RALPH BICE – TRAPPER, WRITER, OUTDOORSMAN – by Margaret Sochasky

He says he was only three when he set his first trap, but never did say if he skinned that rabbit. That’s my dad, Ralph Bice of Kearney, Ontario.

Born March 2, 1900, he was the second child of seven. My grandfather was a ranger in Algonquin Park, and the family moved from West Guilford to Kearney in 1911. Even in those days Dad enjoyed the stories told by his father, grandfather, uncles and others.

Dad loves sports and has been known to display his displeasure when his favorite team loses. He often can be found listening to the Blue Jay’s game on the radio while watching a football game on television.

Early teens found Dad working in logging camps and in Algonquin Park. He started guiding at the age of 17. That same year he participated in the deer shoot in Algonquin Park – the meat going to feed the military. During this time he also worked at the munitions plant in Nobel.

After World War 1, with his brother Art, who had returned from overseas, he trapped further north. From what Dad has said, during the early twenties, he also worked as a fur buyer.

In 1925, he met and married Edna Merrifield of Port Arthur, Ontario. They had seven children; the older of two boys passed away in 1950. When all the children are at home, for the annual Bice Family Reunion that is held every summer, Dad has fun with his 22 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren.

A true outdoorsman and he’ll argue if anyone says otherwise. Most of Dad’s work has been in Algonquin Park. For many years a guide and outfitter he still has cottages on one of the lakes. In the late twenties he returned north after working for a while in Toronto.

Interested in trapping zones, Dad worked very hard to have them established. His zone was about 16 miles from Kearney. In the earlier days the trapline was travelled by snowshoe or dog sled, and later snowmobile. When the train ran from Parry Sound to Highland Inn, in Algonquin Park, Dad could ride to his camp in McCraney Township. The train ran into Algonquin Park on Mondays and Fridays and returned to Parry Sound on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Dad served as President of the Ontario Trappers’ Association for a number of years and is a life member of the Burks’ Falls Trappers’ Council.

In 1970 the first Trappers’ Fur Harvest Course was held in Elliot Lake. Since then courses were taught by Dad from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Courses have been held the last few years in Kearney and two of his daughters have been students and graduated from the course. I bet he never told his students about the time he caught his foot in a Connibear trap. Or, that years ago when a wolf chased a deer through his camp into the water, Dad went after them with an axe and only one paddle. His instructions to us were to always carry two paddles in case one broke. That wolf pelt has been shown in many schools.

Most Monday evenings you’ll find Dad at his typewriter writing his columns “Along the Trail” for the Almaguin News – deadline Tuesday noon. He is quite proud of the four books he has written – Along the Trail with Ralph Bice in Algonquin Park; The Trade that Put Canada on the Map; History of Kearney; and the Log Church at Sand Lake. One of the greatest thrills of his life was when he received the Order of Canada. Dad has been recipient of other awards. (Note: Ralph received the OOC in 1985 at the same time as Pierre Trudeau. Ralph told Trudeau that he was the luckiest man in the room. When the former PM asked “why?” Bice responded “because there is only one trapper in this room and you are sitting next to him.” –Ed)

Still repairing canoes he rents to those who enjoy the waterways in and Around Algonquin Park, he loves to spin yarns about the old days to his customers. He still does some trapping and enjoys the companionship of other trappers and outdoorsmen when they meet at conventions and meetings. At 88 he continues to run the water sports at the Kearney Regatta held on Civic Holiday weekend.

Many pages could be written about my Dad. How during hunting season, resting against a tree, he fell asleep and the deer passed by. Or how he and a childhood friend, both in their teens, put a roof on a barn. (It didn’t quite work out.) Or the fish that got away, cutting his foot badly when chopping wood. One time he was in Toronto General Hospital to have his pacemaker checked, heard a friend was down the hall, undid the monitoring wires and went to visit him.

Yes, this is my Dad – former chairman of the public School Board and many years Mayor of Kearney.

Loves to discuss politics and is true to the party of his choice. Sometimes Dad takes over the service at the Church. One time he was quite upset when his daughters didn’t show up on time and he couldn’t understand why some members of the choir were sitting in the congregation. To his surprise his daughters, sister, granddaughters and nieces filed into the choir stalls when the service was about to start. They even sang his favorite hymn or anthem. To quote Dad, “I was so mad that I could have chewed nails and spit rust!”

“No you couldn’t Dad,” answered his daughter Marilyn, “you can’t even chew steak.”

Peggy, born October 5, 1925 recently celebrated her 99^th birthday. She penned this article for the Outdoor Writers of Canada circa 1988.  Peggy lives in a senior facility in Port Perry as of 2024. 

Ralph’s great-grandfather Isaac Bice trapped in Algonquin Park before it became a provincial park. Ralph’s son Doug became an Ontario Judge and his great-grandson, Mike Peca, played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres. – Ed.