03/04/2026
I’ve been asked many times over the years—and especially since my last post—“Why do you need a shotgun with you when you’re snowmobiling?”
Picture northern Ontario in winter. Endless forest. Trails that run dozens of kilometers—sometimes over a hundred—from the nearest road, town, or even your own truck and trailer. Out here, the cold is absolute, the silence is heavy, and help is never close by.
Now imagine your sled breaks down. Or you take a spill. Or you simply run out of fuel. Suddenly you’re on foot, alone, in a place where the wilderness makes the rules. And while you’re dealing with that—or walking out of the bush—you come across something like this:
A pack of wolves feeding on a fresh moose kill.
The blood trail stretched nearly a kilometer before the moose finally gave up. We came across the scene by snowmobile, and as we approached, a dozen wolves slipped back into the trees—silent, watching, waiting. They never left our sight. I took a few quick photos never venturing far from my snowmobile and backed away, giving them the space they clearly owned.
The only reason they moved at all was the sound and presence of several snowmobiles. If it had been just one person on foot, stranded and vulnerable, the situation would have felt very different.
This is why I bring what I bring when snowmobiling and this always includes a shotgun among other pieces of essential equipment.
Not out of fear. Not out of bravado. But out of respect for the backcountry. Out here, safety, survival, and signaling aren’t abstract ideas—they’re the difference between a story you tell later and a situation you don’t walk away from.
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Those are words to live by when you’re in the backcountry.
Stay safe out there.
