A trip insurance policy can reimburse up to 100% of your course tuition and travel expenses if you need to cancel (even on short notice).

We strongly encourage you to purchase trip insurance to protect your investment in the course tuition and your travel expenses. This will provide you with peace of mind when contemplating the uncertainties that come with committing to an event months in advance.

Standard trip insurance policies will reimburse you if you cancel your course attendance/trip due to natural disasters, travel interruptions, or an illness/injury impacting you or your family members/business partners, both before and during your trip/course. We strongly recommend the purchase of a trip insurance policy that includes “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage to extend your protection even further.

The trip insurance company we recommend is Travel Insured International: https://www.travelinsured.com

You can request insurance quotes and policy details on their website. The cost varies based on traveler age and state of residence but is usually somewhere between 5 to 10 % of the total trip cost.

Note: Most trip insurance policies are time sensitive; Travel Insured International requires you to purchase your trip insurance policy within 21 days of the date of your initial deposit/payment for your course/trip.

Should you decide not to purchase trip insurance and end up needing to cancel your attendance, please understand that we will not offer refunds of course tuition for any reason, nor will your course tuition payment be transferable to another date. This policy applies to both public and private group courses. Alternate course participants are welcome if you’re able to find someone else to take your place(s). If we have a waitlist and can fill your spot(s) from our list, we can credit 80% of your tuition payment to a future course. Finding a replacement from our waitlist is more likely with advance notice. If we are unable to run a planned course due to reasons beyond our control (such as mandatory wildfire evacuation or hazardous smoke levels) we will reschedule participants to a future date.

This cancellation and rescheduling policy is in place to ensure that our business remains viable, and to protect your investment and the experience of fellow course participants. Thank you for your understanding.

Policy prior to March 2024:

Course tuition is refundable up to three months prior to your original course date, minus a $100 cancellation fee ($30/participant for shellfishing). Due to the nature of this program often requiring long lead times for participants to plan and our team to prepare for the courses, refunds will not be issued with less than three months written notice. However, you can transfer your registration to another person, or if we have enough advance notice we may be able to fill your spot from a waitlist. If successful in finding a waitlist participant in that three-month window, we can reschedule your participation one time for a $200 fee.

If you request to reschedule more than three months prior to your course, you can transfer to another course date one time without incurring a reschedule fee.

If you are on a payment plan that extends past your course date and you are unable to attend on short notice, the remainder of your course payments remain due.

We recommend investigating trip insurance if you feel there is a chance you won’t be able to attend. Here is an overview of the service and cost: Average Cost Of Travel Insurance – Forbes Advisor

If we have to postpone due to wildfire or some other uncontrollable situation, we will offer a refund or work to reschedule participants to a later date.

We are located near the town of Kettle Falls, in the NE corner of Washington state. It is about a 5.5/6 hour drive from Seattle and about 2 hours from Spokane International Airport. If flying into Spokane, an alternative to renting a car is the Gold Line bus service, which offers transportation to and from the airport and Kettle Falls twice daily. If you take the early bus you are welcome to relax at our place that afternoon; if the later bus we’ll keep dinner warm for you. Let us know if you plan to take the bus and we will pick you up in Kettle Falls upon your arrival (and drop you off for your departure).

There is no minimum age for the Shellfish Forage Course. For the Awaken the Hunter Course we recommend that any young hunters have taken and passed the WA State Hunter Education Certificate Course, which is required to purchase a hunting license for anyone born after 1971. This will give an indication as to whether a young hunter has the interest and attention span to engage in four days of intense experiential learning. We recommend a minimum age of 10 if accompanied by a parent; and 18 if attending independently.

A hunting license is not required to attend and participate in the Awaken the Hunter Course. A valid hunting license and turkey tag is required for the Turkey Hunting Course. Those without licenses can join the hunt as observers. A valid shellfishing license is required to partake in the Shellfish Forage Course but may be included with the course depending on group permits available from the state. See the WDFW website for licensing information. Kids under 15 do not need a license to fish or gather shellfish, but they do to hunt.

Recommended, not required for the Awaken the Hunter Course. The Turkey Hunting Course will require a valid hunting license and appropriate tags, which will require passing the Hunter Ed Course for anyone born after 1971.

Traveling from out of the country? It’s very simple if you don’t need a hunting license (to hunt turkeys) or plan to transport firearms. If you do plan to hunt then we can advise you on your options for completing a certified online hunter safety test and exam (simple and straightforward) prior to your arrival so that you can purchase your hunting license. If you plan to transport a firearm or ammunition there are some restrictions but generally it is allowed for hunting purposes. See US Customs and contact us for support.

Please refer to course description pages for detailed lists. Generally, we provide all of the necessary gear, equipment, and meals. Please bring appropriate clothing layers, footwear, outerwear, and camping equipment if you elect to camp.

We will start with dinner on the first day and the course will wrap up with brunch/lunch on the fifth day, but you are welcome to stay into the afternoon or even another night if conducive to your travel schedule and/or partake in an optional add-on hunting lesson depending on the season. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served and we will typically have morning and afternoon learning sessions 4-5 hours in length, followed by an evening discussion or guest speaker before or after dinner.

Yes. Breakfast (and coffee!), lunch and dinner will be provided between dinner on day one and brunch/lunch on day 5. Meals are very high quality home-cooked by an on-site chef and often include the animal you butcher.

May - June / September - October: Days are generally comfortably warm and dry, but there could be some evening frost or rain (spring) or snow (fall) so extra base layers, a warm sleeping bag and rain gear are recommended. Our snowpack melts by early April and the earliest snow we’ve seen in late September (but that was unusual).

July - August: Days are typically hot (80's-90's) and sunny with mild evenings (60's).

November - February: Mountain winter conditions; snow accumulation peaks around mid-February. 

March - April: Variable spring conditions with higher chance of rains and frosty nights. 

There is decent coverage on site (that can fluctuate with weather and position) for both voice and data for most carriers.

Gratuity is voluntary and at your own discretion, however much appreciated if you are happy with your experience and service, and it helps build the program and scholarship fund.

Awaken the Hunter course:

Providence Mount Carmel Hospital is an 18-mile drive (about a 30 min. drive) (509) 685-5100

982 E. Columbia Avenue, Colville, WA 99114

Shellfishing Course:

Brinnon Fire Department: (360) 796 4450 | 272 Schoolhouse Rd, Brinnon, WA 98320 (24-hour)

Mason General Hospital: (360) 426 1611 | 901 Mountain View Dr, Shelton, WA 98584 (to the south)

Jefferson Healthcare Medical Center: (360) 385 2200 | 834 Sheridan St, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (to the north)

For added piece of mind, consider signing up for the Life Flight Network, which covers medical air transport in the Pacific Northwest for you and your family at an affordable annual rate. www.lifeflight.org

Most cell phone carriers have signals on site. Emergency ground transportation also serves the area.

We work hard to create an environment conducive to wildlife to enhance the viewing opportunities for course participants. The introduction of pets and their scents can throw off the habits of wildlife and prevent them from coming around especially during spring turkey season since turkeys’ natural predators are four-legged critters like bobcats, coyotes, skunks, wolves, bears, etc. Any visual of a dog can run turkeys out of the area as they look for safe places to nest (on the ground).

Talk to us if it’s a deal breaker. We have on occasion allowed dogs though we ask that they stay confined (tied up or in a car/trailer - not allowed to run wild) and taken for walks on a leash in designated areas (along the 1/4 mile driveway). Managing a dog can be distracting during a 4-day course but is not impossible and is more manageable during a community gathering. No dogs in the house or on the porch.