Award Winning Educator, Author, Podcaster, Master Naturalist
Craig Caudill is the Director and Lead Instructor of Nature Reliance School. He is a best-selling author of several backcountry skills books and a certified master naturalist. His online school and in-person course programming is among the country's most respected.
He regularly teaches corporate, government agencies and the public sector. He is an avid tracker and has taught various first responders on the federal, state, and local level in the science of man-tracking. He has led survival and wilderness navigation courses for wildlife and biology students from 14 different universities in the southeast. He has been featured on Public Education Television for the shows Kentucky Afield, Kentucky Life, and Tim Farmer's Country Kitchen. He has served as a consultant for the Discovery Channel and History Channel He is regularly interviewed on local news segments to share safety and survival skills. He is the author of the books Extreme Wilderness Survival, Ultimate Wilderness Gear, co-author of Essential Wilderness Navigation, Vital Survival (available online only) and The Secret Signs of Nature (his first children's book).
His work can also be seen in Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, Backwoods Survival Guide, American Survival Guide, Self-Reliance Illustrated, American Prepper, Wilderness Way, American Frontiersman, and Ballistic. He has a very active blog containing his podcasts (host and guest spots) and guest blogs for Field and Stream, Georgia Bushcraft, Omega Gear, Joel Lambert, Survival Life, Knowledge Weighs Nothing, How To Do Stuff, and the Family Protection Association,. He has an active Youtube channel providing education on all things outdoors. Craig is forever a student and continues to train and grow in his skill set.
The following listing is a portion of the courses he has completed, and agencies trained:
- BBA, University of Kentucky, Emphasis in Statistical Analysis
- FBI, Infragard Partner and Educator
- Certified Master Naturalist, University of Kentucky
- Level II Naturalist, Kamana Training Program
- Master Naturalist Program Instructor, University of Kentucky
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Habitat Improvement Program Cooperator
- Kentucky Division of Forestry, Stewardship Forest Cooperator
- Lost Person Behavior, Tennessee Department of Emergency Management (no certification)
- Basic Search and Rescue - Level 1, Kentucky Emergency Management
- First Aid Certified, Red Cross, American Heart Association
- Stop the Bleed Certified
- Wilderness First Aid Certified, American Red Cross
- Wilderness First Aid, Nature Reliance School (led by guest instructor)
- 80 Hour Survival Training, Earth School
- 80 Hour Tracking Intensive, Earth School and Midwest Native Skills Institute Combo
- 80 Hour Scout Reconnaissance Earth School and Midwest Native Skills Institute Combo
- 60 Hour Level 1 and Level 2 Mantracking, The Scott-Donelan Tracking School
- 40 Hour Level 1 Building Tactical Acuity for Counter-IED, Enhanced Tracking Applications
- 40 Hour Level 1 Mantracking, Tyr Group
- 20 Hour Basic Human Tracking, Natural Awareness Tracking School
- 20 Hour Visual Tracking Tactics, Hull's Tracking School
- 40 Hour Low Elements Challenge Course Certification, Eastern Kentucky University
- 20 Hour Basic Tracking, Nature Awareness Tracking School
- 40 Hour High Course Elements Challenge Course Certification, Eastern Kentucky University
- 30 Hour Basic Pistol Defense, Iron Sight Defense
- 30 Hour Advanced Pistol Defense, Iron Sight Defense
- 40 Hour Tactical Survival, Iron Sight Defense
- 30 Hour Team Fighting Course, Iron Sight Defense
- 10 Hour CQB Rifle/Pistol, Iron Sight Defense
- 20 Hour Fighting Rifle Level 1 Iron Sight Defense
- 30 Hour Fighting Pistol, Tactical Response
- Certified Defensive Tactics Instructor, Force Options USA
- 4 Hour Rifle/Pistol Transition Training Performance Edge Training
- Training in Judo since 1988
- Training in Aikido since 1990, Certified Shidoin Shinjinkai Martial Arts Society
- Occasional student of Krav Maga, BJJ and FCS.
- 101st Airborne, Ft. Campbell Kentucky
- FBI SWAT, Mantracking Instructor
- DEA, Adjunct Instructor Backcountry Skills
- DEA Pilots, Survival and Land Navigation Skills Instructor
- United States Border Patrol, Mantracking Instructor
- Kentucky Army National Guard, Mantracking Instructor
- Kentucky Army National Guard Erad Team, Mantracking Instructor
- Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, Disaster Readiness Instructor
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers, Backcountry Skills (survival and mantracking) Instructor
- Georgia, Oconee County Sheriff's Office, Mantracking Instructor
- Eastern Kentucky University, Wildlife Managers Instruction on Backcountry Skills
- 20 Universities Wildlife Managers Conclave, Wilderness Safety and Survival Skills Instructor
- Department of Defense, MEAC Skills (Wilderness Safety and Survival) Instructor
- Electric Cooperatives of Kentucky, Active Shooter and Situational Awareness Instructor
- Public Library Program Speaker and Educator, Backcountry Skills (30 various libraries in Kentucky
- Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Situational Awareness Instructor
- University of Kentucky, Adjust Instructor of Backcountry Skills
- Backcountry Skills Instructor (Mantracking and Safety/Survival), Several area Sheriff's Offices and Police Departments
- Kentucky Tactical Officer's Association (SWAT, SRT, SRU teams) Mantracking Instructor
CURRENT OR FORMER ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
- Mike Hull's Tracking School
- Kentucky State Police
- Fieldcraft Survival
- The Bulwarks
- MALC Training Institute
- Boone County Conservation District
- University of Kentucky Master Naturalist Program
- University of Kentucky 4H
- Berea College Outdoors and Adventure Programs
- Eastern Kentucky University Adventure Programms
Craig was awarded the title of Kentucky Colonel and has also received numerous awards from the various military and law-enforcement agencies he has trained.
Nature Reliance School was recognized as the Outstanding Business for Excellence in Environmental Education by the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education in 2021.
