An interview with Ryan Sealy, trapper education coordinator and instructor at the Government of Yukon
PHOTO: Gordon Hitchcock
How did you come to be in this position and why did you apply? What trapping, trapline and lifestyle experience do you bring to your position?
I started trapping in 1993, after taking trapper training with Alex Van Bibber and George Darbyshire. In the late 1990s, I began volunteering to help those two elderly trapping instructors. At first I was just helping to carry all the equipment, making coffee and just listening to them and watching them teach. Within a few years I was honoured, with their encouragement, to start becoming more involved.
In April 2005, Alex, who had just turned 89, asked me if I would be around the following winter to help instruct courses. I said “Sure, Alex, I can help a little bit.” To which Alex replied, “A little bit? You need to help out a lot!”
A few years later, the Yukon government advertised a seasonal position for a Trapper Education Coordinator/Instructor, so I applied. I felt I had a responsibility to pass down the teachings that these Elders had invested in me.
I have trapped every season, since 1997, and am grateful that my work schedule allows me to remain actively trapping to keep up my skills.
What does a regular workday look like for you? And who do you interact with in the government?
I work seasonally for eight months. I have a team of instructors and we work in pairs, visiting Yukon communities from September to May, to provide basic trapper training. This 28-hour training is required for anyone wanting to get a license to trap in the Yukon and it is recognized across Canada.
We also provide shorter “Intro to Trapping” sessions to provide hands-on learning for youth. To coordinate, we collaborate with local First Nation government staff, Renewable Resource councils, conservation officers and other institutions such as the Yukon University and Yukon First Nations Education Directorate.
Why do people contact you?
People contact me for many reasons related to trapping. My focus is on education and teaching new trappers how to trap responsibly, effectively, sustainably, humanely and legally within regulations. When I’m not teaching, I’m usually coordinating and preparing for these opportunities.
What work do you do for trappers?
Most of the work I do is for new trappers, to get them off to a good start. I also invite local trappers and First Nation Elders to assist in our workshops so that our participants and instructors gain those important perspectives.
What happens after a Yukoner buys equipment from a retiring trapper? How can someone become an assistant trapper? And how do you help in finding traplines (and assistant traplines) so new trappers can get experience?
Many people who have taken trapper training have found opportunities to assist on traplines throughout the Yukon. This means they found at least one trapping concession holder who has granted permission for them to apply for an assistant license to trap their trapping concession. Fewer opportunities exist for acquiring a trapping concession. I don’t keep up with the opportunities available after training, but our courses offer good general advice on how to seek opportunities.
The Author also notes, one can also contact the Renewable Resource Councils on available trapline concessions. See https://yfwmb.ca/renewable-resources-councils/.
How can a trapper become a co-educator in your four-and-a half-day course?
Anyone interested in assisting with trapper training should contact me. The process, to date, has been through apprenticeship. We typically invite local trappers and First Nation Elders to drop in to our workshops to see what we are doing. If they show an interest in instructing, we can offer them an honorarium to assist. If they show an interest in taking teaching to the next level, we may hire them on-call or on a casual basis. Currently we employ six instructors, each with over 30 years of trapping experience. Working in pairs, they instruct one to four courses each year.
Do you offer other courses? If so, to whom? And when?
Besides trapper training certification, our team provides “Intro to Trapping” sessions for youth. These are hands-on learning opportunities that we offer on demand, usually in the spring. Any requests we receive for specialty workshops—such as pelt preparation, tanning and lure making—we refer to the Yukon Trappers Association.
What changes have you made while in your position and what achievement are you most proud of? What are you working on currently?
The five-day course is now four-and-a-half days long so people don’t have to take as much time off work to attend. We’re always looking to offer more hands-on learning opportunities for youth. I’m currently beginning to plan an instructor training course for 2025.
What is it that you want more people (more trappers) to know about your services?
Organizations can request to book either the certified basic training or the shorter presentations on trapping, for their members.
