Learn Skills to See You Through The Lean Months

Skinning a Fallow Deer
Students learning large game preparation.

Right around the northern hemisphere, indigenous peoples have survived the difficult winter months through a combination of intimate knowledge of their environment and skills passed down from generation to generation.

Once you have studied them, there are many commonalities to the modes of living that have been successful. These include a reliance on large game such as deer and creating and living in enclosed, shelters such as lavvu, chums and tipis.

The aim of this course is for you to learn widely-applicable bushcraft skills that allow you to live for an extended period in a winter environment.

We’ll teach you to avoid the pitfalls of applying various techniques of summer camping to a winter environment.


You’ll learn how to adapt and apply your existing skills to a different season and we’ll teach important considerations for longer-term living in a winter woodland environment.

In learning these skills and living in this way for the duration of the course, you will be partaking in a long tradition.

What’s more, you’ll have sustaining food and a practical shelter. You’ll able to retire to a warm space for the dark evenings to work on repairs and crafts as well as share jokes and laughter around the fire.

Relaxing in a winter hunters camp
A winter camp should provide a warm space in which to work and relax.

This is a mode of living that can be extended as long as is needed and, as such, is the ultimate goal of this more advanced bushcraft course.

On this course, you will learn:

  • How to organise a winter camp;
  • How to construct shelters for a winter camp;
  • Considerations for living in a winter shelter;
  • How to prepare large game including:
  • Gralloching;
  • Skinning;
  • Butchery and jointing;
  • How to utilise all parts of the animal;
  • Smoking and preserving meat;
  • Firearms safety and handling;
  • Essential stalking skills;
  • Advantages and disadvantages of adding smaller game to the diet;
  • Winter trapping techniques;
  • Understanding the limitations and possibilities of winter foraging;
sliced deer heart and kidneys in frying pan over the fire
The hunter's meat: Pan-frying sliced deer heart and kidneys over the camp fire.

Winter 2012/13

Details of the 2012/13 Winter Hunters Camp are coming. If you would like to be amongst the first to hear about dates, prices and other information, go ahead and enter your details in the form below: