Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 17/98) - It doesn't take much prodding to get Hay River resident Alex Lafferty recalling his 60-plus years of making a living in the great Northern outdoors.

Lafferty is well known by many Northerners as having been one of the best trappers the North has ever seen.

Self-employed for most of his 70 years, Lafferty went to the bush with his dad to begin learning his trapping skills at the ripe old age of 10.

He fondly recalls his time spent in the bush with his dad and has many vivid memories of those days.

"I trapped with my father right up until he passed away," says Lafferty.

"I learned a great deal in the bush with him in my early days.

"I did spend some time working as a deck hand aboard the mission boat of those days and earning $2 a day for eight to 12 hours work a day."

After the big fire in the southeast end of the Great Slave Lake as the '40s came to a close, Lafferty turned to fishing for the next four or five years.

He returned to the trapping life he loved around 1955-56 and stuck with it up until a year ago.

"As time went on and things changed, I'd trap all winter and then come back in the spring to start commercial fishing on a percentage basis.

"After trapping season was over I'd have a few dollars, you know, and I'd travel the country seeing my people until the fishing picked up where I had my camp on Simpson Island on the eastern arm of the Great Slave Lake."

Lafferty describes his trapping area as being about 45-50 miles up the Slave River from Fort Resolution.

"I had a cabin there and a smoke house, and there was always something to do,' said Lafferty.

"My trapline ran south of Great Slave Lake, up Slave River about 90 miles, to a place called Hook Lake.

"We had meat year-round when we were there, mainly young buffalo, but, I'm a pensioner now and don't have to worry about that stuff.

"I moved to Hay River in 1980, but, I'll tell you, you can't forget the bush life. I was born and raised in the bush and I really miss it."