TETLIT'ZHEH
Cassandra Francis is now a successful hunter after shooting her first caribou earlier this month, thanks to a school trip that partnered Chief Julius School students with local hunters on Oct. 14.

"I got my first caribou," said Francis, who is in Grade 12. "My mom was very happy for me."

Francis was just one of a group of students in Grades 10 to 12 who travelled about an hour and a half from Fort McPherson to the Yukon border to hunt caribou, said teacher Justin Cormier.

Cormier organized the trip.

"Each teacher is responsible for doing something cultural with the school," he said. "My idea for that was to take the students out hunting."

The original plan was to make the trip at the end of the month, but the caribou had their own schedule, Cormier added.

"I put the proposal in and found out a few days later that the caribou had arrived," he said. "We had intended to go hunting at the end of October but we kind of had to hurry things along."

Together with six local elders, Cormier and the students caught between 10 and 15 caribou.

Students learned not only where to find the herd and how to properly kill and field dress their catch, but also which animals were acceptable to hunt during this time of year, Francis said.

She had wanted to try for one of the biggest bulls, but the elder guiding Francis' group said it was off-limits.

"I didn't know that you can't shoot the big bulls now because they're mating," she explained.

Instead, Francis caught one that was "not too small and not too big."

At the end of the day, the group brought the animals back to the school, Cormier said. The next day everyone gathered in the gym where elders taught how to properly butcher and store the meat.

"We spread them out on a canvas and the whole school got to work on the animals," he said.

Many of the students were already experienced in proper butchering techniques and shared their skills with younger students.

"The high school students that were here were quite knowledgable to begin with," Cormier said.

Grade 11 student Dakota Koe was one of those students. Koe also caught a caribou on the trip and said while he's often gone hunting with his family, it was great to watch students with less experience learn.

"My favourite part was seeing the kids work with it," he said. "They looked happy."

Students learned how to make dry meat in the school's kitchen and stored the rest in the school's deep freezer and at the nearby school camp, Cormier said.

In addition to practical skills, students were also taught the importance of respecting wildlife, Cormier said.

"Respect for animals, that was a big lesson," he said.

They also have a new appreciation for hunting and where their food comes from, he said.

"These kids really learned what it takes and how much work it takes to provide for the community and provide for themselves as well," he said. "We followed the caribou from when it was shot to where it was stored. It was a very long few days but very rewarding."

Meat was distributed to community members and the rest will be used at the school, Cormier said.

"The meat we caught is going to provide the school with meat for the year so we're pretty excited," he said.

Francis said the most important piece of advice she had for anyone learning to hunt is to pay attention to more experienced hunters.

"Just listen and watch what they're doing so you know next time when you go," she said. "Just listen and learn."

For Koe, his advice was even simpler.

"Be careful," he said. "Watch where you shoot."