The Primitive Huntsman: Craft a Bow, Knap Flint & Butcher a Deer in Devon’s Woods

Next Primitive Huntsman Course: 20–21 February 2027. Places are now available at £295 per person, with optional yurt hire. View the February course and book tickets.

September 2026 course archive: This guide describes the 19–20 September course, which has now taken place. Read about the weekend or check current course dates before making plans.

This is bushcraft from first principles. No shortcuts. No ready-made kit. Just woodland materials, traditional techniques and two full days to turn raw resources into tools, skills and food.

On 19–20 September 2026, Devon and Cornwall Bushcraft joins forces with Devonshire Longbows for a brand-new course at Yurtcamp Devon, Liverton.

You’ll craft a green hazel bow. Knap a functional flint arrowhead. Make natural cordage. Prepare a whole wild deer.

What does that journey feel like?

You start with the raw materials beneath your feet. You finish with a working hunting kit, practical knowledge and a deeper understanding of how our ancestors lived from the landscape.

This is The Primitive Huntsman.

Two days. One night. A complete primitive skills experience.

The course runs from 10am on Saturday 19 September until 5pm on Sunday 20 September. You’ll spend the weekend learning, making, eating and sleeping at:

Yurtcamp Devon
Staplehill Road
Liverton
Devon
TQ12 6FU

The setting gives you space to slow down and focus. Woodland. Firelight. Hand tools. Fresh air. A small group of people learning together.

You don’t need previous bushcraft, archery or craft experience. The instructors will guide you through each stage. You’ll learn safely. You’ll work at your own pace. You’ll leave with objects you made yourself.

Ready to trade screens and schedules for hazel, flint and fire?

Start with the woodland.

Craft your own green hazel bow

Your bow begins as a green hazel stave. You’ll select suitable woodland material and learn how to read the timber.

Grain matters. Shape matters. Tension matters.

With guidance from Devonshire Longbows, you’ll explore the foundations of primitive bow design. You’ll use traditional hand tools to shape the stave. You’ll remove material carefully. You’ll learn how tillering affects the bow’s draw and performance.

This is not a demonstration where you watch someone else do the work.

You’ll handle the tools. You’ll make the decisions. You’ll feel the wood respond beneath your hands.

By the end of the process, you’ll have a functional hazel bow made during the course. It won’t be a souvenir bought from a shelf. It will carry the marks of your work.

That makes it yours.

Raw hazel becomes a working bow.

Knap flint into a functional arrowhead

Flint rewards control, not force. During the knapping session, you’ll learn how stone fractures and how to direct those fractures with precision.

You’ll explore the basics of traditional percussion and pressure flaking. You’ll select suitable flint. You’ll strike with purpose. You’ll refine the shape until a useful edge emerges.

The process demands focus. One misplaced blow can change everything. That is part of the lesson.

Flint knapping connects you to one of humanity’s oldest technologies. Long before modern tools, people shaped stone into blades, points and cutting tools. On this course, you’ll experience that process directly.

You’ll create a functional flint arrowhead under expert instruction. It will become part of the kit you take home.

Stone becomes an edge.

Make natural cordage and haft your arrowhead

A primitive tool only works when its parts work together. That’s where natural cordage and hafting come in.

You’ll work with plant fibres and natural materials to produce strong, practical cordage. You’ll learn how fibres are processed and twisted. You’ll understand how tension builds strength.

Then you’ll bring the pieces together.

You’ll learn how to haft your flint arrowhead securely to a wooden shaft using natural cordage. This links the entire craft process. Woodland provides the hazel. Stone provides the cutting edge. Plant fibres provide the binding.

The result is more than an individual object. It is a complete system made from natural materials.

You’ll take home your handmade flint arrowhead, wooden arrows and natural cordage alongside your bow.

Good craft connects every part.

Learn the respectful preparation of a whole wild deer

The deer butchery session brings the course from tools to food. Under expert instruction, you’ll take part in a whole wild deer field dressing and butchery session.

This practical session covers:

• Field dressing.
• Skinning.
• Breaking down the carcass.
• Identifying and preparing different cuts of meat.
• Basic hide preparation.
• Traditional approaches to using as much of the animal as possible.

You’ll gain a clear understanding of how wild food moves from animal to meal. You’ll see the work involved. You’ll learn the process in a safe, structured environment.

This is not about waste. It is about respect, responsibility and resourcefulness.

The session gives you a direct connection to the food you eat. It also shows how primitive hunters used skill and care to make the most of an animal.

Respect turns knowledge into stewardship.

You shaped the bow. You knapped the arrowhead. You made the cordage. You helped prepare the deer.

That end-to-end experience stays with you.

Want to learn more about outdoor cooking and fire skills before you arrive? Explore our guide to fire-lighting skills.

Put your bow to the test

You’ll use your own bow in an archery competition, alongside a selection of arrows.

You’ll test the bow you shaped. You’ll settle your stance. You’ll draw. You’ll aim. You’ll learn how the materials and design choices affect performance.

The competition keeps the atmosphere lively. It also gives you a reason to put your new skills into practice.

No previous archery experience is needed. The focus is on learning, having fun and building confidence with a traditional bow.

You’ll leave with:

• Your handmade green hazel bow.
• Wooden arrows.
• Your functional flint arrowhead.
• Natural cordage and hafting.
• New skills in primitive bow making, flint knapping and deer butchery.

Your finished tools tell the story of the weekend.

Wild camp beneath the woodland canopy

Your overnight wild camping pitch is included in the course price. Bring your own tent, tarp or hammock and stay at the woodland camp for one night.

You’ll have access to campfire facilities, toilets and showers. That gives you the full outdoor experience without leaving you short of essential facilities.

Prefer a little more comfort?

You can hire a furnished yurt for £100 per yurt. Each yurt sleeps up to five people, making it a useful option for friends or family members sharing the cost.

Yurt hire must be booked by 11 September 2026. Availability is limited, so arrange it early if you want to use one.

Sleep close to the skills you’re learning.

What’s included?

Your £295 course fee covers the complete experience. You won’t need to source specialist equipment or buy a collection of materials before you arrive.

Included in the price:

• Two full days of expert instruction.
• All bow-making materials.
• Green hazel bow staves.
• Flint and knapping materials.
• Wooden arrow shafts.
• Natural cordage materials.
• All required tools.
• Safety equipment.
• Whole wild deer preparation and butchery session.
• One night’s wild camping pitch.
• Access to toilets and showers.

The course is suitable for adults aged 18 and over. Participants aged 14 to 17 may attend with a paying adult, who must accompany them.

Bring curiosity. We’ll provide the rest.

Find a future Primitive Huntsman course

Places are limited. This is a hands-on course with practical instruction, shared tools and individual projects. Keeping the group focused means keeping it small.

You’ll spend two days turning natural materials into functional tools. You’ll learn skills that have supported people for thousands of years. You’ll test your bow. You’ll take home the results.

No experience is needed. You only need the willingness to get involved.

See current courses and future Primitive Huntsman dates.

Want to explore more ways to learn with us? Visit our full courses and events page or discover more about Devon and Cornwall Bushcraft.

Start with the raw materials. Leave with the skills.