How Cowboys Navigated With No Map and No Compass (And Myths That Got Them Killed)

Two winters ago, I learned the hard way that a phone is no substitute for knowing the ground. I was horseback in a pasture I didn't know well when the cold killed the battery on my phone. Suddenly, the map was gone, and every direction looked the same. What got me home wasn't technology. It was the sun, a windmill I'd taken the time to look back at, and a dry creek I knew ran toward the county road. In this video, I walk you through 15 old-school navigation skills I've learned over a lifetime on horseback in the Rolling Plains of West Texas. I'll show you how I use shadows, the sun, a watch, Polaris, Orion, drainage, handrails, backstops, aiming off, landmark chaining, pace counting, and more. I'll also cover two pieces of advice you've probably heard your whole life — moss on trees and leaning trees — and explain why I don't trust either one by itself. But the most important thing isn't one of the fifteen. I'll show you what I do in the first five minutes after I realize I don't know where I am. Stop. Think. Observe. Plan. I still carry a phone. I still carry a compass. But I don't want either one to be the only reason I know which way home is. Tell me in the comments: how did your granddaddy find his way? What did he steer by, and what did he teach you? I read every one. #SurvivalSkills #Navigation #WildernessSkills #LandNavigation #Outdoors #Bushcraft #Camping #OldWays #Survival