My first effort at cramming the whole course into 2 days went very well last weekend, with the exception of the fact that the deer provided by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries was road kill. Anatomically it was fine for teaching field dressing and quartering techniques, but the thing stank to high heaven and I'm never doing that again. Consequently, I decided that the most reliable means of supplying the class with a fresh deer to work on would be to obtain one from the only deer farm in Virginia.
I realize that this isn't entirely in the spirit of the hunt, but please understand that the value of what I'm teaching would be seriously compromised without a 'live' field dressing. This component of the class is one of the things that makes it truly unique and your confidence as a new hunter will be far greater when you know for certain that you can handle the messy part.
The dates are set for the weekend of February 20th & 21st. The class will be held in Charlottesville, Virginia with field trips to points nearby.
On Saturday morning we will start out in the classroom covering natural history, anatomy, deer evolution and gun safety. That afternoon I'll have a shuttle van to take everyone out to a shooting range. At the range you'll all have the opportunity to try out a variety of deer rifles and cartridges in order to make an educated decision about what you'd want to hunt with. Another experienced hunter and marksman will assist me in teaching basic riflery skills to those with zero to minimal experience and our goal will be to help everyone find out what is the longest shot that they can safely manage on a target the size of a deer's vitals.
Sunday will be a similar mixture of classroom time and field trips. I've secured a deer for us at a farm about 2 hours away and hired someone to drive there to shoot it, load it into a truck on ice, and bring it to our field dressing location about 15 minutes outside of Charlottesville (a shuttle is provided). Everyone will have the opportunity to try their hand at helping with gutting, skinning and quartering. Lunch will be provided before the field dressing (your appetite being somewhat in doubt afterward) .
Final butchering and some cooking will take place at a commercial kitchen that I've rented only a few blocks from our classroom. You'll learn how to turn the deer that we dressed that day into meal-sized packages like something that would come from a grocery store. We'll be cooking as we go, making dinner and drinking wines that pair well with venison. The remaining meat will be donated to a local homeless shelter.
Enrollment is limited to 10 students, although I'll also have a wait list since a spot may open up. The fee for the complete course is $380. I regret that I've had to raise the price since the first course, but obtaining a fresh deer and transporting it immediately to our site has added significant cost and logistical complexity.
A 25% deposit is required in order to reserve a spot ($95). This can be made via Paypal, or if you give me your word that you have put a check in the mail then I'll hold the space for you. That deposit is fully refundable for cancellations up to a week before the course starts. After Feb. 13th I will refund the deposit if the vacant spot is filled by someone else. Payment of the balance is due by the start of class on February 20th and can be made through Paypal or mailing a check, or you are welcome to bring the payment with you to the class in person.
There is a possibility that a film crew for a major German news network may be covering some part of our course. If anyone has any objections to this, please let me know in advance because this will influence the decision as to whether to allow them to come.
As of this writing, 4 spots in this class have already been filled. Interested parties may email me at jack.landers@gmail.com
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