Aki-wayn-zih by Eli Baxter

Author:Eli Baxter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Moonz-oog

(Moose)

Our Dad was a great provider. He was also a great hunter. Once Mom told me a story about the time when they were out hunting in a canoe and Dad killed a moonz (moose) that he couldn’t see.

They were following a narrow point when they spotted a moose. It was just coming out of the bush. The moose saw the canoe and went back into the bush. It then walked along the shore on the other side of the point. Dad stood up at the back of the canoe and fired the .30-30 rifle into the direction of where the moose was. They turned the corner at the point and the moose was found lying close to the shore. He hit the moose with a shot behind the ear. They had many great meals from the kill. The best part of a moose is the nostril and the tongue. They didn’t tell us that until we were adults. The meat is so soft when cooked properly over an open fire outside. This is the only way to cook moose.

There are a number of ways to hunt moonz-oog. In the fall the moose are rutting. This is their mating season. The male moose fight each other using their huge antlers for the right to mate the female. To entice the male moose to come out of the bush you make the sounds of a female moose. Dad used to pour water into the lake, pond, or stream using a tin can to make the sound of a female moose peeing. Another way to entice them out was to use a female moose call. Dad would put his hands out in front of his mouth and call. The sound he made sounded like “huu-uuh!” This is the female call that is soft and enticing that drives the male moose mad at this time of the year. The male moose runs into the open to show off his mighty antlers. A moose hunter now has a chance to get the moose.

During winter our Dad told us that the best time to hunt a moose is when there is a storm. The wind has to be facing you so that the moose does not catch your scent. The moose will also not hear any noise that you might make in the bush when it is windy. You also have to remember to wear parkas and pants that are cloth, so they won’t make scratching noises when hitting branches. Moose tracks are easy to follow in the winter. The front hooves leave marks in the snow to tell you the direction they are going.

When the moose is shot the hide is skinned off. The moose is then quartered in the snow. The hot blood turns the snow deep red. The moose parts are wrapped in the moose hide and dragged back to camp by hand, by the dogs, or by using the toboggan. The meat is then placed on the tay-saa-quay-gun, the wooden platform outside our camp.

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