Glossary B

Back country
Remote uninhabited areas of public lands, national parks, forests.

Backed Bow
A bow that has been backed with rawhide, wood, fibre or sinew.

Backslice
A method of weaving the end of a rope to keep it from unraveling.

Ballista
A very large medieval crossbow used by an army attacking the walls of a besieged town. This crossbow was capable of firing large rocks and spears long distances.

Balsa
Type of wood several lures are manufactured from. This wood is very light, yet highly buoyant.

Banks
The sides of a river or stream between which the water normally flows. The raised ground next to a body of water.

Bar
Long ridge in a body of water.

Barachois
A lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand bar.

Barebow
The discipline of shooting without a bow sight, stabilisers and release aid.

Baseplate
the see-through plate of an orienting compass onto which the compass housing is mounted.

Bashie
A copperhead intended for pounding into a crack.

Basin
An area of land largely enclosed by higher land.

Bateau
A small flat-bottomed boat, squared off on each end.

Bathypelagic
Bathypelagic means of, pertaininig to, or living in the deep ocean near the bottom.

Bay
A body of water that is partly enclosed by land (is usually smaller than a gulf).

Bayou
A small, slow-moving stream or creek.

Beacon
A signal light used to help guide boats and airplanes.

Bearing
The direction of travel from your current position to a landmark or destination, expressed in degrees from 1 to 360. Also called an Azimuth.

Beck
A small stream.

Bed (of a river)
The bottom of the river (or other body of water).

Belay
To secure a climber by attaching to another person or to an object offering stable support.

Bench mark
A permanent object that is either natural or man-made with a known elevation that can be used as a reference point when navigation.

Benthic
Bottom-dwelling.

Bight (knots)
A u-shaped curve in a rope.

Bight (bodies of water)
A large and often only slightly receding bay, or a bend in any geographical feature.

Billfish
Any of several species of pelagic fish, including sailfish, spearfish, blue, black or white marlin, and swordfish. A fish with long jaws.

Billy can
A coffee can (any food can with the lid removed) used to boil water or cook food over a campfire.

Bivouac
The site where a tent is set up; also a forced camp usually made for on night when bad weather stops progress.

Blood knot
A knot used to tie two pieces of tippet together best known for its strength in tying monofilament's of different diameter and material together. Also known as a barrel knot.

Bobber
A small piece of cork or light wood or plastic attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float.

Bob-tailed Arrow
A arrow that is thicker at the point. It tapers to the nock end.

Bodkin
A medieval type of arrowhead designed to shoot through protective chainmail or armour usually worn by Knights.

Bollard
A large knob of rock or ice used as a belay anchor.

Bottom fish
Fish that spend most of their lives on bottom, such as cod, snapper and grouper.

Bow
The forward (front) part of a boat.

Bow stave
A piece of wood used to make a bow.

Boyer
A person that makes bows.

Brackish
Water that is mostly fresh, with some salt. The far ends of tidal creeks are mostly brackish, supporting sometimes fresh and saltwater fish.

Braided channel
Usually found on freestone rivers, braided channels are ever-changing smaller channels that together constitute the course of the entire river.

Brook
A small stream.

Buck
A male deer.

Buoy
A floating marker.

Butte
A flat-topped rock or hill formation with steep sides.

Buttress
A prominent feature that juts out from a rock or mountain.

Buoy
A floating marker. A device that is tethered to the sea floor. Buoys can mark an offshore location, warn of danger, or show a ship where a navigable channel is.

Buoyancy
The tendency of a body to float or rise when submerged in a fluid.

Bushwhacking
Making one's way through bushes or undergrowth without the aid of a formal trail.

Butte
A flat-topped rock or hill formation with steep sides.

Button buck
A deer with small nubs for antlers.