Anishinaabe hunter passionate about sharing skills and feeding families

Hunting large and small game has always been a part of Shawna-Lee Enair's life, and now she's passing that knowledge on.

"I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way," said Enair, 31, a member of Matachewan First Nation who lives in Kirkland Lake, Ont.

Those life lessons began at her grandparents' hunting and fishing camp in Matachewan, about 160 kilometres north of Sudbury, Ont.

"I learned how to ride my bike, write my name, cast a fishing pole, shoot a gun — I did everything at that camp growing up," said Enair. 

This past year she was invited to facilitate the fall black bear hunt with Matachewan, and next year she's organizing a community hunt camp for Beaver House First Nation.

Kayla Schram, a friend of Enair, said hunting with her the past few years has re-ignited a spark.

"She's always kind of teaching me things when we're out there together," she said.

"That passion is really coming through."

Enair also has her own hunting series called Wild North Adventures on Wild TV, with a third season planned. But doesn't just hunt and fish for her show, it's how Enair feeds her family, including her four-year-old son Cohen. She said knowing where her food comes from is important.

"I've been to slaughterhouses, I've seen how things are done," she said.

"I've seen the things that go into preserving meat and things like that and I just know that with living the field-to-table lifestyle, I don't have to worry about all of that extra stuff. I kind of know that I'm getting organic meat."

Enair's three freezers are full of moose, deer, elk, wild turkey, grouse, pickerel, bear, and speckled trout. She said living a field-to-table lifestyle isn't for the faint of heart; it takes commitment, dedication, and perseverance.

"All those things kind of take hold, especially when you're sitting in a tree stand for hours and hours and hours, trying to fill your freezer and it really tests your patience," said Enair.

She said the cultural part of it is one of her most favourite things, the time spent being out with family and friends on the lake.