July 1, 1929 - August 1, 2021
A mighty sheep hunter has passed - August 1st, 2021.
Doug was born on Canada Day, July 1st 1929. He never had to work on his birthday. Doug was raised by his Grandparents after his Mother passed away shortly after he was born. Early years were spent in Telegraph, B.C on the trapline. He had his own dog team at an early age and would pick berries off the mountain.
He came to the Yukon with his Dad on the Alaska Highway in the early 1940's. He helped his Dad cut green wood for the Choutla School in Carcross with a bow saw - 2 cord a day cut and stacked.
He did repairs on the Telegraph line between Whitehorse and Atlin, B.C. He laughed when a beaver cut off a pole and it wouldn't fall down. He was a self-taught mechanic and welder. He came from the old school of thought; when you needed something, you made it. He could make use of material from the dump such as railings for the 4-wheelers or brackets for windshields for 4-wheelers and ski-doos. He had the first ski-doo in Tagish.
Doug was a hunter, fisherman and trapper. Adila became part of his life in 1974 and they were always together. He was a big game guide and outfitter for 27 years, retiring in 1990. When he was no longer the guide for hunters, he was the hunter. Hunting sheep was his passion and he was excellent at it. He got a moose every year until 2014. His last moose was in 2017 and he helped with the skinning.
When Doug's health started to fail and his legs wouldn't work he continued getting out, cutting his own wood for his home in Tagish until 2014. He lived there until the last year and half, then resided at Copper Ridge Place in Whitehorse.
A fellow hunter, Ron Ratz visited him nearly every week the last few years he was able to hunt (before 2015). His wife would stay in camp and his daughter Phyllis would go with him on the horses for trips lasting ten days. Starting in 1992 they went to Telegraph Creek and set a net in the Stikine River for sockeye until 2014.
Some family members also went to help. Seeing the floats bobbing in the water brought him joy. The fish was dried, frozen and canned for winter. He passed away on opening day of hunting season with his wife - always together. He was buried in Tagish.