Category: Survival Blog

My mid-May 2024 weekend survival class was quite an adventure! Shout out to Tammy, Steve and Aaron. The weekend was packed full of valuable skills and memorable experiences! Students learned essential survival techniques in a fun and engaging environment, showing once again that Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and beginners alike.… Read more

On Wednesday May 8, 2024 I went up to Stony Lake and taught a one day survival course at Camp Miniwanca. In attendance were ten eighth graders all the way from Kansas City. It was a good experience. We covered survival needs in the wilderness, safe knife handling, primitive fire, shelter building, tripod building and… Read more

I recently received a shipment of chert. In the video I make sparks using a steel striker and a piece of chert. I used this chert to practice primitive fire with a group of kids from Kansas City who were staying at a camp in Stony Lake, MI. I will also be using this chert… Read more

Today (April 2024) I did a video on the edible and medicinal uses of Purple Dead Nettle (PDN) as part of my series on Youtube called the Bushcrafter’s Pharmacy. PDN is an early plant, usually arriving in April. Due to it being an early plant it is a harbinger of spring. PDN usually is seen… Read more

Today I got to thinking about the many uses of Cattail. I have been to many survival schools and at one of them, the survival instructor pulled up a Cattail, peeled off the long leaves and had us eat the raw stalk. I actually did not mind the taste; I put some salt on my… Read more

Disclaimer, I am not a doctor or pharmacist; this information is for educational purposes only. Try them at your own risk. Now, let’s dive into it. Just a couple of weeks ago I had the flu pass through my household. I am subsequently finishing a video about cold and flu medicine. In the beginning of… Read more

In addition to running a survival school, I am a supervisor in a state agency and was recently in leadership training. In this training, I got into a conversation with one of the Lansing trainers after she mentioned that she runs a veterans treatment group. This greatly peaked my interest. I told her how I… Read more

Over time I have experimented with various different tinder material while out in the wild. Most tinders in the wild can fit into 1 of three categories: inner/outer bark of trees, woody stalks/outer fibers, light fluffy material/seed heads. In the first category of inner and outer tree barks, in particular I like: cedar, willow, paper… Read more

When carving feathersticks for fire lighting, I have found that the best woods to use are similar to wood you would use for a bowdrill set. Like with a bow drill set, I have had good luck making feathersticks from cedar, willow and certain types of pine. I have been told that Sweet Chestnut, Sycamore… Read more