PK Podcast 62: Jon McArthur – Northern Forest Bushcraft, Skill Development & Knowledge Transmission
In this episode of The Paul Kirtley Podcast, I’m joined by Jon McArthur, a bushcraft instructor, search and rescue practitioner, and long-serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces, based in Alberta, Canada.
Jon has spent over two decades working in aircraft structures and other roles within the Air Force, alongside extensive involvement in both military and civilian ground search and rescue. Through this work, he has developed deep experience in cold weather survival, field operations, and the practical realities of finding and recovering lost people in remote landscapes.
We explore Jon’s journey into bushcraft, including how he first encountered the teachings of Mors Kochanski at Karamat Wilderness Ways, and how that initial meeting grew into a close personal friendship in Mors’s later years. Jon shares reflections on learning directly from Mors, the influence of Tom Roycraft, and how knowledge has been passed through that lineage and adapted across different environments and generations.
In our conversation we discuss:
- Jon’s background in military and civilian search and rescue, and the overlap between the two;
- Key lessons from SAR, including the importance of preparation, decision-making, and lost person behaviour;
- The development and practical application of the Roycraft pack frame;
- How bushcraft knowledge evolves through teaching, experimentation, and adaptation;
- The role of storytelling in instruction, and how it can enhance learning and retention;
- Jon’s First Nations heritage as a member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation, and how this informs his perspective and teaching;
- The Global Bushcraft Symposium and its role in connecting practitioners from around the world.
Jon brings a thoughtful and grounded perspective to bushcraft and survival, shaped by real-world experience, strong mentorship, and a clear understanding of how knowledge is best shared and applied in practice.
Our conversation forms Episode 62 of the Paul Kirtley Podcast…
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Transcript
Click on the following link to read or download the transcript of Paul Kirtley Podcast 62
Books Mentioned In This Podcast
Northern Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
Basic Safe Travel and Boreal Survival Handbook by Mors Kochanski
The Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
The Wind and the Caribou by Erik Munsterhjelm
The Survivor by Peter Tadman
SAS Survival Handbook by Lofty Wiseman
People Mentioned In This Podcast
Mors Kochanski
Tom Roycraft
Cody Lundin
Lars Fält
Ray Mears
Les Stroud
Caleb Musgrave
André-François Bourbeau
Manu Tranquard
Tom Lutyens
Dave Wescott
Dave Holladay
Joe Flowers
Kelly Harlton
Dr Lisa Fenton
Thijmen Apswoude
Johan Forsberg
Peter Wiking
John Rhyder
Dr. Bob Koester
Skip Stoffel
Brett Stoffel
Marten Hartwell
Judy Hill
Dr Kevin Lewis
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Other Links Mentioned In This Podcast
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Related Paul Kirtley Podcast Episodes
Paul Kirtley Podcast 36: Mors Kochanski and Jon McArthur on the Global Bushcraft Symposium
Mors Kochanski and Jon McArthur joined The Paul Kirtley Podcast to discuss the motivations behind, and the aims of, the Global Bushcraft Symposium. Along the way, Mors shares a few anecdotes too…
Paul Kirtley Podcast 42: Mors Kochanski, Northern Bushcraft Legend
Mors Kochanski joined me for a conversation about wilderness living skills, bushcraft and survival. Mors explained his background in these subjects, going right back to his school days, along with learning from his mentor Tom Roycraft, through Mors’s own unique contributions and inventions, including the super-shelter. Along the way we cover a lot of fascinating ground. Essential listening.
Paul Kirtley Podcast 43: North American Titans of Bushcraft
David Wescott, Dave Holladay, André-François Bourbeau and Mors Kochanski come together in a panel discussion chaired by Les Stroud (a.k.a. Survivorman) at the 2019 Global Bushcraft Symposium, Alberta, Canada.
Paul Kirtley Podcast 47: Tom Lutyens, Mors Kochanski, Lars Fält, Johan Skullman
In 1995 Lars Fält organised a seminal survival instructors conference in northern Sweden. Tom Lutyens and Mors Kochanski were among the instructors. Johan Skullman was one of the students. Here they discuss the importance of that event.
Other Related Material You Might Like
Global Bushcraft Symposium 2019 Keynote Presentation – Why We Need Your Voice In The Wilderness
Global Bushcraft Symposium 2025 Keynote Presentation – Reflections On The Nordic Way
6 thoughts on “PK Podcast 62: Jon McArthur – Northern Forest Bushcraft, Skill Development & Knowledge Transmission”
The surname of Turkka is Aaltonen. I was fortunate to be trained by him during my International Wilderness Guide (IWG) formation in Kuru, Finland.
