Archive for April, 2010
Wilderness Navigation course feedback
Students on our Wilderness Navigation Course
Alexis, a recent student of our Wilderness Navigation course, kindly sent us a slew of pictures and some great feedback from her week in the woods:
“It was great fun and I learned a huge amount! This is my third course with Woodlore and it never ceases to amaze me how the instructors manage to use differentiated teaching, to pass on so much, in such a short space of time and keep you laughing! It is quite a shock when you flick back through the notebook at the end of the week and see just how far you have come and realise that things that you found hard on day one, seem like a walk in the park by the end of the week!”
Order your copy of Survival with Ray Mears on DVD
With the final episode (tracking Wolves in Central Idaho) now broadcast, the brand new Survival with Ray Mears DVD is now available to order from Woodlore. All orders are usually dispatched the next working day.
If you haven’t caught it already, have a look at the official series trailer above.
Survival with Ray Mears – Episode 3 – ‘Wolves’
Survival with Ray Mears, ITV1
The third and final episode of Ray’s latest series, Survival with Ray Mears, will be aired this Sunday 2nd May at 19:00 on ITV1. You can pre-order your copy of the Survival with Ray Mears DVD from Woodlore now.
In this final episode, Ray and his wildlife crew of Shane Moore and Isaac Babcock turn their attentions to tracking wolves in Idaho’s stunning Sawtooth Mountains. Several wild wolf packs roam this vast and breathtaking wilderness; however, Ray has just ten days to track them before they are taken off the state’s endangered species list, where they could then be hunted.
Wolves are notoriously secretive animals, which makes searching for them extremely difficult. It takes all of Ray’s unique skills as a tracker to even get close to a sighting.
Ray says: “I think this is possibly going to be one of the toughest things that I’ve ever done. Very soon, wolves will be taken off the endangered species list in Idaho. So this could be my last chance to track wolves here.”
Based at a rustic lodge in the town of Stanley, Ray begins his quest by hiking into the small river valleys that drain into the crystal clear Salmon River. It’s tough terrain, and at 7,000 feet above sea level, the winter’s snows are just retreating above the valleys.
Ray says: “The thing that concerns me is the changing seasons. The ground conditions are changing hourly – not just day by day. One minute it can be snowing, the next minute it can be sunny. For tracking it’s going to be really challenging. This is a truly vast landscape, so I need a good strategy. What I want to do first is locate the wolf’s prey – so I’m looking for elk tracks or possibly moose. Where there’s prey, there’ll be predators.”
Ray’s tracking soon leads him to some elk tracks. Elk are principle prey for wolves, and Ray works out they are following the line of the snow melt. Suspecting that elk will lead him to the wolves, Ray and the team track down the herd and head for a meadow near the river.
Ray soon spots that one of the elk is lame, which he knows make it a likely target for wolves. Sure enough, he soon finds the tracks of a wolf nearby. Ray has yet to find a wolf but while hunting he gets the sense he may be close.
Ray says: “I do believe in a kind of sixth sense. Maybe it’s my subconscious reading signs before I can work them out more rationally. But I can imagine wolves prowling up there – their presence alone intimidating the elk into moving to just where they want them. So the question is, ‘Where are they now?’”
Seeking advice from wolf ecologist Curt Mack, Ray hears that Idaho’s wolf population was rescued from the brink of eradication in 1995, by an ambitious reintroduction programme. Thirty-five wolves were released back into the wild and there are now approximately 850 across the state. Ray asks Curt how it felt to release the wolves back into the wild.
Curt says: “I think it was a little bittersweet. We’d worked very hard for that one moment and we were in awe. We all kind of looked at each other. And the big question in all of our minds was, ‘What now? What’s going to happen?’”
Ironically, the reintroduction has been so successful that the animals are soon to lose their protected status. The day Ray is due to finish filming is the same day wolf hunting becomes legal.
Wolves hunt in packs and are such efficient killing machines that they have been demonised throughout history. But do they deserve such a bad reputation?
One of Idaho’s biggest livestock farmers, John Falkner tells Ray that he respects the wolf, but his first priority is to protect his flock. Wolves do occasionally attack sheep, but Ray questions how a wolf can be expected to differentiate between them and other prey.
Ray says: “It disturbs me that in just seven days time, wolves will no longer be a protected species here. Biologists believe that wolves are programmed to kill surplus prey. Farming sheep puts hundreds of prey animals in one spot. So, it’s hardly surprising that the wolf’s instincts take over.”
At dawn the following day the team get a sighting at the meadow. There are a small group of wolves but they’re not hunting elk, they’re after rodents that are emerging from the snow.
Ray says: “There’s a wolf, fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. It’s quite extraordinary to be seeing such a shy animal out in the open like this, so near the town. And actually there are two of them. Just a few years ago this was an impossible sight because there were no wolves in Idaho. A wonderful thing to see such an amazing creature, loose in the wild, living as it should. Wonderful!”
