Itinerary

What we aim to cover:

It is an intensive course (arriving Friday evening) and the Saturday will be dedicated to the actual process of stripping down the deer. On the Sunday, we will then use some of what we have learnt to practise our skills and create or preserve useable materials and artefacts.

Organs: removing, sorting and cleaning the edible organs as well as the utilarian organs such as – brains for tanning the skin, the bladder for water bags and intestines for thread.

Skin: removing, de-fleshing and preserving the skin for later use (e.g. for rawhide, for buckskin, for drums)and making hide glue.

Meat: removing the meat and understanding which cuts are best suited to different uses. How to debone, make roasts, jerky and soup meat. Basic meat preservation.

Fat: How to render fat to preserve it and its uses.

Bones: How to separate joints, bones as food, how to make tools from bones such as – skin processing tools, awls and needles, fish hooks, harpoon and arrow points and jewellery.

Sinew: How to remove, clean and preserve both backstrap and leg sinew and how to later process it for fibre.

Hooves: How to process the hooves for decorative items or for hoof glue.

Antlers: How to remove them and how to best work with them for a variety of artefacts including knife handles, carving, flint knapping, buttons.

Accommodation

You’ll be staying in our small private woodland, near to the beaches and harbour of Looe, in Cornwall. The bluebells will just be showing their faces and there will be a carpet of wild garlic and primroses.

We share the woodland with its wild inhabitants including deer, fox, badgers and Tawny owls,

You will need to bring a roll mat/or camp bed and bedding. A full list of what to bring will be sent out after booking.

You will receive a hot meal on Friday evening, three meals on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday cooked over the camp fire. Special diets can be accommodated.

There will be an opportunity to shower and we use composting toilets.

Physical Requirements

Our courses are situated on a sloped woodland. They are open to anyone who can walk over uneven ground and up a short woodland slope.

It is open to any gender and from aged 14 upwards. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a full paying adult.

If you have any specific medical concerns or additional needs then please inform us at the time of booking. Please also bring along any necessary medication you may need.

Other Information

Unfortunately we cannot accept dogs (or other pets, except guide dogs) onto the woodland.

Wear warm clothing that you don’t mind getting mucky. A full list of what to bring will be sent out after confirmation of your booking.

You do not need any prior knowledge to benefit from this course.

There are a limited number of places on this workshop. If the minimum number of places are not sold then unfortunately this workshop will be postponed and your payment refunded. Please do not book any transport or alternative accommodation until we have confirmed the course is running. We will do this when asking for the balance of the payment to be made.