David Mathews, Land-Based Lead
The first moose hunt took place from September 28 to October 2 for the Thunder Bay KOBE Students. During this hunt, we harvested one bull moose, despite the weather being fairly warm, which we initially thought was too warm for moose. However, we all hunted hard every day. The second moose hunt was for the Sioux Lookout KOBE students, scheduled from October 26 to October 30th, during which we harvested 2 moose.
We had four groups of students, each accompanied by their guides, who went out from 6 am to 11 am using trucks or one of the boats. Afterward, from 11 am to 4 pm, there was time for lunch, naps, quad riding, walks, and relaxing around the gazebo fire pit. We would then go out hunting again from 4 pm to 8 pm. The students were always excited to go out, and they all knew to wear their orange clothing throughout the day. Some even had the opportunity to spot moose along the shores or on land.
Each night, we listed on the board who wanted to go with one of the guides, or it remained the same who went with whom. The students always enjoyed the cooking, whether it was moose meat, goose stew, bannock, dumplings, burgers, hotdogs, etc. They also cherished the storytelling sessions by the elders who joined us during the hunts. Each time, we made sure the students assisted with the butchering and bagging of the moose meat. We ensured to teach them how to do it and what to watch out for while cutting up the moose. Safety was our top priority at all times, and they were well aware of that.