Contributors to this thread:
I just returned from Greenland and had the hunt of a lifetime for Muskox. Our outfitter for this hunt was Frank Feldman with Greenland Outfitters. Frank has dialed in his operation and runs a top notch hunt. All hunters in our group were successful. Muskox were everywhere. Accommodations and food were better than expected considering the location.
This hunt is about as remote as it gets and travel is extensive. My trip started in New Orleans, LA w/ plane change in Minneapolis and then overnight flight to Reykjavic, Iceland. On the flight from Minneapolis to Reykjavic, we flew over Greenland. Looking down on "The Rock", it started to sink in that this trip was finally happening.
I flew into Iceland a day early to hang out and see the sights near the harbor and downtown area. Reykjavic was a great place to spend the day. Try the fish and chips and fish soup at just about any restaurant. The food was excellent. Everything was within walking distance. Here's a picture from the harbor area.
Here's a picture of the HARPA convention and concert center near the harbor. This building had amazing architecture and is a must see if you're ever in Reykjavic.
Day 4 - We headed to KEF airport for the flight to Greenland. The flight from Iceland to Greenland was approximately 2 1/2 hours on a commuter prop job. With every minute that passed by, the excitement built. We'd be landing in Greenland soon.
Finally we touched down in Greenland. Customs and Immigration were a breeze because they didn't exist. Here's the airport in Narsarsuaq.
We were picked up at the hotel staff. We stayed at what I think is the only hotel - Hotel Narsarsuaq. The hotel was nicer than I expected. Rooms were small but comfortable.
After getting settled into our rooms, our group met upstairs for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Whenever visiting foreign places, I always try to sample the local cuisine. In addition to our entrees, we ordered a couple of "Greenlandic Plates". This was a sample platter that consisted on Minke whale, seal blubber, two kinds of dried fish "complete with head and guts", fish roe, smoked salmon, shrimp that could not be peeled and some other unidentified morsels.
There are no words to describe the awefull taste of the Minke whale and dried fish. Here's a picture that cannot begin to describe the taste. The seal blubber had a sweet taste and wasn't too bad. Take my word and pass on this dish if you ever make the trip. Your taste buds will thank you.
Day 5 - Here's a dock shot of our group getting ready to board the boat for camp. Two guys from Scotland, one from Michigan and me from New Orleans. Not shown in the picture are a man and his wife from Virginia. She actually bought the hunt for him. A lucky man indeed.
We boarded the boat for our ride to camp. It had a heated cabin which was nice to warm up in on the way to camp. Approximately 4 1/2 hours later, we arrived in camp.
Iceberg's were everywhere on the ride to camp. Some solid white and others were multiple shades of blue.
Our boat ride was timed so that we could make it through this narrow opening at high tide. In about another hour, we would finally be at camp.
We made it! Here's a picture of the cabin that would be home for the next 6 days.
Here's a picture of the "outhouse". It was facing a rock hill when we got to camp. We turned it so that we were facing the glacier in the background while taking care of nature's call. It was the most beautiful place on Earth to start the day.
Shortly after getting settled into camp, we shot a few arrows to make sure our sights were still on and then we were off to start hunting Muskox.
We drew cards to see who would go first and our Scottish hunter, Callum was first up. He had one blown stalk on a Muskox. The bull saw him and the guide stalking in and took off running up the hill. We moved to a different area and his second stalk was a success. The first Muskox of our trip was down.
We had Muskox steaks our first night in camp and they were excellent.
Day 6 - We woke early to a beautiful sunrise overlooking the glacier. What a sight to start the day.
After breakfast, we loaded the boats and were off Muskox hunting on our first full day in camp. One of the other hunters, Shiffty, asked if I wanted to be the next hunter. He didn't have to ask twice and I would be next up to hunt. Thanks Shiffty!
After a short boat ride, we were in the hunting area and started glassing. We spotted three Muskox feeding in some heavy brush and decided to make a stalk. After getting close to the muskox, we realized there wasn't a shooter in the bunch and made our way back down to the boat.
