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Sneak Attack
"Shy though this creature
be, 'it is not difficult to get within bowshot
of it by walking around it, and gradually contracting
the circle -- a method much practiced by the
Indians".
- Richardson 1829 |
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 An Arctic hare hanging in a house entrance porch at Holman Island, Northwest Territories.
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Hunting Arctic
Hares Today
Nunavut | Newfoundland & Labrador
Nunavut
Though Arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) have never
been a primary food for Inuit, and even now hunters seldom go out just to
hunt hares, they are shot for food whenever a hunter has
the opportunity. They have often been an important food when
other food sources are not available.
Hares in groups in winter are relatively easy to shoot, even
with a bow. Many a hunter has been saved from starvation by
this tameness.
Elder David Bernhardt of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, tells a story
of driving his dog team through hundreds
of Arctic hares on Banks Island, Northwest Territories,
in the early 1930s. The hares were not afraid and wouldn't
run away, even from the dogs. He was able to kill one by throwing
his axe at it and the rest of the herd just looked on.
In summer, when an Arctic hare is spooked from its resting
spot, it may run out of sight or reach cover before a hunter
can get off a good shot. The Inuit have a special traditional
way to encourage the hare to stop and sit: they yell "Etiegaalaaquluu"
(or "Itigalaangi"), which translates roughly
as 'Hey little bum!'. The idea is to so embarrass the hare
that it sits down in order to hide its 'little bum'!
Newfoundland & Labrador
Since about 1930 it has been illegal to hunt Arctic hares
on the island of Newfoundland because of their low numbers
and restricted range. In 2004 in Labrador, hunters may take
Arctic hares in season (October to April), with no possession
limit.
Arctic hare meat was canned by Newfoundlanders at the turn
of the century, though hare numbers were never high enough
to support a canning industry. The Arctic hare may have been
the original stimulus for the local cottage industry of canning
snowshoe hare meat, especially in those parts of Newfoundland
where both species were accessible to hunters.
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'Bottled Rabbit'. Enlarge the image to learn more. |
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