making use of the pelt is not only desirable but almost an obligation. If we don’t have all the necessary skills to do so, we can endeavour to learn them. Over time you will find them in the pages of this magazine. This time, Kieron Stewart shows how to prepare a rabbit skin. If you want or need to become more fully self-reliant you may need the use of traps to help catch your food and in this issue Des Portelli tells us about legally (and morally) setting snares. Alongside the cultural mores of today’s society it still could seem anachronistic and brutal. How devastating it would be to catch the wrong animal by mistake, and how badly that would reflect on us, if it were a domestic pet, for example. All the more reason to learn the right way to do it. Carol Hunt tells us how she would cook a rabbit, if the hunt was successful, alongside some delicious vegetarian options as well. We even key you in to their tracks, trails and field signs, first. Our thanks for the rabbit for being such a great provider. On a more administrative note, please not that the P.O. Box is no longer valid and all correspondence should be sent to the new address (see above). I hope any mail will include examples of knowledge that you are willing to share. I can also be reached by e-mail at the address below or via our website. My thanks to our authors and contributors who have written such quality articles over the years. That’s not just my opinion. Turn to pages 4 and 5 to see what I mean. Steve Kirk. editor@bushcraft-magazine.co.uk

Mushrooms under a cloud МАСЛЯТА. The word on the label is Russian for Boletus and the jar contains pickled wild Slippery Jack Suillus luteus mushrooms. In Russia they are known as Greasers, Butter Mushrooms, Oily Bonnet, Butterfish or Oil Merchant. Need any more hints as to their texture? Actually, they tasted just fine.

Photo © Steve Kirk

However, with their predisposition for taking up heavy metals and other soil contaminants, Butter Mushrooms in Russia fall under the "risk of radioactively dangerous mushrooms." In fact, at least one culinary website from that country gives directions on how to remove radioactive Caesium 137 from your fungi, in case you didn’t have a map and picked from an area that was contaminated! Apparently a simple soaking helps to some degree; or you can boil the mushrooms in water alone for 20 minutes, discard the water, boil again in clean water, drain, rinse and then continue cooking as normal. It’s great to encounter wild harvest from around the world in the course of everyday shopping but, in future, before I tuck into a jar of Russian mushrooms, I might want to run a Geiger-counter over them first .

My Favourite Bit of Kit

is my tipi... ...even though it is too big to carry around with me. It is huge and majestic and fills me with awe and gratitude when I see it. When I get inside the tipi, I am filled with peace and tranquillity.

It is sometimes a bit impractical: It can be smoky if the location and wind are not quite right. It can be drippy if the rain is very heavy or prolonged and it is difficult to transport. But the joys far outweigh its inconveniencies!

Living with Lyme One of contributors, Edward Jones, whose search for a sustainable lifestyle in the forests of Sweden was chronicled in the Bushcraft Magazine throughout 2011, subsequently spent the best part of a year recovering from a second bout (so he tells me) of the tick-borne infection, Lyme Disease. This has the potential to afflict anyone who spends time in the great outdoors; so all of us, then.

There are sunny days with the sides rolled up to let in the bees, the breeze and the sunshine. Then sleeping later, on a warm night and waking to see the stars overhead. Sitting inside around the fire with friends on cold nights and cooking over it. The spiral of tall poles above and the canvas wrapped round protecting me from the winds and rain. Sitting on the earth. Living outside and inside at the same time. Feeling warm and alive.

My tipi is my "HOME" wherever I put it. Whether it is on a quiet farm, the middle of a busy festival, or on a school playing field. There is the Lyme Disease cases are on the rise. In the first threekitchen and the woodpile, the carpet, the reindeer skins and lanterns. quarters of 2011, the provisional figures for England and Wales were up 26% to 968. Those numbers only The Tipi was beautifully made in the Sioux cover laboratory confirmed cases (as a result of a blood Plains tradition by Chris Dryland at "Big Hill test requested by a clinician) and real number in the UK is Tipis” in Kent. www.bighilltipis.co.uk unknown. Sufferers may remain undiagnosed for a number I named it "Great Nanny Florence" in of reasons:- some may have ignored their characteristic Native American tradition, after an elder, rash and not seen a doctor; even if they did, GPs are to whom I am very grateful. thought to sometimes misdiagnose the rash as cellulitis or ringworm, while others may believe that Lyme Disease is unknown outside the New Forest; patients may have Cathy Hill had a negative blood test but still be infected with the disease. Lyme Disease Action is a charity that has been running since 2003 and aims to relieve and support those persons suffering from Lyme and related diseases, and to raise awareness among clinicians and the general public. If you think you are suffering or have suffered as a result of a tick-borne infection, contact them, they may be able to offer advice.

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If not, visit the site anyway, to inform yourself.

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Photo © Steve Kirk

www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/

Poster image courtesy of NAMA

Death Cap Deaths

The Death Cap Amanita phalloides made the news early in January 2012 by claiming the lives of two more victims, this time in Canberra, Australia. Although native to Europe, it has an increasingly global distribution following accidental introductions to North and South America, Africa, Asia and the Antipodes. Ironically, in the Canberra area of New South Wales its occurrence is well known and semi-permanent warning signs are in place where it grows. Similarly, in the United States the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has created and distributes, a warning poster about the deadly Amanita species that includes warnings in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Thai. Newly arrived immigrants, who hail from countries where these languages are spoken, have been predominant amongst among poisoning victims. The 38-year-old Chinese chef who died, was working temporarily in Australia to raise money for his family in China. He had picked the mushrooms himself, believing them to be Straw Mushrooms Volvariella volvacea (see ‘What to do if you meet Death in the Woods’, TBM Vol. 7 No.3: Autumn 2011) and cooked and served them at a private meal, which he shared with two others. His 52-year -old assistant also died and another man who only ate a small portion was eventually released from hospital. The Straw Mushroom grows wild and is extensively cultivated in the Far East. It has also spread around the world by human agency. A timely reminder, if one were needed, to always seek local expertise when foraging abroad .

Steve Kirk Bushcraft Magazine of 2011! We recently had the honour and distinction of being named Magazine of the Year by Jonny Crockett’s Survival School. I cannot tell you how proud it makes us to be recognised by one of the UK’s foremost bushcraft schools and it is a great reflection on our authors and contributors. Jonny had this to say in an e-mail to me; “Your magazine is our Magazine of 2011. I have been contributing to magazines for 10 years or so and I reckon I know quality when I see it. I just wanted to put my company behind yours and wanted to congratulate you on some brilliant articles over the year.” Read more at http://www.survivalschool.co.uk/blog/bushcraft-magazine-29/12/11.html and check out the rest of their website.

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Steve Kirk Bushcraft Magazine

MakingTracks A Rabbitâ&#x20AC;&#x;s tracks are generally very recognisable because of the long-heeled hind feet. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x;s more they are certainly the most common in the countryside after humans and their dogs! As you might expect, the tracks of both Brown and Mountain Hares are going to be similar, though considerably larger, as is the length of stride. In lowland Britain, however, under certain circumstances, such as in deep or powdery snow, the Grey Squirrel may cause you to have to look more closely. 1

1] Shows a set of reasonably crisp Rabbit tracks in shallow but granular snow. The first thing to notice is there are no long heel marks. The second is that the hind feet land in front of the fore feet. They are the larger imprints. The two smaller tracks are the front feet and depending on how the rabbit was moving, they will be either side by side (hopping) or one in front of the other along the median line (walking, or bounding/leaping). This rabbit was walking. 2] These are Grey Squirrel tracks in poor quality snow and they are at first glance very similar to the above. If some detail can be discerned they can be separated as follows: The larger outer tracks show the impression of 5 claw marks, compared to 4 in the rabbit. There are the impressions of irregular bumps from the interdigital pads. The front feet in between the hind show some sideways spread from four digits. The neat teardrop shape of rabbit feet is only approximated by the squirrel. Indeed, if the tracks were clearer, separate slender toes would be visible and various pads, while there is little more detail to be found from rabbit tracks because of their dense covering of hair. In deep snow, where no detail and only approximate measurements are to be had, identity may occasionally have to be inferred by behaviour e.g. does the trail begin and end at a tree?

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3] Tracks of a paused Rabbit. It is evident that most of the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x;s weight was over the hind feet and that different pressure was being applied to each of the front feet in this case. Sometimes, in a slow-moving or stop-start animal, three front 2.27m footprints may be seen, where the animal steadies itself with one paw, raises its foot and then drops on to all fours. A squatting bunny may show a rounded rear and a scut (bob-tail) impression.

