For those of you interested in living more primitively - tribally, sustainably, and closer to the earth. then this series will interest you. This is a series of three workshops focused on traps, snares, and tracking - which are essential skills for obtaining food in a primitive situation. We only have five spots left open so if you are interested, please register soon. I've looked a long time for a good teacher. Since hunting and trapping like this is not legal except in pure survival situations, there are few folks with real world experience or knowledge. And we are able to offer this at such a reasonable price - only $125 for the full series. Each class is held once per month for a full day with a bunch of really interesting folks, plus a potluck that night. Location is about 45 miles SE of Austin, TX. Go to www.backyardfoodproduction.com to register.


    * Saturday Jan. 23, 2010 (9am-5pm)
    * Saturday Feb. 27, 2010 (9am-5pm)
    * Saturday Mar. 27, 2010 (9am-5pm)

See the descriptions below for more details on the series.


FOOD - Primitive Traps, Snares, Tracking, and Hunting Series:

Saturday Jan. 23, 2010 (9am-5pm)

The series begins with a full day of making and using primitive snares. Both for trapping animals as well as variations that could be used for defense or alarm (humans). We will cover at least 3 or 4 different types of snares with plenty of time for everyone to practice as we take it out to the field. These will be variations of figure 4 snares and paiute trigger snares. You will learn exercises to develop how to see animal runs, trails and other sign. We will set one snare (as a group) as a "model" on a live run, incorporating some other concepts like channeling the direction of an animal into the snare, etc. Other topics will include how far out from camp you should start your "hunting radius" for actually snaring animals, as well as techniques and practice for "sighting in" on a snare to be able to check it from a distance and not disturb the area. We will also cover some basic descenting techniques, and more.

Saturday Feb. 27, 2010 (9am-5pm)

Another full day, this time with the focus on animal tracking and local fauna. This day will deepen your ability to 'read' the landscape to see animal runs, trails, and signs. We will go into the field to see real world tracks from a variety of animals. Types of tracks, aging, gaits, behavior, etc will be covered. Animal behavior and patterns of movement, How to walk silently through the woods. More in depth coverage of descenting. Homemade cammoflauge and introduction to invisibilty in the wilderness. Introduction to primitve hunting with rabbitsticks

Saturday Mar. 27, 2010 (9am-5pm)

More Primitive Traps and Advanced Topics. This class will teach a few more new snares such as squirrel sticks and bird snares, as well as 1 or 2 new variations on snares learned in the first class, depending on time. You'll gain deeper understanding of animal behavior patterns, feeding preferences, mating habits, usual sleep locations and preferences, travel patterns, moontime and seasonal effects. In addition we will continue with stalking techniques and advanced techniques for developing invisibility in the landscape. We will do some "stalking games" and friendly competition to test our ability to move quietly through the woods. Also, you will learn how to gauge sustainable levels of hunting in an area. To finish off, we will put all the skills together from the previous 2 classes, and do some primitive hunting field exercises and challenges which will test what you've learned in the areas of tracking, awareness, snare-making and throwing stick use.

Only $50 each, or $125 if you sign up for the entire series. The location is about 45 miles SE of Austin. Note that this is a family friendly event. While the focus is adult oriented, families with children may attend as long as one parent is dedicated to watching the kids. We do not have supervised childcare, but some facilities for kids to use are available. Please let us know when you register if your family will be coming along. Bring your own lunch and dress appropriately for hands-on outdoor activity. Earth-tone clothing (or area-specific camo) and flat-soled shoes (such as wrestling shoes, moccasins, etc) will help out for the stealth and awareness portions of classes. Bring a dish to share and stay after class for a potluck dinner and party.

Learn more here:


http://www.meetup.com/austin-natural/calendar/12251082/