I just picked up one of his books at the local library... I've read others at various times and didn't pick up on as heavy a "mystical" vibe as in this one (Case Files). And even in the first dozen pages or so, he describes himself counting coup on hard-core operators who never even spotted him... Truly unbelievable stuff.

So I guess my question is... Should I believe it?? To be honest, I really WANT TO, but my natural skepticism tends to get the best of me.

Did a search here and haven't seen much about him, which came as a bit of a surprise.... I'd think that if he's the Real Deal, his name would come up more often on a site like this...

Ideally, I'd go to one of his schools for a week to see for myself, I guess... But honestly - when you look at all of the Wilderness Survival Experts on TV these days... Seems like he ought to be able to kick every one of their tails. If there were a way to convey what he knows via a TV show (or should I say what the first chapter or two of this book suggest that he knows?)... But if he's for real?? Man, I'd be all over that!

I guess the coolest thing would be to get my sons into one of his deals... They way they compensate with their eyes for what they can't hear is just amazing.....

I read most of his books. Yes, I agree pretty unbelievable stuff. But most things we don't understand are kind of like that. He is kinda like an American ninja. My favorite read. Was naked into the wilderness. Basically he has got great woodsmen skills. No magic there. I did enjoy all of his books that I read. They say his tracking skills are amazing. But hey, He learned from a Native American.

Trust that "natural skepticism"...it's what keeps you from blowing the rent on lottery tickets even though you don't have a PhD in probability and statistics. He writes some interesting "new age" mystic fiction. If you google him you can read about all the childhood characters and friends that no one else ever heard of. Do you really think he can track animals across rock....unless they have really muddy feet, lol! Lots of feedback from folks who've wasted their money, too.

I haven't met the man, but I have met someone who studied under him, and then worked with him as an assistant, and now runs his own primitive skills school-- and a very good one at that. He said the real guy inside there is hard to pin down, and quite complex. He implied that some of TB's adventures should be read with a grain of salt, but that the tracking skills are pretty much as described; flat-out amazing. FWIW.

OH BOY!!!!

Good ole Tom Brown again huh?

Was pretty sure people got him out of their system,years ago.LOL

Well I never did get him into my system. It was years ago when I attempted to read something on him,I think it was called 'The Tracker' If memory serves me he was about to try to track a lost child starting in an asphalt parking lot, but first he stripped down to a lion cloth or such. I don't read fiction much so I left it right there. Sandy.

I took a couple of his week long courses 20 years ago. He was an impressive educator and tracker and he definitely operated internally on a whole different level than anyone else I'd ever experienced. He also had a very apocalyptic vision of what would happen to us as a society if people didn't spend the kind of "tuned in" time outdoors - that archery hunters tend to do.

I've also taken several courses taught by his first student, whom he mentored for eight years. John Young has taken a very different direction with his programs, but the core of what he teaches is every bit as solid as that of Brown's - call it what you will, attribute what values to it what you are comfortable with - but the skills taught are quite "real" and not unique to the indigenous people of North America.

Tom must be getting up there in age. I read his book "The Tracker" when I was in my late teens early 20s. I'm pushing 60 now.

Pretty sure he's a boomer... In the book I've got in hand at the moment, he talks about training people who must have done some things that Never Officially Happened when probably LBJ was running the show.

So far, I've gotta say it's a bit disappointing... I've read a lot more about how amazing he just can't help being than much that I could put to much use. I'd still love to take a course and see what I could learn, but not on my budget. Not unless the credible testimonials start pouring in... ;)

Didn't TB offer an over priced, super duper, extra cool looking "tactical / survival" knife about a decade ago?

Geez! He is a Ninja? Special ops, secret squirrel stuff? I never read TB's books, or bought his knife, nor do I own a loin cloth. I did spend the night in a Best Western once... :)

I remember reading an article about Brown from some magazine. Wondered about the focus concerning 38 spots on a robin's breast? If I was in a survival situation, I think that I would be more focused on whether the bird was edible or a possible danger? Batman

I very much enjoyed ton browns books. Especially nature observation and tracking. Everything I have read about him is legit. I really enjoyed reading about methods for moving silently and how to tune ones awareness fully into the moment at hand. I have had considerable success with those techniques.

Worked with him for a bit in the early 2000's. Never seen him track a cricket across gravel. And he only shows for a little of his classes

Also worked with jon young and the shakari tracking guild. Not sure what ti say...... where you ever a boy scout?

I'm with you Codjigger, I started reading the Tracker way back when, and couldn't get through it. It was just a bit too sensationalized. And yeah, he must be in his '70s now at least, not that this is a bad thing. He's a survivor... it's all or our' goal.

So Jake - which of his titles are worth the read? I won't be shooting for a while, so maybe it's a chance to work on woodcraft....