4] A hopping or jumping trail will not be consistent but varies according to the speed of the animal. An unhurried Rabbit, represented by this trail, may have stride/bound lengths anywhere between 33 and 79cm, with intergroup distances measuring 30 to 51cm, or thereabouts, typically slightly less or slightly more than its body length. Stride or bound length, and intergroup distance increase with speed as does the spread of any group of tracks. Stride or bound is measured from the front centre of the foremost track to the same point in the corresponding track in the next grouping. Intergroup distances are measured between the front centre of the foremost track to the rear centre of the rearmost track of the next cluster.

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5] A bunny in a hurry will leave impressive intergroup distances and bound lengths. The

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....the Rabbit one represented by the pictured trail must have been spooked, for it broke off from feeding and dashed away, putting on a spurt that increased the distance between track clusters from around 1.5m (5ʹ) to 2.72m (almost 9ʹ). It did not appear to have been chased. Feeding signs

6] A little snow will not deter a Rabbit from finding food, it can locate protruding plant tops and dig down easily enough. Rabbits are selective feeders, picking out the most tender and tasty plants and avoiding strong flavours and prickles. Whatever the farmer is growing will be of interest. Young rape and other Brassicas are also eaten by Badgers, so when out tracking, a close inspection of any scrapes and tracks is in order. If the crop is growing near a warren it soon becomes apparent what kind of economic impact Rabbits can have.

Interpreting behaviour

It should be remembered that a rabbit is very vulnerable in the snow. It is highly visible against the white and unable to move as freely and swiftly as on solid ground. Rabbits tend to be most active at dusk and dawn and are naturally cautious, moving out from safety a little at a time, grazing as they go. The more other Rabbits there are around, the more time individuals can spend feeding, as many eyes and ears detect danger better than a few. However, with a layer of snow cover, solitary animals in particular may be forced to take more risks. Also, towards the end of January the animals might be „distracted‟ as the mating season recommences. This may be reflected in the Rabbit‟s trails in the snow. Lines of footprints might be paired or show signs of pursuit, for example. Look out for any signs of drama. Whether you are motivated by simple curiosity, love of nature or a hunter‟s instinct, tracking is always a fascinating way of reconnecting to the landscape.

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Photos © Steve Kirk

8] The beauty of tracking in the snow is that you can miss the actual show but read all about it the following day, as if you had been there. A certain amount of translation may be necessary. You may come across events in the wrong order, for example, and have to back track before you understand what has unfolded. At one end of a fallen tree trunk was the shape of a Rabbit‟s hind feet. The deepest impressions were at the toes of the hind feet where the animal had stood up launched itself upward. Snow was knocked off the trunk. Tracks then followed its length to the other end. The photograph shows where the Rabbit jumped down from the fallen tree and landed in deep snow, sinking deeper on the heels and at the rear, before applying pressure to the toes as it hopped off again. The trail ended (and began) at a burrow behind my garden shed.

TRACKING SKILLS

7] In deeper snow Rabbits will turn their attention to the bark of trees and green twigs. In areas where there are apple orchards, winter prunings are a favourite source of food. These are left lying between the tree rows by the workers for collection by tractor later, and often get buried by snowfall. The Rabbits concentrate on what is exposed or can be made easily accessible as is evident in the photograph. When the snow thaws it is possible to get an idea of how much cover there was by the amount of bark remaining or, on the trunks of saplings, by what height the damage starts at.

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How That Phil Ireland Winter and early Spring can be lean times for outdoor educators. However, within deciduous and mixed woodland this can be the ideal time to talk about trees and to measure their heights. These activities can cover not just nature studies but also applied mathematics and record keeping. Apologies to those with a reasonable mathematical knowledge, but I thought that by explaining the basics it may help you to prepare your own worksheet, suitable for most ages. The piece of equipment shown in use costs less than ÂŁ2 to make, the key component being a twelve inch length protractor available from any stationers. In the centre of the longest side, cut a slight notch and glue in a length of brightly coloured embroidery thread. At the end of this hang a plumb bob to hold the line taught. I used a wooden carved acorn. A hazelnut is equally good! If your protractor does not have a handle, drill a small hole or two and put in a loop of thread so that the unit can be held between the first two fingers, using the thumb and third finger to support it. Make sure that this does not interfere with the swing of the plumb line. Whilst not absolutely necessary, I decided to glue a length of plastic tube across the top to act as a sighting line. If you decide not to do this, it might be advisable to round off the sharp edges to avoid any eye-poking incidents.

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The method involves the use of simple trigonometric tables known as tangents, to use a known distance from the tree and the angle to the top of the tree, to calculate the unknown height.

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High is Tree? Tan of angle

Distance to tree

First identify the highest point of the tree. This may be best done by walking around it from a distance significantly further away than the optimum measuring position of 45 degrees. The next two stages may be reversed, particularly if there are obstructions in the way which may hinder movement.

Photos & illustrationsÂŠ Phil Ireland

This simple method assumes a tree on level ground but can still be used on a constant slope if you take measurements from either side of the tree and calculate the average. For older students, no doubt their maths skills may be stretched by including such factors as a leaning tree. A second, amusing, technique for younger kids using no complicated equipment is to stand facing away from the tree, look between your legs and move back and forth until you can just see the top of the tree. Unless your back is as bad as mine, the angle will now be roughly 45 degrees, giving a tangent of one, meaning that your distance to the tree is now equal to its height.

Angle 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Tangent 0.18 0.19 0.21 0.23 0.25 0.27 0.29 0.31 0.32 0.34 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.42 0.45 0.47 0.49 0.51 0.53 0.55 0.58 0.60 0.62 0.65 0.67

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Angle 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59

Tangent 0.70 0.73 0.75 0.78 0.81 0.84 0.87 0.90 0.93 0.97 1.00 1.04 1.07 1.11 1.15 1.19 1.23 1.28 1.33 1.38 1.43 1.48 1.54 1.60 1.66

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Measure the angle to the top of the tree using the protractor making sure that you have it the right way round, i.e. that horizontal is zero degrees. Mark your position with a stick. Two people are easier for this as one can line up the tree and the second can record the angle. Swap over to confirm the reading. Now measure the distance to the tree using a tape measure, measuring wheel or by pacing. Look up the tangent of your angle and multiply this by the distance to the tree. This figure, added to the height from your eye level to the ground, will give you the height of the tree.

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The recent severe windstorms of January 3rd and January 5th 2012 were extreme events but by no means unusual. They were actually a continuation of a turbulent weather pattern that had predominated late November to midDecember of the year ending, but which was punctuated briefly by a quiet spell over the Christmas to WINTER WINDSTORMS New Year Period. The first storm of the New Year resulted in two deaths and a few serious injuries, widespread power cuts, vehicles blown over and trees downed. If anything, the second gale was marginally worse with buildings suffering structural damage and many more trees toppled, at least in south-east England. Thankfully, no deaths were reported, though once again there were some serious weather-related injuries.

Photo © Steve Kirk

Although hurricane-force winds (greater than 118kph or 73mph) were recorded, none of these events was actually a hurricane. They were all intense extra-tropical cyclones, (extra meaning „outside the tropics; in temperate latitudes‟), more familiar to us as deep Atlantic low pressure systems, with their associated weather fronts. The genesis and overall structure of extra-tropical cyclones are very different to hurricanes. Northern „lows‟ mainly derive their energy from horizontal temperature contrasts between cold, polar air masses and warm, subtropical air masses, such as that formed by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) when in positive phase. Because the temperature contrasts between these air masses are greatest during winter, the frequency and intensity of European windstorms peak during this season as well. Where the semi-permanent Icelandic low pressure system and the Azores sub-tropical high interact at their

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A tree downed by Andrea, in Kent

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boundaries, storms pick up heat and moisture from the relatively warm North Atlantic waters and are sent spinning across the Atlantic from west to east, with the British Isles, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in the firing line. If the NAO is in negative phase then southern Europe suffers poor winters and we may experience snow and cold from the east.

