THE HUGAG

The Hugag is said to be the largest beast of the Northern forests, a towering creature that when fully grown reaches thirteen feet in height and tips the scales at nearly three tons. Its warty snout and coarse, floppy ears resemble worn-out gunnysacks, while its bald, misshapen head would baffle even the keenest phrenologist. Instead of hair it sprouts pine needles, and its steady diet of pine knots causes pitch to seep constantly from its skin. Its legs are without joints—no knees, hocks, or fetlocks—so the Hugag cannot lie down, sleeping instead on its feet with its body propped against trees that often remain permanently bent from the weight. Harmless by nature, the animal bristles and takes on the appearance of a heap of pine slash when disturbed, and the usual method of capture is to saw partway through its favored resting trees so that, once toppled, the unwieldy giant cannot rise again. It causes little trouble apart from crushing buildings it leans against, which is why camps are best built away from its haunts. The Hugag was once known throughout the Lake States, especially western Wisconsin and northern Minnesota, ranging as far north as James Bay, though the last recorded kill was on the Turtle River, a juvenile specimen that weighed a mere eighteen hundred pounds.