I'm willing to learn from anyone who can teach me something, even if I have to carve through a little hype along the way...

try these titles. "A field guide for nature observation and tracking" his chapter in particular about movement and foot steps is very good. Also the section on identifying animal tracks is pretty good. his other field guides like wilderness survival, and edible and medicinal plants will leave you wanting if you crave technical information however, if you are interesting in learning a new mindset when outdoors (adopt what you like leave what you don't) and a bit more fun reading than the normal dry field manual then you'll like them.

The truth is that writing about doing these things in an entertaining and lucrative way isn't nearly the same as actually doing them.

I know, knew, was trained by some those folks who did things that never officially happened while LBJ was in office. None of them knew who he was. And since the pool of individuals who teach those types of skills is pretty dang small regardless of the branch you were in, that told me what I wanted to know.

Runner -

With one MAJOR exception in the book I just picked up, Brown doesn't really claim to have done any of those things himself...He just makes mention (at some length!) of having trained people who probably did do them.... And possibly quite a number of them!

But to Frank's point... When you get to that level, you're probably looking at a very small community and it seems as though those guys would probably all know each other if only by reputation. What he does claim, though, is that he could make a team of those operators look like a bunch of chumps and remain undetected by them even after tapping them on the shoulder.

Is such a thing possible? Don't know.

Thanks, Jake - I'll see what I can find. Perfectly happy picking and choosing in order to learn what works for me... Keep the Man, maybe lose the Myth and the Legend...

I will say the man can track. When i worked there i learned more then from anyone else who calls themselves a "Profesional" tracker. I know teach wilderness survival at a JC in nor cal from his teachings

So... Speaking of small communities... You wouldn't know anybody in the NY. area who teaches such things, would you?

New Jersey isn't that far away

Mountain Scout Survival School looks interesting.

"What he does claim, though, is that he could make a team of those operators look like a bunch of chumps and remain undetected by them even after tapping them on the shoulder."

Not sure about the last part.... But...

Things have changed, compare say Jeff Cooper's teaching to where people are today. Cooper is still valuable today because he was largely focused on how to get you out on top with very little training at all. But has anything been learned since then? How golly gee were those guys in the 60s. If I think of rock climbing today, vs, the 60s, it seemed super radical back then, and there were people who would still make you take notice today. But today's best are different species. Look at what has been learned in hunting in the last 50 years. It wouldn't surprise me if Ishi was better than the average top bow hunter in the 60s, but is he better than the top guys today. I doubt it (talking traditional).

Bowlim- Would ishinhave been a better shot? Nope, better hunter and tracker? Absolutely! There is nothing new that has been learned about hunting man. That the oldest game known to man.

"Why do you think he was starving?"

Maybe because White Men With Guns had nearly wiped out the deer herds by then?

I'm not sure about CA history in that regard, but think about the stories we've all heard (and some here have told from personal experience) about the days when spotting a deer track was something to talk about and an actual deer sighting would not uncommonly be reported in a local newspaper...

Or consider that the Plains tribes were starved out very quickly once we had wiped out the buffalo....

So anyway, not sure that it's fair to suggest that Ishi's overall skills were lacking... Pretty sure that anyone with his skill set would stay pretty fat & happy in any area which currently offers doe or either-sex tags during the firearms season....

Bowlim - If you're curious about what Brown's claims are, check pages 15-20 of Case Files of the Tracker (2003 paperback edition). If you're just wondering whether the claims could possibly hold water... Join the club!

Well.....

First of all,Ishi was Not starving as has been falsely reported through T Kroebers book.That Notion was first reported erroneously,through the Oroville Daily Register,without any consultation by a physician.Second,Ishis medical records and photos of the time,were examined by a modern physician and his diagnosis was,that while Ishi may have been a bit hungry,there was no indication that he was starving or otherwise suffering from malnutrition.The local Concow,also report that just prior to his capture at the Slaughter house,Ishi was eating quite well by way of fishing and of raiding their community gardens.Vera Clark Mckeen also claims that her mother was leaving out food for "the old one" as they called him and that in the area that the food was left,there were more than 1 set of human prints,that had taken it.

The deer of that region,in the months that Ishi was known to be there,are the months of the highest temperature.It can easily reach above 100 degrees and upward of 120 at times.The deer of the area,most often migrate to the higher elevations.

Ishis people were traditionaly known to migrate to the higher elevations at this time as well,but in the later concealment years as they have been called,they did not for various reasons.I believe,durring this time,Ishi became more dependent upon fishing and Trapping than of the bow and arrow.Also at the time,The raiding of cabins became more common.A mister Elija Graham,devised a plan to stop the raiding of his and other cabins and it seems to have worked,as the raiding stopped after that.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here