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WEATHER LORE

The line and latitude of the jet stream (a band of upper atmospheric winds) define what track the storms will take. Although the jet stream is constantly shifting, Extra-tropical cyclone Ulli situated to the north-east of Scotland storms moving along the storm track tend to reinforce the jet, and make it hold a line. This is called eddy feedback. By Republic after the storm intensified. The cost in damages was keeping the jet stream in the same place, eddy feedback often around €3.5 billion. causes European windstorms to occur in series (as with the recent sets). The forward motion of an ETC, swept along by Three years later, windstorm Klaus reached Western Europe the jet stream, generally ranges from 20-45 mph, but can on 23rd January, 2009 and tracked through mid-France. reach as high as 90 mph. In doing so, a storm‟s windfield Southern France and northern Spain were in receipt of the becomes highly asymmetrical (caused by drag away from the strongest winds which exceeded 180 km/h (hurricane centre). Thus, a mature storm often forms massive „comma‟ strength) over lower lying areas. Damage was estimated at shape of cloud (whereas a hurricane is symmetrical) with a €1.57 billion and 26 deaths were attributed to the storm. warm front and a cold front radiating from the area of low pressure at the storm‟s hub. Damaging winds are generally Windstorm Xynthia developed over the subtropical Northern restricted to the south or right-hand side of the track, ahead of Atlantic Ocean in February 2010, tracked north-eastward the advancing weather front. Thus, a storm tracking across passing just south of the UK. We are probably largely the English Midlands will adversely affect south-east England unaware, therefore, that there were 59 fatalities in Portugal, (as did the Great Storm of 1987, a.k.a. „the hurricane‟) and Spain, France, the Low Countries and Germany on 27th and one tracking along the English Channel will batter northern 28th February and an estimated damage to property of €1.3 France. Under these circumstances people living north of the billion. storm‟s path may be unaware of a major disruptive event occurring further south. As bushcrafters, a keen interest in weather conditions and their comfort or safety implications is very much at the foreStorms seem to be defined by their wind speeds, their death front of our minds. Even the smallest branch torn from a tree toll and the monetary value of the damage they cause. In can damage the person it hits, and something much less than recent years all European windstorms have been given names an entire tree can badly injure or kill someone. It is a – unfortunately not all countries allocate the same name. The reflection of the times we live in, however, that the people January 3rd 2012 storm was called Ulli (but was also dubbed with their minds most bent towards forecasting these weather Emil by the Norwegian Weather Service) and the January 5th events are not meteorologists or climatologists – but storm was Andrea. insurers.

Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response

In January 2007, Windstorm Kyrill, following a typical track, crossed over Great Britain, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea cutting power, forcing road, port and airport closures and claiming the lives of 50 people, 11 of whom were in Britain. What was unusual about this extra-tropical cyclone was the large number of countries affected because of the depth of penetration into eastern Europe. Damage was widespread from the intense winds, which reached 160 km/h (99 mph) in Tropical cyclones, such as Atlantic hurricanes or Indo-Pacific the UK, with stronger gusts in Germany and the Czech typhoons, on the other hand, derive their energy from the vertical temperature contrast between the warm lower layer and cold upper reaches of the tropical atmosphere. Unlike northern windstorms they have no weather fronts – wedges of air of contrasting temperatures butted up against each other – because the lower tropical atmosphere tends to be of an even temperature. Their winds and precipitation are concentrated in the ring of intense thunderstorms surrounding the eye, and in the spiral rain bands that feed those thunderstorms instead. It is the warm seawater near the equator sending rising air to mix with cold, high altitude air, that makes the hurricane‟s engine turn. Because of this, its winds quickly diminish when the eye moves over cooler water or land and the temperature gradient evens out. The horizontal temperature gradient that powers an extra-tropical cyclone, however, can persist as the centre of the storm makes landfall. Thus wind speeds in these storms can remain high, or even increase, after they move over land. What causes such a storm to lose energy rapidly is the intermixing of air masses within it, while a hurricane can sustain the same minimum central pressure for up to 5 days.

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Rabbit, Beware My Rabbits If your only experience of rabbits is as a pet that you keep in a hutch, feed and water and give an occasional cuddle, then snaring rabbits may seem to be a controversial subject. I had rabbits as a child (ten, in fact, all at once) and then as a parent, my children have had them as pets, too. It‟s easy to see the appeal; they‟re cute and easy to look after, don‟t need walking twice a day and small children can get involved in taking care of them. The farmer, landowner or even the conservationist may have a very different opinion of their wild cousins, which are officially classed as “vermin”. The damage and expense they can cause to crops and the modification to the landscape they can bring about when in large numbers, is substantial. That said, they can also be of benefit to an ecosystem, by maintaining a short sward grassland where it is required, such as on chalk downland, allowing many plants and invertebrates to thrive. Nonetheless, they have no legal protection and can be taken at any time of year.

the landowner‟s permission. If you were to be caught snaring an animal on land you have no right to be on, it could be regarded as poaching. Snares are effective for catching rabbits and squirrels, either as a form of pest control or for food, and are considered humane and lawful if they are properly set. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 the use of a 'self-locking' snare is illegal. A self-locking snare is a wire loop that continues to tighten by a ratchet action as the animal struggles. Free-running snares can be set lawfully. With this type, the wire loop relaxes when the animal stops pulling. I will describe two kinds of free-running snare. The first is the loose snare that comes in the form of

Apart from the economic damage, the reason rabbits are considered a pest can be one of health and safety. Horses are sometimes prone to jolting ankles in the shallow scrapes dug by rabbits. I declared recently to a campsite owner that I was showing some course students how to lay snares and recognise the beats etc. He welcomed me with open arms, as he was overrun with rabbits and also granted permission to shoot at the site too! The open field was covered in scrapes and dips and he was concerned about the possibility of the scouts, who use the site, hurting themselves.

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Snares As most of you will be aware, bushcraft and outdoor living skills require practice, but especially snaring or trapping. A high proficiency is required so that no unnecessary suffering is brought upon any animal. You must keep within the law and acquire

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Photos © Des Portelli

The rabbit is nothing if not resilient, however. It survived an attempt at eradication by biological warfare in the 1950s, when myxomatosis was deliberately introduced into the environment. And of course, they are renowned as prolific breeders. They are also an important component in the food webs of foxes, stoats, buzzards and formerly, human beings. Though less important as food today, they still have their place on the table of country folk, not to mention bushcrafters. All of this is as a result of deliberate introduction into these islands as a food resource, by the Normans in the 12th Century.

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Photo © Steve Kirk

Snare Des Portelli several strands of brass wire with an eyelet and green cord attached. The loose snares are a better option for your survival kit, as they can be coiled and tucked away in it or your possible pouch and they don‟t take up much room, so you could carry several. When you want to use one just uncoil it, pulling the wire out of the noose place your foot on the string stranded end, grasp the other end with your hand then run a length of wood up and down the wire. This technique will remove any kinks in the wire and will also give the noose the characteristic loop. You can use snares when they are shiny new but some

Selecting a site to place snares can be done a few weeks in advance by going for a casual recce and looking for the fresh signs of rabbit activity. Binoculars can be handy at this stage, or an impromptu stalking exercise. Look for fresh rabbit droppings and rabbit runs. These are the pathways that camouflage and provide the rabbit with some cover and security at field edges or hedge lines. Just a slight disturbance and the rabbit makes a hasty retreat back into cover. Bear in mind they are pretty low in the food chain, so they‟re on code red alert at all times – ears listening, nose sniffing the air and large eyes scanning the area. When retreating, the white fluffy underside of the tail is made more apparent, flashed as a warning signal to others. A thumping of the hind legs alerts other rabbits in the vicinity to danger.

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Once you have sussed out where the runs and pathways are have a look at one (preferably not on the one you intend to set a snare or you will leave lots of scent that will disturb the animal). On closer inspection you will see small areas of flat grass and slightly larger spots of flat grass. The smaller is normally as it bounces from beat to beat, the larger is when it stops to have a “look-see”. Views may differ about where to site your snare and how many fingers wide it should be etc. but from personal experience I tend to use the following .With practice you may find your own techniques and I‟m still learning and improving my technique all the time. I will either set on the small beats so as the rabbit enters the beat, the noose will catch around the rabbits head or I will set between the small beats. As always, practice.

TRAPPING SKILLS

people wash them in soda crystals and then boil them up in a collection of old teabags to subdue the visibility first. You can fashion a tealer pin (this is what holds the snares up off the ground) from a length of hazel or other available wood. The length should be around 9 inches (22.5cm) or so. Drill a hole at one end big enough to take the wire of the snare, and at the other, shape into a point. The noose of the snare should be set so the noose runs over the top of the wire and not from underneath. Attach a suitable peg to stake it firmly into the ground. The second type is a professional snare, which comes complete with brass snare, tealer pin, retaining rope and wooden stake.

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chew off their own limbs to escape a snare. In addition, snares do not necessarily strangle the animal, they just hold it fast. Rabbits will try to hide themselves under grass in the hope of not being found. Clearly this causes stress and prolonged suffering if left undiscovered for any length of time. They are also easy pickings for predators such as foxes, mink, stoats and even birds of prey. Even worse is catching an animal that was not your intended target, whether wild or domestic. This is one reason why snares are disliked by many people. So make sure you site them appropriately. Then comes the character building bit. If you are lucky to have caught a rabbit, more often than not it will be still alive, so you will need to dispatch the animal quickly and humanely. This can be done in a number of different ways, for which it would be advisable at this point to wear a pair of stout gloves, for your own safety. One way is grip the rabbit behind the neck, place your hand under its chin and swiftly pull the chin back breaking its neck. Alternatively, use a priest. This is a specially designed tool, weighted at one end and this can be brought down sharply behind the rabbits head. Though it may seem a little barbaric, you are trying to reduce as much stress to the rabbit as possible.

