Moose

The Land

Students will:

• Know how moose care for their young. (K-3)

• Know the moose's habits (it is very intelligent), and use this knowledge in tracking, calling and hunting a moose. (K-6)

  • The sounds made by moose: ears make clapping sound, nose snorts when full of flies.

  • Dried shoulder blade of a moose used to scrape on trees to attract other moose.

  • Know the diet of the moose (e.g. water plants).

• Know where a moose can be found, by the kind of trail it makes. (For example, a moose will always move downwind but rest upwind. Students should also know how to react when being chased by a moose.) (6)

• Be familiar with traditional moose hunting techniques, including the use of dogs (in deep snow the moose will sink whereas the dog can run on the crust and trap the moose). (6)

• Know the stages of growth of a moose. A moose must be taken at the right age at the right time of year. (A prime male moose is very strong and fast in deep snow. In the open, its tracks are very far apart. Only the most determined hunter with large snowshoes will be successful.) (5-6)

• Know that moose are very dangerous during the mating season.

• Know that there are specific Dene terms for various groupings of moose (i.e. cow with calf, cow with first year calf and second year calf, two cows together).

• Know the moose body parts and butchering techniques. Moose meat, because of the size of the animal, goes a long way. The meat also provides a welcome variety in the diet of the Dene. (5-6)

• Know how moose body parts are used for tools and food. (4-6)

• Be familiar with the various ways of cooking the different parts of the moose. Know the edible and non-edible parts. Know the parts considered delicacies. (4-6)

• Know how to prepare moose hide in comparison to caribou hide. Know that moose hide is important to the Dene for its strength and size. (5-6)

• Know that the diet of the moose includes a wide variety of vegetation.This diet differs in summer and winter (e.g. in summer they eat a lot of plants not available in winter such as grasses and aquatic plants). They also eat certain kinds of willows, which gives their meat a different flavour than caribou meat. Also, it is not as filling. (3-6)

• Be familiar with current hunting laws regarding moose in the region. (5-6)

• Know that hunters should not be wasteful when hunting moose. They should never kill more than they can use. (5-6)

• See the need for preserving the environment and the population of moose for future generations. (K-6)

Experiences:

• Participate in a moose hunt.

• Hear stories from hunters about their moose hunting experiences, particularly tracking of the moose. (5-6)

• Examine the parts of a moose which has been hunted and brought back to the community. (5-6)

• Cook moose meat in various ways, on a stove or over a campfire. (3-6)

• Students plan and prepare a video of a moose hunting trip. Leave the video in the library for other students to see, or exchange with other schools working on this unit. (6)

• Observe somebody in the community who happens to be preparing a hide. (5-6)

• Participate in hide preparation: cutting off the hair and fleshing. (5-6)

• Do moose hair tufting. (5-6)

• Identify parts of the moose that can be used for various purposes.

• Construct tools and other traditionally useful items.

• flesher

• stomach bag for storing delicacies

• Identify the different groups of moose using the correct Dene