Student bison hunt fruitful
Youth partner with trappers to learn wilderness survival skills
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, March 31, 2016
DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
Deh Gah School students wrapped up a seven-week camp on March 11 that took them into the wilds of Fort Providence accompanied by community elders and trappers.
Shannel Landry, right, helps Henry Sabourin alongside fellow students Neilson Vandell, Amber Gargan and Anthony Betsaka as they skin their first bison during a five-day hunt at Horn River. - photo courtesy of Nimisha Bastedo
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Over the course of the camp, around 70 students learned traditional hunting and trapping skills and also learned first-hand how to hunt, kill, skin and butcher a bison.
"They set fishnets, rabbit snares and beaver traps. They watched the animals being skinned and tried their hand at making dryfish," said Nimisha Bastedo, who helped to co-ordinate the camp.
"During the final three weeks at Horn River, students also participated in a hunt for bison. While there were a few sightings the first two weeks, it was the final group of high school students that were finally able to bring bison meat back to the community."
The camp began in January as part of the Take-a-kid Trapping program, which is co-sponsored by the territorial departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Municipal and Community Affairs and Health and Social Services.
That program works as a basic introduction to trapping run through schools or by aboriginal organizations in collaboration with Environment and Natural Resources.
Teachers and community members including Henry Sabourin, Eric Nadli, Lawrence Denetre, Edward Landry and Elsie Lacorne joined students on the land.
"(This was) about connecting students to trappers in their community - spending time with the local trappers and learning from them," Bastedo said.
Over the course of the camp, students were joined by youth from elsewhere in the territory, including Hay River and Aklavik.
They learned outdoor survival skills, even participating in scenarios involving hypothermia.
Five days before the camp wrapped up, high school students had their chance at a bison.
"They were hunting on snowmobiles when we saw the bison," said Bastedo, who added the animals were shot by Edward Landry, Fort Providence's renewable resources officer.
Two bison were harvested in total. One on March 7 and one on March 9.
"We processed the meat out there and tried to package it in chunks that were a reasonable size for a family to bring home," Bastedo said.
"On (March 11), after the hunt, we had all the meat laid out at the school and there was an announcement made on the radio for anyone to come and pick up the meat. So any family could come in and take a bag of meat home."
Meanwhile, the school sent the hide to Edmonton to be properly processed.
Fort Providence's camp also received funding from the Deh Gah Got'ie Wellness Committee to run.