A rabbit’s ‘beat’ A rabbit runs with its ears sticking up. The ears will occasionally drop down when it is trying to evade a predator and sprinting for dear life but, in general, the ears will be up more than they are down. With this in mind, a snare noose the size of my fist is approximately 4 inches (10cm). Many rabbit trappers use the technique of the noose being the size of your fist and four fingers high. I prefer to do it this way: The base of the rabbit‟s jaw to the tips of its ears can be around 6 inches (15cm), so the noose needs to be around 5 to 7.5 inches (12.519cm) in diameter. The bottom of the noose needs to be of a height of around 5.5 inches (14cm) from the ground. As you become a successful trapper you may find your own rule of thumb. Try to avoid disturbing the runs as much as possible. If you can set around 10 when you are practicing make a physical note of where they are draw and a sketch in a notebook or even take pictures on a phone. Placing markers near the set snares can be useful; feathers are a good example or even wooden pegs with a small drop of orange paint. Whatever you use make sure you collect them all in. I once found a snare with a plastic orange peg attached; never understood that one.

The

Once the snares are set (try and have them in place by early morning) you have a responsibility to check on them at regular intervals; in the evening and again first thing in the morning through to last light and so on. If for some reason you cannot keep checking your traps, pull them up for another snaring trip. Do not leave them sited for days unchecked. Rabbits have been known to

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Practicing the techniques required to catch a rabbit in this way will make you become more aware and help you develop the skills to become proficient at it. It is important to stay within the law, too. If you do it badly and others find out, some people may take a very dim view of what you do, whether it is legal or not. Don‟t forget, not everyone is a bushcrafter or lives close to nature.

Spot the snare

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Cook Wild with Carol Hunt

COOK WILD

Winter Fare So here we are again. Winter, and the foraging is scarce – or is it? The real point about foraging for me, is not to just go actively searching for the exotic or unusual, however thrilling it may be to find and use something different, but to fully appreciate and to make the best use of what is seasonally available. Of course, in winter there often isn't a great deal of variety to be had, particularly in the area of fresh greenstuff, so it's very much a question of being aware of what's reliable, what you can do with what you find, and generally making the most varied use of the harvest you can get that matters. I am fortunate enough to have quite a variety of accessible habitats – from field and woodland margins to tidal estuary and marshland – and my local geology is predominantly chalk and light alluvial soils. This is worth mentioning because, of course, it may mean that I will have plants available to me that you will not. In my locality, for example, during the winter months, I'm invariably lucky enough to find fresh Alexanders shoots re-growing from their basal rosettes, and copious amounts of Sea Beet which have gradually moved inland from the river estuary nearby. They're both good, tasty and reliable winter greens and it would be daft to dismiss them just because they're common.

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I have some rabbits, too. Yes, I could do the usual pie or stew, both good wholesome winter fare but I fancy something a little different. Marinated rabbit served with beans and greens fits just nicely. Chunky and flavourful and very easy to make either at home, or in the field over an open fire. If you take a little time over the preparation, this winter menu should offer plenty to keep you warm.

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Cep Soup

Cep Soup (Serves 4) A richly, mushroomy/earthy soup that is remarkably easy to make using dried Ceps harvested earlier in the season. 200g dried Ceps (Boletus edulis), chopped roughly 1 medium onion, finely minced 2 tbsp oil 1.5 ltrs stock - In this instance I used a stock made from the left over rabbit carcass, but chicken/beef/vegetable are all suitable. 300ml carton double cream 2 cloves garlic, crushed Salt and pepper to season Soak the Ceps overnight in just enough warm water to soften them. In a deep saucepan, gently fry the onions and garlic over a low heat until they are fragrant, transparent and soft. Do not let them burn as it will spoil the flavour of the soup.

Using a stick blender, puree the soup base until it becomes thick, smooth and creamy (if you are cooking in the wild, mince the Ceps as finely as possible before adding them to the onions and garlic - the result will be a coarser textured, more rustic soup but it will be just as pleasing & tasty).

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Add the cream and stir well, seasoning the soup to your taste. Serve with garlic croutons or bread and butter.

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All photos ÂŠ Carol Hunt

Add the soaked Ceps to the pan, reserving the soaking water and cook them in the onion and garlic mix for a few moments. Gently pour the water that the Ceps were soaked in into the pan with the other ingredients taking care to keep back the dregs which may contain traces of grit - discard this.

Forager's Yuletide Mincemeat Morsels

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Acorn Oatcake Crackers Crispy thin acorn and oat wafers flavoured variously with sage-like Ground Ivy, aromatically spicy Alexanders leaves and peppery Alexanders seed (or use a little of whatever flavoursome herbs you have to hand) - these combine well with savoury or sweet toppings. 120g finely minced, leached acorns (For the method of leaching, see the magazine blog pages) 120g plain wholemeal flour 120g whole oatmeal 85g vegetable shortening

1 handful of washed and finely shredded Ground Ivy leaves 2 sprigs of Alexanders leaves, washed and finely shredded 2 tablespoons dried Alexanders seeds, finely ground Salt and pepper to season Cold water to mix Mix the acorns, oats and flour in a bowl. Season with a mere pinch or two of salt and fresh ground pepper. Rub in the vegetable shortening until you have a mixture a little like breadcrumbs and then stir in the shredded or crushed flavourings making sure that everything is evenly distributed. Add just enough cold water to bind the mixture together into a soft dough (don't add too much or it will become sticky and hard to work with). Sprinkle a layer of oats thinly over a flat board and divide the dough into small balls (about the size of a small walnut is ideal). Place a ball of the dough onto the layer of oats and roll each ball as thinly as you can with a rolling pin (a well floured, straight sided glass bottle also works for this). Make sure to turn them as you work so that the oats are pressed into both sides.

Acorn Oatcake Crackers

Put each oatcake onto a hot griddle and cook until they become crispy but don't let them burn. Allow to cool, then serve with strong cheese, pate or sweet toppings.

Forager's Yuletide Mincemeat Morsels

2 tsp Ground allspice

Quick puff pastry morsels packed with flavoursome and fruity wild hedgerow produce.

Half tsp Grated fresh nutmeg

100g Dried wilding apple rings, coarsely chopped 200g Candied rosehips*, coarsely chopped 100g Sloe berries salvaged from your sloe gin* making, with the stones removed 1 Medium sized tart wilding apple, grated 120g Soft dark brown sugar Grated zest and juice of 1 orange 120g Vegetable suet 120g Sultanas 50g Wild walnuts, chopped coarsely

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the brandy and sloe gin and mix everything thoroughly. Cover the bowl and set aside in a cool place (overnight is ideal). Heat your oven to the lowest setting available (A quarter gas mark, 225째F or 120째C maximum). Cover the bowl with foil or an ovenproof lid and place in the oven for at least 2 to 3 hours during which time the suet will melt and float on the surface of the mix. This is a little disconcerting but don't panic, you need this liquid fat to coat the ingredients thoroughly, so as the mixture cools stir everything well from time to time, until it has completely cooled and the suet has been blended right in. Now is the time to add the brandy and sloe gin, again stirring everything well. Pot the mincemeat mixture into sterilised jars and leave to mature for several weeks before using. It is best used within 12 months, although if potted and stored correctly it may well keep for longer. Use the mincemeat in pastry parcels, tarts and pies - I kept it simple by making little parcels with squares of puff pastry, these can easily be baked in a dutch oven or a conventional oven.

50g Hazelnuts, chopped coarsely 60ml Brandy 30ml Rosehip syrup* 30ml Sloe gin (you can use the dregs from your sloe gin making)

*(for the method of making these see the Bushcraft Magazine's blog pages ) http://www.bushcraft-magazine.co.uk/blog/

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50g Chestnuts, chopped coarsely

Half tsp Ground cinnamon

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Bacon Lardons and White Beans with Alexanders Marinated and Griddled Rabbit

wrap a piece of bacon around each one, securing it with one or two skewers. Baste the portion with a little more marinade and place on the griddle to cook, turning occasionally and pouring a little of the marinade and juices over it each time. Meanwhile, you can cook the vegetable accompaniments between pauses for basting and turning the meat.

