;i 



12 BTJLLETi:?^ 1089, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



There is usually only one favrn at a birth, and twins rarely oc- 

 cur. The newborn fawn is remarkably hardy, and is strong and ■ 

 fleet of foot soon after birth. Alaskan records are not sufficiently 

 complete to show to what age the average doe reindeer continues 

 to breed, but it is generally estimated at about 12 years. Yearling 

 reindeer sometimes rej^roduce, but in the Alaskan herds tl\is is notiij 

 common. I 



UTILIZATION OF REINDEER. if 



Eeindeer are of value principall}' in the production of meat for . 

 food and skins for clothing.*'' '' In Alaska they have been used thus'jt 

 far only to a limited extent as beasts of burden, for packing in ' 

 summer, and for drawing sleds in winter. They will later have an, 

 added value, in the utilization of such by-products as the horns,;] 

 head, and offal, and other parts of the carcass now wasted in slaugh- 

 tering. 



The skin is used chiefly for winter clothing, and hi the north 

 for sleeping bags. The meat is fine-grained, contains a good, palat- 

 able fat, and is not " gamy " in flavor when properlj- produced and 

 handled, but compares favorably with beef. The liver is not unlike 

 calves' liver and. as it is of large size, makes an important item 

 of food. The tongue and heart are both of good flavor and quality. 



Present regulations governing the native industry prohibit the 

 slaughter of does. The average life of a reindeer is about 15 years. 

 Full maturity is reached in 4 or 5 years, but nearlj^ full growth is 

 attained in the third year. Of the bucks a certain number are set 

 aside for breeding purposes and the rest are raised as steers, to be 

 butchered when about 3 years old. 



The dressed weight of full-grown Alaskan reindeer will range any- 

 where up to 200 pounds in the best-handled herds. The average 

 dressed weight, however, for 3-year-old steers is about 150 pounds. 

 By cross-breeding with caribou and following a process of selection 

 and grading-up of the stock in the herds, the weight eventually will 

 be much increased. The Alaskan caribou of certain districts will 

 often weigh more than 300 pounds dressed, without the skin. The 

 weight of the fre^i reindeer skin is generally estimated to be 10 

 per cent of the total weight of the dressed carcass. 



SLAUGHTERING AND HANDLING MEAT. 



Modern slaughtering methods are not used in Alaska, except in a 

 very few herds. Reindeer are killed at all seasons of the year, both 

 in and out of condition. At present each native goes out by himself 



« Lomen, Carl .T., The camel of the frozen desert : Nat. Geogr. Mag., vol. 36. no. 6, pp. 

 53S-5.56, December, 1919. 



^ Lomen, G. .T., The reindeer industry in Alaska : Journ. of Heredity, vol. 11, no. 6, 

 July-August, 1920. 



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