Dale Ethier – Author,
“Wilderness Captive”
An interview article by Rosemary Phillips,
January 2002
Longtime outfitter Dale Ether tells of the real nature
of wolves
Not long ago a local resident wrote a letter to the editor of the
Grand Forks Gazette warning the public of how he would deal with
nighttime marauders.
"Late last night free-roaming dogs killed a small white tail
doe on the meadows outside my bedroom window," were the words
of long time outfitter Dale Ethier. He continued on to describe
a #14 jump trap; "It is about eight inches in diameter and
has sharp pointed teeth spaced about every inch along the curvature
of the jaws when it is in a set position... It is easy to conceal
and will hold even a 200 lb. wolf easily."
Dale knows what he's talking about. He knows all about wolves. Before
moving to Grand Forks he spent most of his life living in the Cariboo
(northern British Columbia) as both a hunting guide, lookout attendant
at a forestry station, and eventually wilderness artist. Now to
his list of accomplishments he adds the soon-to-be-published book
“Wilderness Captive”.
"It was written more as a family record, like a diary,"
explains Dale. "Then my sister (Fay Ethier Moxness) got hold
of it and decided it would be a better thing to get out, because
there are lots of observations and ideas, and controversy."
The controversy is created by his opinion on wolves. "One way
to explain a wolf is to compare it to the ordinary dog, its relative.
In fact, dogs are tamed wolves, and wolves are wild dogs. They have
the same DNA. They interbreed and their offspring are not sterile
hybrids." Here Dale refers to the Talko/Omineca wolves which
constantly interbreed with dogs in the area, so what is a true "wolf"
and what is a true "dog" is difficult to define.
"It's the nature of dogs to run in packs, and chase down anything
that will fall, and kill just for sport... They don't deserve the
aura of admiration the so-called "experts" give them,
or the status of being a necessary predator," he states.
To elaborate on his point of view, Dale gives examples in “Wilderness
Captive” of a few hair-raising experiences. Add these stories
to those of survival and the ways of the wilderness and you have
an interesting and easy read that has you sitting by the camp fire
eating bannock and drinking coffee, or lying in a camp cot hearing
the moans of a pack of wolves, or watching Stanley, a huge bull
moose, as he swims across a lake. "There just wasn't enough
room for all of the stories, so as soon as Fay has this one out
of the way she's going to put another one together with more of
the human interest type stuff."
Wilderness and the hunter
What Dale has not recognized is that the human interest is very
much already in this first work which gives the reader, whether
they be hunter or amateur ecologist, insight into the wilderness,
and a different point of view with food for thought, particularly
about wolves... and questions.
When thinking of his life as a hunter he says, "You never lose
the feel of the hunt. It's a strange emotion that I always had when
I hunted. I became almost feral in my own mind. You have to because
you have to start thinking like the animal you are hunting or you're
not going to be successful."
In “Wilderness Captive” Dale tells stories about hunting,
about following the moose and caribou, meeting grizzlies and wolves,
about survival, and being in the wild. It's not an easy read for
the weak of heart. "Out in the wilderness you have to use wit
and talent; you don't look at a clock, you use the sun and a compass,
and very often you forget what month it is."
And Dale talks about the people who live their lives in the wilderness.
On one of his journeys he met up with David and Christine and their
family as they moved from winter camp at the isolated Indian settlement
of Hogem, to their summer home at the Takla Lake reserve.
"These people of the Groundhog clan were as near to traditional
Indians as I have ever encountered since my boyhood up in the Big
River country where the bush Cree make their home," states
Dale in the story. One by one he picked up members of the family
as he passed them on the road and loaded them onto the Jeep. Of
his first meeting with Christine he recalls, "I slowed to a
halt and peered into a kind, round face filled with character and
wisdom that any artist would love to capture."
Later, when a serious spine condition prevented Dale from continuing
his career as an outfitter he turned to oil paints and canvas to
depict the wildlife he has become so familiar with. Rave reviews
in the 1980's called him a natural realist with raw power in his
paintings, displaying the ruggedness of the land and the animals
without the fear of man. The cover of the book is one such work.
Dale is still painting but doesn't produce works fast enough to
get an exhibit together. "I can only sit still for about fifteen
minutes at a time. As soon as I get one done they are gone and out
of my hands," he explains. His inspiration is still the wilderness.
"I have to get lost again, to go out into the bush, to get
the feel, of certain trees, touch the needles. I get stuck in the
house over the winter because of my condition and I lose a lot of
the feel. I take trips out in the summers as often as I can."
“Wilderness Captive” gives a taste like only an hour
of conversation around the Ethier kitchen table in which only the
surface of a life full of adventure, complexities, love, and yes
- controversy, can be touched. There is so much more, and hopefully
Dale will continue to share his experiences, both in words and in
pictures so that his point of view is heard.
This article was originally written for the Grand Forks Gazette.
Information about “Wilderness Captive” is available
by visiting Dale
Ethier's
web page.
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