A short ride later and we found three Muskox bulls near the waters edge. We had to park the boat about a mile away and parallel the shoreline. Just as we were getting ready to drop down towards the shoreline and make our final stalk, the other boat load of hunters got out on the shore on the opposite side of the fjord. The Muskox spooked and took off running down the shoreline. Stalk number two was blown. I was surprised at how wary the muskox were. They don't tolerate being stalked and boats moving in the fjord.
We moved to a completely different area and by this time it's mid-afternoon. We could see some bulls feeding from the shoreline and parked the boat to creep in for a better look. After glassing the best one in the bunch, Frank asked me if I would be happy with an approx. 100" to 101" bull. I decided to pass and hold out for a bigger one. Muskox were everywhere so I didn't have to worry about not getting another opportunity.
We began making our way through the valley looking at other Muskox and trying to figure out which muskox to stalk next. While looking for another good bull to pursue, we came across another bull that was down in a dip between two hills. We hadn't seen this bull while glassing. Things got very interesting very quickly at that point. I promised Frank not to share the details here. The encounter was intense to say the least.
Shortly after, we made a plan to stalk another bull. There were at least 20 muskox in this group and stalking into range would not be easy with all of those eyes. We dropped down into a creek and started closing the distance on the herd.
There were three good shooters in this bunch. We got to within 100 yards of the herd and waited to see which direction they would feed in. They were feeding away from us, so I asked Frank if we could belly crawl into range. He said we could give it a try and the final stalk was on. At 25 yards, he asked if I comfortable with the shot. I kneeled, came to full draw and touched the release. I saw the arrow enter the muskox but the shot looked too far back and low.
Four additional shots later and my Muskox was finally down. Shot placement on a Muskox was tough for me to judge due to the way their fur hangs down below their body. My bull was finally down at 6:30 pm. Muskox are tough animals! It was a long day and we worked hard to get my bull.
AWESOME!!!!
Keep it coming!
Beautiful pictures!
Scar.
My fat fingers can only type so fast! Work in progress.
Here's another pictures of my ox.
Day 7 - Shiffty was first up to hunt today. I asked if he would mind if I tagged along and film his hunt. He agreed. Muskox were located and the stalk was on. There was a bull and cow in this group and I think the cow blew this stalk. They took off running and it was back down to the boat to look for more Muskox.
Another bull and cow was located, but this time they were able to stalk to withing 12 yards and Shiffty put a great show on his muskox. The bull was down in about 50 yards and left a blood trail that looked like it had been poured from a bucket. His bull was an old rutter that had worn his tips down but had huge bosses.
When the Inuits came up the mountain to get the meat, they all said "Biggg Bull"! This muskox had a huge body and our guide, Frank said he probably wouldn't live more than a year or two. For some reason, the Inuits decided not to stick around for the meat from the next Muskox.
Pat, I booked this hunt after watching your hunt with Neal. This was the hunt of a lifetime. Agree...You have to see Greenland in person to truly understand how special the place is. Raw and untouched were my first thoughts on the way to camp.
It's the middle of the second full day in camp and we only have one muskox left to hunt. Our next hunter, Bill from Virginia was rifle hunting and next up to hunt. I mentioned earlier in the thread that his wife bought the hunt as a surprise for him. What a lucky guy! She joined him on the hunt and was great to have in camp. She kept us neanderthals somewhat civilized during the week.
We made a move to a different area and located another group of muskox. There were three bulls in the group and all were shooters. Bill and Frank made a stalk, set-up and an hour later, the fourth Muskox of our trip was down.
Great looking hunt thanks for sharing !
Here's a picture of Frank Feldman (outfitter) on the right and Knudd, our Inuit guide.
Day 8 - This hunt is primarily for Muskox with a chance to take a caribou once all muskox have been taken. I had seen a few caribou during the previous days and decided to give a try. We motored to the end of a fjord in Ikka Bay, began glassing and spotted a herd of caribou on top of the mountain bedded on the ice pack.
