Don't know squat abut oxen hunting, but would love to go. I assume one needs a fairly hardy round to take down an impressive animal with such thick fur. I assume you'd need a rifle that functioned well, was reliable, and could handle all weather situations... hate to be in the middle of a snow packed tundra with a rifle that just went "click."

So, what is the perfect musk oxen rig? I'm assuming that shots, on average, are at quite a distance as there probably isn't too much cover. I'm guessing a 338 win mag would be a good stating spot. I might take a 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, or a 416. What's ideal?

. A 338 is a good round .... I would never shoot one myself ,a musk ox that is , ...... But if you are going to, use a good round for it .. They arn,t very big animals , so you don,t need a big round for them and they tend to clump up so you don,t want over penetration ...

I would think anything 30 caliber (with good heavy bullets) and up would do fine. 338 would work fine; I used a 375 (more for the rifle than caliber), but I would have loved to have been able to use an open sighted double in 9.3 X 74 Shots are normally close since it's not difficult to get inside 50yds.

maddenwh

I think any number of cartridges would work just fine. I have two on quota for next March. I have not decided yet either. Probably one of my little 50 Super Shorts might be nice, and maybe a 416 B&M for one. Any of the ones you mention I would think would be fine!

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by gumboot458:
. A 338 is a good round .... I would never shoot one myself ,a musk ox that is , ...... But if you are going to use a good round for it .. They arn,t very big animals , so you don,t need a big round for them and they tend to clump up so you don,t want over penetration ...

Why would you never hunt them? The meat is great and it's something you can do in AK that not many folks have the opportunity for.

If it were affordable, I'd do it every year...just for the meat.

.. Just me . I would kill the last wolf on earth ... I,ll kill any and every bear I legally can ..I,ll maybe never shoot a Mt Goat .. I may try for sheep this year .first time ever and if I get a ram it will be the only one I ever hunt . I don,t shoot geese . and I,de never do anything on purpose to harm a Musk Ox .......

Paradox..
AK

As far as not killing them goes... this is just a hypothetical internet forum where said things are often discussed. Read a safari mag where the guy used a single shot 416 Rigby... seemed a bit heavy, but I guess there isn't such thing as overkill. I always assumed they were big critters, but I guess not.

And, as far as being corrected grammatically with reference to "ox" or "oxen"; I thought musk oxen was the plural form of muck ox, but what do I know? I'm just some dumb law school kid that doesn't speak good (joking aside, I assume I could have used it completely improperly and would look totally thick mocking you for correctly correcting me. The dumbest dolt is the idiot that doesn't know he's an idiot).

My buddy and I hunted out of Kuglugtuk/Coppermine a few springs back. We both took B&C muskoxen with the 200 Nosler Partition in the .300 Winchester Magnum. One shot each, no problem. These animals really aren't that hard to kill, and many lesser cartridges would have done the job. The big issue on a muskox hunt is the COLD. Try -40 degrees....

With a name like "musk" oxen, I assume a dead musk oxen probably smells great too. Maybe something akin to a gutted elk. That smell never leaves you... doesn't smell like victory... smells like Big Foot's d&%#k after a steam bath and a quick dip into an old box of dog farts.

I'm a bit surprised about the oxen being so easily dispatched. I assumed the guy in Safari mag knew what he was doing hunting them with a 416 Rigby. He's probably also one of those guys that beats his kids with a cat-o-nine tails and a baseball bat covered in rusty barbed wire. You know, the kind of guy that cuts his toe nails with an old hacksaw.

When I lived in Barrow, I didn't know very many hunters that hadn't killed one. We were in a subsistance hunter only area.

These were the most common calibers used; 222, 223, 17 Remington, 243, 308, 30-06, 8x57, 300 Winchester, 338, 375, 416 Remington, 458.

The guys using the bigger guns, were the same guns they used on walrus, to dispatch bowhead whales, belugas, and ringed seals.

Told me that the 458 wasn't necessarily a good gun for muskox, it was the gun they had ammo for. When you live 450 miles north of the Arctic circle you shoot what you can get ammo for.

I know guys that bought 10 boxes of 378 Weatherby and a ordered a 378 Weatherby rifle just because they had ammo available for it. Since ammo can't be airmailed in it has to come by the ferry. So you shoot what you can get ammo for.

quote:

Originally posted by maddenwh:
I always assumed they were big critters, but I guess not.

And, as far as being corrected grammatically with reference to "ox" or "oxen"; I thought musk oxen was the plural form of muck ox, but what do I know? I'm just some dumb law school kid that doesn't speak good (joking aside, I assume I could have used it completely improperly and would look totally thick mocking you for correctly correcting me. The dumbest dolt is the idiot that doesn't know he's an idiot).

.

quote:

Originally posted by gumboot458:

quote:

Originally posted by maddenwh:
I always assumed they were big critters, but I guess not.

And, as far as being corrected grammatically with reference to "ox" or "oxen"; I thought musk oxen was the plural form of muck ox, but what do I know? I'm just some dumb law school kid that doesn't speak good (joking aside, I assume I could have used it completely improperly and would look totally thick mocking you for correctly correcting me. The dumbest dolt is the idiot that doesn't know he's an idiot).

.

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
I would think anything 30 caliber (with good heavy bullets) and up would do fine. 338 would work fine; I used a 375 (more for the rifle than caliber), but I would have loved to have been able to use an open sighted double in 9.3 X 74 Shots are normally close since it's not difficult to get inside 50yds.

Cow Family but does it smell & taste like goat? My favorite statement to people when they ask me what does elk,deer,grouse,etc., taste like I usually tell them it tastes like elk,deer or grouse!

That's because it is a goat, and not a cow.

Muskox are related to only one other animal on the planet, the takin of Asia.

They are an interemediate animal between the wild cattle sheep and goats. Probably branched off before the other ones got seperated. Kind of like how pronghorn antelope are only related to pronghorn antelope.

Musk ox are a very unique animal that make, what I consider, a very beautiful trophy. I don't know how they got their name, but when I shot mine, there was no musky or other objectional smell. The meat was as good or better than caribou.

My Musk ox hunt was a combination hunt with caribou in September in the Northwest Territories, east of Inuvik. I used my 7mm Rem mag with 160 gr Accubond bullets for both the caribou and musk ox. No problems with the caliber or bullet.

Because of the uniqueness of musk ox, I would highly recommend a full mount, like I did with my "hippie cow":