2025 Spring Nunavut Musk Ox

[FAAFO]

Congrats! Do you know which species of musk ox you shot? There are two types and canada is the only place with both.

 

[Steve O]

The hunt.

In 2018, I drew a musk ox tag for Nunivak Island Alaska. I put in for this hunt because it was the only hunt in the entire world where I could get a musk ox without having to hire a guide. It was fantastic. Classic spot and stalk. I took a bull that comes up just short of Boone & Crockett.





From that day forward I knew I needed to experience the winter hunt and I would have to find a way to bite the bullet and hire a guide if I could ever draw another and have been putting in for the winter hunt on Nunivak ever since. Odds are steep for a non resident though.

God works in mysterious ways. I still can’t believe I had this opportunity.

There is not much to say about the hunt itself. You cover an immense amount of ground and then do your best to get an opportunity at the bull.

Once the animal is in the snow, again the amazement starts. In less than two hours we had the bull skinned for a life sized mount, butchered, and packed on the sled and were off to find another for the other hunter in camp.






We pulled the sleds up to give us a windbreak and anchor. I took direction and helped without getting in the way of the experts.



















To give you an idea of how well the musk ox hair insulates, we spent another 9 hours out in the -25° after my ox was loaded on the sled. When we brought it in to cape out the head, steam was pouring out of it the entire time.

I had grabbed some of the trim pieces from the loins before we left the carcass and had them as a snack while we finished working on the hide that day. Musk Ox is the best wild game meat, in North America; even a winter bull with not an ounce of fat left on him and cooked un aged.

 

[Steve O]

Congrats! Do you know which species of musk ox you shot? There are two types and canada is the only place with both.

Barren Ground.

We also saw some Central Barren Ground Caribou. I was pretty excited about that; they are the 26th of the NA29 that I have seen in the wild. I was really hoping to see a polar bear as they are one of the 3 species left and I’m not in polar bear country very often!

We did see an old track but the vast majority of the bears are, if one can believe, even further north.

 

[Steve O]

Once back in town I needed to go to the wildlife office and take care of all the paperwork and get export permits for the meat, hide, and skull to travel to all their appropriate destinations. Super nice people!

 

[mparks270]

Thanks for sharing the adventure with us. Well done!

 

[Mtncowboy]

Incredible adventure, thanks for sharing! If you could only do one, would you choose winter or fall hunt?

 

[Steve O]

Incredible adventure, thanks for sharing! If you could only do one, would you choose winter or fall hunt?

Now after having done both, as cool as it was to see that black hulk out on the frozen tundra, I would pick the summer hunt if I were ever able to go again. The weather and conditions are so much more pleasant and the meat has to be better marbled throughout with a couple inches of fat all over. I noticed no difference in hair length or density winter to summer. Maybe it is a thicker underlayer but on the outside it had the same look.

 

[Steve O]

Linking old 2018 DiY thread:


2018 DIY Musk Ox and Mountain Goat

 

[gsiler23]

Unbelievable trip! Thanks for sharing!

 

[adamkolesar]

Outstanding reportage! An amazing feat to have drawn in AK AND win a raffle for Musk Ox in a single lifetime. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Out of curiosity, what would be the upper limit of meat you could've transported home? (Choice cuts vs. whole animal)

 

[Steve O]

You need an export permit for anything over 40# so most just take the backstraps. According to the wildlife officials the is no limit. If I ever hit it BIG you can bet I will be there every August, shoot a tender fat ox right next to the water and fly that baby home whole to cut up like a cow. Better than Kobe beef.

 

[adamkolesar]

That's the dream for sure!!!

 

[Fishn4eyes]

Great read and great pics. I want to do this hunt so bad. Have one booked for fall of 2026.

Congrats!

 

[Steve O]

It really is the most unique hunt in North America. I’d encourage anyone who wants to experience it to work to make it happen.

 

[medvedyt]

thank you for the hunt and the report of that adventure.

and interesting to choose a wooden stock rifle in that environment.

 

[long hunter]

Great hunt and exceptional adventure congrats.

 

[Steve O]

thank you for the hunt and the report of that adventure.

and interesting to choose a wooden stock rifle in that environment.

Wood stocks, especially on a Blaser, are not the hunt killer the outdoor writers/internet experts make them out to be. When I take that on a Kodiak or Alaska Peninsula brown bear hunt, it will probably be in the carbon stock…

 

[medvedyt]

Wood stocks, especially on a Blaser, are not the hunt killer the outdoor writers/internet experts make them out to be. When I take that on a Kodiak or Alaska Peninsula brown bear hunt, it will probably be in the carbon stock…

Fair enough and no problem. we sometimes used wood stock while bison hunting in winter with skidoo but find out that laminate and synthetic stocks worked better for us but needless to say you had an amazing adventure and what worked for you is the most important.