Canadian Rangers hold Baffin shoot

If you’re in Iqaluit this weekend and happen to hear the sound of gunfire, don’t be alarmed – it’s just Canadian Rangers from the Baffin region who are in town for a shooting competition.

“For us it’s a first,” said Capt. Conrad Shufelt, the administration officer for the First Canadian Rangers Group. “It’s the first time we’re involved in a shooting competition.”

The two best sharpshooters from 12 Baffin patrols, including Sanikiluaq, will be participating in the event, which will start on Saturday morning at the end of the Road to Nowhere.

During the event, competitors will use their .303 Lee Enfield service rifles, firing at targets 100 and 200 metres away.

The public is invited to watch the competition.

The “top shot,” as well as others who place in this event, will receive plaques.

According to Canadian Ranger Warrant Officer Kevin Mulhearn, who was in Iqaluit last month with Shufelt to make final arrangements for the competition, Rangers in Nunavut are among the best .303 marksmen in Canada.

Mulhearn said that’s because many are also skilled hunters who use their rifles daily.

Every community in Nunavut, with the exception of Bathurst Inlet, has a Canadian Ranger patrol. Nunavik also has its full contingent of patrols – and in many communities there are even waiting lists to join the 30-member patrols.

The Canadian Rangers began as a separate component of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Reserves in 1942 to watch the coastline in British Columbia. The first Canadian Rangers were generally outdoor workers who would perform military surveillance while going about their daily jobs.

After the Second World War, it was decided to include all stretches of coastline, including the Arctic coastline, which the Canadian Forces couldn’t conveniently or economically cover.

Canadian Rangers now support the regular forces, by conducting Northern Warning System patrols and assisting in Search and Rescue activities. They also bolster Canadian sovereignty, by reporting unusual activities and collecting data.

In addition to their basic training, every patrol participates in an annual exercise. This year, following the rifle competition, Iqaluit’s 22-member patrol will head out on the land for its annual exercise.