Welcome to the first Archery Wilderness School.
We teach a Traditional Archers wilderness skill set for ​self-sufficiency in nature.
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To us, this means being able to walk away from wherever you are in nature with your bow and arrows,
minimal gear and be able to provide safe fire, shelter, clean water and food for yourself, and if necessary, 
a partner, for either a short or extended period of time.
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This program is designed to teach outdoor skills to individuals who like to go camping, hunting, hiking or just want to enjoy the outdoors again without the stress of carrying heavy packs or the fear that
you don't have the skills to do it safely. By replacing gear centric thinking with practical skill based
​outdoor experiences, our goal is to give you the skills for camping as a planned activity but also as a life skill to help overcome adverse situations that may occur when interacting with nature. ​

Mouse Level



​Everyone has to start at the beginning. When you arrive, you'll set up at our base camp than we'll being by walking you through the items one would find in a pre-industrial archers' satchel. You'll learn what to carry and wear on your person, what tools you'll need; how to use them and maintain them. We'll cover some basic knots used most frequently around a camp. You'll make no trace fires with a single match. We'll gather water, learn to purify it and build a camp for yourself with a tarp shelter.

Every morning and evening will consist of archery lessons.

Weasel Level

You'll use the tools you learned about in the beginning and become more situationally aware of your surroundings. You'll learn to fish and set snares so they can work for you while you set up camp.
You'll practice different techniques to build fires, purify water and learn about wild edibles. We'll discuss hunting, fishing, 3-day packs, tracking and scouting. Martial arts may not be something you think of when you think about being in the wilderness but learning body dynamics will lessen your chances of sustaining a mechanical injury.

Badger Level



​Finally, you'll work on debris shelters provided by the forest and construct a water still. You'll combine the skills you've learned and start tool building; survival bows and arrows, knapping. Build fire using Flint & Steel and continue to learn more edibles and medicinal plants. You'll also be able to continue learning martial arts, being able to use a knife or tomahawk in self-defense helps you understand those tools better.

Building your Tree of Life takes time

The Roots

Common sense skill set for security in the outdoors. Like the Mouse we are small, untrained and need to build our Core skills.

The Trunk

Strong roots build sturdy trunks. Like the indigenous Weasel, we need wilderness skills for symbiotic and safe experiences in the outdoors.

The Canopy

​​ With roots firmly planted and a strong trunk, only then can the canopy bloom and provide shelter from the storm. Like the Badger you can be comfortable in the woods and feel like you never left your backyard.
With this in mind we also realize that some adults like to learn new skills one day at a time. We also offer a "summer camp" version of the Ancestors Way. A two to three hour course consisting of a primitive archery shoot, skills lesson followed by your skills learned demonstration. Samples of skills taught to adults are minimalist or bow fishing, tracking, minimalist camping, no trace fire building, water purification, proper tool care, emergency wilderness care, foraging stewardship, homesteading, deer plot care, tree stewardship, English archery and more. 
The Ancestors Way is intended to teach you new skills in order to achieve a successful and safe experiences with nature. This wilderness skills course in conjunction with traditional archery establishes abilities that can lead to a more active lifestyle, overall health improvement, less stress and more focus. By practicing these skills in a safe yet wild environment you can begin to build the muscle memory required for a strong outdoor lifestyle. You can learn through trial and error with a skilled instructor and gain confidence in your growing skills. The stronger your skills become the more pride you'll feel and the less fear you’ll experience, that leads to more adventures. The young benefit from a healthy outdoor life more than anyone and we all see the need for us to get back to nature no matter our age. We want to help you take solid steps to beat your own trails. Also, as we learn to be more connected to the earth by living more succinctly with nature, we reduce our carbon footprint naturally.

​This course is designed to be an interactive emersion experience for anyone 16 years of age and up consisting of 3 nights and 4 days camping outdoors, rain or shine, no facilities will be available unless already on site. Site locations vary. 

These courses are taught by Joseph a 40-year veteran of woodland education. He's also worked with Search and Rescue in Colorado. As a certified Martial arts instructor, he has been teaching his skills set for over 30 years and has been building English Longbows for 20 years. He is a certified EMT in the state in N.Y.  which also includes search and rescue responsibility on land and in the water.