Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 8 July 2022
Last two weeks we have been doing silage and marking reindeer. I have been herding reindeers
a lot and Monday when moving once again reindeer herd, I realized something. Reindeer
herding has some similar things with fishing.
Well more like fighting with the fish. Let's start with hooking, if you are too strong and fast, you
might just give snap to fish mouth, too slow and fish is gone. Reindeers, when they are laying
down, if you are too fast and strong, they jump up and herd will split or at least they will decide
speed and direction and that is not I want. If too slow they won't do anything or it will take
eternity to get them going as herd.
Moving big reindeer herd alone is tricky one, on Monday I had about 300 reindeer to handle.
When you have got them up, play is on just like with fish after hooking. What I need to do with
reindeer when alone is keep direction and keep them going. If there are other herders it is same
but there more people doing the whole thing.
So I need to push reindeer from behind, keep speed that they will move, and then now and then
leading reindeer might have other idea about direction and need to go on side of the herd and
turn them. Just like fight with the fish, give some pressure to fish and try to keep it on water which is better for you, avoid rocks, branches etc.
Sometimes I'm not able to go to turn front because other side of the herd might be going wrong
way and I'm turning that, so in that case I need to give some space for whole herd, back up and
let them go back to as one herd, it might mean backing up 100 meter sometimes more or less.
With fish it is exactly the same if it makes its move with you and you can't forced it, you just need give
space, maybe follow and let the fish calm and slow down.
If I give too much pressure and speed to reindeers even they are going right direction, it's no
good either. They might kind of jump and I loose contact with them. Then I just need to follow
them, track if possible and go after them. That is shitties thing to happen, even some of them
have GPS but you can't rely that they work in every corner. If you give too much pressure to
reindeer there is good chance that they split and you loose them for few hours.
Fishing excatly same, if you give too much pressure fish might start to jump and do its tricks and
you loose it.
In both reindeer herding and fishing you need to know your shit as they say. Give pressure, not
too much, give space if need, follow, run after, play around.
If everything works like a clock you might have that +300 reindeer in the fence for marking just
with your work or you have landed fish of your dream.
Have a nice weekend and go fishing
Mika the Legend