Solstice Deer Harvest

Solstice Deer Harvest

Join us for a weekend camp out harvesting deer in a wild mountainous location on the winter solstice.

Not so long ago, butchering wild game as a tribe was a normal part of survival. Wild protein has been the building blocks of humanity & we owe our existence to these wild creatures that have sustained our health & vitality. These days, butchery is no longer a daily living skill, in fact, the relationship between most meat eaters and the body of the animal is non-existent. We wish to create an experience where we can honour these beautiful wild animals and get back into relationship with the food that brings us together as a community and sustains us.

In the harvest you can expect a weekend of connection through hands-on skills such as butchering, processing and communal cooking. We will be camping on beautiful private property, yarning by the fire and learning as much as we can about these beautiful animals and how we can show our respect by using every part. 

You can expect a weekend of connection through hands-on skills, camping out on beautiful private property, butchering deer in the barn, yarning by the fire & learning more about these beautiful animals and how we can show our respect by using  every part.

This weekend will be less structured and more hands-on than the Introduction to Hunting course. There will be no hunting element to this weekend, as it will be more focused on what we do with the animal once it is harvested. Participants can float between butchering, cooking and working on hides and bone tools as they wish. Each participant (or family group) will have the opportunity to process an entire deer from start to finish, with the aim of taking home it’s meat, hide, broth, rendered fat and bones/bone tools. Although prior experience is beneficial, we will begin with a short refresher on skinning and the breakdown process for those who need it. 

The activities:

·       Break down a whole deer into different cuts

·       Skin a deer and flesh a hide

·       Make bone broth

·       Render fat

·       Participate in preparing and cooking venison and offal

·       Bone and hock craft

The Culture:

We are passionate about multi-generational learning, skill-sharing and communal hands-on practices. We are excited to invite families and believe this will be a great opportunity to expose young ones to the cycles of life and death and for us all to experience what it means to provide and nourish your own family. Throughout the days our hands will be busy butchering, skinning, crafting, cooking & tending the fire. There will be various workshop spaces setup around the base camp for you to float between, having a warm tea by the fire in between activities. There will be a very relaxed structure to this camp and a "go at your own pace" structure.

Facilities:

This is a fully camping course in a remote location, BYO camping setup. You will be able to drive your car up & camp nearby or in your car if need be. Plenty of spaces for swags & tents. There will be tank water access, compost toilet, communal tea station & bush kitchen setup.

Family friendly, BYO camping set up, 2WD access, private property located within the Upper Hunter Valley NSW. 2 x dinner & 2 x lunch provided. A full breakdown of what to bring and a weekend itinerary will be made available to ticket holders prior to the event.  

Location: Private Property inland from Scone. 2WD access.

How is this different to the Intro to Hunting & Using the Whole Animal Course?

This course will not have a hunting element, it will be focused solely on the butchery & break down side of things, with each participant being able to hone in on this skill & butcher a whole deer. There will be less of a structure in place & more of a "choose your own experience" when it comes to breaking down the deer. We will be there to guide if needed but this course is more for those who want to really go deep in butchering & enjoy doing it within a village like environment. Previous experience using a knife & with some kind of butchering is recommended and those bringing children 16 and under will have full responsibility of knife safety.

Exchange:

Adult: $750

Partner: $1200

Family: $1500