We parked the boat and began what was the most physical climb that I've ever made. It was a steep, brushy climb w/ loose rocks and holes that made for some tough climbing. Two hours later, we were at the same elevation as the caribou, but had to make a final climb to get over the peak and onto the same side of the hill as the caribou. We got to within 100 yards of the herd and decided as a group that it would be best if I made the final stalk alone.
I slipped over a hill and started to belly crawl closer. At about 80 yards, I had to roll over onto my back and make the final crawl. I put my bow on my chest and slid down the chute to within 60 yards which was my shooting range due to pin settings. I was in full view of the caribou for the last twenty yards and was amazed that the caribou didn't see or hear me. I got up from my back to a kneeling position and checked the herd to see if they picked up my movement. Then I stood up and started to knock an arrow and saw the herd bull stand up. The bull was now on his feet walking, but hadn't seen me. I came to full draw, released the arrow and watched the arrow fly an inch over his back.
I'm sure anyone reading this knows that feeling of failing to make the shot at that critical moment. What I didn't realize was that the caribou had closed the distance to less than 60 yards. I should have ranged him again when he stopped walking. Despite years of bowhunting experience, we all make mistakes and that's how my caribou hunt went down. Looking back on the hunt, I got everything but the animal. The climb, the stalk, the shot. It was all there. We hiked around on top of the mountain and never saw another bull that we could get to. Here's a view from up top on the mountain.
Day 9 - This glacier was approximately 1 mile from camp. We hunted caribou here and had one stalk on a meat caribou bull but never had a shot opportunity.
I didn't get to fish much due to hunting muskox and caribou, but did manage to catch an Arctic Char. They're hard fighting fish.
Here's the posse' having dinner during the last night in camp.
We had a regular visitor in camp every evening - an Arctic Fox.
Congrats and thanks for posting!
This hunt is on my short list! Looks like a blast!
The same boat that brought us to camp, picked us up and took us to an Inuit village called Qaqortoq. We got in around 10:30 pm due to waiting on high tide. We stayed at what I again think was the only hotel in town - Hotel Qaqortoq.
Hunt, If you've been thinking about making this hunt, write the check. I've traveled quite a bit for hunting. This is the best hunt I've ever been on. You won't be disappointed.
We had a little time to do some souvenier shopping before catching our helicopter flight back to Narsarsuaq. The helicopter flight was scenic but short, maybe 30 minutes long. Sorry for the selfie. Please bare with my mug.
Here's half of a car hanging out of the Arctic Cafe Bar. Sometimes it's better to not ask why.
This is in Qaqortoq, population approx. 3,500. Quite possibly the last place on Earth that you would expect to see a Hummer.
Here's an aerial view of Qaqortoq.
Aerial view of some of the mountains and icebergs on the flight back to Narsarsuaq.
Helicopter landing back at the airport in Narsarsuaq.
Great post Randy. As much as you have traveled and hunted this had to be your great adventure and most memorable so far. Congrats on a great trophy.
Boarding the flight in Narsarsuaq back to Reykjavik, Iceland. We got into Reykjavik around 11:00 pm and went straight to the hotel for much needed rest. My flight was around 10:30 am the next morning and first stop back in the US was at JFK. I was convinced that JFK has to be the worst airport in country but then remembered that I've been in third world countries that had nicer airports than New Orleans.
Thanks Greg. This will be a hard hunt to beat, but I'm already getting the itch for another adventure. These kinds of hunts leave you wanting more.
Greenland was everything that I wanted in an adventure hunt. You don't just go to Greenland as a stopover. You have to WANT to go there. It's one of the last undeveloped frontiers. Having seen the environment, it's easy to understand why the first Norse settlers in Greenland died off. It's a wild, rugged place.
If anyone has any specific questions about this hunt, feel free to send me a PM.
Huge congrats on that hunt! I will be doing this hunt in the near future!
Thanks Lee. Get on the books with Frank soon. He's becoming well known and books up a couple of years out.
