Who is Kinfolk Hunting Collective For?

Our programs join new hunters with experienced mentors, building a community that values inclusivity, reciprocity, and conservation. We are open to all, with a focus on making sure BIPOC, women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people feel a true sense of belonging. We do this in direct response to the past and current reality that hunting has long been exclusionary.

How many events do you do in a year?

Our programming for this year consists of:

• 3 deer hunts (one crossbow, one compound bow, one firearm)

• 1 turkey hunt

• 1 waterfowl hunt

• Other smaller educational events such as woods skills, archery, scouting, shotgun shooting and more

We are adding more events every year!

How do the hunts work?

All of our hunting events run from noon on Friday to mid-afternoon on Sunday. Our hunts pair up to 10 mentees one on one with an experience mentor who will be their hunting partner, coach and teacher for the weekend. In addition to actually hunting, we also add additional programming meant to teach hunting skills to mentees. This includes:

• talks by biologists about the species we are hunting

• hands on field dressing, processing, and butchering

• additional training with the weapon being used whether it is archery equipment or firearms

• tree stand use and safety

• basic scouting and hunting skills

• gear

We spend time ensuring everyone gets to know one another. We are not just trying to teach folks to hunt but also working to create a new community! Many of our mentees and mentors end up hunting together after these events!

Where do your events take place?

All of our events are New York based, primarily downstate (south of Albany) and Long Island. All of our hunts take place on private land we have access to through multiple land conservancy partners. If you have access to private land and would like to collaborate with us to host a hunt, please reach out! We are hoping to expand to more locations in the state.

Do I have to provide my own gear?

For the most part we have gear for mentees to use. We expect mentees to have good base layers appropriate to the weather we will be experiencing. For any mentee selected, we will communicate with them if anything else is needed prior to the event, but in most cases, we provide almost everything needed.

Do I need a hunting license?

For any of our events that are going to include hunting, the answer is yes! We expect selected mentees to take the required Hunter Safety Course and to purchase/print out any necessary NY hunting licenses/tags. This will all be made clear to mentees prior to the event. For any fishing events, you will need a NY fishing license.

How much does this cost?

These events are free to mentees though we have a suggested optional donation that we use to fund future events and gear.

Where are we staying for these hunts?

It depends on the hunt. For our warmer weather hunts such as the Turkey Camp, we are camping out in tents. For other hunts, we are staying indoors either in a facility available to us on the property or in a nearby Airbnb.

What are we eating?

We eat well at these events. We do our best to eat wild game for at least one meal at our events and have served wild venison, duck, squirrel, and bear! We provide food, snacks and drink for everyone for the entire weekend for free. We take into account any dietary restrictions and will offer alternatives.

How do I get to the event if I don’t have a car?

We encourage mentees and mentors to carpool where possible and facilitate that conversation prior to the event.

Can I borrow gear to hunt on my own after I attend one of the hunts?

In most cases, the answer is YES! We want our community to hunt together and support each other as much as possible. We have gear we can loan out to prior mentees and most all of our mentors also offer to take people out hunting and loan gear as needed. We want you to become lifelong hunters and that is not something that happens in one weekend.

What about other outdoor activities like fishing/camping/etc?

We are adding more programming and most definitely want to add more events focused on the outdoors. We are planning on new events focused on fishing, foraging, scouting, map reading, camping and more. Keep an eye on our upcoming events page!

How do I stay involved after being a mentee?

Most of our hunts we will leave room for past mentees to come and hunt on their own. They are part of our hunt camp but are not paired with a mentor. Our hope is that eventually prior mentees will graduate to become mentors and help to teach the new generation of mentees. We are already seeing that happen!

Missed something?

If you have questions not answered here, please feel free to reach out to us at faq@kinfolkhunting.org and we will get back to you with an answer.