USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL

Learn to Use the Whole Animal: A hands-on Course in Butchery and Utilization

The energy invested and the risks taken by our ancestors when hunting using relatively short-range weapons made it important to waste as little of an animal as possible. Each animal represents a precious resource consisting of an astonishing variety of raw materials. These materials provide food, clothing, containers, cordage, tools, lighting, and a host of other possibilities!

Many parts of animals are often left off our modern grocery store shelves!

This course covers some of the myriad options for using those parts.

This course will introduce you to what parts of an animal are useful for what products, and how to preserve those parts until they can be used. We will cover all basic butchery for both food and utilitarian items, as well as parts that are not often considered useful.

Multiple levels of technologies from stone to steel will be covered!

Learn to use a range of materials during the course. Some examples of what will be covered include:

• Organs: Removing, sorting, and cleaning the edible organs as well as the utilitarian ones, such as brains for tanning the skin, the bladder for water bags, and intestines for thread.

• Skin: Removing the skin, de-fleshing, and preserving the skin for later use and the making of hide glue.

• Meat: Removing the meat, what cuts are best suited to different uses. How to debone, make roasts, jerky, and soup meat—basic meat preservation.

• Fat: How to render fat to preserve it.

• Bones: How to separate joints, bones as food, how to make tools from bones, such as skin processing tools, awls and needles, fishhooks, harpoons and arrow points, and jewellery.

• Sinew: How to remove, clean, and preserve both backstrap and leg sinew, and how to later process it for fibre for sewing, bowstrings, hafting, bow backing, etc.

• Hooves: How to process the hooves for decorative items or hoof glue.

• Antlers: If antlers are present, how to remove them, and a discussion on how best to work with antlers

** Please be aware that a reasonable amount of fitness is required for this course. I will provide instruction on good technique and timing with the skins, but you will need to be on your feet and active for 6 to 8 hours per day. 

Note: Any serious injuries must be discussed with me before booking the course.

The length of the course will allow us to cover a wide range of introductory subjects, but will not allow us to complete finished projects. This course and its content will evolve, based on weather and participant interests.

Additional information:

Duration: 3 days (Friday 10:00 am - Sunday 5:00 pm)

Max number of participants: 12

Prerequisites: None

Payment: You can pay by credit card, use one of our gift cards, or pay over time with PayPal Pay Later.

Venue and location: Nestled in the breathtaking natural beauty of Kinnekulle, Sweden, Craft by Karlsson offers a truly unique and inviting venue. This isn't your typical event space - it's a place where ancient skills and a love of the outdoors come together in a rustic, inspiring setting.

There is plenty of room for campsites where one can relax and enjoy nature. It is also possible to set up a tarp or hammock in the nearby forest or a tent in the meadow. Water for cooking and other purposes is available on site, along with access to a simpler bajamaja and outhouse.

There is a lovely bathing area in Lake Vänern within walking distance of the course site!

If you would prefer a bit more luxury, there are Airbnbs in nearby Kinnekulle. Keep in mind that these places fill quickly in the summer, so you may need to book them well in advance.

Catering: This course is self-catered. Please bring your own food.

Accommodation: Free camping on site.

Included: All course materials, coffee, and tea.

Not included: Off-site Accommodation.

A bit about me:

I'm an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and of all kinds of primitive technology. My interest came in part from growing up in the USA's Rocky Mountains, where backpacking, hunting, and fishing are deeply rooted in the culture. This passion led me to the academic field of Experimental Archaeology, where I earned a PhD from the University of Exeter in the UK.

My work has been featured in both documentaries and popular TV shows, including Alone Season 8 and Surviving the Stone Age. I've been tanning skins using traditional methods for over 30 years. Learning to tan was a natural offshoot of my desire to use as much of an animal as possible, and it had the bonus of producing a beautiful end product.

In my instruction, I share a wide range of information—from the intricate details of skin morphology to helpful tips for dealing with the numerous, frustrating problems often encountered when you're first learning to tan.