Congrats! Thanks for the review of your trip!
Congrats on a great adventure. Thanks for taking the time to share your hunt on here. It's inspirational to say the least. Maybe some day.
Congrats on an amazing trip. I have been looking at this trip ever since Pat did his series on it. Looks spectacular.
What an adventure! thank you for sharing!
good luck this season:)
Scar.
Awesome picture!! Thanks for sharing
This hunt was action packed from the time I left home. There was absolutely no downtime while we were in Greenland. We hunted hard and fished hard. It was only dark for one hour around midnight which made for some long days.
Very Nice recap. CONGRATS on a great hunt.
this is so awesome congrats thanks for sharing
Great write up and congratulations! This trip is on the short list.
Congrats on a great trip. Heading there in March and am looking forward to experiencing Greenland in the winter months.
Randy, thanks for taking us along on a great hunt.
my best, Paul
If they ever open this hunt up to stick bows I will do it even though I already have 2 Muskox.
How is this hunt for bringing a non-hunting spouse or a teenager along?
Sean, We had a husband/wife team and they had their own room in the cabin. In fact, we had two observers in our group. No problems at all bringing spouse along. You'll just need to let Frank know that you're bringing someone with you when booking the trip. Regards, Randy
I thought this comment was interesting on their website:
"Muskox: Compound only. 60#, 525 grain arrows, only fixed broad heads allowed."
What arrow and broadhead did you and the other bowhunters use?
What about the meat? Did you come home with any of the meat?
I was shooting a Mathews Monster MR-6 set @ 70#. My arrows were Easton FMJ's Dangerous Game 300's with 75 Gr. brass inserts and G5 Montec CS 100 Gr. broadheads. Total arrow weight was approximately 640 grains.
USDA does not allow the meat to be imported into the US. I believe due to mad cows disease that hit Europe a few years ago. We did eat Muskox in camp a couple of nights. The Inuits would follow us around in separate boats and take all meat that we didn't need.
Trophies are shipped to Denmark for skull cleaning and salting of the capes. The taxidermist in Denmark crates and ships your trophy to the US when ready.
I'm not sure what arrow/broadhead combinations the other hunters used. My set-up was perfect. My shot placement, not so perfect.
What an awesome trip!!
I can't get over how high you need to shoot them! Looks like way over the spine, but obviously not.
Awesome stuff, thanks. PA Mike and I leave in 13 days for our Musk Ox hunt on Victoria Island. Been booked for over 3 years. I'm freakin' STOKED!!
Great write up!! Its sounds like an awesome hunt for sure.
The longest hairs on my Muskox are 19" long. That really distorts the overall actual center mass of the animal.
I made a KILLER target to prepare for my muskox bowhunt, and it really helped. I bought some thick 4'X 8' cardboard sheets, and glued them together for support. I borrowed an overhead projector from a teacher friend, and projected the image of a standing, broadside muskox (from the book, "The Perfect Shot") onto the cardboard, and backed the projector away from the cardboard until I felt that it was lifesize. Then, I drew in the outline of the animal. I ALSO drew in all of the bones (they show the tail being about 12" long, and it is just a stub, but the book illustration has everything else about right), as well as the heart and the lungs.
Then, I went to the local Joanne's Fabrics and literally bought ALL of the black yarn in the store. I then made hundreds of cuts on the top of the Muskox target about 1/2" apart with a linoleum cutter. I took the yarn and wound it between my hand and my elbow about 5-10 times (like when you are done using an extension cord and you are coiling it up for storage), and then tied it off at the midpoint with a 15" piece of yarn. Then, I cut the bottom of the loops. When done, you'd be holding a single strand of yarn that is tied to the middle of a bundle of black yarn, with 5-10 individual strands dangling down about 18" on either side of the strand that ties the bundle together. Then I simply pulled that single strand of yarn into one of the slits that I made on the back of the muskox.
