Moose Hunting

By Georgia John

The opening date for the 2014 hunting season was September 8 and it ended on September 17th. There was one successful hunt that carried out one, 55 inch antler, moose in the village of Tanacross. Burt Jonathan shot the moose out on a road hunt.

Dollie Jonathan, mother of Burt, helped in preparing for both the trip and the kill.

They started the road hunt at approximately five in the morning and ended around nine in the evening. The supplies included: a gun with a sight, knives, water, game bags, a little hatchet, and a tarp.

It’s a tradition in the Athabascan culture to always observe the surroundings from where the moose was shot, cut the head off of the moose, and face the head towards where you came from. Another common tradition is to cover the eyes with a cloth and to get the family together in order to say a prayer for the animal giving up its life.

When asked her opinion about the whole experience of the hunt, Dollie said, “With our traditions, we cut the moose in a special way in order to show that we can use every bit of the moose that is given to us. Bones, heart, liver, kidneys, etc., everything is used. For many years we have been using our traditional values to take care of the moose.”

When asked for advice, Burt stated, “Sų́'ų nt’eh ts'axdetdîig,” meaning, “don’t be lazy.” You have to put all your effort into everything that the moose had to offer. Do not waste any part of the animal.