Using the Whole Deer

Delve hands-on into a culture of respect and reverence while learning to work an entire deer into beautiful, useful crafts.

This two-day workshop is ideal for adults looking to deepen their relationship with their food while learning to make art from the many gifts of an animal.

All are welcome. Both first year and returning participants are encouraged to attend, as each year the class will build on the skills previously taught.

Join master craftsman and reverent, seasoned hunter Neill Bovaird of Wolftree Programs for this hands-on workshop.

On the first day of the workshop, we will focus on harvesting the deer’s hide and meat. We will remove and prepare the hide for tanning, collect the deer’s meat and learn to butcher the meat into optimal cuts.

The second day will be focused on processing parts of the deer that often go unused. Bones, hooves, tendons, and brain will become beautiful and functional crafts, such as rattles, sewing needles, sinew, and tanning-ingredients.

Participants will be working hands-on with a deer’s body and body parts.

We are doing all that we can to ensure that the deer is fresh and humanely hunted. Neill will be hunting locally (and legally) with the explicit purpose of taking a deer’s life for this program.

In the event that Neill is not able to successfully hunt (or otherwise procure) a whole, fresh deer for this course, the butchering day will be taught using a locally raised sheep. Sheep and deer have very similar anatomy. We will still be using deer bones and other parts on the second day regardless.

Teens interested in attending this program should contact us via (845) 256-9830 or info@wildearth.org.

About Neill Bovaird

Neill Bovaird has been practicing and teaching wilderness skills since 1998. He has a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation from UMass Amherst and holds a Track and Sign Level III certification through the CyberTracker Conservation. Neill has been a facilitator at Art of Mentoring since 2001 and has studied with Jon Young, Mark Elbroch, Errett Callahan, and Steve Watts.

In addition to being the founder and director of Wolf Tree Programs LLC, Neill has taught wilderness skills at countless private and public schools, nature centers, museums, conferences, elder hostels and camps. He has been a passionate hunter and gatherer for over ten years and is dedicated to sharing how to approach hunting and gathering in a respectful way, helping people connect more deeply to themselves, nature and their communities.

About Hunting & Wild Earth:

In our programs, we strive to create a more compassionate, more connected relationship between people and nature.

We recognize that hunting and taking life from another to sustain oneself can be an experience that fosters and bridges intimacy between the hunter and nature. While hunting has long been a core part of the human experience, we recognize that modern Americans may not have been born into a culture of reverence, compassion and respect when approaching hunting.

Rekindling A Culture of Reverence, Compassion & Respect

Through awareness skills, tracking, bow-making, trap making, cordage and other indigenous skills, Wild Earth aims to rekindle a culture of reverence, compassion and respect. While our programs are laying a foundation of strengthened connections, we do not hunt or kill in any of our general nature connection programs. With compassion and respect, Wild Earth instructors may utilize dead animals to facilitate the teaching of wilderness skills and crafts. Recognizing that a family or an individual’s values or preferences may lead to a desire not to come into contact with deceased animals, all dead animal processing activities offered at our programs are choice-based and are offered out of sight from those who may choose not to participate.

Hunting & Slaughter Only At Clearly Identified Special Programs

Killing is only practiced at Wild Earth programs that are specifically designed to focus on reverential hunting and harvesting live animals for food, clothing or tools. While teaching specific skills, these programs also focus significant amounts of time and energy into creating a culture of reverence, compassion and respect. These programs must be easily distinguished from our regular programs by their program titles and descriptions.

NOTE: As of October 2017, Wild Earth has not offered hunting or slaughter at any regular or special programs. There will be no hunting or slaughter at the Using the Whole Deer workshop.

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