He then notices that one of the wolves is limping. Ray wants to find the whole pack and follows the tracks of the limping wolf in the hope that it will lead to a den. He finds blood in the trail, and wonders if there has been an injury or a kill.
Ray meets local hunter Brett Wooley, who tells him that he was very against the reintroduction programme. Ray is deeply concerned to hear his views.
Ray says: “I knew wolves would be hard to find, but I didn’t expect to find that people are their biggest problem. It seems that as soon as wolves come off the endangered species list, people will be lining up to shoot them. Now I’m even more determined to find the rest of the pack before it’s too late.”
Eventually, the team find the entire pack of about 12 wolves, that follow the lead of a silver backed alpha male. They discover that the alpha male is feeding on an old elk carcass that has recently thawed. Through the night, the alpha male and a young female wolf make several journeys up and down a steep cliff to where the den might be, presumably providing food for a breeding female.
The following morning Isaac is devastated to discover the young female lying dead in the snow. The cause of death is unknown, although the team believe there is a possibility she may have been poisoned.
Isaac says: “We’ve got real bad news. We just stumbled upon a dead wolf. It’s laying there in the snow. And I don’t know what to make of it. This isn’t good. It’s that younger female. She hasn’t been dead very long. Sorry old girl.”
On hearing the news Ray is visibly affected and becomes tearful.
He says: “I’m quite moved actually that this wolf will no longer leave tracks that I can follow. And I suppose you’re not supposed to get emotionally involved when you’re tracking animals for films but you do. Very special indeed.”
Worried that the rest of the pack might have eaten from the same source and have suffered the same fate, Ray leads the team on an urgent search.
They search all the ‘wolf highways’ they know of, with a fine tooth comb and after several agonising hours, find a single fresh wolf print. Finally they have evidence that at least one wolf is still alive.
After yet more searching they achieve another sighting of the wolves once again preying on rodents. Thankfully, the alpha male is alive too. It’s a huge relief for Ray and the whole team; an emotive finale that brings home the fragility of life, even for a top predator.
The first Camp Craft course of the season
Hard at work on the Woodlore Camp Craft course
Last week Woodlore ran the first Camp Craft course of the season, spending the week outside in the woods, surrounded by the beautiful bluebells and soaking up the start of spring (better late than never!). The students left on Saturday afternoon with knowledge of various axe techniques – including how to fell, limb, section, and split timber - as well as ways of creating a comfortable camp area to live in the wilderness.
Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession, on BBC Four
Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession, on BBC Four
A couple of fellow Woodloreans have kindly brought to our attention a new series, recently broadcast by the BBC, on maps, called Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession.
These shows may be of interest to you, especially if you’re thinking of attending our Wilderness Navigation Course or, quite simply, if you’re interested in maps!
The first two episodes have already been broadcast, but you can catch up on these shows online on BBC’s iPlayer:
Online interviews with Ray Mears
Interview with Ray Mears from Guardian.co.uk
Two new interviews with Ray are currently online:
‘One Last thing… Ray Mears’ Guardian interview
‘Dine In: Ray Mears’ Times Online interview
Survival with Ray Mears – Episode 2 – ‘Bears’
Survival with Ray Mears, ITV1
The second episode of the brand new ITV series, Survival with Ray Mears, will be aired this Sunday 25th at 19:00 on ITV1.
In the second episode of Survival, Ray tracks bears in the pristine wilderness of British Columbia’s Pacific Coast region.
“A lot of people fear bears,” says Ray. “I think there’s no need for that. They’re only dangerous when they’re misunderstood. To me their strength and intelligence makes them among the most intriguing of all predators. I can’t wait to track them in their world.”
British Columbia houses some of the world’s most beautiful forests, which are inhabited by a healthy number of grizzly and black bears. However, Ray is also interested in the spirit bear. This incredibly rare bear has pure white fur, and is actually a black bear carrying a recessive gene. It is thought that there are only 400 alive today, so finding one will be a daunting challenge for Ray.
Describing his plans for the second episode of the series, Ray unveils that “part of my quest is to go in search of one of the rarest bears of all, the spirit bear. I want to find out what their future really holds in store. If I’m lucky enough to see one, it will be a personal first.”
Ray starts his journey by taking a small plane into the wilderness. He touches down at Klemtu, a tiny fishing outpost, with his wildlife cameramen Shane Moore and Isaac Babcock. They hire a boat and find a remote spot, called Mussel Inlet, where Ray quickly finds tracks of grizzly bears, intent on devouring as much as they can from the annual salmon run, which is in full swing.
Grizzly bears can be very dangerous if surprised, or if a human gets too close. Thus, Ray warns the crew: “We’re entering their terrain and we need to respect that. It’s up to us to avoid triggering a confrontation. Every year, two or three people are killed by bears. I think that misreading the situation is more to blame than animal aggression. It’s critical that we don’t surprise one. We have to remember that bears can sprint at 30 mph. We’d never outrun one.”
