EatWild BC

"I think we're going the wrong way..." I said to Alistair as we blasted down HWY 1 past Cache Creek towards Kamloops. We missed our turn off because an incessant urge to pee had overwhelmed me and all I could focus on was a faint outline of the Husky up in the distance exactly 1/2 a block after our turnoff. That one over-site cost us almost an hour of travel time on our journey to Singing Lands Ranch. Good thing the first lesson when we got there was orienteering...

EatWild BC, based out of Vancouver, offers a Hunter's Field Skills workshop to newer hunters wanting to gain basic knowledge about harvesting their own food. In signing up, Alistair and I had no previous experience hunting, just a fundamental want and need to become proficient in being able to provide for ourselves sustainably without relying on conventional farming methods. This weekend workshop was one of the highlights of our year and sent us home with a far clearer direction on how to get going with our goals towards becoming new hunters with ethical and safe practices.

Because I don't want to spoil the element of intrigue for what types of activities you will be involved in should you decide to go yourself I won't get into the details of the entire weekend. What I will tell you is that within minutes of getting there it feels like a group of old friends sharing stories and enjoying each others company. At some point I had completely forgotten that this was something I signed up and paid for rather than just a weekend away with friends. Everybody involved is so genuine, and so down to earth, that they feel like family right away. Imagine a huge dining room table surrounded with people sitting down for a meal. Shoulder to shoulder. A million different conversations weaving in and out and back and forth. Boisterous laughing and smiling faces. Mentors telling stories around the fire, captivating their pupils into the late hours of the evening.

What we took away was a real sense of commonality and comradery within the hunting community. These folks have been doing it the ethical way for a long time and they really took their time to try and enlighten us on the realities of what it means to be a hunter. Overall this experience was one I will keep with me for years to come and I appreciated every minute of it. My hope is that I too will be able to harvest my own food sustainably with as little environmental impact as possible. This really was the next step to achieving that goal.

A huge thank you to the Mentors: Dylan, Larri, Jeff, Rob - we hope to see you out there one day. Until then, happy hunting and Eat Wild!

Next up is the Hunter Certification Training Course (CORE) with EatWild! 

~K

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Photo taken by Dylan Eyers of EatWild