The Hugag is a shy and elusive cryptid that is said to roam the forests and woodlands of the Lake States region of North America. It is a peaceful creature that has been seen by lumberjacks for decades but its existence has never been scientifically proven.
Cryptid Name: | Hugag |
Location: | Lake States region of North America |
Category: | Lumberjack Folklore Cryptid |
Description: | Large, herbivorous animal with jointless legs, a long upper lip, and a shaggy coat. |
Size: | Similar to a moose |
Behavior/Characteristics: | Restless, constantly on the move, able to travel for days on end without stopping to eat or sleep. Leans against a tree to rest at night. |
Diet: | Herbivore |
Habitat/Environment: | Forests and woodlands |
Evidence: | Eyewitness Sightings. |
Sightings and Encounters: | None scientifically proven |
Skepticism/Explanations: | The hugag is an elusive cryptid, and its existence has never been scientifically proven. However, it remains an important part of the folklore and culture of North America. |
What Does The Hugag Look Like?
The Hodag is a big animal that is similar in size to a moose. It has long jointless legs which forces it to remain standing on its feet all the time which means that it can’t lie down to sleep. Because of this, it usually just balances itself next to a tree to keep itself upright while it rests. It has four-toed feet, a bushy tail, and a shaggy coat that does not cover its head and neck which is more leathery.
The Legend Of The Hugag
The Hugag is mentioned in a book called “Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods” by William Thomas Cox. In the book, he gives the following description of the Hugag and expands on the legend that surrounds it.
The hugag is a huge animal of the Lake States. Its range includes western Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, and a territory extending indefinitely northward in the Canadian wilds toward Hudson Bay.
In size, the hugag may be compared to the moose, and in form, it somewhat resembles that animal. Very noticeable, however, are its jointless legs, which compel the animal to remain on its feet, and its long upper lip, which prevents it from grazing. If it tried that method of feeding it would simply tramp its upper lip into the dirt. Its head and neck are leathery and hairless; its strangely corrugated ears flop downward; its four-toed feet, long bushy tail, shaggy coat and general make-up give the beast an unmistakably prehistoric appearance.
The hugag has a perfect mania for traveling, and few hunters who have taken up its trail ever came up with the beast or back to camp. It is reported to keep going all day long, browsing on twigs, flopping its lip around trees, and stripping bark as occasion offers, and at night, since it cannot lie down, it leans against a tree, bracing its hind legs and marking time with its front ones.
The most successful hugag hunters have adopted the practice of notching trees so that they are almost ready to fall, and when the hugag leans up against one both the tree and the animal come down. In its helpless condition it is then easily dispatched. The last one killed, so far as known, was on Turtle River, in northern Minnesota, where a young one, weighing 1,800 pounds, was found stuck in the mud. It was knocked in the head by Mike Flynn, of Cass Lake.
Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods
Is There Any Evidence That The Hugag Is Real?
Unfortunately, there is no evidence to prove that the Hugag is real but it is still an incredibly important part of the local folklore and cultural identity of the region that encourages tourism and storytelling.
Some have claimed that stories of the Hugag could simply be exaggerations of known animals such as moose while others say that it is simply a creature of folklore that originated around lumberjack campfires.
Similar Cryptids
Resources
- Kickle snifters and other fearsome critters – Alvin Schartz (1978)
- Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods: With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts – William Thomas Cox