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TTHENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE
Nahanni Butte residents have been enjoying bison meat since a successful community hunt earlier this month.

Elder Leon Konisenta stands beside a bison harvested on Feb. 4 during a Nahanni Butte community hunt. It was only the second time the community has harvested a bison using a tag issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. - photo courtesy of Wilbert Antoine

On Feb. 4, Jim Betsaka and his son Nathan Betsaka along with elder Leon Konisenta and Wilbert Antoine of Fort Simpson conducted the hunt. Jim Betsaka said he obtained the tag from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) on behalf of the community to harvest one of the bison that frequents the community.

There is always at least one large bison hanging around Nahanni Butte, Betsaka said. On the day of the hunt, however, the targeted bison was missing so the group focused on one that had been seen along the community's access road.

Shot the bull

Betsaka and Antoine, who had been invited along because of previous experience harvesting a bison, shot the bull just after 11:35 a.m. It marked the second time the community has harvested a bison using a tag.

There is one tag available to Nahanni Butte each year for a bison hunt. Betsaka said the tags haven't been utilized because residents aren't used to eating bison.

Betsaka, however, said that except for the fact that bison fat is yellow and moose fat is white the meat is the same.

"You wouldn't know the difference except for that," he said.

"Holy, man, that's good meat."

Betsaka said he had just cooked some of the harvested ribs over a fire and they tasted very good. Wild bison tastes much better than commercially-raised bison because they eat willows instead of grain, he said.

After the bison was shot, it travelled approximately 55 metres before laying down. Antoine said the group followed the traditional practice of leaving the animal alone for about an hour before butchering it so it could die interrupted and its spirit could leave.

The group then used a snowmobile and some rope to position the corpse so it was on its back with its legs in the air.

"It was quite the undertaking," said Antoine.

The group saved the head for ENR for testing purposes before skinning the animal, cleaning it and harvesting all of the useable meat. The whole process was over just before 5 p.m.

Antoine said he was honoured to be asked to take part in the hunt and enjoyed the meat.

"The tenderloin was great," he said.

The meat from the bison was divided between Nahanni Butte residents. Betsaka said he thinks the community enjoyed the meat and that as a result of this successful hunt more people will try to get tags.

According to ENR's records, this is only the second time Nahanni Butte has used one of its bison tags since the tag system started in 1998, said Carl Lafferty, the department's regional superintendent. The first tag was used in 2003.

ENR has been encouraging Nahanni Butte residents to use the tags, particularly as a way to deter bison from staying around the community, Lafferty said. Now that the community has started to use the tags, Lafferty said the department is looking at the possibility of redistributing some of the six tags Fort Liard has yearly to Nahanni Butte.

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