Learning to shoot with Chris Wheatley-Hubbard of Four Feathers. Illustration by Sam Goodlet. I like my ‘flippers’, like I could swim away…
The Ethical Carnivore is to be illustrated by Sam Goodlet, a talented artist and a vegan…
Sam and I met at the Four Feathers, where I was spending the weekend learning to track, shoot and butcher game.
All the photographs and lovely illustrations are by Sam – except the sausage pics.
‘Dirt time.’ Learning to track animals with Dave from Four Feathers.
The shooting school was set up by Chris Hubbard-Wheatley to introduce people to the ‘natural skillsets’ required to kill and eat your own meat. He feels that we have lost the skills that would have been passed on by ‘native elders’ and as a result have to make an effort to re-engage with nature. Unlike many shooting schools, that specialise in teaching men and women to shoot for ‘sport’, Chris is a purist. He believes that if you are going to shoot, you should first understand the animals and the environment in which you are ‘hunting’.
In a ‘crammer’ weekend, I got to learn the very basics of tracking. I thought it would be recognising animal footprints but it is much more about a state of mind, where you observe the tiny changes in the environment. We lay on the ground for what seemed like hours looking at marks on the earth, hairs and seeds – all telling a story of what had passed before.
Decoy deer are a way of teaching stalkers how to identify animals and a safe shot.
Rather than just setting you up with a target, Chris also makes the shooter practise stalking animals. I learnt to stalk up to an animal against the wind, identify appropriate animals to target and look for a safe back drop.
Learning to shoot roe with Chris Hubbard-Wheatley.
I am getting better at shooting a rifle but Chris really helped me get over my ‘flinch’ and focus on the quarry. It sounds strange but when you are really concentrating on the target, it is almost like an out-of-body experience, like you will the bullet into the exact right spot.
Not a bad shot if I do say so myself.
He also taught me more about the anatomy of the animal to ensure the very best shot. Ideally, you are aiming for the deer’s heart, that way the hydrostatic shock from the impact bursts blood vessels in the brain and the animal drops where it stands.
Afterwards we butchered a roe deer that had been shot a couple of days before hand.
Dave teaching knife skills.
Again, butchery is something I have been working on but there are many different knife skills to learn. A lot of it is about confidence, using the knife exactly and cleanly, rather than sawing away.
Knowing where the bones are can help to get off the skin without harming the meat.
Using your hands, as well as knives, is a more gentle way to skin the animal.
Using my hands.
Sam draws animals a lot and has a background in conservation, so it was quite tough for her to see the animal being butchered. But despite not eating meat herself, she was open-minded about my efforts to understand how wild animals are managed and shot in as humane a way as possible.
Fortunately we had time for a cup of tea to recover.
That night we camped in the woods and I got to know Sam a bit better.
Camping in the English ‘summer’.
Sam is working on a wonderful project which I urge you to look up, The Dive Down Book. She has also illustrated books for Bloomsbury in the past, including Sex on Earth.
I feel very honoured she is illustrating my book. You may have noticed this blog has been more irregular in recent months as I have been travelling around the country collecting material – probably too much! It is hard work but the more I look into how we raise meat, the more convinced I am that people are ready to connect with animals and find out where meat comes from. I’m not sure what the conclusion will be yet but I hope it will help people make more informed choices about what they eat.
A picture Sam sketched as I was learning about stalking. She is open-minded about the Ethical Carnivore project and has already drawn some lovely illustrations. Thank you Sam!
PS. Later I made the venison into sausages…
Making the mincemeat.
Tying the sausages with Mike Alexander of the Ginger Piggery.
