Polar Bear

30 Years of Successful Polar Bear Hunting

Adventure Northwest has been offering highly successful polar bear hunts for nearly 30 years. Often considered the epitome of any hunting career, the polar bear hunt is as cultural as it is wild. While many people say polar bear populations are way down and on the verge of extinction, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Polar Bear Hunts in the Arctic with Adventure Northwest

Polar Bears: A Conservation Success Story

Polar bears are a true conservation success story. Living proof that once value is placed on an animal, its survival will be of importance. Over 16,000 polar bears now live in Canada, which is approximately half of the entire worlds polar bear population. Polar bears are found at high latitudes in the five polar bear range states: Canada, Greenland, Norway (Svalbard area), the Russian Federation, and the United States of America (Alaska). In Canada, they have been seen as far as 88º north and as far south as the Gulf of the St. Lawrence.

The area we hunt sits between the Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound bear populations. Both populations are increasing even with a total harvest average of 216 bears per year, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s website.

Inuit Culture & Polar Bear Hunting

"Polar bears are greatly respected by Inuit hunters as the most intelligent animal in the Arctic, and as a symbol of the resilience, patience and determination that is need to survive in the harsh climate. Polar bear hunting is taken very seriously. Considered both exciting and dangerous, it is the pinnacle challenge of life in the Arctic. Polar bear hunting today is recognized for its value in preserving the Inuit connection to the land and their cultural identity. Elders feel it is vitally important to pass on and encourage this essential hunting activity in future generations.” (From Inuvialuit and Nanuq: A Polar Bear Traditional Knowledge Study, 2015).

Subsistence, Sustainability & Economic Importance

Inuit do not hunt solely for international commercial trade, but they do benefit from it. Hunting is not a hobby or a luxury; for many it is a necessity. Inuit have relied on species like caribou, ringed seal, and polar bear as sources of sustenance for millennia. Even in today’s revenue-based economy, people still depend on hunting as an essential, relatively low cost alternative to store-bought items, and a much-needed source of revenue.

Nunavut and the Northwest Territories both have some guided hunting. The revenue generated through annual guided hunts in Nunavut before polar bears were listed in 2008 under the United States Endangered Species Act was about $1.5 - $2 million. As the annual number of guided hunts has continued to decrease, so too has the revenue. Today, roughly $900,000 is derived from polar bear guided hunts in Nunavut. The income derived from the hunt is divided amongst the Inuit guide who leads the hunt and his team, the owner of the dog team which is used for the hunt, the individual who cleans the hide and the outfitter who organized the hunt. It is important to note that a bear killed during a guided hunt is removed from the quota and the meat is distributed within the community.

This income, or the income generated from selling a polar bear hide, is often reinvested into hunting equipment and supplies, such as gas, snowmobile repairs, and a host of other necessities that enable Inuit to continue their subsistence hunting. The cost of a single guided-hunt can help finance Inuit families yearly expenses, including food, clothing and utilities. Thus, while polar bears are essential to the social and cultural fabric of Nunavut communities, they also represent an indispensable source of income in an area of Canada where there are few lasting economic alternatives.

Eliminating the market for guided hunts and trade in polar bear hides would effectively remove revenue from an area of Canada that needs it the most – but it will not change the way polar bears are managed, and will not change the number of bears that are harvested by Inuit.

Adventure Northwest & Polar Bear Heritage

Adventure Northwest takes pride in being a part of a longstanding heritage in Nunavut and will continue to hunt polar bears as long as we are able. We are proud of the economic value these hunts bring to the Canadian north.

Please call us or fill out the form on the booking page if you would like to hunt polar bears from the healthiest bear population on earth. We would be honoured to set up this hunt for you.