Caribou, Alaskan Arctic... Many Moons Ago...

[Ratdog68]

Had a caribou bull hunt once, made up my mind I wanted a head shot, close range (.22-250). Bedded myself down on the tundra near a migratory trail. My bull shows up, and I waited for him to feed his way to me... to 50 yds. (or less). Settled in, the instant I was squeezing off my shot, he drops his head to feed. BOOM-ping-ying-ying-ying-ying... He rears up on his hind hooves, head thrown back. Front hooves come back down, and his head is wobbling from side to side (bell rung). Chambered a second shell, took aim at his head and squeezed off round two. LOVE the lack of recoil of this caliber ! Watched his bladder empty as all four hooves splayed out in a different direction as he flopped dead. Christmas is cancelled.

Round one took a bite out of the base of one antler's edge as it ricocheted off. Round two entered his snout where the wet/black transitions to hair... broke his neck at the base of his skull, and made an immediate right turn and exited the left side of his neck. His splitting headache lasted only long enough for me to chamber round two and squeeze the shot off.

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

Shooting Rudolph in the nose this close to Christmas just ain't right RD

 

[Ratdog68]

Shooting Rudolph in the nose this close to Christmas just ain't right RD

Nope, 20+ yrs. ago, and, wasn't Rudolph. Sniffer was black. LOL

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

Whew....close one.

 

[Ratdog68]

But, gimme Rudolph in my sights on Christmas Eve? He be chillin' in my freezer! They be GOOD eatin' critters.

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

Isn't it Caribou that if that was all you ate you would die. They have zero protein! Something like that.

 

[Ratdog68]

I've heard that (yes, caribou)... not sure I buy it though. It is very lean meat, fat is a layer between meat/hide, mostly stored in the rump. No marbling. The fat is very tasty (like beef). Dad always said Reindeer was sweeter meat. I couldn't tell the difference between 'em... alive, or on the dinner plate.

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

The only difference between a caribou and a reindeer is that reindeer are in a pen. And some have bright noses apparently.

 

[Ratdog68]

The elders tell me that Reindeer have slightly shorter legs than Caribou... couldn't prove it by me, look/taste the same to this ol' half breed. LOL

 

[bldsmith]

Same critter, Reindeer and Bou. Shot 2 Bou while in AK and yes great meat. The reason you cannot live off caribou is not enough fat. You need a fat source to help keep you warm. That is why the natives use seal oil on everything. Helps jump-start the metabolism.

 

[FrankT]

High in calorie and has protein too
The good: This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Iron and Zinc.

The bad: This food is very high in Cholesterol.

Read More Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Game meat, caribou, cooked, roasted
Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Game meat, caribou, cooked, roasted

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

I had to do some research, while caribou are a lean animal, the one I was thinking about was actually rabbit They are so lean it's said that if you eat nothing you would live longer than if you ate nothing but rabbit.

 

[Ratdog68]

Same critter, Reindeer and Bou. Shot 2 Bou while in AK and yes great meat. The reason you cannot live off caribou is not enough fat. You need a fat source to help keep you warm. That is why the natives use seal oil on everything. Helps jump-start the metabolism.

The seal oil is:

1. A source of fat in the diet (probably high in the good fats too)
2. Flavorful (especially when fresh/clear).
3. Helpful in preserving foods over winter. Packed away in this oil, no air getting to the food to freezer burn/spoil over winter.
4. Provides a heavy fuel for the body. Eating traditional Native food WILL keep you warmer as your metabolism increases and burns these calories.

Nice sounding terms are used for the oil/foods stored too long... "aged", "fermented". When this oil turns yellow, darkens to tan/light brown... it's gonna be STRONG in odor/taste.

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

Did you see that show about the airplane outfit up there. It was a reality show thing. They buried a seal or seal feet or something until they got rotten then dug them up and ate them. Pretty crazy.

 

[Ratdog68]

The English translation for what you're referring to is "Stink Flipper". I've seen it. I've helped "retrieve" it (a flap of tundra sod is cut, the permafrost below is used to refrigerate the flipper as it's kept). I've seen it cooked. But, Homie don't eat 'dat chit. It was cooked outside on my Coleman stove (so the smell wouldn't smell up the cabin), every fly in town showed up once it began to boil in the Dutch Oven. Dad ended up throwing away his prized Dutch Oven, the smell embedded into the cast iron wouldn't dissipate.

I cooked/ate fresh salmon I'd caught, and steamed rice. Dad ate his stink flipper along with his salmon/rice.

 

[FrankT]

That sounds too old school for me RD, I believe in traditions until I puke...

 

[RattlesnakeDan]

Yea, that's nasty. They had that cute little girl just chowing down on the stuff. I almost ralphed just watching it.

 

[Ratdog68]

Some of the Native food is just fine, some... well, no thanks, I'll pass w/o trying it. Some of it, I tried it once, but never again. LOL

 

[bldsmith]

It's called desperation!! When that is all you have to eat then you grow accustom to it. I would not get anywhere near it either. Same with the buried salmon heads. I don't know if I could eat that stuff to save my life.