The staff for Kids’ Survival Summer Camps consists adults that have graduated Piked Antler Survival Programs, and also military Veterans, all of which have been vetted and have demonstrated the ability to hold the higher standard. Nobody works at the Piked Antler Project that the owner doesn’t trust with his own life.

We are beyond passionate about

“People Helping People.”

“It’s our passion. It’s what drives us. It’s the reason we wake up excited every day. We love helping others. “

The founder’s life mission has always been “To Help, Teach & Protect others.”

This was the founding motivation to create the The Piked Antler Project. “We can help, teach and protect others by teaching them Real World Survival Skills that will keep you alive” says owner Will White.

The The Piked Antler Project’s objective is simple. They have created a learning environment in which you can feel safe & supported to learn and ask questions. Ego’s are not welcome, as they simply get in the way of learning and teaching.

The Piked Antler Project became an LLC in November of 2017 and is based out of Western North Carolina’s (WNC) Haywood County. It has been their mission since the very beginning to “Teach Real World Survival Skills that will Save your “Ash”, test your grit and build your self worth.”

They have always wanted to teach others real wilderness skills. They leave out “cool & trendy” skills as they are rarely applicable in a real wilderness survival situation.

They focus on the legitimate “need-to-knows” about the wilderness and being prepared and staying safe.

So what’s the big deal about the Piked Antler Project, LLC? How are they different!!

They place a large emphasis on connection with others. Please don’t confuse connection with a lack of focus on teaching real skills. They are here to teach, but also understand the value of connecting with their students.

They know the content that they teach because they have lived it. The instructors are very avid outdoorsmen with thousands of hours of experience gained through application. In short, they’ve lived what they teach.

The owner, Will White, a U.S. Army Veteran, founded the company knowing that what people truly needed was an environment that was comfortable to learn in, and not military training. We all learn better when we’re enjoying the lessons.

What does this mean and not mean? What this does NOT mean is that classes are always easy. Testing phases in the longer courses are quite challenging, because survival situations are never comfortable.

Outside of Testing phases, final exams or field exercises, they strive to teach in a way that is enjoyable. They help students retain information by sometimes sharing scary, funny and interesting experiential stories in which the skills being taught were used in real life. They avoid long lectures as often as possible and push to have every student stimulate maximal senses so they can retain the information better. In short, they show you how to identify a medicinal plant, make a friction fire, track animals, etc., and then it’s your turn. The best way to learn is “to do.” They want you to see & feel what you’re doing, not just watch. You’ll know the smell, taste, look and feel of edible & medicinal plants. You’ll know what your hands feel like after starting a fire with a ferrocerium/ferro rod. It’s all about engaging as many senses as you can to better retain the information.

The class paces are most often at a comfortable pace. Though physical fitness is of great importance in survival, you don’t have to be at peak condition to learn. The classes do involve walks in the Appalachian Mountains and do involve physical work for sure. But they save the grueling parts that require a higher fitness level for the Testing phases at the end of the advanced courses, like “The Reset” class.

In summary, if you’ve been intimidated to attend a Wilderness or Survival course, you’ve found a fun and peaceful place to come. They want you to be comfortable asking questions. They want you to feel at home. They want you to see the forest as they do, a place that we belong.