Boise State students learn to skin big game using virtual reality

BOISE, Idaho (CBS 2) — Idaho Fish & Game partnered with Boise State to develop a virtual reality simulation to teach students how to skin big game.

Students are shown a screen with a deer lying on the ground. The simulation gives specific instructions as students go through the steps of field dressing the dead animal.

The development bridges the gap from classroom to field for inexperienced hunters.

"Over the past year, Brennon Leman and Dakota Kimble, who are part of Boise State’s Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile Program have been working with Idaho Fish and Game staff to develop a virtual reality simulation to teach new hunters how to field dress big game," said Brian Pearson, a spokesperson for IDFG.

IDFG hopes this new simulation will help hunters understand the basics of field dressing animals without the use of books or videos.

While Idaho hunter education courses cover field dressing, the tools available for hands-on instruction are limited, according to Brenda Beckley, IDFG hunter and angler recruitment manager.

VR simulation is often used as an instructional tool for situations from going to the airport for disabled children to astronaut training.

“For this to be used in our hunter education classes, it was important that the simulation take the user through every step of the process, from the time that the animal is reduced into a hunter’s possession until they have finished field dressing the animal,” Beckley said.

About the simulation:

• When students put on the VR headset and take the two controllers into their hands, they are transported to the Idaho backcountry, with a freshly downed elk on the ground in front of them. Before they can “grab” a knife using the buttons on the controllers and begin field dressing the animal, students begin by attaching a tag to the antlers of the elk.
• After that, the field dressing begins with skinning the animal, removing one of the rear hindquarters, followed by the front quarter, neck meat, backstrap, and tenderloin. Students have to manipulate the legs and hide with their free hand and move their body around the animal as they work, mimicking the real-world mechanics of field dressing an animal.
• Illuminated dots guide the location of their cuts, and users can read from in-game written instructions if they need additional help.

Fish and Game’s field dressing simulation can be found on Oculus virtual reality systems, including the Rift and Quest consoles.

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