Spring bounty

Another roar around the big screen as the Habs score again, officially announcing the spring season with a sunny playoff forecast and a decent probability of a Stanley Cup. I was a few hundred metres from home as the cheers subsided, back from the goose blind in time to witness another goal while wolfing down a piece of fresh-cooked goose killed that morning. I shut down my Facebook for a while, as it was littered with hundreds of pro-Hab posts. I wondered if a lot of insurance brokers were a little jittery, but, no shops were looted or cars burned this time.

Meanwhile, grateful farmers graciously allow many early bird hunters to basically go nuts with guns to rid their fields of the pesky geese. The Cree hunters graciously comply, but a little thorn in some plans make some hunters think harder about being prepared. Like, for instance, where to clean the geese and do it inconspicuously. One chap I met talked about using an automatic plucker – wow, I think, technology at its finest. Facebooking further reveals that although it was a long way to travel for some succulent goose, everyone was happy no matter where the goose came from.

As the flocks gather and head north, nearly every community turns into a ghost town. A few weeks later, many darkened strangers reappear, only to turn out to be long lost family members returning from their Goose Break. However, for the people of the north, the geese are yet to arrive in abundance, as ice conditions and cold weather still prevail.

Arrggg!! My itchy trigger finger is acting up again. Only lead and cold hard steel is the cure for this ailment.

Armed with trusty shotguns, often with far too many shells, the hunter gets the much-needed raccoon tan and canned food cooked over a small fire. The blind is re-camouflaged, and the hunt is on! As time and the sun slips by slowly, the coveted waterfowl appear, honking their signature call. A shot rings out, then others and a proud grinning boy holds up his first goose kill. These days, young girls are just as eager to participate in the hunt. The other geese harvested are just as important, to be put away for a special occasion, like weddings, birthdays and walking-out ceremonies. The goose is a special food for our people.

Stories start up during the darkening hours in the snug little cabins throughout Eeyou Istchee, tales of past hunts and times that need to be remembered and passed on. Lessons and values, from an age before the Internet and even before the bush radio, are conveyed in stories. More often than not, the funny stories take over everyone’s state of mind, then sleep comes easy. The sun rises a few hours later and the goose hunt tradition continues…

I, for one, appreciate the time taken to enjoy the great outdoors and to escape from the daily cycle of the rat race called civilization. Life on the land seems to be the way to go, at least until the incessant mosquito makes you change your mind and head back to town. Sometimes, I just don’t want it to end, but hey, there’s always fishing!