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I never ever thought I would find myself in that situation
Alexa McFadden
Alexa McFadden is not a hunter. She had never touched a gun. She quailed at the thought of witnessing a duck fall from the sky.
Yet, when her father, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) director Kevin McFadden, asked her to participate in a mentored waterfowl hunt near Pitt Addington Marsh in B.C., she agreed.
“I wanted to educate myself. I realized this was a really unique opportunity to meet with experts on wetlands and conservation — experts who were also hunters — and to gain a fresh perspective that I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise.”
In the fall of 2020, Alexa joined her father along with mentors Dan Otway, Eric Balke and Josh McFaddin for the experience.
“I was nervous for her because she was nervous. I think the thought of killing an animal was really conflicting for her. But this was a bonding opportunity for us — an opportunity for her to learn what I’m passionate about and why. I joined the board of DUC primarily because I believe in the importance of wetland conservation. I thought Alexa would be impressed with the work that’s been done in the wetland. She’s very environmentally conscious, as is a lot of her generation.” - Kevin McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
Alexa McFadden (left) shoots clays under the guidance of Dan Otway. Otway, one of three mentors featured in Under the Wing, is president of the Pitt Meadows Gun Club, a volunteer-run trap-shooting club that hosted Alexa as she learned how to handle a shotgun. He’s also a co-founder and member of the Pitt Waterfowlers club, which installs and maintains approximately 60 nest boxes annually for cavity-nesting ducks in the Pitt Addington WMA. “My mentors were incredible and played a huge role in my experience. I learned from being there, but also learned a lot from their expertise being passed on to me. “At first, I was nervous (of learning to shoot before the hunt). A shotgun is a very powerful thing to be holding and a lot can go wrong if you’re not careful. “I remember hitting the first clay and thinking it must be a fluke. Then I got a few more. I didn’t really have a standard to compare it to. After talking to my dad, I heard it was pretty good.” - Alexa McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
“The marsh was maybe 45 minutes to an hour outside of Vancouver. It was incredible. We were not in the middle of nowhere, but it felt like we were. “At the hunting site, my dad and I set up goose decoys and Dan and Eric set out some ducks. The sun was just starting to come up at that point, and I was becoming more aware of my surroundings — seeing birds flying through the sky. It was kind of nuts.” - Alexa McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
Pitt Addington Marsh. Pitt Addington Marsh is located within B.C.’s Pitt Addington Wildlife Management Area (WMA), on the south side of Pitt Lake — a tidal lake that’s connected to the ocean via the Fraser River. The marsh was diked by early settler-farmers, but didn’t result in quality farmland. Since the area’s WMA designation in 1987, DUC has managed water control structures to safeguard the marsh habitat within the dikes. This habitat supports more than 200 bird species, including waterfowl, songbirds, raptors and upland species, and provides numerous environmental benefits like carbon capture and storage. © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
“It was hard seeing an animal being harvested because it’s a life being taken. But I learned the positive impact it can have — that it’s not necessarily a negative thing. I felt like I was connected back to my ancestors in a way, and had a great appreciation for the food and that we would use as much of it as we could. I gained a newfound perspective on the actual harvesting of meat.” - Alexa McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
Alexa McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
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“In that moment, when the birds were coming in, everything came crashing back. I thought, ‘what am I doing here? I’m not a hunter.’ But I tried to stay present and remember why I was there, to gain an experience that I wouldn’t in everyday life.”
Alexa McFadden
“I was excited to try duck, but also a bit nervous. I’m not a big meat eater. The way Josh brought in natural elements from the environment — things the duck was already eating like berries — was really awesome and it gave me another level of respect for that animal. “Sitting at the dinner table in the middle of Pitt Addington Marsh, surrounded by my mentors, with the food we harvested, and being able to reflect and see — from start to finish — how far I had come through the education provided by my mentors — it was a surreal moment.” - Alexa McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
Kevin (left) and Alexa McFadden. “I’m extremely grateful to have had this opportunity. Just knowing the type of person my dad is — that he can share something that he loves so dearly — I know it means a lot to him and it means a lot to me to have experienced it with him.” “What I understand now is that conservation and hunting have a surprisingly symbiotic relationship. I realize that a lot of conservation is done by the hunting community, because they really care to protect the habitat. “To anyone who’s skeptical about it, like I was, I challenge them to open themselves up. I know it’s not possible for everyone to have an experience like I did, but seek more information and just be open to a conversation with someone who’s a hunter.” - Alexa McFadden © Ian Krahn, Mast Creative
Alexa and her mentors shared their story in Under the Wing, a 22-minute film produced by Mast Creative and DUC, with support from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Canada. View it now on the DUC YouTube channel and watch for it this winter on Wild TV.
