WLD in Nature.

Summertime in the Canadian Rockies is a terrific time, and it means many things to many people.

To some, casting a fly to a rising trout in a backcountry lake epitomizes the season; to others, the months of dirt and dust flying off a 29" wheel bring a rugged smile to their face. No matter which medium you choose to paint your perfect summer canvas, we here at Wild Life Distillery want you to know that we share your passion for the season.

We’ve worked hard at our craft to bring you the perfect ready-to-drink backcountry beverages: Slim 355ml cans, for ease of fitting into your pack; fresh and balanced flavours, to keep your palate clean and uplifted; fun and playful names, to spice up your special occasions. WLD Canned Cocktails are designed with your next adventure in mind. It’s this mountain life that excites us too, a balance that informs every ounce we pour.

For our team, there is nothing more inspiring than hearing stories and seeing photos of special occasions made even better by the inclusion of our product, so we invite you to round up some Thirsty Cougars, pack your gear, and take your backcountry bevvy game to the next level.

Drop us a line @wldspirits

and let us know how it goes.

We’ll either be on our own adventures, or hard at work, taking great pride in being a small part of yours.

Happy Summer,

Happy Summer,

- The WLD Team

These days it’s the bison’s turn to return to Banff National Park. In 2018, wild bison were reintroduced after more than a 100-year absence. Through the reintroduction of this keystone species, managers hoped to improve ecosystem integrity and cultural connection. Five years on, most people see it as a great success and White has been lucky enough to be a part of the team monitoring the animals, maintaining fencing and writing reports.

By January, winter has eclipsed hunting season and White dons skis to cover 100 kilometres of remote backcountry on a four-day field trip. With heavy packs, he and his teammates ski to a series of tiny backcountry patrol cabins. They are collecting bison dung along the way and carrying it back to town to learn more about the herd’s diet.

Travelling on foot far from human development, cresting a windy ridge to see a wild herd of bison below is a powerful experience that recalls a bygone time. The return of bison to the park, which began in 2017, has been described as an act of reconciliation. The reintroduction started with an Indigenous blessing ceremony and a Parks promise to engage all Treaty 7 Nations throughout the project.

Parks has recently released a report on the project’s first five years, and though there is no mention of hunting, it’s easy to see that the herd is growing (projected to hit 200 animals within eight years), and that land for them to roam is limited. If all goes well, they will likely need to be culled to some degree, as elk around Banff and Jasper have been in years past.

The Stoney Nakoda Nations, who once hunted wild bison on this land for subsistence and included the animals in their cultural and spiritual practices, have released their own report on the project. Enhancing the Reintroduction of Plains Bison in Banff National Park Through Cultural Monitoring and Traditional Knowledge states that they, too, see the reintroduction as an act of reconciliation, and they would like to see the project expanded. It also recommends enhancing the project through ceremony, cultural monitoring, and, eventually, harvesting some of the animals like they had done before the park was established, before they were banned from hunting their traditional lands, and before the bison were driven to near extinction.

Many modern hunters have thought long and hard about the future of wildlife conservation. They have a vested interest, obviously, and they spend a lot of hours sitting quietly. They also see the impacts we all have on the environment. They witness how new developments change wildlife routes or how more hikers on a trail affect when and how animals use it.

Today there are a number of non-profit hunting organizations like Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and Ducks Unlimited who advocate for research, habitat restoration, and the protection of public lands that support the needs of both people and wildlife.

When the rest of us bike past a deer or a bear on the trails, we rarely stop and observe them for hours or return week after week to check on them as hunters do. We’ve likely already scared the animal by the time we spot them. Even supposed low-impact sports affect wildlife daily. In contrast, hunters try hard not to be noticed: camouflaging themselves, quietly hiding behind bushes or blinds, some even conceal their scent by wearing clothes left in airtight containers when they aren’t in the field. Hunters have as little impact as possible on wildlife until they have a final, fatal impact.

Some differentiate these types of recreation as consumptive (hunting and fishing) and non-consumptive (our outdoor sports that impact wildlife differently) which hints at societies mindset. But is hunting really recreating? Or is it human’s natural role in the ecosystem? There’s a discussion to be had there that wouldn’t be entirely comfortable at most dinner parties. But between hunting and conservation, urban growth and environmental preservation or even colonialism and reconciliation, is the messy middle ground where White spends a lot of his time.

“I was drawn to hunting by working conservation and studying biology. And through hunting, I’ve been inspired to continue with that work. Being a conservationist has made me a better hunter, but being a hunter has made me a better conservationist, too. Thinking back to my master’s degree, the time spent in the field hunting gave me the ability to see things on the landscape and not just on the computer screen of wildlife data. You need that balance of being out there.”

“In a utopian world, we’d all see the benefits of hunting, and hunters would be very conservationminded and ethical. I acknowledge that there are people that don’t do it ethically. But ideally non-hunters would recognize the role the hunters have to play in conservation as well. That’s a piece that’s forgotten.”