Jun 2, 2023
While there are a few notable varieties of hodag, including the shovel-nosed specimen which tips trees and preys on porcupines, the current public image of the hodag was heavily influenced by the machinations of Eugene Shepard's intricate hodag hoax.
Shepard was a land surveyor, timber cruiser, and eventual resort owner known for his humour, practical jokes, and some Paul Bunyan stories. His hodag, in particular, had garnered much noteriety. However, it was after some Smithsonian scientists had announced their intent to visit his specimen that Shepard called it quits, admitting to the nature of the hoax.