What We Do, Together

The outdoors belong to everyone. But for too long, many of us have been made to feel like guests in our own wild spaces. Kinfolk Hunting Collective is changing that.

We are a community built on mentorship, respect for the land, and the belief that the harvest is richer when shared. We connect new, curious hunters with experienced mentors to break down barriers and build a tradition where everyone has a seat at the campfire. Our programs are designed to ensure that hunters from all backgrounds—especially BIPOC, Queer, and Women-identifying folks—feel empowered to learn, grow, and lead.

Here, you’re not just learning skills. You are becoming an active steward of our local ecosystems and a source of healthy, sustainable food for yourself and your loved ones. Mentees grow into mentors, creating a thriving circle of shared knowledge and support.

Joining Kinfolk Hunting Collective is about more than a single hunt. It’s about stepping into a story of stewardship, forging a deeper relationship with your food and the land, and building a community where conservation and connection protect our wild places for generations to come.

Here, you’re not a guest. You’re kin.

Our Community Values

Kinfolk Hunting Collective is a new type of hunting community built on these shared norms and commitments we make to one another.

Our community is open to all who share our values, but especially BIPOC, Queer folks, and Women. Our definition of community extends beyond our members to include the land, waters, and wildlife.

We sustain our community through the following shared norms that outline our shared expectations:

• Mutual Respect: We recognize and honor that every member of our community brings a unique set of life experiences and is at a unique stage of their outdoor journey. We expect every member of our community to be treated with dignity and consideration at all times.

• Mutual Support: We show up for one another through the challenges of the journey and celebrate each other's progress. We understand that kinship requires us to occasionally defer our own individual goals in favor of the collective, ensuring that the group’s needs are met and no one is left to struggle.

• Positive Intent and Grace: We assume good intentions and lead with patience. We seek to understand different perspectives and offer kindness when mistakes occur, ensuring every member of our community feels safe while learning.

• Proactive Contribution: We believe every member contributes to the needs of the group. We proactively step up to help each other, ensuring that responsibilities are shared and no member of our community is left to struggle alone.

• Safe Inquiry: We prioritize curiosity and ensure that questions are met with mentorship instead of judgment.

• Privacy and Trust: We protect the privacy of the group by ensuring that stories shared within our circle remain confidential. This trust allows every member of our community to show vulnerability and bring their authentic self to the collective.

• Community Representation: We carry our values wherever we go. We treat those outside our collective with the same respect and dignity we show each other, understanding that we represent Kinfolk Hunting Collective in every interaction.

Our Commitment to Our Kin

In this community, no one is a guest. We share responsibility for one another’s well-being, safety, and success in the field.

• Safety as a Priority: We maintain strict physical safety and foster emotional security. We ensure every member feels supported as they build confidence at their own pace.

• Mentorship Over Competition: We prioritize the sharing of skills and knowledge over individual achievement. We celebrate the growth of the group and reject elitism or "gatekeeping."

• Valuing Lived Experience: We recognize that every member brings a unique perspective to the outdoors. We listen more than we speak, honoring the diverse stories that strengthen our community.

• Collective Success over Individual Goals: We prioritize the needs of the group over our own personal pursuits. We proactively step up to assist our kin, even if it means pausing our own journey to help a fellow member navigate a challenge or complete a harvest.

Our Commitment to the Lands and Waters

We acknowledge our role as stewards and guests on the lands and waters that sustain us. We recognize the land itself as a vital member of our community.

• Active Reciprocity: We do not just take from the land; we work to protect it. We participate in conservation and advocate for the wild spaces on which we hunt and fish.

• Honor and Awareness: We respect the history of the land, including the Indigenous peoples who have steered these ecosystems for generations. We hunt and fish with an awareness of our place in that history.

• Respectful Presence and Stewardship: We treat all wild spaces with the highest standard of care, acknowledging that we are guests on public lands and private properties alike. We strictly adhere to the expectations of our conservancy partners and landowners while following Leave No Trace principles to ensure we leave every forest, field, and waterway in better condition than we found it.

Our Commitment to the Harvest

Hunting and fishing connect us directly to our food and the life cycles of the natural world. Through these practices, we recognize our place as members of this broader natural community, existing in relationship with the ecosystems that sustain all life.

• Ethical Accountability: We practice our skills diligently to ensure every harvest is quick, humane, and respectful. We know our personal limits and honor them in the field.

• Respect for the Life Taken: We recognize that our deepest work begins the moment we pull the trigger. We never leave an animal in the field; we commit to exhausting every effort to find and process the animal, persevering through the cold, the dark, and the elements to ensure no animal is left behind and the harvest is treated with the dignity it deserves.

• Gratitude and Humility: We approach every harvest with a sense of deep appreciation for the animal’s life. We honor the harvest through the way we speak of it and how we represent the hunt to others, celebrating this profound connection to our food and the natural world with respect.