WARNING - 

GRAPHIC PHOTOS FROM MOOSE HUNT / GUTTING / SKINNING

Below are photos from my first experience with gutting and skinning a moose. I got a call first thing one morning where I was told to be ready in 3 minutes.....I did it! We had to get there before the moose got too stiff. It was already shot and the hunter, Tony, needed help with the next steps of the process.

Here are two other moose watching us pull in to the field where the shot moose was laying.

Her is the proud hunter and his wife, Kirsten. Time to get to work.

This is what the moose was chewing on when it was shot. It actually made it about 50 yards before falling, still with the rowan berries in its mouth.
Ok, I know, it is not the pretties sight around. But this is the first step of the gutting process.

Next, the intestines need to come out without rupturing and 'infecting' the meat.
With all of that done, the blood remaining in the body needs to be drained before transporting it back to the 'storage' room at the farm. Looks pretty cute, I think.

This is what's left for the crows, ravens and eagles. There were actually a couple eagles and many of the other sort birds circling over the moose when we returned to start working on it. The hunters leave the gut, and it will be gone in about one day.

Here comes Kolbjørn with his tractor to move the moose.

It is not too hard with the right tools.

Checking the age of the moose, the molars say about 2 1/2 years old. Nice age!

Back at the farm, the moose is being liftet up so that the skinning process can begin.

This takes quite a while because you have to be careful not to make too many scars in the meat.

Found the bullet whole! This is where the bullet went in; nice and small.

The head is almost off. Kolbjørn and Tony look like professionals!

Finally, the coat is off.

It will hang for about one week. The next step is to start butchering the animal. The one in the back is the one you have just followed. The hunters and the property owners get to buy the meat for a lower price. Everyone else can order and buy for a slightly higher price. The quota in 2008 is 3 bucks and 3 free (any kind the hunters want). In this picture, two bucks were down. As of today, the first three are down. Now it is free hunt. People think there are about 30 moose living on this little island of 10.8 square km or 4.1 square miles. The animals swim across the fjord to get here. I guess the food on this little island is just too delicious for them so they don't mind living in 'tight quarters'. It does give us delicious moose meat!