Buttered Sea Beet with toasted Hazelnuts: 1 kilo Sea Beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima) leaves, de-stalked and washed, then coarsely chopped A very generous knob of butter (50g is ideal) Freshly squeezed lemon juice 200g sliced and toasted hazelnuts Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to season

Buttered Sea Beet with toasted Hazelnuts

Place the sliced hazelnuts in a dry pan, keeping them moving until every piece has taken on colour and become nicely toasted and crisp, then set them aside to cool.

Marinated and Griddled Rabbit (Serves 4) Serve with buttered sea beet and toasted hazelnuts, and bacon lardons with white beans and Alexanders. 2 whole wild rabbits, skinned and jointed The grated zest and juice of 2 lemons 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 500ml olive oil 1 medium to hot chilli, de-seeded and finely minced 2 tbsp rosehip syrup (for the recipe see the website blog pages)

In a large pan over a moderate heat gently melt the butter and add the chopped sea beet in batches, making sure that everything is well covered with butter and softening down before adding more. Now keep stirring and cooking until the beet leaves are nicely softened and just lightly cooked. They should still be a nice deep and vibrant green. Cover the pan and keep the sea beet warm, do not add the toasted hazelnuts or season with the lemon juice until you are ready to serve. Now go back and check your rabbit pieces again turning and basting them as necessary, then continue preparing your accompaniments

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 4 tbsp honey

Bacon Lardons and White Beans with Alexanders :

1 pack of smoked dry cured bacon (or Prosciutto)

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed

1 large bunch of finely chopped Wild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus ) or Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare). Use 3 tbsp dried herbs, if fresh material is not to be found

400g bacon lardons

Salt and pepper to season

1 small glassful of white wine

Blend all of the marinade ingredients in a deep bowl then add the jointed rabbit pieces mixing them well in and making sure that all surfaces of the joints are completely covered with the mixture. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave in the fridge overnight. The next day when you are ready to cook, if you are cooking over an open fire remember to wait until you have good hot embers that are not smoking before placing a wire rack or griddle over them. You can also cook this dish in a medium oven at home, but remember to turn and baste the joints from time to time and don't let them drown in any juices as you want a coating of marinade and herbs to form on the meat.

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To cook, remove the rabbit pieces from the marinade and

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1 handful of Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) leaves, washed and minced Fry off the lardons in a hot pan until they are just coloured and crispy, then throw in the Alexanders leaves and briefly stir everything together. Add the beans and the wine, and continue to stir everything so that it is evenly warmed through. Cover the pan with a lid and keep the contents warm until you are ready to serve. Now check that the rabbit pieces are cooked through. A rough cooking guide on a griddle would be saddle - 20 minutes approx., leg and shoulder pieces - 35 minutes approx. Serve the rabbit joints immediately, laid on a bed of hot buttered Sea Beet and hot bacon lardons with white beans and Alexanders.

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Bushcraft Magazine

A Hardwood Spoon Made Paul Bradley

One of the first things to consider when spoon carving is wood selection. Most woods are suitable for carving but some will lend themselves better than others. I prefer to carve green, fresh-cut wood; it is easier to work, the cuts are more controllable and the wood less inclined to splinter.

you have avoided any nasty knots and twists when you first selected your wood. You will probably find that the two halves will have a twist; wood rarely grows straight and tends to grow with a bit of a spiral. To make life easier for ourselves it's better to have a nice flat surface to work from so we now remove the high corners of the twist to bring everything reasonably flat.

A suitable length of knot-free Hazel could provide three or four spoons. When you split it down the centre...

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Favourites are birch, Hazel, fruit tree woods and Ash. Ash Fraxinus excelsior wood is a lot harder than the others but I find it gives nice grain patterns and is worth the effort. Other good beginner woods are willow and poplar. Woods like Oak, Elm, Walnut and Beech, although capable of producing fine spoons, are very hard and thereby not suitable for inexperienced carvers. If you are planning to actually use your spoon it would be well to avoid poisonous woods, such as Yew Taxus baccata and Laburnum Laburnum anagyroides!

... you will probably find your wood has a twist.

Remove the high corners, split again if necessary and draw out your spoon.

Next we draw the shape of our spoon on the wood. This can be done by drawing round an existing spoon we like, say from our kitchen drawer, or just making one up as we go. I find that the best shape for an eating spoon resembles the shape of an egg with the point at the front. This gives a shallow front and deep back to the bowl with an aesthetically pleasing shape.

How you acquire your wood is something that should be given careful thought. I would not like to encourage casual vandalism of trees just for the sake of a spoon. There are usually plenty of trees being pruned, taken down by tree surgeons etc. that free material to carve should be abundant. Other places to acquire wood are just after the local farmer has thrashed the hedgerows, there are often large pieces laying around and shredded branches hanging off the tree. You would be doing the tree a service if you were to take a saw and trim the branch back beyond the mess made by the flail. The odd length taken from a coppice stool, which naturally regenerates, also does little harm and provides one of my favourite woods, Hazel. Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa is also good.

Then we remove excess wood from around our outline in whatever way we prefer, be it with a saw, axe or knife. My personal preference is the knife, but I am not adverse to using an axe with larger spoons. There are only about five or so cuts used when I carve a spoon and very soon you have a spoon-shaped piece of wood. In this roughing out stage itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s better to keep everything square in the same plane and not try to put in any rounded edges. It's very easy if you do, to lose track of angles and end up with things in the wrong plane and twisted.

Having obtained your material, cut it to a suitable length, perhaps an inch or two longer than your planned spoon. Look at the end grain and decide where you want to split it; consider things like side shoots, offset centre pith etc. Place your knife where you intend to split it and give it a sharp tap with your basher. It should split relatively easily as long as

In shaping around the bowl remember that you must be aware at all times of the grain and in which direction it is running. When cutting a curve, you must cut what is termed downhill, i.e. across the face of the grain, never uphill, or into the grain, as the knife will try to follow the grain and split the wood.

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When carving with shaped spoon knives, it is well to remember that the cuts should all be across the grain and a scooping action used. This will give you the smoothest and cleanest cuts. If you try to cut with the grain, you will only experience frustration and angst. The wood will splinter and pull out and occasionally the end of your spoon splits off! Once you are happy with the bowl it's time to go back and start refining the spoon. Work the back of the bowl down to match the inner shape, feeling often with fingers either side to judge thickness and evenness. Leave about an eighth of an inch rim still square around the bowl. The transition from bowl to handle is very important; you want it thin and delicate-looking but not so thin that it snaps. A way to achieve this is to create a sort of keel, whereby the handle has more depth rather than width. This keel runs down the underneath of the handle and blends into the back of

Remove excess wood from around the outline, however you prefer.

When roughing out, keep everything square even when ‘rounding’.

Cut across the grain when carving the bowl. Carve the back after this stage.

When refining the spoon, a keel helps strengthen the transition from bowl to handle.

the bowl. This gives strength where it is needed but allows it to be thinner across the width. The keel tapers out further up the handle where it widens at the end. This is the end that you can shape imaginatively and carve your own designs etc. As long as it is comfortable to hold, the handle can be any shape you desire. Mine tend to be simple, paddleshaped or rounded. When you are satisfied with the shape and design, it is time to finish the spoon. You can either leave it with all the tool and knife marks and just ease the edges by taking the corners off at 45 degrees or you can sand it. Not sanding has the benefit of leaving a nice crisp shape if your carving is up to the job, but sanding will hide all those little digs and imperfections. I often compromise and sand the inner bowl only to make it more comfortable to eat with. Sanding all over will give a softer more rounded spoon that has its own beauty. A spoon of this size will only take a day or two to fully dry and then it can be oiled. I like to use walnut oil, but any setting oil, such as linseed is fine. It's preferable not to use vegetable or olive oils as they don't set hard and can go rancid over time. Boiled linseed oil, Danish oil etc. all contain added hardeners that may be toxic, which you may not want on a spoon that goes in your mouth. Hence my preference for walnut or food grade linseed oils.

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At this stage, rather than „tidying up‟ and turning to shaping the back of the bowl, experience has taught me to start carving out the bowl itself. When I first started carving I used to do it the other way around – carve a really nice spoon, handle and back all finished, and then carve the bowl. Invariably I ended up with either a too thick or too deep bowl. In trying to match the shape of the back of the finished bowl it is very easy to carve too deep. You end up with a spoon in which your top lip cannot get to the bottom of the bowl. Disaster! So now I like to carve the bowl when the rest of the spoon is still in the square as it were. This way I am not trying to force the bowl into any previous shape and can aim for the perfect shape and shallow depth required for a good, comfortable eating spoon.

