During our bushcraft courses small game may be provided as part of the food provision, we take pride in sourcing our meat in what we feel to be as ethical a way possible. In mind of this ethos, we crafted this course. It may be a daunting prospect to start out in hope of securing some of your diet from hunted game, but it is our belief that this admirable goal should be accessible to anyone.

Hunting with sub-12 ft lb air rifles is perfectly within reach for most people, and the pairing with bushcraft makes for a well-rounded skill set that was very common not too long along. Our course aims to be unique in teaching you the skills to safely stalk and hunt small game species, alongside the bushcraft required to process small game and stay practically in the woods while hunting. The small game species of pigeon, squirrel and rabbit form the backbone of bushcraft cookery in the UK and can then lead onto making use of furs and other craft skills. 

After time spent honing your skills on the woodland range we will take you through some unique simulated stalks, testing your skills against different quarry. 

The aim of this course is to equip the candidate with the knowledge, understanding, and awareness of airgun hunting techniques.

WHAT’S COVERED: 

• Air Rifle Skills 

  • The Law including permissions 

  • Safety & Rifle handling and carrying 

  • Basic shooting positions 

  • Quarry ID, behaviour and ecology 

  • Range Judging 

  • Static vs. stalking techniques 

  • Reactions to shot 

  • Practical marksmanship

• Bushcraft Skills

  • Stalking and walking quietly through differing environments

  • Nature awareness

  • Cookery techniques 

  • Tool selection and safe use

  • Saw, and knife: we'll be providing all the tools and materials for the course. If you'd like to bring your own you're very welcome, but please respect our decision if we suggest you use our tools instead. 

  • Cutting techniques: Using the saw and knife you'll learn the foundational cutting techniques for easy and efficient woodcrafts including making tent pegs, cooking pot hangers and feather-sticks

  • Tarp skills, knots, and getting set up for a night in the woods as we look at ways to improve your comfort and longevity when camping under the tarp.

  • Critical fire lighting skills to ensure you can light a fire no matter the weather

  • Preparing and cooking meals outdoors, and the importance of maintaining a campfire

  • Including how to prepare game (inc. rabbit, squirrel, pigeon) for cooking over the fire.

DETAILS:

• NEW FOR 2022

• 3pm Friday - 4.30pm Sunday

  • There is the option of wild-camping in the woods with us during the course, if you’d like to do so you’ll just need to bring your usual camping gear.

• £300 per person

  • Please note the terms and conditions before you book

• Small group size with a maximum of 8 guests to ensure we create a subtle atmosphere in the woods, and you get a very high interaction time with the instructor.

• PLEASE NOTE: This course includes the use of fire arms, as air rifles are deemed in UK legislation, and as such you will be require to sign declarations after booking to state that you are in a legal position to do so. You will not be allow to attend the course if you cannot fulfil the declaration. If you have any questions do email us.

• A full kit list is given out on booking warm clothing.

• This course is fully catered starting with an evening meal on the Friday, and finishing with lunch on Sunday. Please inform us of any dietary requirements, we're happy to cater to any needs.

• Due the involved nature of this course, we don't feel its suitable to under 16 year olds (please ask if you have any questions)

• Under 18's must be accompanied by a participating adult

• Run in a beautiful private Woodland on the Harewood Estate near Harrogate. We'll send you exact directions with the booking pack.

• Lead Airgun Instructor: Steven Pearson

  • BASC Airgun instructor status

  • BASC Advanced airgun hunting award 

  • Trained hunter status and FSA approval for small game

  • DSC1 and Trained hunter status for big game (except wild boar)  

  • BASC Insurance - £10 million public liability 

  • First Aid at Work + Forestry

• Lead Bushcraft Instructor: Jamie Dakota

Reviews:

I traveled quite a long way to do this course and was not disappointed. I have some experience with air rifles and small game hunting but am self taught and wanted to get some instruction. JD and Steve proved to be excellent teachers with a breadth of knowledge regarding air rifles, hunting and fieldcraft. They took it in turns to deliver information packed lessons on rifle choice, ammunition selection, fieldcraft, shooting positions, marksmanship, shot placement, camouflage, concealment, hide building. What I didn't anticipate when I booked this course was how good the food would be, it was worth the price of the course itself. We had venison stew, a full cooked breakfast, pigeon fajitas, rabbit tom yum, bannock bread with maple syrup and partridge kebabs, all excellent dishes cooked as a group over an open fire. The cooking was a team effort which was fun and gave us all a chance to learn some open fire cooking methods that I'm looking forward to replicating. We even had a bit of time to go over other aspects of bushcraft such as tarp shelters for groups, willow bark weaving and fire lighting. The course location was great little woodland with plenty of space for camping, cooking and the many lessons that we had. If you enjoy wild camping and would like to learn about ethical hunting with air rifles I highly recommend this course. The only bad thing about this course is that it wasn't available five years ago! - Michael 2022.

