Francois Prince, known to many as Guy Prince, is a well-known cultural leader across northern B.C. He teaches Dakelh (Carrier) language and cultural practices, including hunting.

Raised in a strong Dakelh family, Prince grew up hunting with his older brothers and his father, Nick Prince, and has helped to provide for his home community of Nak'azdli First Nation for many years, promoting traditional foods as a way back to better health for First Nations people. He shares traditional stories passed down to him by his father and teaches Dakelh in schools.

But in 2024, Prince was fined $3,000 and given nine months probation, with a requirement to give a school presentation on hunting after he pled guilty to a charge of hunting with an illumination device, a violation of the Wildlife Act. 

In September of 2021, Prince said he was out hunting by vehicle with family members who he was introducing to some of the traditions.

He said they drove by some people in another vehicle with a light bar on and about half a kilometre further they saw a bull moose about 50 feet away on the side of the road. He stopped, got out and shot the animal. Prince said it was about 8:35 p.m. when he took the shot.

Then, Prince said he took the time to show his family who were unfamiliar with hunting, how to skin and gut the moose, taking over three hours to show them the entire process and showing them the heart and liver and how to harvest them. 

But on his way back, conservation officers stopped his vehicle, and said they were responding to a report of a vehicle full of First Nations people drinking and hunting at night.

Prince is a well-known recovering alcoholic, who speaks openly about his previous struggles with addiction, promoting a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle since his recovery. He said no one in the vehicle had any alcohol.

He said the conservation officer seized the moose, which Prince requested be taken to Nak'azdli First Nation to be given out to the community, which it was. 

The incident also led to the seizure of his rifles, which he uses to provide for his family for some time.

He recounted growing up, hunting with his father and brothers from a young age. He had to pack a gun for two years before he was ever allowed to shoot one. Prince said he had to demonstrate he knew the entire preparation and process first, helping with all of the other parts of the hunt, dressing and packing and the hunt itself.

"My whole life I've hunted moose and I've always had a high respect," he said, referring to his lifelong hunting tradition.

He said the incident that led to his conviction and the conviction itself have even made him feel fearful of hunting and of not being able to provide for his family.

"All of that was taken away from me in one hour," he said.

Prince said he grew up night hunting, drifting down the river by boat with his father, hunting moose along the shore using spotlights. When asked how he felt about the hazards of hunting at night, he said he has been hunting in the area off of Necoslie Road for decades, and knows the bush intimately, giving him confidence in the lay of the land.

While he did not want to plead guilty, Prince said he didn't have the resources at the time to fight the charge in court, believing it should be a rights and title issue. During the court process, he submitted a letter from the keyoh holder (the traditional territory of a family for hunting and gathering in Dakelh culture) which gave him permission to hunt there at any time.

While Prince said he will follow the provincial laws, he said he believes the provincial regulations should be adapted to integrate cultural practices. Historically, First Nations would not have had the ability to hunt with guns and lights, Prince acknowledged, but they would have used snares and traps to hunt at night. He also stressed the importance of the traditional diet, which he believes should include cow moose. 

He said traditionally, hunters providing for their family would take both a cow and a bull moose each year, with the higher fat content of the cow moose important in helping survive the winter months.

But he is also critical of other hunting practices he sees as destructive, shooting animals and leaving them or not harvesting the entire animal or not using all the parts.

Prince does not believe the Cow Moose Sign Project is relevant in northern B.C. It is a project started in the Cariboo Chilcotin by Dan and Vivian Simmons to end the cow and calf moose hunt in response to a drastic decline in the moose population in the region.

The project is supported by First Nations leaders in the area including Tl鈥檈tinqox First Nation chief and Tsilhqo鈥檛in National Government tribal chair Joe Alphonse.

But Prince believes the decline in the moose population in many areas is a result of industrial activities such as clear cut logging and wolves, and said the importance of traditional cultural practices and diet for his people needs to be considered.

He understands the provincial laws are set to protect wildlife, but he wants to see those provincial laws recognize the cultural laws of the First Nations people as well. 

"It should be negotiated with the people," he said, emphasizing the importance of Dakelh culture in helping move things forward in a positive way.

"There's no problem in this world that cannot be handled by our culture," he said.

With files from Binny Paul and Monica Lamb-Yorski