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A large chunk of the province finds itself under a fire ban blanket, including Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness Hunts Inc.
Owner Michael Heisler said his outfitting business hasn’t been impacted yet, but he remains cautious.
“This year is looking like it’s gonna be a real bad year if it keeps up with no rain up in the north,” he said. “We haven’t seen it this dry in over 40 years.”
Read more:
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- Village of Alvena issues water rationing notice as wildfire burns nearby
- Evacuations ordered as 4 homes burn in uncontained wildfire on James Smith Cree Nation
His outfitter is around 2.5 hours northwest of Saskatoon near Chitek Lake, which is along the edge of the Boreal Forest.
With unpredictable winds and the perfect conditions for wildfires, Heisler is well aware of the elevated risks.
“A little bit of spark here and there and it can really devastate an area and a person’s livelihood,” he said.
Michael (right) with a hunter named Clayton who killed his first black bear at his outfitter. (Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness Hunts Inc./Facebook)
Heisler said one of the biggest impacts on his operation is how smoke affects his clients, especially older hunters.
“Depending on where the fires are, smoke in the air makes it a little tough to have people outside all day long sitting in a tree,” he said.
Heisler said fires can have devastating impacts on a business like his. He’s still seeing the effects of a fire in the area from around 30 years ago.
“Everything has changed in that area,” he explained. “The trees and the forest have changed; it’s a different quality of forest.”
“The animal behaviour has also changed. It still has an impact on our business after that long. It ain’t the same and it probably won’t be the same.”
Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness Hunts Inc. is located about 2.5 hours northeast of Saskatoon. While Heisler hasn’t seen the effects of the wildfire season yet, he said other outfitters farther north have. (Northern Saskatchewan Wilderness Hunts Inc./Facebook)
The hardest part of it all is the lack of control. Things like the weather and man-made fires, which Heisler says happen often, are out of his hands.
“You’ve got to be very aware of your surroundings, like quad mufflers in the grass, starting fires and putting out fires, cigarette butts, stuff like that,” he said.
“You just got to be real cautious of any little bit of spark, especially with this dry grass right now in the forest, because it’ll take off.”
The high winds aren’t helping the situation either, Heisler said.
He said outfitters don’t receive much or any support from the Saskatchewan Outfitters Association or the provincial government during wildfire season because there’s really not much that can be done.
“Everybody has their own territory, so it’s not like they can move you to another area,” he explained.
“You just make do with what you got, and I guess you keep going.”
He strongly encourages everyone, not just hunters, to be extra cautious and aware of their surroundings in the dry conditions.
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