On his guard, Ray finds numerous grizzly prints that lead him to a grizzly mother and a couple of two-year-old cubs. They play for a while but are suddenly bullied away by a massive grizzly male – a giant that would be about 3m tall if he stood up.
Ray and the crew are watching the grizzly male from across the river when, without warning, he lakes a lunge for the river and swims over to them. At this point he is just 50 feet away and Ray is aware of the potential danger.
The bear gradually moves closer until he is just 20 feet from Ray and the crew. Ray’s concern grows, but he is clear on what they must do: “We have to make sure that we’re not blocking where the bear wants to go.”
The bear seems content but suddenly his mood changes and Ray detects some agitation. He advises the crew: “You’ve got to move slowly and gently.”
Gradually the group move away from the bear, and out of danger. At this point Ray reflects: “There you go. We didn’t pose a threat to the bear; the bear wasn’t in the least bit stressed. This is their domain, and if you treat them with the respect that they deserve, you shouldn’t come to any grief.”
The presence of the huge grizzly male leads Ray to conclude that he will not find any spirit bears at the river inlet he has chosen; grizzlies seek out the best fishing spots and defend them ferociously. In order to find the elusive spirit bear, Ray decides that he should first track down black bears since spirit bears share much of the same habitat.
Ray searches numerous smaller river inlets in the huge maze of waterways which make up the Pacific Coast. Eventually, he finds an inlet bordered by thick forest. There are several lively black bears fishing for salmon in a river that is brimming with fish.
Ray is concerned not to see any young cubs: “These bears aren’t as fat as I would have expected for this time of year. And it’s peculiar that we haven’t seen any one-year-old cubs. I’d hoped to find lots of cubs being taught to fish by their mothers, and the more I think about it the more it worries me. What could possibly have happened to this year’s cubs?”
Ray consults local guide, Doug Neasloss, a member of the First Nation Kitasoo tribe. He explains that while the salmon run is strong this autumn, last year it was very poor.
Before hibernating, British Columbia’s bears gorge on salmon, putting on the fat that keeps them alive over the winter months. If they fail to eat enough fish, the bears can die of starvation over the winter, and the females may not be able to suckle their cubs. Doug believes last year’s lack of salmon may have contributed directly to a lack of cubs this year. He thinks that over-fishing could be partly to blame.
Ray is deeply concerned to hear this news. Spirit bears are often bullied away from prime fishing spots by grizzlies and he worries that last year’s poor salmon run may have affected them even more seriously.
Leading the team on a final search, Ray makes an extraordinary find: white hairs on a bear trail near a babbling stream. With just one more day to go, he hopes tomorrow will lead to a sighting of these incredibly rare animals…
Nanok Air Jackets now in stock
The Nanok Air Jacket in Olive
The latest addition to the Ray Mears Bushcraft Online Shop is the Nanok Air Jacket. This hard-to-find piece of kit has been designed as an insulating mid-layer, but has all the properties of an outer jacket, thanks to the durable ripstop nylon outer shell.
It’s extremely lightweight, packs down nice and small to fit in your rucksack and is very versatile.
Ray and the Woodlore Team wear their Air Jackets out and about in the UK, while they are also perfect for use in colder climates, such as the Arctic; if you have any doubts, just check how comfy Lars Falt looks - that’s normally a good indicator!
Meet the latest members of the Woodlore Team
Darren Bates, now in his second year on the Woodlore Outdoor Team
Each year, Woodlore carry out a rigorous recruitment week in the woods, putting applicants to the test in order to find the very best staff around. Succesful applicants of this stage are then trained up and brought on to help run our Bushcraft courses.
After completing their first course season with us, these new team members have their profiles added to our Field Staff Biographies page, and it is on this note that Woodlore would like to introduce the latest members of our Outdoor Team:
For our UK-based Bushcraft Courses, we are proud to welcome Darren Bates, Ben Gray and Nick Thompson to the fold. All three have a clear passion for the outdoors and have proved themselves to be great additions to our team.
On the Wilderness Expeditions front, we are excited to welcome Tony Pape to our team of Specialist Instructors. Tony - better known as Blue – will be leading this year’s Canoeing in the Ardeche course, a week-long expedition through the picturesque Ardeche Gorge in Southern France.
If you’re planning to attend one of our courses, please check out these new instructor profiles, where you can get to know the team before you arrive.
The Woodlore course season is under way…
Students enjoying lunch in the sun on our Introduction to Bushcraft course
Woodlore’s course season got under way over the Easter weekend this year, getting off to a great start.
Beginning with an Introduction to Bushcraft course on April 1st, we’ve since held two more Introductions, two week-long Fundamental Bushcraft courses as well as our Wilderness Navigation course. The Camp Craft workshop is up next, so let’s just hope the nice weather continues!
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