Very cool pic in today's rag.

Here's the caption that went with it:

A near-full moon rises behind a group of musk oxen Tuesday near Nome. Thirty-four musk oxen from Greenland were reintroduced to the Seward Peninsula in the 1930s after Alaska's original population of musk oxen was eliminated by 1900. The population has grown to more than 2,000 today.



I always thought the muskox were out on Nunivak Island only. I know you can't hunt them around Nome.

MM

MM,

Some of the pilots I've flown with in recent years up north told me of muskox showing up in areas they were surprised to see them in.....way south of normal range.

Things are changing.......

Joe

Actully I think there are herds all over the north slope and noth west part of the state. I saw lots of them back when I hunted the Arctic national wildlife refuge.

I think if you willcheck the regulations book on hunting in Alaska, there are Musk-Ox that are huntable on the mainland. I think the comment about the North Slope area is accurate.

It's quite common to see them from the haul road and I had one walk through my camp while hunting off the Ivishak.

Not a good photo, but heres a couple from the river.

Two years back while kayaking I had 7 of them line up shoulder-to-shoulder like a rugby team while paddling past on the FAR bank of a 15yd wide river on the seward penn. Put the 44 in my lap while paddling my butt off as they stared me down with contempt as an intruder! Memorable, to say the least!

Bob

I've seen them several times along the haul road. Including a herd of 40 or so at 150 yds distance very close to Pump 3. Others alot closer!

Seen 2 of them below Venetie on the Chandalar River. One in particular was some 12 milesNNW of Ft. Yukon. Another was 20miles further up the Chandalar right on the gravel bar - me and my brother-in-law did not know what to do as I never ate musk ox so we just took pictures pretty close. They are nomads for sure-just like us. I sure would like to have a parka made up of Musk ox-be something else. Whoa the wooly man!

I just got back from Nome and one of the locals was telling me the Muskox will come to the field at the edge of town to feed. In the village I went to, Brevig Mission, there were Muskox skulls from past hunts every where. I probably saw 10-15 heads around the village. Plus, lots of moose, caribou and seal parts. Very interesting trip. I had a great time.

Muskegman wrote

[quote]Very cool pic in today's rag.

Here's the caption that went with it:

A near-full moon rises behind a group of musk oxen Tuesday near Nome. Thirty-four musk oxen from Greenland were reintroduced to the Seward Peninsula in the 1930s after Alaska's original population of musk oxen was eliminated by 1900. The population has grown to more than 2,000 today.



I always thought the muskox were out on Nunivak Island only. I know you can't hunt them around Nome."

MM

They got most of it right....the 34 transplanted from Greenland went to Nunivak Island first. The rest of the muskox around the state have come from subsequent transplants from Nunivak in the late 60's and 70's....including muskox on Nelson Island, the seward Pennisula, ANWR, and near Kotzebue.
There is a Tier II hunt on the Seward peninsula as well as a drawing permit hunt in 22E(shishmaref and Wales)....look in tlast years reg book and drawing hunt supplement for specifics.