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Our Crew

Our small team is made up of experienced, energetic professionals who are passionate about wildlife.

Ben Berukoff  Project Manager / Pilot

  • CWC President; Pilot & Safety Manager for Oceanview Helicopters.

  • Over 9600 flight hours in MD500/520/600 helicopters

  • Efficient capture pilot for all Canadian species and habitats.

  • Over 1850 hours experience in survey, aerial darting and net gun captures.

  • Over 1000 animals captured. Species include Moose, Elk, Whitetail and Mule Deer, Mountain Goats, Wolves, wild Sheep and Caribou. 

  • Easy to work with, accommodating and honest. 

  • As a Safety Manager Ben has the experience and training to co-ordinate, delegate, lead, effectively communicate and record information. He stands for socio-economic balances and loves the outdoors.

 
Shane Graham   Wildlife Pilot 
  • Highly experienced Hughes 500 Pilot, proficient in all tasks on type

  • Over 11,000 helicopter flight hours

  • 265 hours capture experience. Shane has successfully piloted captures of Wolves, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer and Caribou

  • 18 years working with Oceanview Helicopters Ltd.

  • BCFS approved pilot with Mountain Course

  • Revelstoke, BC native and outdoor enthusiast

 

Matt Strebchuk  Netgunner

  • Matt has 9 years experience in wildlife capture operations.

  • He is a very successful net gunner and careful wildlife handler with experience working  throughout Canada.

  • He has captured and handled over 1800 animals including 10 different wildlife species for research purposes such as Elk, Bison, Mountain Goats, Whitetail and Mule Deer, wild Sheep, Caribou, Moose, Wolves, wild Boar and feral Horses.

  • Matt has a chemical immobilization certificate and is experienced in attaching collars, gathering blood/hair/fecal samples and the collection of other physiological data.

 

Marco Marrello  Netgunner

  • Marco is a highly accredited Fish and Wildlife Technician with 21 years experience.

  • He has a chemical immobilization certification and experience with both net gunning and aerial darting.

  • Marco has been involved with wildlife captures since 1998 and has captured Wolves, Elk, Whitetail, Moose and Mule Deer, wild Sheep, Elk, Caribou and wild Boar.

 

Jordan Smaldon  Netgunner

  • Jordan joined the team in 2018. He is now an experienced net gunner and wildlife handler; working in some of the most rugged and remote terrain in British Columbia.

  • He has captured numerous wildlife species from the helicopter for research purposes including Mule Deer, Caribou, Bighorn Sheep, and Wolves.

  • Jordan has a chemical immobilization certification.

Ian Ellsworth  Netgunner

  • Ian has aerially captured over 1600 animals since 2002. Species include Woodland, Mountain and Barren Ground Caribou, Mountain Goats, Moose, Elk, Bears and Wolves.

  • Ian has worked in BC on summer and winter goat captures, caribou, wolf and moose captures.

  • He is certified in chemical immobilization (re-certified in September 2017, holds a current firearms license and is well versed in sampling protocol, blood extraction and collar fitment.

  • Ian has drafted policies and safety guidelines pertaining to wildlife capture and sat as a member of the NWT Wildlife Care Committee.

 

 

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