I can’t say I’ve ever given much thought to a musk ox hunt – at least not until I talked to Mitchell’s Paul Muth about his recent expedition to the far north. Paul and his brother Dan flew to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut Territory, Canada by way of Sioux Falls, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Calgary, Edmonton, Yellow Knife in the Northwest Territory, and finally Cambridge Bay.

They were greeted in Cambridge Bay, a town of 2500, by Shane Black of Canada North Outfitting who took them to their Inuit guides Peter and Bobby. They had departed from Sioux Falls on Sunday, March 13th, and didn’t arrive in Cambridge Bay until Thursday, March 17th. Blizzards and pilot shortages contributed to the delays that cost them two days of their scheduled five day hunt. Thursday night was spent in a Cambridge Bay hotel, followed by Friday morning’s trip to hunting camp. The trip to camp entailed a fifty mile ride over Arctic Ocean ice on 18 foot wooden sleds pulled by snowmobiles. These sleds and a good view of camp can be viewed on the Canada North Outfitting website.

With temperatures averaging minus 30 degrees F, separate guides, sleds, and snowmobiles were the rule as a safety precaution. Prior to the hunt, they were advised by the outfitter to rent their attire from them as opposed to spending money on clothing the outfitter considered “junk.” Their rented outerwear served them well. When I asked Paul about meals, comfort, etc., he viewed the hunt as far more important than minor amenities – which I presumed to be adequate.

There are two species of musk ox – the smaller Greenland variety and the larger barren ground variety that Paul and Dan hunted. A mature bull weighs around 600 pounds, and their heavier spring coat is more desirable – especially if a full body or shoulder mount is done. Both sexes have horns.

With only three days to hunt, their anxiety level was heightened before the actual hunt began on Friday afternoon, March 18th. Friday’s hunt was fruitless after traveling an additional 60 miles out on the Arctic ice and not seeing a musk ox. On Sunday, both men scored on a mature bull after traveling 75 miles across the ice. Just when things looked bleak after all that time and travel, the guides spotted a herd two miles out. The herds first formed a tight circle, but the bulls broke when being approached. The lethal shots were taken at 35 yards. Paul used his Weatherby .300 Magnum while Dan toted a venerable Model 1886 Winchester in.45-70 caliber. Paul also took a beautiful all-white Arctic fox.

There’s more technology out on that ice than I imagined. The meat was distributed to the local Inuits who were notified of the meat on Facebook. They were ready and waiting. Prior to that, Paul cut a back strap into bite-sized chunks, stuck it kabob style, and deep fried it. It was a first time chislic experience for their Inuit guides. I hope the boys had garlic salt and a frosty beer.

I’ve twice hunted caribou in the adjoining Nunavik Territory where foxes nearly ate scraps from our hands as we field-dressed our caribou. I asked Paul about his fox, and he said it was wary. Perhaps our foxes hadn’t yet seen humans. They didn’t see any wolves or caribou.

The pandemic has been chaotic for all of us, and Betsy and I have lost people we care very much about, both young and old. On the positive side, if there is one, is a recent study that showed a 25% increase in American hunters during the year 2020 - this coming after decades of declining hunter numbers. Most of the new hunters cited COVID-related reasons for their new-found interest in hunting. Having newfound time was a major reason, but so was the ability to harvest their own meat. 47% cited meat as their primary motivation.

These new hunters are a somewhat diverse group with 17% being non-white, and 22% being female. 94% of the 2020 first-time hunters said that they’d be back in the field in 2021. This is certainly good news as we hunters need more hunters in our corner to combat the antis.

See you next week.