Arctic Island Muskox

Imagine standing on a hill overlooking a herd of muskox with the arctic ocean in the background, knowing your sixteen hundred miles north of the Canada USA border, a polar bear is your nearest neighbor and chances are no one has ever stood exactly where you are right now. To your guide standing next to you, this is home.

You move in for a closer look at the herd bull and notice a pair of wolves doing the same, you have competition, but luckily for you there is a wolf tag burning a hole in your pocket. Your about to experience a day in the Canadian arctic!

Arctic Island Muskox hunt with Adventure Northwest

Ulukhaktok (Holman) – The Community

The town of Ulukhaktok, formally know as Holman, sits on the Northwest Territories side of Victoria Island, the 8th largest island in the world, an island slightly larger than the size of Great Britain. Being three hundred and fifty miles to the north of the arctic circle ensures constant permafrost in the ground and an abundance of arctic animals. The four hundred residents of the town are willing and eager to take you in as part of their family and show you a good time.

The muskox is a symbol of the arctic and has sustained life for many northerners in years when the main source of food, the caribou, was scarce.

Hunting these prehistoric looking animals is something you wont soon forget. The culture, the community, the way of life and neat scenery that can only be found in the arctic needs to be seen and experienced by every adventure traveler.

Your Guide – David Kuptana

David Kuptana is well known in Holman and around the north as being a very accomplished hunter. His name made headlines in April of 2010 when he shot what biologists confirmed was a second-generation polar bear grizzly bear cross. The only one known in existence at the time.

His tenacity and skill as a hunter and big game guide has paid big dividends for the hundreds of hunters he has taken out over the last 30 years.

Arrival & First Steps

From the minute you arrive in Holman, till the minute you get back on the airplane to fly home David and his team will ensure your hunt goes off without a hitch. Currently there are two flights a week into Holman. Mondays and Fridays, but this is subject to change. Please confirm your dates with Adventure Northwest prior to booking your flights.

When you arrive David will pick you up from the airport and take you to the hotel or bed and breakfast where you will stay for the first night. (if the weather is good you may head out right away) From there you will head down to the wildlife office and get your tags issued to you. Please carry Canadian Cash for this. (there is an ATM in town but does not always have cash).

After you have your tags secured you will make a plan for that afternoon or to leave in the morning. If you have rented a personal ATV or Snowmobile to drive, you will get it at this time. I highly recommend renting your own machine as it makes the entire experience so much nicer. The ride is smoother, you can see a lot better and you’re in more control of your hunt. It adds $450/day (plus gas and oil) to your hunt cost but it’s completely worth it.

Traveling & Hunting the Area

You may travel in various directions from town with different destinations in mind. In the springtime you may head north across Minto Inlet and hunt the hills on the far side or head east along Prince Albert Sound and hunt from one of the cabins down there. David has lived and hunted these areas all his life and knows where the animals are and the best areas and ways to get there. The guides employed are also skilled and knowledgeable. Trust them.

David has spent a lot of time positioning cabins, moving boats, stashing gas and scouting areas to make your hunt successful.

You may purchase a wolf tag for $2500 add on to your hunt cost and I would encourage all hunters to pick up a fishing license as well. Throwing a hook in some remote lake or pulling a large lake trout out through a hole in the six-foot-thick ice is quite enjoyable and not something many people can say they have done. Every time I have hunted muskox around Holman, I have seen wolves, but I am a bit lucky when it comes to wolves. Most hunters have about a 30% chance of seeing one.

Spring & Fall Hunt Expectations

On the springtime hunts, mid March to the end of April, you can expect to see between 50-150 muskox in 5 days of hunting. You will have the opportunity to pass up smaller bulls and look for a large trophy bull if size is of importance to you. On the fall hunts the traveling is much more difficult and you cannot cover as much ground as in the springtime. But there is something to be said about hunting muskox in comfortable weather without snow blowing in your eyes that makes seeing less animals worth it. Both spring and fall hunts have their pros and cons and it really is just up to the hunter as to what he would prefer. Personally, I think the arctic in the spring is something that every person needs to experience at least once in their life. Daylight is nearly 24 hours in length and there is an energy and excitement in the air that only spring weather can bring. With an average temperature of -17C or 1F in April, dressing in layers and being prepared is key but easily manageable in those temperatures.

The fall season starts on the 15th of August and runs all winter. Average August temperatures are 43F or 6C. You can expect freezing temperatures at night and the possibility of snow flurries at some point in your hunt but very enjoyable weather to hunt in. You will spend a lot of time covering ground on an ATV and glassing from hill tops. You may camp out in tents or stop at a few cabins that are scattered across the tundra.

Archery Considerations

For you archery hunters the fall hunt is the better choice as its much easier to stalk up to a muskox when there is something to blend into, hide behind and are not bundled up in winter clothing. We have had plenty of spring archery hunters and it is quite doable as well. Average shot distances are around the 40-yard mark. I highly encourage hunters to use a fixed blade broadhead as the extremely long and tough hair of a muskox can really mess with the way an expandable head opens on impact. The long hair is also deceiving, and many a hunter’s arrow has parted hair underneath a muskox. From the bottom of the hair to the top of his back, your point of aim should be vertically right in the middle of the body, and tight behind the shoulder. You will then hit him at the bottom third of his chest cavity nicely taking out both lungs.

David and crew will be able to tell a mature bull from a young one, but look for a darker cracked up boss with no gap at the bottom or top of the boss. Horns that droop low and points that tip up past the eye again generally signify a B&C bull if he carries his mass all the way down.

Trophy Care & Transport

Please specify what sort of mount you will be getting, and David can cut the hide accordingly. The hide will then be wrapped up and frozen for you to take home. If you do not wish to fly home with your cape and horns then you can get it shipped on First Air cargo to Edmonton Alberta, and Jason from Alberta Taxidermy will pick it up from there, salt and dry and ship to your taxidermist or do the mount for you. Whatever you prefer.

Gear Requirements

You will need to bring appropriate clothing for this hunt, I would suggest heavy thermal underwear and multiple layers. A sleeping bag rated to -30 would be suggested for the spring hunts and a bag rated to -10 for the fall hunts is minimum. Heat in the tents and cabins is sufficient but limited at nights. A pair of 10 power binoculars and a rangefinder are necessary. There is a fair bit of room on the quads or the snowmobile sleds, so you don’t have to worry about packing too light. If you want to bring a spotting scope it can come in handy when picking apart the muskox herd looking for the biggest bull. Another handy thing to bring is a dozen packs of hot hands handwarmers. You can use two per day and have two spares. Double it if your putting them in your boots as well. For the spring hunts you will want to bring a full-face mask and goggles. (the goggles are a good idea even on the fall hunts) Bring at least a dozen arrows and a full box of ammo for your hunt. These critters can soak up a lot of lead.

Arctic Island Muskox Hunts – Pricing

5 day Muskox Hunt

1 Muskox: $11,500 USD plus licenses and tax.
Government sales tax: 5%

Licenses are paid in Holman at the wildlife office in Canadian Cash. Bring $1000 minimum as you may want to buy some arts or crafts from the locals. If your planning on tipping this should be done in cash as well however this can be in USD if you prefer.

Flights into Holman will cost you about $2300.00 Canadian (subject to change). A bed and breakfast or hotel night in Holman will cost you $250-$350, depending on what’s available.

Adventure Northwest has been operating hunts out of Holman for over 30 years with an extremely high rate of success.

John Doe

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