Great times with this funny granddad that had awesome stories to tell. Nice episode!
Ah yes, Aaltonen, thanks for the reminder. You are fortunate indeed to have been trained by such a legend. It sounds like it was good fun too.
I’m glad you enjoyed the episode Frederik. Thanks for commenting.
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi, I thought I might comment, as usual.
I was raised in Northern Ontario, in a Native Village, where we heated the house with wood, my Dad and brothers hunted partridge (grouse) and hares for food supplements, we ate bear, moose and beaver meat, all sorts of fish which we caught, and we collected berries in season. It was just what we did as part of life; it was not sport, or hobby, it was life skills. Bushcraft was not even a term, and survival was what military guys did in World War Two or after plane crashes up north.
Bushcraft and survival, for me, became my passion in 1965, but it was not called that; it was Boy Scouting. The old Boy Scout manuals, written by Lord Baden Powel, were laden with bushcraft/survival skills, and with actual stories of practical use. The disparaged military aspects of Scouting: uniforms, salute, parades; only brought discipline and purpose. The Scouting motto, ‘Be Prepared’ is my motto today; which condenses the three ‘T’s’ that Jon mentions. From 1965 onwards, I practiced the basic skills to the end of the book, in order to be prepared. In 1960’s and 70’s, we had library books, ‘Down But Not Out’, ‘How to Survive on Land and Sea’, ‘The Book of Outdoor Lore’, and magazines to learn from. Outdoor life and Field and Stream magazines at that time taught skills from personal experiences: survival episodes on hunting trips gone wrong; fishing techniques, reading the water, and improvised methods. Fire skills were taught, describing the best materials to use, including split paper matches. The metal match was the precursor to ferro rods, and they were small, not 5/8″ diameter by 6″ long, cumbersome weights, but tiny, spark producing rods on the side of a box, or a bar of magnesium composite.
Today, people have been spoiled by readily available tools. There is very little improvisation; rarely any out of the box thinking.
Unfortunately, we are a small group globally. It’s a generation of fast and furious, quick learning, not at all a process that evolves over time. The Internet is ripe with misinformation and BS. We who know the truth can plainly see these are bad techniques, yet, they have thousands of followers.
I did not spend much time with Mors, but we did discuss the Boy Scouts, and the early Scouting programme; how Mors considered it a foundational course on its own. I recommend reading an early version of the Scout manual.
It’s a life long skill; and we need to get out there and do it to increase our skills. Be prepared. No one has the monopoly on it. It’s an on-going process, evolving, and reviving, as ancient skills are being rediscovered and applied.
My two cents worth. Cheers.
Hi Marcel,
As always, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thanks for sharing aspects of your background and perspective.
What you describe, learning skills as part of everyday life rather than as a labelled activity, is something I think many people find valuable to reconnect with. As you say, it’s a process built over time through doing, rather than something acquired quickly.
I also agree that older sources, including early scouting materials, can provide a useful foundation, particularly where they emphasise observation, resourcefulness and practice. They can also provide inspiration from a time when life seemed simpler.
Ultimately, as you highlight, these are skills that develop over the long term and continue to evolve with experience and context.
Warm regards,
Paul
Paul, Thoroughly enjoyed this podcast with Jon MacArthur. Great to hear so many stories of the many bushcraft legends from Canada to Sweden, to Finland, and beyond. As a long-time, long-distance student of Mor’s, listening to Jon’s memories of him are especially poignant and interesting. I enjoyed hearing Jon’s focus on adding more stories as teaching aids. The first peoples have always know the power of stories to pass on the skills the people need to survive. And, from my own personal experience, I have found story to be a core element as an instructor. I use these 3 elements: Stories, Observation, and Hands On. That’s my mantra. As you both have said, not everyone one learns the same way. And I found this to be true in my case, in my continuing journey. I appreciate your hard work and sharing these podcast’s, newsletters, and information on your website.
A book I would recommend if you can find it. “Cache Lake Country Life in the North Woods”. The Wilderness Edition. By John J Rowlands. US Publishers, W.W Norton & Company Inc. Copywrite in 1949.
Storytelling, dedicated to Chief Tibeash, of the Cache Lake Country. Is it a real place? For my part it’s a place where all who love the northern wilderness will surly find it. In my heart, its as real as real can get.
By the by, I just ordered “Moon of the Crusted Snow”. Thanks for the recommendation!