New School of Traditional Cookery

Winter butchery class tickets will be available for purchase Saturday November 23rd at 8am. Click below to purchase.

Our classic butchery course covers both feral hog and venison whole carcass butchery.

Monday January 13th, 2025 6-9pm.

Monday, January 27th, 2025 6-9pm

We will not be offering any Hunting School Workshops during the 2024-2025 season. 2025-2026 Season is TBD.

Click here for in-depth information about the Hunting School workshops.

These courses, held at our partner ranch in South Texas, are designed to empower both brand-new hunters and experienced hunters with new skills in the woods, at the butchery table and at the grill. Our start-to-finish curriculum is dedicated to assessing individual abilities and then offering hunting situations, butchery guidance and food-focused teaching so that our class participants emerge from this course with deeply rooted sets of new skills. If you are new to hunting, we will start you with the basics in the field. If you’ve been around it your whole life, we provide insightful and professional education in cutting, preparing and enjoying wild game to its fullest and give you new opportunities to challenge yourself in the field and kitchen.

Each course is led by Chef Jesse Griffiths, who acts as a hunting guide as well as head instructor in the butchery and cooking components. Our hunting guides are not only friendly and professional, but have shared their skills with new hunters for up to 10 years with NSTC. Many of our guides also have culinary backgrounds and are excellent cooks.

The food at the event is of great importance to us. It serves as a constant example of what game can be, and is sourced from the property for full context. Mealtimes, while sometimes rushed in order to get us back in the field or to the butchery table, are of paramount importance during the weekend, allowing guests and guides to further their conversations and immerse themselves in all aspects of the hunt and its bounty.

Hunts are for whitetail deer, which we manage on the property for optimal body size, not antler growth. Depending on our management strategy for different times during the season, we may take does or bucks. Cleaning, butchery and cooking of the different sexes will be covered. Feral hogs are present, and will be taken whenever the opportunity presents itself. Different sizes and sexes of hogs, and how this translates to cooking, will be covered in depth. Ducks, doves and small game will be hunted and cooked, if abundant and in season.

Hunts are done in a variety of methods that will be determined by weather, animal patterns and clients’ abilities. These include stalking, hunting from blinds over feeders, hunting from brush blinds and thermal night hunts (for hogs only; all equipment is provided). 

Skinning and gutting portions of the event are hands-on. Butchery classes are demonstration style, with some opportunity for clients to participate hands-on. Butchery will include up to three animals, and another class dedicated to sausage-making and other kitchen skills on Sunday.

Prerequisites for the class are minimal. Clients must have their own rifle in an appropriate caliber, with a scope. Clients must have the rifle sighted in and have fired 20 rounds to be comfortable with its operation. We do not loan rifles. If duck or dove hunting, please bring your own shotgun. Other than this, bring a valid Texas hunting license and Hunter’s Education if required by the state of Texas.

Upon booking, a discount code for First Lite gear will be provided for NSTC clients. We provide pre-hunt support in selecting rifles, optics, licenses and other gear upon request. Extensive information about clothing, gear, schedules, FAQ and location will be provided.

These hunts are for anyone, no matter your exposure to hunting in the past. Everyone is welcome.