About
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Welcome to a very good thing - a survival school where students from all walks of life from all over the country learn the importance of always being prepared to help others in the wilderness. Yes, others. As Byron so frequently instructs: "You help others, you'll help yourself. In the woods. Or in civilization."
Would you know what to do and how to do it wherever you may be if an unexpected survival situation reared its ugly head? Will you panic? Will you give-up? Will you be able to help others and yourself? Do you have the knowledge needed? Are you prepared? Adults of all ages, people of all wilderness levels - even those who have never camped - pack your stuff and get ready to learn, have fun, enjoy the outdoors, and be a valued member of a team. With Byron at the Byron Kerns Survival School. |
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Our location. Headquarters is a 10-acre farm near historic Madison, Georgia, an hour east of Atlanta. At this property, Byron conducts his Survival 101 and Wild Wisdom classes. A much larger area is located near Mitchell, GA; this is where Byron conducts his Bare Bones class.
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Who in tarnation is Byron? Well, first off, he's a fella who can't remember the number of times he's spent the night in a sleeping bag. But he does remember he made it all the way to Wolf in the Cub Scouts. And, he fondly recalls serving as an Air Force Survival Instructor, Class 71-02. What most folks call a SERE these days. SURVIVAL, EVASION, RESISTANCE, ESCAPE. Air Force video.
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In 1996, Byron created his first wilderness survival school, Mountain Shepherd, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Then, a decade later on the tails of the school's success and it's fantastic media coverage, Byron let go of Mountain Shepherd and moved to Florida and for twelve years conducted his second venture, Byron Kerns Survival. And now, you may ask what is this guy doing in Georgia? Well, to keep it simple, he met and married a pretty girl named Kelley.
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Over the past twenty-eight-years, Byron has designed wilderness survival classes and provided small group behavior and overnight wilderness survival training to more than 800 groups: Air Force pilots and air crew members, government personnel, law enforcement, parks & recreation, Boy Scouts, forest rangers, a very special SEAL team, and folks of all ages from all walks of life.
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Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival, says this: "As I caught my first glimpse of our instructor, Byron Kerns, he swaggered toward us wearing an 18-inch machete, a big, macho looking guy. He had worked at the famous USAF Survival School in the state of Washington. When I saw him, I thought: We're in for it now. Byron turned out to be soft-spoken, polite, cheerfully earnest, and gentle to a fault. He moved slowly, never hurried, and was always carefully assessing himself and his environment. He wasn't prone to high emotional states. He carried with him a contagious air of calm. Even after a lifetime in the wilderness, Mr. Kerns entered the woods with a deep sense of respect and humility, like a man approaching an unpredictable creature."
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What graduates say:
"Within 2-minutes of meeting Byron, I knew all was going to be okay."
- Neil G., heart surgeon.
"Another lesson that you taught us was having the ability to help one another is the best way to help yourself. It amazed me how contagious that attitude was."
- Terry G., RN
"Thank you, Byron, for such an incredible insight into the wilderness. I was intimidated and quite nervous and you never made me feel less than important and equal to those that knew more than I regarding the outdoors. You are a force to be reckoned with! I learned so much and now I have much more confidence on survival skills. Thanks for an incredible learning adventure."
- Terrie P., Retired
"The course was awesome! From learning how to build emergency-action shelters - with just a few simple items - to enjoying some jerky that we made, and everything else in-between. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My camping experience was very limited coming in to it, but Byron was very patient with me, and extremely capable and knowledgeable about wilderness survival. Can't wait to put the knowledge gained and the techniques learned to the test on my next camping trip."
- Matt S., Real estate agent
"I would like to thank you for an amazing weekend full of fun and learning. From start to finish, I felt that I was learning in an intellectual and spiritual way. You are a wonderful instructor and human being - full of compassion, patience, and respect for others and Mother Nature. Not only did I learn from the tasks, but from your quiet and well-centered demeanor. You give off such a peaceful vibe that it soothes any fears one may have about embarking on the experience. I loved every minute! "
- Natasha S., Accountant
"Your methods and message were always delivered in a manner which was serious, yet witty. You created a comfortable atmosphere from which to learn for all attendees, regardless of occupation, background, experience or preconceived expectations."
- Joe G., Software designer
"While the skills you've accumulated over the years are beyond impressive, your character and attitude are what impressed me most."
- Nick R., SunTrust Bank President
"Your demeanor is unbelievable."
- Andy H., Physician
"Positive Mental Attitude has uplifted me in ways that I cannot describe."
- Lou L., High School principal
"Meeting you, Byron, and being a member of the group for three days has changed me in ways I never thought would be possible. I left the class a different person."
- Glyn J., Engineering inspector
"Within 2-minutes of meeting Byron, I knew all was going to be okay."
- Neil G., heart surgeon.
"Another lesson that you taught us was having the ability to help one another is the best way to help yourself. It amazed me how contagious that attitude was."
- Terry G., RN
"Thank you, Byron, for such an incredible insight into the wilderness. I was intimidated and quite nervous and you never made me feel less than important and equal to those that knew more than I regarding the outdoors. You are a force to be reckoned with! I learned so much and now I have much more confidence on survival skills. Thanks for an incredible learning adventure."
- Terrie P., Retired
"The course was awesome! From learning how to build emergency-action shelters - with just a few simple items - to enjoying some jerky that we made, and everything else in-between. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My camping experience was very limited coming in to it, but Byron was very patient with me, and extremely capable and knowledgeable about wilderness survival. Can't wait to put the knowledge gained and the techniques learned to the test on my next camping trip."
- Matt S., Real estate agent
"I would like to thank you for an amazing weekend full of fun and learning. From start to finish, I felt that I was learning in an intellectual and spiritual way. You are a wonderful instructor and human being - full of compassion, patience, and respect for others and Mother Nature. Not only did I learn from the tasks, but from your quiet and well-centered demeanor. You give off such a peaceful vibe that it soothes any fears one may have about embarking on the experience. I loved every minute! "
- Natasha S., Accountant
"Your methods and message were always delivered in a manner which was serious, yet witty. You created a comfortable atmosphere from which to learn for all attendees, regardless of occupation, background, experience or preconceived expectations."
- Joe G., Software designer
"While the skills you've accumulated over the years are beyond impressive, your character and attitude are what impressed me most."
- Nick R., SunTrust Bank President
"Your demeanor is unbelievable."
- Andy H., Physician
"Positive Mental Attitude has uplifted me in ways that I cannot describe."
- Lou L., High School principal
"Meeting you, Byron, and being a member of the group for three days has changed me in ways I never thought would be possible. I left the class a different person."
- Glyn J., Engineering inspector