Greenland Musk Ox Hunt March 2017

Location: Kangerlussaug, Greenland
OutFitter: M&M Engelmann
Date: March 3rd to Mark 6th
I booked this hunt several months earlier since I was always intrigued by the musk ox which has survived in such a harsh environment for literary thousands of years. I booked this hunt through forum member Arjun Reddy (Reddy375)
This part of Greenland is above the Arctic Circle and the only thing that would separate it from a moon landscape is short grass and small bushes which the ox survives on.
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- We hunted areas along the ice cap that were exposed to the sun and as such exposed the surface grass. We were met at the airport and quickly changed into cold weather gear as we were driven to the camp site with ATV’s and Snowmobiles.


The trip took approximately 1 1/2 hours. The guide had excellent equipment and the machines worked flawlessly.

I was told the difference between an ice cap and a Glacier was glaciers ends by the ocean. There are nothing but high hills and boulders.

We stayed in a cabin which is only accessible by snowmobile and ATV in the winter and helicopter the other time of years.

Our guides Mathias and Malene Engelmann and 3 assistance guides, worked hard to keep everything working smoothly as there were 4 other hunters in camp, 2 from Serbia and 2 from Spain. Considering the language barriers a good time was had. The temperatures were cold ranging from -5 to -25F fortunately the winds were mild so being dressed properly made this a great experience. Traditional seal skin clothing was made available for those who wanted it as was a camp rifle and ammo which I elected to use, a CZ 300wm with 180 grain ammo.

The hunt consisted of moving around to high spots and glassing, we saw several small groups of musk ox and several caribou..

Some of the Ox where on flat land and stalking into range was not possible since they are wary and will run when they spot anything out of the ordinary. We spotted a group that was feeding near the top of one of the hills. While we were stalking the group went over the top which allowed us to move quickly undetected and get the distance down to 100yards.



The guide pointed out the best ox in the group and I was able to drop it with one shot.



The next day I accompanied the 2 other members who chased a group of 3 ox over a ridge and tagged out on two of them. The weather was cold but there was no wind so it allowed us to stay out all day.
The guides worked tirelessly skinning, fleshing in to the night since the cold temperatures would freeze the hides and meat if they weren’t prepared quickly, they did this with bare hands and I don’t know how they were able to take the cold since my hands would go num outside the heavy gloves I wore.




The guides also maintained a team of Greenlandic sled dogs, an amazing dog able to stay outside without shelter. The guide told me they are a pure strain and the only dogs allowed north of Kangerlussag to maintain the genes which dates back thousands of years.



The sled ride was fast but extremely bumpy since the cargo sled had no suspension, how they go for long distances convinces me that the Greenland people are a hardy bunch. If you look at the terrain there are no trees or firewood of any kind so a breakdown without a survival kit would definitely be a life threatening event.
Several of the hunters spent the last day hunting arctic Hares and ptarmigans and several were harvested.

All in all I had a great time not only with the hunt but with the guides and other hunters, to me it was a first class operation with guides that really cared about your experience and I would recommend it to anyone who like me had the desire to hunt these magnificent animals in a truly Arctic atmosphere.

Looks like a truly outstanding adventure! Love the fact that hares and ptarmigan are huntable too.

You were allowed to take artic fox, hares and ptarmigan I think up to 5 each. I opted not to because my troublesome knees

Cool hunt, pardon the pun, and a great report. Thanks!

Great photos and fine report. Many thanks for taking the time to put it together and share it with us.

What will you do with the trophy? Will you be able to get a skull or head and shoulder mount, if you want one? How about the quality of the back skin?

Did you get to eat any of the venison, including the hare or ptarmigan?

I am grateful for your report and curious about the experience because I have long thought that this would be an excellent adventure.

Thanks, again.

Great report, thanks for that.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Great photos and fine report. Many thanks for taking the time to put it together and share it with us.

What will you do with the trophy? Will you be able to get a skull or head and shoulder mount, if you want one? How about the quality of the back skin?

Did you get to eat any of the venison, including the hare or ptarmigan?

I am grateful for your report and curious about the experience because I have long thought that this would be an excellent adventure.

Thanks, again.

Like Mike asks: How were the trophy logistics handled? Is the dip and pack done there and shipped to the US or do they have to go back to Europe? Was shipping reasonable?

The hides and skull will be transported to the capital of Greenland for Veterinary clearance. Depending on the choice of the hunters they can either be shipped to a taxidermist in Germany or Austria. The hides which are frozen will go by ship to either location. I was told the shipping will be reasonable based on individual weight. Now your choice to have them mounted or tanned and shipped to whomever you want. Actual cost is not know at this time but you can check with forum member REDDY375 who may have a better cost estimate

Folks,

The best and most economical way to get the trophy home is as follows. At the end of the season the outfitter ships all the trophies to a taxidermist in Germany Wolfgang Schenk and another taxidermist in Austria. The hides from the spring hunt are sent in a frozen state. The taxidermist will either do the complete taxidermy work for you or just have the skin tanned and the skull treated and can then ship it to your taxidermist in the States.

If i am not mistaken the cost of shipping my trophy from Greenland to Austria was around $300. And then the cost of the work as per what you want done and shipping it to the states.

Let me know if i can answer any other questions. It is a really a neat hunt for a unique trophy. And the spring hunt is not a physically demanding hunt either.

Thanks


Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: +1 845 259 3628

Great hunt report and the country looks awesome.

Congratulations on a great hunt. I went on that hunt last year in April. While I had a great hunt i think that the earlier hunts are better. pictures brought back good memories . Hope the information I provided you on PM was useful

Please let me know who to contact about booking this hunt. My brothers and I have been talking about a trip like this for some time. After reading your post we are interested in booking for 2018. Thanks for sharing your hunt.

Regards,

Clark

I hunted the same place but in the spring. Great trip.