Les Hiddins Is Back: The Bush Tucker Man's Field Guide

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‘Ray Mears or Bear Grylls?” This question was asked to SAS legend Lofty Wiseman a few years back. As part of his reply, he humorously stated “I can eat the pair of them!” So, three very well known figures in the field of bushcraft and survival mentioned already. However, it does lead us to ask who is the best survivalist or bushcrafter? The Bush Tucker Man must be up there!

It’s impossible to definitively answer this without considering the different biomes, seasons, conditions and circumstances etc that might cause the challenge. However, for me and many others, specifically of my generation, Les Hiddins stands head and shoulders above just about everyone else!

Who is The Bush Tucker Man?

For the benefit of those that don’t know: Les Hiddins is better known as The Bush Tucker Man. As an infantry soldier in the Australian Army he served in Vietnam in the late 1960s. He was later awarded a Defence Fellowship to research survival in northern Australia. Consequently he was the principal author of the Australian Army’s Military Survival Manual in 1987.

The Bush Tucker Man TV series came about as result of all this research. for many of us, this is what introduced us to bushcraft and some incredible Aussie history too! Furthermore, he has had numerous books published including Bush Tucker Man – Stories of Exploration and Survival (1996) and Explore Wild Australia with the Bush Tucker Man (1999). There’s so much more too!

The Fieldguide online

For that reason, Les’ latest undertaking is something that is likely to be of genuine interest to many who wish to improve their bush tucker knowledge.

The Bush Tucker Man’s Field Guide is now available online and brings together Les’ years of research and experience onto your digital device.

Location, location, location (and month!)

You can search by location and month, if required, to see what bush tucker is available. A further filter can be applied (vegetation, wildlife or poisonous) and you can also use a keyword for searching. This is fantastic as you may, for instance, only be interested in one particular area for an expedition. Choose from:

Coastline
Tropical Woodland
Tropical Rainforest
Arid Zone
Wetland

Database of vegetation, wildlife and poison

An extremely comprehensive database covers the available vegetation and wildlife and also identifies what is poisonous. To highlight these, simple to understand icons are used. For example a white skull and crossbones on a red elliptical background represents poisonous.

The Fieldguide is a subscription based site but you can still use it to see the names and pictures of what you’re looking for. However, by paying the subscription, you get access to Les’ detailed information about each item. It’s not expensive either at $5 (Australian) per month which can be cancelled at any point after the first month.

Bush Tucker Man's Fieldguide — Visit the website to access the database.

It’s simply a case of putting in your contact and card payment details and signing up. Once done, you have that massive treasure trove of bushcraft knowledge at your disposal.