TRADITIONAL SKILLS

Photos © Steve Kirk

Easy

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Over the years I have accumulated a large selection of spoon carver tools from a variety of makers... Carving Knives. ErikFrost Although I have a couple of custom carving knives, or sloyd knives as they are known, the best value is actually a mass-produced one from Frostâ&#x20AC;&#x;s of Mora. They are made of a laminated steel, a hard core with a softer cladding either side, and come in a variety of sizes and handle designs. The most popular and versatile is the model 106. For those that like a shorter blade there is the model 120 and for a thicker handle the model 105. These can be found for as little as ÂŁ12.95 from various suppliers such as Moonraker Knives. These are superb knives at a superb price. http://www.moonrakerknives.co.uk

Erik Frost Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Frost spoon knives. Although cheap and of the same quality as the sloyds, the mass-produced process leaves an awkward undesirable double bevel and a concave back. This means the knife can't ride smoothly on the wood at the bottom of the bowl, it's always riding on its cutting edge and the sharp back edge alone. With a little patience and effort they can be made to perform better by sanding/grinding the back edge and polishing the back of the blade to achieve a single polished bevel.

Nic Westermann Fawcett finishing blades These are my current favourites and seem to be sharper and retain their edge better that any others that I have, at present. They are of a laminated steel construction and hand-forged. The shape in profile is that classic egg shape I strive for in my bowls. Nic supplies them without handles. I like this as it allows me to carve the handle to my own preferred and comfortable shape. A superb tool at a reasonable price. Nic also does other roughing out shapes and sloyd knives. http://www.nicwestermann.co.uk

Del Stubbs These are a little more expensive than the Westermann blades but come fully handled and polished, with the bevel being a continuous curve from front to back, again a lovely shape to the blade. Del also does other styles and sloyd knives to complement your collection.

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http://pinewoodforge.com

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The Right Tool for the Task Hans Karlsson Photos ÂŠ Paul Bradley

I got these after seeing them when I went on Robin Wood's spoon carving course. A very nice set of knives with an almost semicircular curve. Great for larger bowls, ladles and kuksas. A little hard to find but can be found at http://www.woodsmithstore.co.uk

Svante Djarve These were the first spoon knives I bought a long time ago now, very good for the price but I find the hook too small and tight these days. Still good for things like salt spoons though. Very similar in shape and size to the Ben Orford knives. Again both available at the Woodsmith Store and other locations.

Dorset Woodland Blades (Duncan) Duncan is an engineer rather than a blacksmith and it shows in his designs. The handles are ergonomic and the blades have a complex curve that lends itself well to all aspects of bowl and spoon carving. The shaped handles can be a little limiting but Duncan has refined and improved the handles since I had these. http://www.dorsetwoodlandblades.co.uk/greenwoodworking.htm

Dave Budd I also have a small hook made by Dave Budd, it works really well and I know that Dave has been working on other shapes and designs. http://www.davebudd.com

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There are plenty of other makers of fine blades out there, find them and try them if you can. Find what works and is best for you. If you come along to one of our spooncarving courses you will get the opportunity to try all of the above knives.

Bushcraft Magazine

Since the standardisation of the stars into agreed constellation patterns and boundaries, by modern astronomers, the stars and their stories have become INUIT STAR NAMES fixed to the Greek model. While these tales, especially the originals, are fascinating in themselves, their influence on how we might interpret the stars, is perhaps, disproportionate. Other nations, peoples, tribes and races have stories of their own and depict the constellations with a fresh palette drawn from their own earthly experiences, preoccupations and sense of place. Take the Inuit, and related tribes, for example; a diversity of indigenous peoples spread around the top of the globe and bound together by a challenging polar lifestyle. Whilst culturally they have much in common, over their range they also differ (as well as agree) significantly in dialect, language and stories, reflecting different origins and local circumstance. Consider the Arctic night sky, so different from our own. Throughout the winter the sun does not rise far and for some days, not at all. Twilight then, occurs at noon. At 70°N, the stars revolve clockwise in a circle around the Pole Star, which is 70° above the horizon, itself, or at the North Pole proper, directly overhead. To the South, a wedge of sky, no higher than a hand held flat upright at arm‟s length, shows any new stars as the seasons change. Much of the time, of course, the Northern Lights are dancing and turning the sky and snowy ground green. The moon and planets behave strangely, too. The slowmoving outer planets, notably Saturn and Jupiter, may disappear from view for years at a stretch when they occupy that part of the ecliptic that does not rise above the horizon, so far North. Being opposite the sun, the full moon rises high overheard in the winter, when the sun is very low and in some places for some of the time it may never set during its fullest phases. This all assumes clear skies for observing, of course, and in the Arctic that is far from guaranteed. Conversely, in the summer, the sky does not darken enough to see the stars hardly at all, and depending how far North you are the sun continues to shine at midnight for one or more days each year. On the whole not good for star-gazing, then. Take a look at the stars in the map. You will see familiar constellations, roped together with faint lines for ease of recognition. The names, and their associated stories, however, are quite unlike what we are used to.

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Singuuriq is known to us as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. In mid January, to the Inuit living south of 73° North, it becomes visible above the horizon for a short

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STAR LORE

go back for it. It must also serve as a constant reminder of the precarious nature of Polar life. Qangiammaariik is part of the same tale. Orion‟s sword is a group of children bringing warm clothes of caribou skin to their fathers (or uncles), because they have started to become cold during their neverending chase across the sky. The children are made fuzzy by the furs they are carrying.

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Qilugtuusat is the Greenland Inuit name for the Pleiades and is again concerned with a Polar Bear hunt. The stars of Orion are not involved in their star story. Qilugtuusat are the 'baying dogs', surrounding the bear (the brightest star in the cluster) and letting out the special barks, signifying for the hunter that they have it at bay. North Canadian time where it flashes brilliant colours. Singuuriq means „like Inuit perceive this grouping as Sakiattiak, „the breastbone‟. a flickering lamp‟. In the Western Arctic this star was called In this case, the breastbone belongs to the Ringed Seal and is „Red fox and white Fox‟, Kajuqtuq Tiriganniarlu, because made up of nine small bones. It is a test of the eyesight to the twinkling colour changes conjure an image of two determine them all. fighting, tumbling foxes at the entrance to a fox-hole, showing first the colour of one then the other. Quturjuuk. Above the left shoulder of Orion hangs the constellation Gemini, the Twins. Above his head is the fiveAkuttujuuk . Although Betelgeuse and Bellatrix are the sided shape of Auriga, the Charioteer. All over the Arctic, shoulders of Orion to us, they are Akuttujuuk to the Inuit – the brightest stars in these two groups – Castor and Pollux in 'those two placed far apart'. Their significance is that when Gemini and Capella and Menkalinan in Auriga – are they become visible in the evening twilight they indicate the perceived as Quturjuuk, 'the collarbones', of a human being, days are getting longer after the darkest season. They may be though no stories remain that are associated with them. two persons taunting each other with songs or verse, according to one tradition. Sikuliaqsiujuittuq means 'the one who never goes onto the newly formed sea-ice' and is the star Procyon in Canis Ullaktut, Kingulliq, Nanurjuk and Qimmiit. A vivid slice Minor. The story goes that an obese Inuk was too heavy to of Inuit life is spread across two constellations of the night go out on the ice and hunt and fish, so to feed himself he sky. Orion‟s Belt, to the Inuit, represents three runners in a stole the catch of other hunters. One day, however, when the hunting party in pursuit of a Polar Bear and is known as ice was thick enough to carry his weight the tribe took Ullaktut. The red star Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus, is the bloody revenge and killed him there. When Sikuliaqsiujuitbloodied bear, Nanurjuk, surrounded by a pack of dogs, tuq rises in the East in winter low over the ice it twinkles Qimmiit, in the V shape of the Hyades. Kingulliq is some with the bloody hue of the murdered man… way off. The star astronomers call Rigel (Orion‟s right foot), is „the one behind‟, a hunter who dropped his mitt and had to

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“Catch a little rabbit skin…” 2 1

So you've skinned your rabbit, cooked it and had a delicious meal. But what to do with the skin? You could throw it out, leave it for a passing fox, or you could 'cure' it and turn it into something useful.

There are various methods for curing skins, including soaking in battery acid and bran flakes, and 'brain tanning' where you rub the brains of the animal into the skin, but for this article we will concentrate on the alum method which results in a nice soft white skin. 1] The first thing to do before you begin is to wash the skin. This should be done as soon as possible after removal, to ensure that it is not stained by any residual blood. At this point, it could be put into a freezer, if you wanted to cure it at a later date.

If you don‟t remove the fatty layer the final result will be an unpleasant mottled brown hide like this, rather than the beautiful white. 7

6] Now add another 50g of alum and 30g of salt to the solution, checking that it has fully dissolved, as before. If you find it won‟t, add some warm water until it does. 7] Once it has dried out, you‟ll find it feels like a piece of cardboard. This is how it should feel. The final step is to work the skin in all directions, bending it and scrunching it up. Once it is nice and soft, you can rub some mink oil or dubbin into the skin if you like, to help preserve it.

