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Jim Tourond, the owner and guide outfitter of Nanika Guiding. This Big Game Guiding business was started in 1948 and has been operated by the family for 60 years. I was born in 1949 and grew up with the business, with my Uncle being the owner and both my father and mother working with him. I took over the business after my uncle passed away, twenty-three years ago. I hunted a lot of the area that was in the Guiding Territory. I know the 1250 square mile territory well, by exploring and expanding into areas that my uncle did not hunt in.
Since I took over the business, I have build cabins in the remote fly-in parts of the territory and operate tent camps in some of the more remote areas. I have a 70 % return client base to draw from, so each year I only have to find another 30% to fill my quota.
The family being involved in the operation, I hope the business continues for at least another 40 years. I will not see it, but I would like the business to be around for at least 100 years. There are other avenues to expand into, like trekking, wildlife viewing, canoeing, photography etc. Grand kids are now in the picture, so there is maybe a possibility
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Leah Tourond, wife of the Outfitter and mother of Loren and Naomi. Leah works behind the scenes of the Guiding Business. She makes many trips to town to pick up supplies and do the banking etc. She is called into action to pick up clients from the Smithers airport or return them after the hunt. She is also the person who answers the phone during the busy season and passes on the messages.
She is not the one, out front to meet and greet the guests, but her work is important to the running of the business. Now a grandmother, a grandson and another grandchild due in July, her work load will increased as the rest of the family is busy.
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Loren Tourond, son of the Guide Outfitter. Loren has grown up in the hunting industry. He loves to Hunt and Guide clients to a successful adventure. Loren,s favorite hunt is Mountain Goat hunting. It is the most physical demanding hunt, but it offers a remote wilderness experience second to none. Loren has Guided for another Guide Outfitters when his father did not have work for him. So he has gained a lot of hunting and guiding experience over the years. He is now married to Jenny from Peru and is looking to settle down and get more involved in the Guiding Business.
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Naomi Hanson (Tourond) daughter of the Guide Outfitter. Naomi has also grown up with the hunting industry and she started at an early age helping her mother prepare meals for the hunters. She is now doing most all the cooking for the our guests and she even does the prep cooking for the fly-in hunts that she is not the cook. All the Pie and Cakes and other dishes like Lasagna are prepared and packaged for the trips into the back country. She also does all the food packing for the remote trips and is involved in the purchase of the groceries for the whole season as well as the fresh foods for the week. Between food preparation she cleans the base cabins between clients. During the off season she works on the cabins doing allot of renovations and repairs. Now she is the mother of one and one due in July, so she will have to schedule her time between work and raising a family.
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Chad Hanson started working for Nanika Guiding in 1999 as a guide in the spring for Black Bear and in the fall for Goat and Moose.
He had attended Guide School in Smithers and worked for other Guides before coming to Nanika Guiding. He has spent his summers Fish Guiding in Saskatehwan for the big Pike. Chad’s most favorite hunting is the spring Black bear hunting. He wants to work into Grizzly hunting as well. He also love’s to bring home the biggest Moose of the year and not call for help to load the Bull in the back of his pick-up truck.
He took up with my daughter and in 2004 they got married. Now they have young Noah and another baby due in July of 2008. He has a young family to support and along with Guiding in the Spring, Summer and Fall , he is now truck driving in the winter months.
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Jenny Tourond (Montes) married Loren in 2007. Jenny is from Peru and trained as a Dentist. Jenny is in the process of getting her citizen ship and immigration papers. Jenny has helped us out by cleaning cabins and doing odd jobs throughout the hunting season.
She has been given permission to work in a Dentist Office as a Dental Assistant as she waits for her papers to be processed.
In the future, Jenny will be helping us behind the scenes, as she maintains her job with the Dentist.
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