If you ask Eva why she took the Swedish Hunter’s Exam, she’ll laugh. She probably never thought about this question when and where she grew up, in Klövsjö, Jämtland. It was pretty much cast in stone, there was never the question of whether or not she would hunt. It was just a question of when she would start. In this case, at a pretty young age. Nothing strange. She followed along on her first hunt as an 8-year old. Then, she was already familiar with the forest, mountains, cleaning a grouse and making a fire. As a 13-year old, she guided her first group on a grouse hunt as a dog handler. She liked already then the autumn mornings, when breath exited the mouth and fog shimmered in the morning breeze. The increasing pulse when something close by moves, out of the corner of her eye. The dogs tense.

Today, Eva works as a hunting guide and dog trainer. She follows the seasonal fluctuations, she lives close to nature, is outside more often than in, and her four dogs mean everything to her. And when Eva says “everything”, she mean actually means everything. 
– The dogs are the most important I have. I would give my right hand for my dogs. It’s because I have grown up so close to dogs. The dogs always stand by me. I follow them and they follow me. Then it’ll be that I will stand by them, as they for me. They are not just working colleagues they are even life partners. If I were forced to choose between the dogs and my partner, I would choose the dogs.

The interplay you have when working with dogs, when working towards a common goal, you then become a team. Closely intertwined. You know each other so well. All dogs are different individuals and you learn their good and bad sides. They have good and bad sides, just like people. I think that the dogs have taught me about my sides too. They know already before when I’ll become furious. 

To state that Eva lives close to nature is quite the understatement. In late winter, early spring, most of her time is used to train the dogs. A good physique is a given for hunting dogs. Just getting started with training before the hunting season is not enough, they have to keep in shape by training year-round. There is a lot of skiing with the dogs during the winter. In the summer, without the snow, it’s training and fishing. When the fall arrives, it’s of course mostly hunting. But when there are mushrooms and berries, Eva even gathers quite a bit from the mountain and forest pantries. However, the dogs are the focus year-round. They always follow along. And it’s been like this since Eva was born. There are upwards of 20 dogs at the family kennel, and this has obviously affected Eva. For Eva, the best was when she followed her father and the dogs into the mountains.
 – I thought that school was like the plague. I just sat there and longed to 3 p.m., when school would end. I nagged often to follow along the with the dogs, so dad waited for me until the afternoon. My things were ready in the hall and outside of the house. Shoes. Or skis. Jacket. Hat. Whatever was needed for the day. I always hurried home from school.

– Those childhood memories come the seasonal fluctuations. For example, when I’m training the dogs, I remember how I did it when I was small. It was fantastic to have it like this when you were a child. I didn’t think that it was so special back then, but I can see the value in it today.The same lifestyle has followed Eva into adult life. But today, it’s the dogs that stand and wait for Eva and to follow along into the mountains. Today, she packs the food herself and with accustomedness, prepares her equipment.

Eva has never actually chosen her lifestyle. It has curiously chosen her. Indeed, she has made shorter appearances and worked at other jobs during the winter. 
– In the city, I felt like a bird in a cage. I’m not made to be confined. I have to be close to the dogs, hunting, fishing. But it has its sides. Working with your passion can be slightly trying. When I just want to get out most of all and hunt by myself, maybe I should do something completely different. I am happy that I have the freedom to often work with what I love.