The cardboard is so tight, that it holds the suspended yarn in place, and you can raise/lower the bundle to cover the animal's organs/skeleton, that you drew on the cardboard, by simply pulling on the 15" piece of yard. Granted, this project took my two evenings to complete, and I probably had $20 in cost (I got my cardboard for free).
Here's the best part.....you could put the cardboard target in front of an excelsior bale, or just put a block target behind the vitals. If you missed the vitals, you're looking for the arrow...so don't miss...it served as great positive reinforcement. BUT BEST OF ALL, after you shot your arrow at the animal, you could walk up to the cardboard, pull the black yarn aside, and actually see what organs or bones you would have hit in real life. Pull your arrow(s), walk back to where you are shooting from, and practice until you have a good feel for where to aim on the big black blob.....
For those of you that like to immerse yourself in prehunt preparations, the construction of the this target helped to pass the time. I got to stay involved in the process of preparing for the hunt, and it helped me to learn the animals anatomy in detail. When I started to actually practice shooting at it, having the black yarn covering the vitals, prevented me from spot or dot shooting, and it forced me to actually envision what my arrow was going to hit. Pulling the yarn aside to check my results, was also very cool.
Stephen, The fur hangs down below the brisket of the Muskox which makes shot placement tricky. I grouped 4 arrows within a 3 inch area. The problem was that the area was too low. On my fifth shot, I aimed about a foot higher and hit the lungs. They are tough to put down if you don't get both lungs.
Jason, I waited two years to go on this hunt so I can relate. Our guide told us to aim about 18" below the top of the hump. My brain was telling me to shoot center mass of the fur which was too low. Good luck on your hunt!
Wow, what an adventure!
Great report and some great photos, congrats.
I gotta do this!
Wow Medicineman. Do you have a picture of that target?
What did you do for an elephant target when you were prepping for that hunt, jake, I am afraid to ask.
Great adventure , congratulations!
Tim, I used a Hoyt Carbon Spyder, 62 pounds with FMJ and a G5 montec head total arrow weight 565. (with brass inserts)
One arrow at 1-13 Yards did the trick.
sorry that's 12 to 13 yards
Wow...what an awesome adventure.
Congratulations ! This is something I'd love to do!
I camped out a couple of nights. It was more peaceful than the timber cutting going on in the cabin despite the lack of trees.
Since there weren't any quick stops to get ice, we went to the local iceberg to get ice everyday.
Muskox cooling off on the ice pack.
Greenlandic coral. There were approximately 10 of these outcroppings at the end of the Ikka Bay Fjord. The cod fish seemed to hang around these mini reefs.
Inuit whale carvings in Qaqortoq.
Awesome story and awesome pics! This one is on the bucket list for me as well!
Thanks for letting us tag-a-long on your trip, with the narrative and great pics. Is that a standard point'n shoot camera or something a little better? Very unique trip, animal and destination! Congratulations!
Full mount? Half mount? Euro and rug?
I hope to take that same polar bear pic in 10 days.
18" below the hump. Vital piece of info!! Thanks.
if you have any pictures you have not shared please share them!
Rod, Standard point and shoot $250 camera and cell phone pics. Nothing special except the view. I decided to go with a shoulder mount. I've hunted myself into needing a bigger house due to lack of available wall space. 18" below the hump is the sweet spot. It's hard to force yourself to shoot there due to the way the fur hangs down below their body. Aim down from the top of the hump!
Bou, As requested, more pics.
Hotel room in Narsarsuaq, Greenland. Small beds & rooms which is typical for European destinations. Very functional and good use of space.
This the Narsaq an Inuit village South of Narsarsuaq.
This pic is from on top of the mountain at Ikka Bay. Approx. 4,500-5,000 ft elevation. Every step up to this location was a challenge. Brutal climbing.
Blue berries were everywhere on the mountains.
Leaving camp, headed to Qaqortoq. This is when the finality of the trip set in. No matter how long you stay, you'll want more.
We got into Qaqortoq late due to waiting for high tide. The hotel staff informed us they could only serve steak burgers due to the time of night. When the plates were delivered to the table, we were surprised to see ribeye steaks stacked two high on the bun. At this point we're really roughing it.
