We used to ask our college students to inform us in advance if they knew they were going to miss a class. One Friday a young man came up to me after class and told me that he might miss class on Monday."Why?" I asked.
"I'm going moose hunting with my family," he explained.
"And why is that a valid excuse?" I pressed him.
"It is special because we have one of the few permits that are awarded by lottery in Minnesota each year for moose hunting."
"Can't argue with that," I agreed.
"If we kill a moose by Sunday I will be in class on Monday. Otherwise not," he explained.
"And exactly how does one find a moose to kill?" I probed, not having learned much about such things growing up on East 68th Street in Manhattan.
"If it snows, it's easy to track the moose. If not It's a bit harder," he said.
I nodded and made a note of his possible absence. Best excuse I ever heard.
Now twenty plus years later, The New York Times has caught on to how special a moose permit can be:
New Hampshire Holds Lottery for Moose Hunt
In one of the few states with enough animals for a hunting season, an annual lottery drew 13,400 people who hoped to secure one of 275 permits to hunt moose...By the way: Yes, Moose is kosher when slaughtered and prepared properly.
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