Thread: Hello, and any tips to gain bush confidence?

Love the Pureoras but is very easy to get turned around in.

Become familiar with Map and Compass , it's definitely a nice skill to have, there are some great videos from the British Military (Cold war Era) on youtube about Map and compass nav - definitely worth a watch.

Few things I'd reccomend

1) If you're not listening to the birds as you're hunting you're going stalking too fast.
2) As others have said , always take a torch, water , and some emergency rations (Chocolate Bar / Cashews etc) regardless of duration.
3) Be careful with GPS' , they will turn you around and mess you about , but so long as you have batteries they will generally get you home.
4) If you do get lost, give yourself 5 minutes to calm down and ground yourself before you look at your map - then you won't make panicked decisions.
5) If you're stalking at what seems like a slow pace , chances are you will remember where you've been , and will be able to backtrack if you get geographically embarrassed.
6) While the dark isn't your friend there's also no need to be afraid of it, but don't try to navigate in it. If you get caught out , stay put. ( Of course , given that you are warm )
7) I can not stress enough , always carry a bic lighter in a Ziploc, and if the excrement hits the whirly thing your boot rubber makes a nice fire starter.
8) Take not of significant terrain features that don't change - waterways , prominent high points. this also helps you back track.

Just my 2c , probably a bit over the top but just my thoughts for a beginner trying to build confidence. While I'm not as experienced as some of these other lads (I'm only 26!) I'm always learning and it's never a good idea to take the skills you have as gospel. Be open to advice at all times from all avenues even if it contradicts what you've been told. try it out and build your own method of what you're doing.

Good luck.