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Now it‟s ready “to wrap your baby bunting in”!

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Place the skin back in the solution and give it a stir. Leave it for at least 2 days. Some instructions tell you to leave it for 7 days, but I have had good results leaving it for just two. The main thing is to go by the colour of the skin. If it is white and feels slightly rubbery, then you can take it out. Wash it thoroughly and leave it to dry for 2-3 days. If you find it starts to bobble as it dries, on the skin side, place it back in the solution for another day or two.

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Kieron Stewart 2] Through some experimentation, I‟ve found that you need around 100g of alum and at least half that amount of noniodised salt per skin.

Next, dissolve 50g of alum and 30g of salt into a bucket of cold water. You need just enough water for everything to dissolve fully and to make sure that the skin will be covered. In this example I‟ve used a crushed lump of alum crystal, but it takes a long time to dissolve, so I would recommend using powder.

3] Once the alum and salt have fully dissolved, you can go ahead and add the skin. Rub the solution well in, then give it a good stir. I like to make sure that the skin is fur side up, to ensure that the underside is properly immersed, with no skin sticking up out of the water.

GAME PREPARATION

4] Place the bucket out of the way and leave it overnight. 5

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5] After that, you can strip off the fatty layer. Wash the skin in cold water. Keep the solution, as you‟ll need it again soon. Begin at the rump end of the skin, and very carefully tear off the layer of fat. It should separate quite easily, but there are always problem areas that require a small knife. If you pull too hard on these areas, it will tear a hole right through the skin, so you will need a great deal of patience. I found it easier to let the skin dry out a bit first, as it makes the skin a bit tougher.

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d n a l p a L n i r e t Win ngton i r r a W n Kevi

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drop eratures rd p m te . d n mber23 e tober a v c o O N l in ti ll n u fa e to m s o .The gin ot c sually be inus 52°C ow did n u m sn w s e o a th sn w , e r lo Th howeve deer n be as a his year, oose, Rein rature ca M e , p x m n y te L sharply. T e , a th winter. , but Wolf attavaar the harsh ation den n h r Here in N g e u ib o r h s th sident ive ar is in it ere are re and surv th e v t li u b Brown Be st r u te m Tit, owls r the win r animals d south fo , Siberian y and othe te a a J r n ig ia m r crossbills ibe ds have dpeckers, luding; S o c o w in , Many bir , ) n k e w se does not d Ha at can be y the sun alm's an r m a g u n n e a species th T J , id rey but of at dusk, mber to m g Great G e t c in a e d D th lu e c id k li (in From m ht rather r finches. ing a lig iv g Lights. , n r and othe o e North n e horiz e th th e e v o se b a to appear ood time the north an be a g c is th y, here in r se o m e cour m g from ving ove freezin ldest in li b o a c g e in th h s c , wa t period, s not rea r,2010/11 perature uring tha m D te . Last winte h h c it r w a us 20 d, fM h Laplan inning o tween min g e e b b e e r e th w of Swedis s ber to rees. perature le of Octo us 40 deg daily tem in f o m y the midd d it n r a jo s and bethe ma degree t of snow lo a o ls a s s There wa e snow wa so cold th s a w o it l ave n. cause cult to tr fi if d d n a would powdery s or skis I e o sh w o sn king it Even with snow, ma e th to in t sink deep en a shor travel ev to g e was il in b r o owm very ti sn a g n si and u use of the distance ible beca ss o p im y all also virtu itions. d snow con us 15 below min o g s e r tu and pera ir freezes a When tem e th in moisture tiny ice degrees, shower of a s a y sk the the air, falls from oisture in m o n h it W eferred crystals. ndition r o c r e th a ture a we ck of mois la you have e th d n cold” a fortable to as “dry more com d n a r e out warm n) when provides io in p o y th s (in m our brea condition ry cold, y dry cold - breath frost on d h it W mouth, t. aves your and abou le it ly te clothing media lothing. freezes im air and c h n o st o a fr forming xtreme arm in e w g u in p e e tk lation yo ears abou es of insu y tr e e th m r ti e n v e ho w many c mount of arnt muc about ho nce, the a I have le d m ie n r a e s p e x r e when I a n my mperatu example, r rature. I o e F p winter te f . m o g te t idual thin er amoun t a certain uch thick very indiv require a m a a is e d ir e u eat when req n requir t not to sw ) she will n e é ta c r insulatio n o p a fi t is also im Teres (my than I. I out with m r a w p e n to ke insulatio

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mid winter with no sun above horizon

out at extrem e temperature s as moisture heat away fr in your cloth om your bod ing draws y. When trave clothes to be ll in g, I wear just warm, but not enough hot, relying m the energy th ainly on the at my body g h ea t from enerates when stop to rest or active and th eat, I put on en when I more layers of use merino w clothing to st ool clothing a y w arm. I a ll the time du variety of wei ring winter. ghts and gra I h ave a des that I wea wet, wool hel r in layers. Ev ps to keep you en when w arm and doe worn for seve s not tend to ral days at a sm el l when time.

WILDERNE S S W O R L D

Home insula tion here in the north is u and natural. nusual but a Sawdust and ppropriate wood shavin timber indust gs are by-pro ry. These are ducts of the dried and th cavities and en used to fill lofts as very ef wall fective insula timber-const tion. The com ructed house bination of s, wood shavi use of open fi ngs for insula re and wood ti on and the burning stov considerable es, means tha risk of house t th er e is fi re s, but it is not occurrence a such a comm s you might th on ink. Last year in December, I was invited to reindeer her an importan derâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s year. It t event in the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called Ren which basica a r Skiljning, lly means tha t after the re summer toget indeer have her as a larg spent the e herd, the an into a handli imals are rou ng facility w nded up here, as the re Sami family indeer run a removes thei ro und, each r own anima ls from the h erd to move to their winter grounds or fe ed and care for duri ng the winte r. It was impressive to see seven thou sand reindeer ente ring the han dling pen in small groups of 100 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 200 and each Sa mi family be in g able to recognize their own an im als and catch an d separate th em out. It took ten h ours to proces s all the reindeer and my job was to keep a hot fire burn ing and the co ff ee brewing.

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We regularly have reindee r around the h ouse during the winter and yo u will often se e their bottom s sticking up the snow as th out of ey dig down feet to find R using their h eindeer Moss( eads and fron C la donia sp) und t moss is really er the snow. lichen and a Reindeer s with all lich organism co ens, it is a sy mposed of a mbiotic fungus and a n alga, whic h share a

Reindeer searching for lichen

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relationship. Th e algae have ch lorophyll and ar their own food, e capable of mak while the fungus ing has spongy thre ads to support th e plant. During the man y hours of darkne ss in mid-winter the cellar carvin I spend much ti g items from wo me in od and making mum asked me kn ives. Last winter to carve her a ne Teres’ w “palt skedar”; means dumplin (translated to En g spoon). I look gl is h it ed through my pile and found a ni of split firewood ce piece of Birch. lo gs I hadn’t carved time so that part any spoons for so icular one took m e ab out 6 hours to m palt skedar has ho ake. The traditio les in it to drain nal water from the du Teres’ mums na mpling, but beca me is Anki I put use an “A” into the bottom of the sp oon. Palt is a traditio nal winter warm ing meal here. both potato palt We have and blood palt. Palt is mad e from grated potato, m ixed with flour and salt in to a stiff batter (Reindeer bl ood is added to make blood pa lt). The batter is shaped into balls (which are som etimes stuffed with pork fat), an d they are then boiled in sa lt water. Palt is eaten in combi nation with Lingon berry ja m, butter, minced beef an d/or fried pork. Leftover dumplin gs are cut into Blood dumpling cubes and fried with meat the next day.

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Christmas here is celebrated on 24th December. Ch cludes; ristmas dinner here in“Janssons Freste lse” (sliced potato es with anchovie cream and topp s and onion cook ed with bread cr ed in um bs), Ham with cl mustard and eg oves, glazed with g and covered wi th bread crumbs pepper, dill and ; “Gravad Lax” (s a little sugar be alt, tw een two fillets of tightly with clin Salmon, wrappe g-film and put d into the fridge fo nade), Capercai r three days to m llie roasted in th arie oven. And,of co urse, meatballs. At the beginnin g of February ea ch year a winter Jokkmokk called market is held in “Jokkmokk’s Mar knad”. Hundreds over the world at of people from al tend the markn l ad and I have vi last five years. It si ted every year fo is a great place r the to buy locally m products such as ade craft items birch bark cont an d ainers, knives, wo tanned reindeer oden cups, birch leather, reindeer skins, traditiona more. The markn l clothing and m ad also coincide uch s with the Nation there are many al Sámi Day and so cultural activiti es and demonstr ations includin g

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Reindeer Moss

“Joiking” (the traditional Sámi song), reindeer racing and fire making. Ice fishing is an activity enjoyed by many here, particularly towards the end of winter when the sun is a little warmer. People will sit for hours on reindeer skins, next to a small hole bored through the ice, waiting for a Perch, Pike, Grayling or Arctic Char to take the bait. Pike are discarded here, but Perch, Grayling and Char are eaten.