One of the highlights for me - I haven't eaten so well on a campsite...ever! Great menus using the wild food we would be hunting. Getting delegates involved in all aspects of meal preparation was key. This was a well planned and well-executed course which was delivered in a laid-back but highly professional manner by two skilled and knowledgeable people (JD and Steve Pearson). I learned so much in a relatively short period of time and quickly gained confidence thanks to the small size of the group, enabling maximum supervision and a high level of practical experience. Seeing what's possible with the cooking of wild food was an eye-opener and prompted me to consider further training. Also, the practical advice on stalking and targetting prey from Steve P was excellent. Don't hesitate. This is quality training from people who not only thoroughly understand their brief but also how to deliver training quietly and effectively. - Rod 2022

Really picturesque little woodland close to the main roads and only five minutes from the motorway. When I visited the whole woods were absolutely covered with bluebells and it was just beautiful. The terrain was great as there was a mix of slopes, streams, open areas and thick brush which was perfect for trying the different aspects that were being taught such as camouflage and stalking. This is my 2nd course with Howl so I had high expectations around the food. Fortunately JD did not disappoint and once again I was blown away by the variety and quality of the food we were able to concoct using a just a fire and some cast iron. The theme of the course was obviously game and we incorporated rabbit, pigeon, squirrel, venison, pheasant and partridge into the meals. The rabbit, pigeon and squirrel dishes we prepared ourselves from absolute scratch including gutting, skinning and butchering which, although a little gruesome, was definitely a highlight for me. Its a real eye opener when your evening meal comes directly from forest to fork! I didn't bring a single bit of food with me and was left full to bursting after nearly every meal. You won't go hungry! Steve, who was responsible for the tuition around the rifles, was great and clearly a natural teacher. He, like JD, has a very laid back but supportive attitude to teaching but at the same time all handling of the rifles was carried out in a very safe and controlled way. Steve achieved a great balance in making sure everyone was safe without it feeling overbearing or "lecture like". He provided a great selection of rifles to have a go with, from basic spring propelled all the way up to expensive PCP magazine fed rifles. He talked through each model and demonstrated the differences and then handed over to us to feel out what we preferred. The learning was progressive, with varied targets and distances provided to practice on. JD was responsible for all the traditional bushcraft elements of the weekend such as animal prep and sleeping set ups. He was on hand for help if needed but generally after a quick demonstration he was hands-off and let you have a go yourself which I think is a great way to teach. Both Steve and JD had a wealth of experience to share and there were plenty of times, especially in the evening when everyone is just chilling out with a full belly, that the stories and anecdotes start pouring out. I think these are some of the best moments and it's great to just sit and chat around the fire with the light slipping away and the sounds of the woods all around you. They both do great job of breaking down the student/teacher barrier when the teaching is done for the day and it really does feel like you're just sharing the woods with friends. As with any of these weekend courses you come to the Sunday afternoon wishing you could stay another night or two but there's not much you can do about that! I had probably shot an air rifle just once or twice in my life prior to this course and although this a clearly a focus of the course it is not the only thing that is covered. One of the most satisfying aspects for me was the preparation of the game for meals. As someone trying to reduce my environmental impact and eat less meat it was really great to be able to cover the process of obtaining meat from start to finish in a "wild" environment. Following the course I will definitely be adding more game to my diet where I can be sure that the animal has led as natural a life as possible, been taken humanly and hopefully reduce my dependence on factory farmed produce.  Another highlight was the structured stalk at the end of the course. This was one on one with Steve and was a close as it was possible to make it to a real stalk. I was great putting into practice the skills we'd learnt throughout the weekend. Even if you've never held a gun before in your life I would encourage anyone to have a go at this. An appreciation for where our food comes from is definitely something that we have lost as a people and this weekend was a great way to get back in touch with that side of our history. Even if you come away with the knowledge that guns and hunting are not for you, spending a weekend in the woods with two experienced outdoor instructors is an incredible experience and one that I would whole heartedly recommend. If you already have an interest in shooting, hunting and the outdoors in general then you will certainly not be disappointed. - Dan 2022