This a view form the cabin looking North towards the glacier.
Another view of Qaqortoq.
Polar bear hide for sale at the Fur Shop in Qaqortoq. Good luck getting this through customs.
That's about all I can add for photos. Thanks to all that took the time to read though my posts and respond.
thanks so much for sharing
Perfect reading!
Thanks for sharing
Good luck, Robb
Awesome trip for sure! Great photos! Thanks for sharing the memories!
That photo of the Inuit carvings is awesome.....
Awesome adventure, thanks for sharing. Forrest
Excellent write-up, recap, and photos! Congrats again on a fantastic adventure!
Jared
Way to go Chief! What an adventure! Someday, God willing I'll be able to do something like this. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome hunt! Thank you so much for sharing. I wish bowsite would start a magazine with articles and pictures just like this write up. Nothing fancy, not 3 pages of specs on gear, just photos of the area, the trip and the hunt. That is something I would buy :-)
Thanks again for sharing this hunt, hope I can enjoy it someday.
James
Good write up Randy. I miss it already!
Awesome story Randy! thanks for sharing it with us. This hunt is on my short list! Congrats on your bull as well!
t-roy - You won't regret going on this hunt. Greenland is a special place. Write the check!
I am putting the cheque in the mail for next years hunt, in no small part to the great threads that have been in here.
Chief 419. Still on cloud 9. Going to be hard to top that hunt.
Shifty - I think about the trip everyday. I don't know if my next hunt will top this one, but I'm already planning my next adventure.
I did this hunt from July 19th - 26th, 2016. Everything was great and I arrowed a nice muskox. Frank is an excellent guide. Glad you had such a good time on your hunt.
What a great experience. Great photos. Great hunt.
Chief 419 The muskox steaks you ate might have come from my bull or Joe Verebes- my hunting partner on the hunt just before yours. Tasty but chewy. Truly the hunt of a lifetime eh!
That's highly probable Antler1! We had Muskox steaks the first night in camp. Nice bull that you took. Congrats. It's a special hunt no doubt.
The two skinners and Frank resting up before getting started on the second bull of the day
The skinners worked fast.
We got the whole bull down to the boat in one load. Frank shown here with the head and cape. Joe and I each had a hind quarter and the skinners packed down the rest.
The broadhead that did in the muskox. I dusted off an old package of Bear Razorheads from 1992 and got my bow dialed in to shoot them. I figured since Fred Bear shot almost every big game animal on the planet with them out of a recurve I should be able to make them work as well. One shot through the heart seemed to do it quite well.
The skinners get plenty of practice! What kind of arrow did you use?
I used an Easton Powerflight 300. 31.5 inches long with a 75 grain rotating insert. I took the bleeder blade out of the broad head as it made it plane a bit. Old Fred could shoot them with the bleeders in as his recurve shot a lot slower.
What were the shot distances you guys had? Any pics of the chest cavity after the skinning was done to get a better appreciation of the unique anatomy?
Drop tine - My first shot was 25 yards. My other shots were all approx. 20 yards. Everyone else in our group had 12 to 25 yards shots. I don't have any pictures of the chest cavity. Aim 18" below the top of the hump ,centered below the hump. I shot too low on my first few shots. Muskox are tough animals.
Chief:- great pictures, great writeup, great trophy and great memories! Thanks for sharing....
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Bou, Thanks for reviving this thread. This really was the hunt of a lifetime. Greenland is a special place.
Can you tell us about the weather... What was the average temp? What time of the year did you hunt?
Enjoyed reading that again, Randy! Bummer that some of the pics don’t show.
Interesting that Greenland hunt is not in the new BSC catalog. Frank had been in there for years since he opened.
Bou - thanks for bumping all these musk ox threads. I am about to book a hunt, this is timely. WTF
I noticed the same thing. Too bad. I hunted with him 4-5 years back. One of the greatest adventures ever.