Jokkmokk’s Marknad

When the snow is on the ground, it is a great time to get out in the Hazel forest,tracking birds and animals. Capercaillie, Willow Grouse, are Grouse and Black Grouse spend much time on the ground and so I also aara Nattav d interesting to track. Last winter in the area aroun Dog (a found tracks of Hare, Red Squirrel, Pine Marten, Stoat, Raccoon across spread has species introduced to Russia for its fur, which Scandinavia), Wolf, and Beaver.

be I hope you have enjoyed reading about life here in Lapland .I will with writing more articles here in the future. You can keep up to date my activities via my blog www.naturallore.wordpress.com.

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Wolf tracks

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This Winter‟s Contributors Phil Ireland grew up playing in the woods and making camps. The first book he bought on bushcraft (Anthony Greenbanks, Survival for Young People) led him to a lifelong interest in all aspects of sustainable living and self reliance. After 25 years as an electronics engineer, he retrained as a countryside warden and since 2005 worked in a variety of roles for the National Trust in various woodland and garden conservation projects around Dartmoor. As a vegetarian Phil is particularly interested in edible plants from the stone age and medieval periods and the difficulty in thriving on a native vegetarian diet. He is also keen on urban bushcraft and developing the practical skills to be less reliant on the consumerism of modern society. Phil is a regular contributor to the Bushcraft Magazine. Des Portelli is a mountain leader and trainer and accredited assessor within the Duke of Edinburgh’s award. He works through Redfox Survival & Bushcraft, educating young people and allowing them the enjoyment, experience and opportunity which many seem not to have. He is to be seen tramping around the Dales, Peaks and Wales. Des currently heralds from Essex with his family.

Carol Hunt “I guess you could say I've been bushcrafting and foraging for as long as I can remember, but as a child two very fortunate things happened to me. First, I found an old book of my father's called The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore, by Ernest Thompson Seaton. A book I devoured avidly and still treasure to this day. Secondly, my father - to his eternal credit - trusted me well enough at the age of seven or eight to wander freely and explore the nearby wilds and woodlands entirely on my own. No child could have had a better introduction to the natural world. Thank you Dad.” Cool Wild with Carol Hunt is a regular feature of the magazine.

Kieron Stewart My interest in bushcraft probably started during the 3 years of my childhood when I lived in rural Sri Lanka. We lived on a coconut estate with no electricity and got our water from a well. I would spend countless hours roaming the land and would also help herd the water buffalo. This experience has given me a fascination with the land, its wildlife and with the simple living of country people, past and present. Since then, I have camped out with the army cadets and the Territorial Army, hiked the west coast of Scotland on several occasions, and enjoy learning about wild foods and ancient cultures. I currently both work and volunteer at Wildwood animal park in Kent, which has given me greater opportunities to learn about animals and bushcraft. Kevin Warrington “Prior to leaving the UK I managed three National Nature Reserves for Natural England and ran my own company called Natural Lore teaching and demonstrating traditional skills & crafts and nature awareness. In February 2010 I left the UK to begin a new life with my girlfriend Teres and her children 100km inside the Arctic Circle. We live in a small village called Nattavaara By (By meaning village in Swedish), where we now offer activities and accommodation.”

SHARING KNOWLEDGE

Paul Bradley (AKA Bardster) became involved with Viking re-enactment in 1998 and this started his love of working with leather. There weren’t many suppliers of Dark Age kit around at that time so most people made their own equipment. Since then he has amassed a large number of tools and techniques, some of which are now being passed on through our leather craft and spoon carving taster days. He is proud of the fact that his leatherwork has appeared in both museum and film.

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Contact Kevin at the Arthur Leidgren Nature Center, Dokkas, Swedish Lapland www.alnc.searthurleidgren.naturecenter@gmail.com

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The Last Word

Well back to it: I went on my holiday and my brotherin-law said he would look after my dog. One day he thought he would take the dog up on the mountain, because that‟s what I always did…but that dog I used for my hunting/shooting and he was quickly in his element and on the trail of a rabbit. After flushing it Here is a little story involving my late brother in-law, out, there was no “Bang”, so he went on and caught it, Emyr. He had no interest in the outdoors, nature and performing a perfect retrieve. Not understanding that wildlife at all, unless it played with a ball. Now, sport the dog retrieved to hand, Emyr went through every was another thing. Ask him a question on football or word he could think of to get the dog to drop, plus a his beloved bowls and he would have held his own on few I think the dog had no chance of understanding, „Question of Sport‟, any day. I recall sitting in his (Welsh, I mean) but the dog still held on to the rabbit. lounge many years ago, when he lived in West Wales, In desperation, he put the dog on the lead, took him and I spotted a Red Kite through the lounge window. I back to the car, drove down to the car park in leapt up (I could leap back then) really excitedly Aberystwyth and, embarrassingly, walked the dog, shouting, “There‟s a Red Kite!” Now, you must still holding the rabbit through the town centre to the remember, back then they were guarded by the shop where his wife worked. My sister calmly held out Ghurkas, they were so rare. He replied “I`ve heard a her hand and said “Leave, Scot.” and to Emyr`s lot of people making a fuss of them. I don`t astonishment the dog did exactly that. understand. It‟s only a bird.”

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Lloyd Hooper

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Back Issues

Spring 2009 Birch Polypore Paper & Ink-cap Ink. 7 Safe Knife Cuts. Portable Porridge. Hunter-gatherer’s Year Spring. Cockle Collecting. Wild Brews. Hogweed Heaven.

Spring 2010 Spring Tonic, Spring Leaves. Alchemy with Wood - Charcoal Burning. Make a Kelly Kettle Stand. Death By Leaf? Fishing for Rays. Figure of 8 Loop & the Bowyer’s Knot. Anglo-Saxon 9 Herbs Charm. The Humble Dandelion

Summer 2008 Tipi Magic. Bush Bites. Filtering and Purifying Water. Give Me Shelter. Hey, Hey, It’s A Haybox. Cross-Log Fire. How atlatls are made.

Summer 2009 Beach Bounty. Cold Smoking. Forging a striker. Hunter-gatherer’s Year Summer. The Falconer’s Knot. Leave Only a Trail! Make Your own Sea Salt. Super Sow-thistles.

Summer 2010 To Make A Waxed Leather Flacket. Eating Insects. Understanding Umbellifers. Home-made Firelighters. Drowning. Punkie Dope. Hedgerow Brews. Car Wheel Forge. Drying Herbs and Seaweeds. Home-made Charcoal

Autumn 2008 Pardon Me for Being a Boar. Sharp Tool Safety. Fishing for Sea Bass. Charcloth. Edible Berries. Improvised Bamboo Cane Bow. Learn and Earn Your Mushroom Lunch.

Autumn 2009 Wash Like a Nomad. A Fistful of Fungi. Bush Wines. The Taut-line Hitch. Natural Navigation. Make a Pothanger. Hunter-gatherer’s Year Autumn.

Autumn 2010 Eat a bolete. Wild at Heart. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Bottling Fruit. Tasty Trail Treats. Iconic Animals - The Raven. Top 10 Tinders. How to Prepare Herbal Medicines. Natural Healing.

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Winter 2008/09 Backyard Bushcraft. Dye Another Day. Huntergatherer’s Year - Winter. Tree of Life. Neanderthals. Make Your own Leather Sheath. How to Pluck a Pheasant.

Winter 2009/10 Working with a Ferret. Hypothermia. The Timber Hitch with the Killick Hitch. Modern Flame Generation. Skinning a Rabbit. National Trust Forest School. Natural Navigation. Tracking Badgers in Snow.

Winter 2010/11 Living in a Swedish Forest. Ötzi lives. Tree -felling. Cook Wild. Fire-lighting with Jute Cord, Flint and Steel. Water Witching. Making Moccasins, step-by -step.

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Spring 2008 Harebrained. Foraging For A Full Belly. Water of Life. How to Make Your own Knife part 2. Bushbites. Finding Lugworm for Bait. Eating Squirrel.

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