Introduction: Real People, Real Connection
Across British Columbia, people care deeply about food, nature, and the places they call home. For many, hunting is one way to live those values. It reflects food, family, and connection to the land, rooted in a deep sense of respect. Through the Who Cares BC campaign, we meet the people behind the practice. Their stories remind us that hunting is not just an activity. It is a relationship with the land that sustains us.
The people featured here are real British Columbians. They include educators, chefs, parents, health professionals, and community leaders. They come from different backgrounds and regions, but they share the same care for where their food comes from. Their stories show that hunting is not about competition or image, but instead responsibility and gratitude. It is also living with intention and respecting what nature provides.
Dylan Eyers: Teaching Connection Through Wild Food
In Vancouver, Dylan Eyers is helping people reconnect with nature through food. As the founder of Eat Wild, Dylan teaches others how to hunt and forage safely and respectfully. His students come from many walks of life. Some grew up in cities. Others are learning for the first time what it means to harvest food directly from the land.
Dylan’s goal is to help people understand that hunting can be part of a thoughtful and sustainable lifestyle. His workshops show how knowledge, patience, and preparation lead to success. He believes that when people take part in these practices, they see the land in a new way. They notice the seasons, the habitats, and the work it takes to provide a meal.
For Dylan, hunting is an extension of responsibility. It encourages respect for wildlife and awareness of the systems that keep it healthy. His story reflects how hunting in BC can bring people closer to their food and deepen their care for the environment.
Tammy Wood: Family, Food, and Wild Game Cooking
Tammy Wood is a wild game chef and an advocate for local food. Her story is about family and nourishment. For Tammy, the process of hunting, preparing, and sharing wild meat is part of a complete food journey. It connects her family to the land and to one another.
In her kitchen, wild meat becomes part of daily life. She uses every cut and shares her knowledge with others who want to learn. Her work shows how hunting fits naturally into values that many people already hold. It is about cooking real food, wasting nothing, and appreciating every part of what the land provides.
Tammy’s story also highlights the creativity that comes with wild food. It invites people to see hunting not as a distant or rugged pursuit but as a mindful, nourishing practice. Through her cooking and her care, she shows that hunting and good food share the same foundation: respect.
Melissa Tautscher: Learning to Hunt with Gratitude
Melissa Tautscher represents a growing number of British Columbians who have chosen to learn hunting as adults. Her story is one of curiosity, patience, and appreciation. When she decided to hunt, she did so to understand more deeply where her food came from and to take part in the full process of bringing it to the table.
Melissa speaks about learning each step with care, from safety and preparation to harvest and processing. Her experiences taught her that hunting is not only about food but also connection. It creates a rhythm with the land and a sense of gratitude for what it provides.
Her story offers encouragement to anyone who has ever wondered about this way of life. Hunting is not exclusive or unreachable. It is something that can be learned and appreciated by anyone who wants to live more intentionally and participate directly in the food they eat.
John Henderson: Hunting as Stewardship
John Henderson sees hunting as part of caring for the land. His story, shared in Who Cares BC’s People on the Land series, focuses on the importance of balance and shared responsibility. For John, hunting is not only about taking an animal but also protecting the ecosystems that make life possible.
He talks about the need to work together across communities to make sure that wildlife and habitats remain healthy for future generations. His message reflects the heart of what many hunters believe. It is not just about the harvest, but the responsibility that comes with it.
Through his perspective, we see that hunters are also stewards. They spend time on the land, notice changes, and understand how everything is connected. John’s story reminds us that caring for wildlife means being part of its story in a respectful and informed way.
Shannon Lansdowne: Health, Wellness, and Wild Food
Shannon Lansdowne brings a health and wellness perspective to the conversation. As an allied health professional, she views food as part of a larger picture of wellbeing. When she harvested her first animal, a black bear, it was a powerful and humbling experience. It taught her about gratitude, awareness, and the true meaning of nourishment.
Shannon connects hunting to balance and mindfulness. The wild game she brings home is clean, lean, and natural. It represents the kind of food she wants to feed her family. For her, this practice ties directly to wellness. Eating intentionally and understanding the effort behind every meal, is at the core of her values.
Her story shows that hunting aligns with values many people already hold; health, sustainability, and living with respect. It offers a path toward deeper connection with food and with oneself.
The Salvation Army in Kelowna: Sharing the Harvest
The Who Cares BC campaign also highlights how hunting supports communities across the province. In Kelowna, the Salvation Army Food Bank receives donations of wild game that provide families with healthy, high-protein meals. Each donation tells a story of care and generosity.
For the food bank, wild meat represents both nutrition and connection. It helps feed those in need while strengthening ties between hunters and their communities. It shows how hunting can give back; not just to individuals, but to the wider circle of people who rely on shared effort and compassion.
This partnership between hunters and local organizations demonstrates how hunting contributes to food security and community health. It is a reminder that the value of wild meat extends far beyond the individual freezer.
Conclusion: The People Who Care
Hunting in British Columbia is not one story but many. Educators like Dylan Eyers teach connection through food, while chefs such as Tammy Wood bring people together around the table. Melissa Tautscher approaches the practice with gratitude and curiosity, and John Henderson reminds us what it means to care for the land. Shannon Lansdowne connects it to health and balance, and the team at the Salvation Army turns each harvest into nourishment for others.
Together, their stories show that hunting in BC is about care. Food, family, community, and respect for the land that sustains us is always at the forefront. These are real people living their values in meaningful ways. They remind us that connection to the land is not a thing of the past. It is a living part of who we are and how we can continue to care for one another and for British Columbia’s wild places.