hakapik
A hakapik (gaff) is a club, of Norwegian design, similar to a fishing gaff, used for killing and moving seals. The hakapik is a multipurpose hunting tool—a heavy wooden club, with a hammer head (used to crush a seal's skull), and a hook (used to drag the carcass) on the end. Regulation Canadian hakapiks consist of a metal head or ferrule that weighs at least 340 g (12 oz) with a slightly bent spike not more than 14 cm (5.5 in) in length on one side of the ferrule and a short blunt projection not more than 1.3 cm (0.5 in) in length on the opposite side of the ferrule and that is attached to a wooden handle that measures not less than 105 cm (3.4 ft) and not more than 153 cm (5 ft) in length and not less than 3 cm and not more than 5.1 cm (2 in) in diameter.
hakapik
Manxruler · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Hakapik
- Field
- hunting weapon
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wikidata · Q1163496 · wikipedia · Hakapik
In this article
Overview
Overview
The hakapik is favored by sealers because it allows them to kill the seal without damaging the pelt. Further, studies by American veterinary scientists on the use of the hakapik on the seal hunt carried out on Pribilof Islands of Alaska suggested that it is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely when used correctly. A report by members of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association in September 2002 confirmed this claim.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Hakapik • Classification — Hunting weapon • Caption2 — Close-up on the club and hook end
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — Two Norwegian hakapiks displayed on the wall of a Tromsø, Norway gun shop • Illustration — A hakapik on display at the Polar Museum in Tromsø, Norway
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Hakapik, revision 1253995967 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Fink, Sheryl. An illustrated guide to the tools used to kill seals in Canada's commercial seal hunt. ifaw.org. IFAW. July 2024.
- 2.Daoust, Pierre-Yves. Animal welfare and the harp seal hunt in Atlantic Canada. The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 43. 9. 687–694. 1 September 2002.
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1- hunting weaponTerminology
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