I may chat about my books, what I'm writing or reading, or just general thoughts. You may read posts about my cats or just my crazy life in general. Comments are welcome, if anyone wants to interact with me. Maybe we can share war stories, whether it's writing related or just about life in general.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Moose Experience



I’d never seen a moose in person before I lived in Alaska.  Nothing could probably have ever prepared me for the adventures that were to come associated with my living in the last frontier.

It would get so cold in the winter months that the moose would venture out of the mountains and come to town in search of food and places to stay until spring came.  One such moose took up residence in the backyard for a while one year.  I wish I had taken pictures of it, but I wasn’t as good about taking pics in those days as I am now.  This was a wonder to see and I kick myself today, but I can’t go back to those days, not that I would ever want to.  I don’t know how I withstood that brutal cold.

The moose would wander around Anchorage and the other smaller towns, much as they did on the TV show, Northern Exposure, a few decades ago, if any of you ever watched that.  There are quirky people living in Alaska too, just as on that TV show.  You can drive five minutes out of town and be in complete untouched wilderness.  I think the isolation does something to your head.



 Moose pictures by Ron Niebrugge
http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Biography.htm

 

I was friends with some people who lived in the country (outside Anchorage) and they invited me over to help with a project one weekend.  I didn’t know what I was in for until I arrived, or perhaps I wouldn’t have gone at all.  When I walked into their small house, the entire living area (kitchen and living room) had been transformed into a butcher shop.  I think my mouth probably fell open with shock.

The guys were all hunters and had lived in Alaska for a number of years.  Every year they’d go on a moose hunt, kill their quantity, and pack them out of the forest.  This particular guy and his girlfriend had a small building built for curing meat.  Once arriving home, they would cut the moose up in large pieces and leave to hang in the curing shed at just above 32°F for three weeks.  This all happened before the butchering party.  Sometimes other friends would use this curing shed for their kills also.

I never saw so much raw meat and blood in my life and I never expected to become a moose butcher, not in any wildest stretch of the imagination.  This wasn’t a scene for the squeamish.  I had no experience with that and didn’t care to have any.  Nevertheless, I spent all night in that house working with the other girls at a long piece of plywood held up by sawhorses that served as a table.  The owners had several makeshift tables like this scattered around the house.  The plywood lay covered in paper with huge hunks of meat lying at one end.

In another area there was a roll of white butcher paper and someone was there wrapping up the cut meat into individual portions.  They labeled the packages and put them into a cooler.  Everyone had on crude aprons and worked quickly with big knives.

I thought we’d never reach the end of the moose meat, but we did just before daybreak.  For helping with the task, I got a few packages of meat like everyone else there.  The rest went into the freezer of the owners, or hauled home by the friends whose meat we also cut up.

Now I’m not a huntress and would probably never shoot anything myself but would opt for veggies instead.  But let’s face it, this moose was already dead, so I’m glad it didn’t go to waste at least.  After a while, I tried the meat they gave me and it was very good, moist and more tender than beef.  I haven’t had moose since.

12 comments:

  1. Wow butchering all that meat must have been something. I don't know how well I would have coped with it.

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    Replies
    1. Celine,

      It was actually hard to cope with but I really had no choice at the time. Thanks for reading and your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  2. Do you have a craving for moose meat? Life leads us through amazing adventures. I gather you are stateside now and out of the wilderness? I spent 30 years in Mississippi, not a frontier, but definitely a third world.

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    Replies
    1. Mary,

      No, I haven't eaten moose since my five years in Alaska in the 1970's. I've been in the "lower 48" ever since in different states. I'm currently living in the desert SW and thinking of moving to the gulf coast after my house sells. MS was on my list. Should I be rethinking that?

      Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
      Sunni

      Delete
  3. I used to love that show Northern Exposure :) I see what you mean about some of my kitties looking like yours. Tootie looks like my KaTwo, funny thing is we call her Tootie :)

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  4. Pilch,

    I loved the show Northern Exposure too. It reminded me of my years in AK, although I was glad to be out of there.

    That is something that you call one of your cats Tootie too.

    Thanks for leaving a comment.

    Sunni

    ReplyDelete
  5. I enjoyed your moose experience as if I was there alongside. Very visual writing.
    I went dog-sledding in Alaska, the wilderness was unlike anything I had ever seen. Would love to go back.

    As to eating moose - I grew up with a father that hunted to put food on the table. We had lots of venison and moose in my youth. Whenever I go up country I look forward to a good stew of one or the other.

    Great M post!

    Jenny, Pearson Report
    2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
    @PearsonReport

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenny,

      Thank you so much. I'm glad I could put you right in the scene with me. The wilderness in AK is different than other places. I think that perhaps it has to do with the weather and also amounts of sunlight. Walking on the ground is like stepping on a giant sponge when things thaw out in the summers.

      I'm happy you enjoyed this and stopped by to visit my blog. I'll check yours out.

      Sunni

      Delete
  6. What an experience processing that moose meat! I did like the show Northern Exposure. We lived in Montana; that was cold enough for me :) The moose up there could be a bit violent; I guess several people lost their lives stumbling up on a moose and catching it by surprise.

    betty

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    Replies
    1. Betty,

      I'll carry that experience with me for the rest of my life.

      That's interesting that you say the moose can be violent. Perhaps they are, if they have a calf to protect. They always struck me as fairly gentle when they'd wonder around town in the winters.

      Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  7. What an interesting experience. I live in Sweden, but in the Stockholm area, so it's really quite urban and not at all remote. I remember riding a bus once though, and seeing a moose out the window grazing on some grass. I was like, "Oh look, a moose" haha.

    The butchering party sounds pretty crazy. I'm not sure how I would have reacted. But I agree with you, it's good it didn't go to waste.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sara,

      Nice to meet you from Sweden. Yes, the good thing about the butchering party was that the meat didn't go to waste.

      Thanks for leaving a comment.
      Sunni

      Delete

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comment on my posts. I appreciate it.
Sunni