Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute

Survival Blog

Here is where I discuss everything related to survival, bushcraft, and Arcturus Primitive Skills Institute.

Wild foraging in july

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Today in late July I did a plant walk, in which I found Ghost Pipe, Mullein, St. John’s Wort, and Rose Campion. I posted a YouTube short giving a brief overview of their medicinal qualities. I will admit I was a little surprised to find Ghost Pipe this late in the season as I usually … Read more

Survival weekend-may 2024

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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

Survival Workshop-Camp Miniwanca May 8, 2024

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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

chert

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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

purple dead nettle

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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

cattail

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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

Veterans groups

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Veteran’s groups: Besides running a survival school, I am a supervisor in a state agency and was recently in leadership training. During this training, I talked with one of the Lansing trainers after she mentioned that she runs a veterans treatment group. This greatly piqued my interest. I told her about my survival and wilderness … Read more

Best tinder material in the wild

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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

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