How to Bowhunt Muskox in Shorts

Bowhunting for a muskox always seemed like an incredible adventure until I'd consider how you typically pursue them in the Canadian Arctic at 40 below. Now there is an alternative: Bowhunt them in Greenland—in the summer! While most countries in Europe don't permit bowhunting—and doubt a hunter’s ability to drop an 800-1,000-pound muskox with mere archery gear—Greenland legalized bowhunting for muskox three years ago, thanks in large part to Frank Feldmann of Bowhunting Greenland. After working with wildlife officials to open the season in 2012, Feldmann became Greenland’s first and only licensed muskox outfitter. The result? Today bowhunters enjoy tremendous success rates with ample spot-and-stalk options at Pope and Young and, in many cases, Boone and Crockett bulls.

My husband, Phil, and I just returned from our muskox adventure 10 days ago where he got one heck of an adventure episode for “Phil Phillips Unleashed” and I got incredible story material for American Hunter. I was stunned to learn it was not what I’d expected, from the mild 50-to-70-degree afternoon temps to the rock-cliff-and-shoreline setting you’d expect to see on a British Columbia mountain-goat hunt. And then there were the bulls. We were hunting during the rut when bulls often get aggressive, roar like lions and charge. Mine was at 20 yards, roaring and banging his horns into the ground, as I drew my Mathews Chill SDX and drilled him with an Easton FMJ arrow topped with an NAP Hellrazor broadhead. I watched this 8-foot-long, big-boned animal with thick layers of fur run 25 yards and drop within 40 seconds.

If a muskox is on your bucket list, get in touch with Feldmann and experience hunting in Greenland where the muskox bowhunting season runs from July through October. (Note: We enjoyed mild weather in August, but be aware the temps drop considerably by the end of September.) I certainly never thought I’d get to hunt the animal that once ran around with wooly mammoths and saber-tooth cats. While I was at it, I had the opportunity to hunt for caribou, take a boat ride to a glacier and go fishing. One afternoon I caught both Arctic char and a 15-pound cod and, back in camp, enjoyed a beverage on some ice we chipped off an iceberg!