Ross has been in trapping mode. He eats, sleeps, and breaths trapping (that is when he isn't teaching)! No that isn't true but he does think about it a lot. It is something he has dreamed about getting into since he was a boy. He helped a friend trap a few lynx last year, but we were not residents until this year so now he can trap on his own. Every track we pass, he stops to examine. I was so happy for him when he came home with his first marten a few weeks ago! His dream is to trap a wolf this year and I would love it as well! I would love a fur ruff out of it!
Here is Ross with his first trapped marten! ![]()
Since I am talking about hunting and trapping animals, I thought I would post about Ross' moose hunt this year. We were so busy processing the meat after he shot it that I didn't get the big hunt posted about! The moose season is open for most of the month of September so most of the men are using every chance they can get to be out moose hunting as moose is our form of meat for the year. Therefore the women and kids are at home alone most of this month. For the most part us women folk look forward to September being over so we can have a little time to relax after everything is put away in the freezer and so we can see our husbands more! We don't buy much chicken, beef, pork, etc. as it is so expensive to buy here. Most of our freezer is made up of salmon which Ross brought back from fishing this summer and moose which he got in September. Moose is our form of beef only it has a lot less fat! We were so excited when Ross got his moose on the last weekend of moose season, so that we could have our freezer full for the year as well as provide some meat for others in the community!
Here is Ross with his 53" bull moose. Pretty good for his first moose!
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We had a student staying with us during this time. He was able to go on the hunt with Ross and the rest of the gang that went that weekend. Here is Ross with Misha and the moose.
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Here is Ross and a teacher friend (Tim) who went on the hunt getting ready to skin and cut the moose into quarters for packing out. All the usable meat has to be packed out on the bone, so that means each quarter, the neck, back strap, and each side of ribs. It is a lot of weight and a lot of carrying, so most people try to shoot moose fairly close to the boat. Ross' moose was about 1/3rd of a mile away from the boat and he was lucky enough to have 3 other guys helping to pack it out. Around here the moose is divided up between those who go along and help pack the meat out. I like that idea as it helps others out especially since they are helping with a lot of the hard labor of getting the moose out. So we didn't get all of this moose as it was divided up between Ross and the other guys, but Ross was given other meat from another friend who Ross helped with the packing out of his daughter's moose. Everyone seems to be taken care of even if they didn't shoot a moose for the season. Advantages of living in a community that takes care of eachother!
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Ross and Tim by Tim's boat with the antlers. Since this was a subsistence hunt, the antlers have to be cut so that they don't carry any trophy value. That way it encourages people to hunt for meat not trophies! In the next picture you will see that the antlers are cut. It is kind of a bummer to cut a nice set of antlers.
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The girls were supper excited when Dad came home with the moose. They really wanted to see the antlers and went out to inspect them right away!
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Here I am saying, "Hurry up and take the picture. These things are heavy!"
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I am so glad Ross had this experience. I hope to go with him some day and shoot one of my own. It is hard with kids to go, but maybe we can talk those grandparents into coming up and watching them during hunting season! ;) I don't know though with the way they keep jacking up the prices of flights into here. Maybe some day we'll have our own plane! Dreaming!!!
Since I am talking about hunting and trapping animals, I thought I would post about Ross' moose hunt this year. We were so busy processing the meat after he shot it that I didn't get the big hunt posted about! The moose season is open for most of the month of September so most of the men are using every chance they can get to be out moose hunting as moose is our form of meat for the year. Therefore the women and kids are at home alone most of this month. For the most part us women folk look forward to September being over so we can have a little time to relax after everything is put away in the freezer and so we can see our husbands more! We don't buy much chicken, beef, pork, etc. as it is so expensive to buy here. Most of our freezer is made up of salmon which Ross brought back from fishing this summer and moose which he got in September. Moose is our form of beef only it has a lot less fat! We were so excited when Ross got his moose on the last weekend of moose season, so that we could have our freezer full for the year as well as provide some meat for others in the community!
We had a student staying with us during this time. He was able to go on the hunt with Ross and the rest of the gang that went that weekend. Here is Ross with Misha and the moose.
Here is Ross and a teacher friend (Tim) who went on the hunt getting ready to skin and cut the moose into quarters for packing out. All the usable meat has to be packed out on the bone, so that means each quarter, the neck, back strap, and each side of ribs. It is a lot of weight and a lot of carrying, so most people try to shoot moose fairly close to the boat. Ross' moose was about 1/3rd of a mile away from the boat and he was lucky enough to have 3 other guys helping to pack it out. Around here the moose is divided up between those who go along and help pack the meat out. I like that idea as it helps others out especially since they are helping with a lot of the hard labor of getting the moose out. So we didn't get all of this moose as it was divided up between Ross and the other guys, but Ross was given other meat from another friend who Ross helped with the packing out of his daughter's moose. Everyone seems to be taken care of even if they didn't shoot a moose for the season. Advantages of living in a community that takes care of eachother!
Ross and Tim by Tim's boat with the antlers. Since this was a subsistence hunt, the antlers have to be cut so that they don't carry any trophy value. That way it encourages people to hunt for meat not trophies! In the next picture you will see that the antlers are cut. It is kind of a bummer to cut a nice set of antlers.
The girls were supper excited when Dad came home with the moose. They really wanted to see the antlers and went out to inspect them right away!
I am so glad Ross had this experience. I hope to go with him some day and shoot one of my own. It is hard with kids to go, but maybe we can talk those grandparents into coming up and watching them during hunting season! ;) I don't know though with the way they keep jacking up the prices of flights into here. Maybe some day we'll have our own plane! Dreaming!!!