Winter Caretaker Report’22-23 Vol. 4

Hey everyone, my name is Ryan Yaskiw. I’m the mid-winter relief caretaker for Ganglers. I’ve flown in to give Chris a break and so he can go see his newborn. This is my third year working for Ken (Outpost manager at Stevens/Nicklin), and second winter stint. 

I live the same simplistic life at my home in southern Manitoba as is the reality up here, so for me the culture shock is minimal. I come up here to fill my soul with the rewards and challenges of life in this fiercely isolated and wild location. Those that have been here during the tourist season would have experienced this to a degree, no other people around other than those who are sharing the lodge or outposts with during your stay. Now remember that isolation you felt, and take away every other person. That’s the reality here in the winter. Local caribou hunters come and go, but the winter caretaker is truly on an island and alone for long stretches. The beauty and internal peace that provides me can’t be explained. The silence once the plane that dropped me off leaves is deafening, that saying is not a cliche.

Having done a stint already I knew what to expect, and prepared myself and gear accordingly this year. The weather can be bitterly cold, and that limits my ability to enjoy outside time. So, any warm days are fully utilized for either relaxation or chores. Last winter was one of the coldest we have on record, and my enjoyment of this area was very limited. The first two weeks here this year has been completely different, and I jumped right into embracing the lifestyle this area can offer.

I love ice-fishing, both personally and as a guide at home. The mild temperatures allowed me to jump right into that. I had taken my helix 5 fish finder/gps out with me on Egenolf lake every day while guiding during the fall eco tourist season, and had marked a handful of fishy looking spots. After settling in on the first day here I grabbed the helix, loaded up the snowmobile and went to punch some holes in the ice looking for a special “spot”. It took two jumps to find and break down a special piece of structure. A sharp 10-foot transition off of a gently sloping flat into a deep hole. There were so many fish that the helix lit up like a Christmas tree, and I knew this was the spot within the spot. I set up my tent and began fishing. Lake trout came fast and furious, but they weren’t my target. After a while I noticed a ripple on the bottom of my fish finder screen and figured it was what I was looking for. I dropped my jig down to a foot off the bottom, and watched that ripple turn into a mark that lifted off the bottom, and then felt the solid thump of a strike. The fight was different, and a beautifully coloured Burbot breaking the surface confirmed that I had found what I was looking for. For the rest of the next ten days, I visited that location often, catching both burbot and lake trout. Burbot are fresh water cod, and their food value is through the roof. I cook it up just like traditional cod, egg washing it, then battering it with a pancake mix blended with seasonings and then deep frying till golden brown.

The land and lakes have already provided to me in more than one way. Manitoba offers an opportunity for its residents to hunt the wintering caribou herd. The North Seal watershed just happens to fall within the herds wintering area. I purchased two tags this year which allows me to take two caribou. Hunting is done on the lakes due to the snow pack being heavy in the timber, and caribou being notoriously impossible to pattern. It’s a hunt of opportunity, taking advantage of sightings and stalking into range. I never leave the camp without a rifle, both for safety and to take advantage of any sightings of caribou. On my fifth day here I spotted a herd of a dozen or so animals on the lake a mile north of where I was ice-fishing. They were heading inland, and slipped behind an island on the lake. I took advantage of that and closed the distance with the snowmobile, and then quietly stalked around the island. There 250 yards away stood the herd, aware of my presence but not spooked. I picked an animal out of the group, and filled my food cache with a well-placed shot. Caribou meat is my personal favorite, and this animal will feed myself as well as family and friends.

One of the local delicacies is boiled caribou tongue. I had never tried it and decided to give it a go with the mindset of embracing the north. The recipe is simple. Wash the tongue, put in a pot of boiling salted water for 90 minutes, then skin and cut the tongue once done. I can say with honesty that I was very surprised with how good it was. The texture is like soft meat, and the flavour is very mild but fatty. I’ll certainly be cooking it again!

A large area of cold air has settled in as a write this, and my time outside will now be limited for the foreseeable future. But that cold brings clear skies. That means aurora photography. This year I’m also blessed with an opportunity to see/photograph a comet. The absolute darkness up here provides the perfect conditions for nocturnal photography. I’ll be working hard on getting a shot of the comet and aurora. I’m sure that’ll be part of my next update.