What’s it about?
Located between Canterbury and Ashford, join us at our ancient woodland camp on the beautiful Kent Downs for this 1 day deer preparation and butchery course and learn how to skin and butcher a deer., as well as other game.
We understand that this is an emotive subject for many people but we believe that it’s an important skill for those of us that have an interest in how our hunter gatherer ancestors lived. There’s a disconnect in the modern world between people and their food; on this deer preparation course we aim to re-establish that connection and remind ourselves where meat comes from.
Crucially we believe that the whole process must be conducted in a way that is respectful to the animal. The animals that are used on this course are carefully selected so that the population as a whole benefits; we do not advocate trophy hunting, we don’t use stags nor females that are pregnant or have young.
We make use of as much of the animal as possible, including the bones and skin.
What will I do on this deer preparation & butchery course?
During your time spent with us on this 1 day deer preparation course, you will:
- Learn how a deer is selected for culling, where and when it can be culled, how the animal is stalked and how it’s dispatched,
- Understand about the safe use of firearms when deer stalking,
- Find out about the various diseases that the animal must be checked for,
- Be shown meat hygiene techniques and methods,
- Skin the deer with minimal damage to the hide or the meat,
- Butcher the deer to ensure that as much meat as possible is produced,
- Learn about the different cuts of meat produced and how to cook them.
Once the animal has been butchered we will light a fire and cook some of it.
Bring a bag so you can take home a venison steak or two!
We’ll also start the process of tanning the hide by fleshing it. We use the skins on our Buckskin Tanning course and the bones on our Bone Tools workshop.
The course isn’t just about deer preparation and butchery, if time permitts, and the game is available, we’ll also look at preparing rabbit and pigeon.
Book now
We only run this course during the stalking season, so dates are typically over the winter.
You can see our complete course schedule here.
Other information
Location: Westwell, Kent
Duration: 1 day
Start: 10am
End: 3pm
Course size: Maximum of 8
Catering: We’ll provide tea & coffee, you’ll need to bring a packed lunch
Note: There is a short walk from the meeting point to the camp.
You might also find these Frequently Asked Questions useful.
What our customers say
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Really enjoyable course. Phil is very knowledgeable and tells many great stories. We learned to skin deer and game and we eat some of the meat that we prepared which was really tasty. We also brought some meat home too. This is definitely a course to consider if you are interested in deer and game butchery. Great location as well.
Another excellent course at Jack Raven Bushcraft. We had opportunities to work on butchering pigeon, rabbit, hare as well as deer. The course tutor, Phil was very knowledgeable and engaging. Gary and Nicola delighted us with tasty morsels of each meat alongside their delicious wild food condiments. A very enjoyable day.
This is a great course for giving a wider view not only of butchery but also of stalking, wildlife management, natural animal behaviours and even anatomy.
Gary and Nicola have created the perfect environment for outdoor learning (special mention must be given to Nicola for kindly cooking some of the meats throughout the day so all could try the delicious fare), and Phil's relaxed but very knowledgeable teaching style.
I was particularly impressed by the open nature of the course, and the lack of peer-pressure to get your hands dirty - not an ounce of macho bravado, everyone was made to feel comfortable and as involved as they would like to be.
That said, if you do want to get your hands dirty there were no shortage of opportunity and a great deal of hands-on knowledge to be learnt.
Another great course all round - thanks Jack Raven!
As a reasonably knowledgable customer (I did this before), I was very impressed with the in-depth, hands-on learning experience. The day was in a beautiful location, relaxed and informative. Thanks Jack Raven,....I'll be back!
This course is informative and hands on but also really enjoyable and relaxed. It takes place in a great location in the wood. During the day we learned about deer butchering and also had a go with wood pigeons. We had the chance to try the meat cooked in various way throughout the day and take some at home too. Will definitively come back, highly recommended.
