Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Private Community Network And Digital Learning Academy
Join Us
Welcome to BushcraftSchool.com, the Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Private Community Network And Digital Learning Academy. We help people become more skilled, more knowledgeable, more experienced and more confident outdoors by using traditional skills, a few simple tools and field-based experience. Whether you’re looking to go from city slicker to competent outdoor professional, want to experience a remote expedition, or just want to learn a few new outdoor skills, we’ve got you covered.
On this site we offer the same tested, trusted instruction we’ve provided at our field school for over two decades. People use this information to prepare for a course or expedition, supplement their field course, seek certification, and learn at their own pace and in their own place.
Tim Smith, M.Ed.
Founder & Registered Master Maine Guide
About Our Network
There are distinct groups on here that are here for different reasons. They include:
- Current Jack Mountain field school students who are using this as an online hub for their course, keeping track of assignments, reading lists, plants pressed, viewing and reviewing daily schedules, etc.
- Jack Mountain alumni who want to keep in touch with each other
- People who will never attend a field school course but are still interested in learning more about bushcraft and outdoor living.
- People interested in how we do things and looking to learn more about the teaching process
- Future and potential Jack Mountain students who want to get a feel for who we are and what we do before signing up for a field school course.
We created this network as a space to serve all of these people.
We pay to host this community. There are no ads and the software is not tracking your every move. We require that people use their real name and not an internet handle or nickname. I’d rather interact with a real person than with “Bushmaster 007”. There are no political posts, no conspiracy theories, etc. It’s our own little private corner of the web, focused on our common bond. We personally approve each member.
Why You Should Join
There are distinct groups on here that are here for different reasons. They include:
- Meet people just like you
- Share stories, experiences, and ideas—not necessarily advice
- Get answers to questions you can’t just Google
- Learn faster and make better decisions
- Find inspiration from members on the same path
It’s free to join and always will be. However, everything within the network is not free – we charge money for online courses and certain private groups.
Inside you can participate in an online course, participate in a reading group/book club, join a physical challenge, trade ideas with other members and more. If you’re coming on a Jack Mountain Bushcraft School field course, you’ll be part of a private group made up of only people on your course. We use these groups as online bulletin boards to post assignments, daily schedules, etc.
About Our Online Learning Programs
There is a problem with learning from the internet and YouTube that people don’t want to talk about. The teaching qualifications of many there consist of their ability to use a recording device and upload those recordings to the internet. Much of the information is just plain wrong and put out by people who don’t know any better. They have no field experience. There is no vetting process. As a result posers and pretenders sometimes generate large followings, often to the detriment of their followers.
If you’re like me, when you take your kid to the doctor you want someone who has the appropriate training and experience, not someone whose background consists of having a bunch of followers on the internet.
You Need To Trust Where You Get Your Information
Unlike many YouTubers, we are not aspiring instructors, wannabee guides, hobbyist outdoorsmen, internet celebrities, the ‘flavor of the week’, or reality tv personalities. We are experienced professionals: Registered and Master Maine Guides licensed in the hunting, fishing, recreation and sea kayaking categories with over 2 decades of full-time, year-round experience guiding and teaching.
Cheap and free are the new expensive. Time is precious. How much of it do you have to spend determining if free information is correct? You need to trust where you get your information. We don’t offer information for free because that which has been tested in the field for decades is worth paying for. If you don’t agree, go to YouTube and take your chances. Our reputation is built on more than 2 decades of field experience. Ask around, do your research, then jump on board.
