My first hunt report:
Flight out of New Orleans on October 16, 2024. Landed in Toronto that night with a short layover before flying to Copenhagen. Arrived in Copenhagen before lunch and made it to the hotel. Did a little sight-seeing by visiting Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid before making it back to the hotel that evening for dinner. Early flight out to Kangerlussuaq the next morning.
Arrived in Greenland on my birthday (about 48 hours after leaving my house) and met the three other hunters: Mitch and Mike from Canada and Edwin from Louisiana. We were met by Erik, the outfitter, and the guides: Frederic, Rasmus, Mads (pronounced Mess), and Anne. We drove 13 miles to a partially frozen lake where we took a small boat across to our camp. The camp was beautiful and within sight of the Ice Cap that covers most of the country (the glacier). We spent the evening unpacking and sighting the rifles (two Tikkas from Erik). While working with the guns, we spotted an old muskox on the hill behind the target. We hiked a mile, and Edwin was able to take him. This proved very good since Edwin wasn’t excited about a long hike (he was 70). We also saw a ptarmigan and snow hare on this hike (but didn’t have a smaller caliber rifle with us). The old bull was estimated to be 25 years old, and this would likely have been his last winter. His coat was amazing…easily hanging 10 or more inches below his stomach.
The morning of our second day, we woke at 7:00 and had breakfast while a light snow fell. Sunrise was at 9:30, and Edwin and I were on our way with Frederic and Mads by 9:00 am. We saw a few caribou and started stalking, but they moved closer to the area Rasmus was hunting with the Canadians, so we paused. We saw a herd of 20 muskox several miles to our west, but Edwin was done for the day, so we headed back to camp. Mads and I went back out a few miles to a peak to the west of our camp. Didn’t see anything. Hiked 13.4 miles this day, and my feet felt it. The clumpy, frozen ground proved tough…especially while wearing a fairly heavy pack (I usually overpack). Some tips for next time: wear two pairs of socks, make sure blister patches are in my pack, wear boots with firm soles when wearing a heavy pack, always bring the spotting scope, hiking poles are a good idea.
Day 3 – The band split up. Edwin stayed in camp most of the morning to rest while Mads, Anne, Frederic, and I headed north. We hiked further than the day before and eventually saw a good bull caribou on a mountain top in the distance. Without pulling out my binos, I could tell that he was decent…even from 1-2 miles away. We checked the wind and planned a big loop around the east side of the mountain…hoping to come over the top and find him in the valley below. With Frederic leading the way, we started. The plan worked perfectly, and we hit the mountain top with 30-mile wind-gusts blowing into our faces (perfect position to keep our scent away from the caribou below). We quickly spotted the bull with 3-5 cows about 200 yards down the hillside. I quickly got ready and made the shot. Since he was moving, and we were concerned he wouldn’t be visible long, I shot without ranging him. I thought he was 300 yards, but he turned out to be 175 yards, so my shot was a little high. Still, he staggered. I waited for him to turn again, and I made a second shot. This one was dead-on, and he went down. After a few pictures, and the crash from an adrenaline rush, we noticed the cold as we started to clean our kill. The temp for this day, and most of the week, ranged between 13-27 degrees. My choice of clothes was accurate (thin layers for hiking). Heavy down jackets and pants aren’t needed since we didn’t stop for long. Due to the open landscape with no trees, we never glassed more than 10 minutes at a time.
Day 4 – Today, Edwin and Frederic went out and found a small caribou while Mads, Anne, and I headed north again. We eventually found three different herds of muskox (about 35 in total), but no old, mature bulls. Since the muskox didn’t have a reason to move, we planned to discuss in camp that night and make a plan for the next day. That night I decided to hunt hard the next day, but to go after one of the younger bulls if no old timers could be found. These would have the best coats but their bosses (horns) would be smaller.
I’ve always wanted to try a Blaser, so Erik returned to camp that evening with a Blaser R8 for me to use (30-06). I shot it a few times to verify it’s zero.
As I was getting into bed, Rasmus knocked on the door and said the northern lights were visible. I ran outside in my underwear…with my camera…and took a shot. Beautiful!
Day 5 – Our last hunting day. Mads, Anne, and I went north again. Shortly after lunch, having seen dozens of small bull caribou but no other muskox, we headed north. We found one of the herds from the previous day. This herd had 10 muskox with two decent bulls (good for a tanned rug). We hiked fast to get up the hill and upwind of them. I setup with the Blaser…and “click.” Nothing happened. Turns out that neither Mads nor I was familiar with the Blaser, and the chamber wasn’t completely closed. We circled around and got setup in a new spot. I propped on my knee and took a shot around 100 yards. Good hit in the lungs. Unfortunately, the muskox quickly circled, and we couldn’t tell which one was hit. Within a minute, Mads noticed one of the bulls with blood coming from his nose, though he showed no other signs of injury. I quickly made a second shot, and he went down. We cleaned and packed our kill and headed back to camp. This was likely the heaviest pack I’ve ever carried with all the meat from muskox (two back quarters, backstraps, and tenderloins). Made it 4.5 miles back to camp…with a few extra breaks along the way.
The hunters all slept in a heated, portable cabin and the rest of the group slept in heated tents nearby. For breakfast each day, we had a variety of breads, cheese, and cereals. We packed sandwiches for lunch. For dinner, we had plenty of fresh meat each day (and usually pasta, sometimes dessert).
Day 6 – Packout day. We packed up and headed across the lake back to Kangerlussuaq (the small town of 500 people). The weather was warming slightly, and I think it hit 32 degrees F. We made it back to Erik’s hostel around noon before spending an hour or two exploring the small town (ultimately taking the bus and ending up at the airport). We had a final dinner with the whole team back at the cafeteria at the airport. The airport is the center of the small town, and Erik’s hostel is likely the nicest accommodations.
Day 7 – We all said our “goodbyes” and left on a mid-day flight back to Copenhagen.
Overall, a good trip. The hunt was plenty of hiking (averaging 10 miles per day), but no high altitues (so no oxygen issues). For a mature muskox, I’ll plan to come back in March or April (also a great time to hunt arctic fox). These hunts in March and April are also easier physically since you’re traveling by snowmobile. Also, plan on an extra day for a trip to the Ice Cap (it’s their biggest tourist attraction).
