MUSKOX HUNT #OI-CNO2
Polar Bear Hunt in Nunavut, Canada
This outfitter pioneered polar bear hunts in the high arctic starting in 1981, and has maintained an incredibly high success rate on adventure and harvest.
The Canada Arctic is home to roughly 16,000 polar bears, two thirds of the world’s population. Government biologists keep a close eye on polar bear populations in the Canadian Arctic, and a very limited amount of licenses are issued each year. Healthy polar bear numbers have been successfully maintained through “sex-selective” harvesting in which only 33% of bears taken may be female. Since 1975, polar bear populations have actually increased slightly.
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Dates and Pricing
Interested in booking this trip? If you have not yet received pricing please request it here, and be sure to reference the trip number at the top of this page. Please note that reservations are not considered finalized until agreed upon deposit is received. This ensures agreed upon dates and current pricing. Quality outfitters are in high demand so let us know right away, as some trips do book years in advance.
Some polar bear hunting regulations you need to know:
- The U.S. government does not allow hunters to import polar bears. If you have a home outside of the U.S. or any connections internationally (where polar bear imports are legal), store your trophy there until the law is overturned.
- We do have a solution for non-importable bears though. We work with a taxidermist who specializes in replica polar bears, and they look good! There is understandably a hefty price tag, but depending on your situation, it may be worth it for you.
REMEMBER: Shopping for a bargain on an Arctic hunt is asking for trouble!
“Good enough” doesn’t work on something as serious and hard to plan as a polar bear hunt. Luckily for you though, we’ve already done all of the homework and have found who we consider to be the best Arctic outfitter in the world. Hunting out of Nunavut, Canada, he pioneered hunting in the high Arctic in 1981, and has maintained a success rate of 100% from then on!
My hunt was awesome thanks to my Inuit guide and his two assistants. They certainly know what they are doing and took care of me from the minute I got to the Arctic until they put me on the plane to leave!”
– Steven H., California, USA
Traditional Spring Polar Bear Hunts
Every Polar Bear Hunting Adventure is as unique as the individual guides and communities where the expedition takes place. This outfitter has forged close community ties and partnerships with the best Inuit guides in the best areas. Your hunt will be respectful of local traditions, and the result will be an unforgettable Arctic Hunting Adventure immersed in Inuit Culture. Hunting is carried out on the sea ice in prime areas that may be up to 160 kilometers from any one of our Inuit communities. Mobile tent camps are set up nightly after each day’s hunting activities.
- Spring hunts take place from mid-February through the end of May.
- You will have an experienced Inuit Polar Bear Guide with a dog team throughout the duration of the hunt; as well as an assistant guide with a snowmobile.
- There is a chance to add on a muskox, Arctic wolf and/or wolverine for a trophy fee.
Spring Polar Bear Hunts Include:
- 10 full days of polar bear hunting, guided one-on-one.
- The services of an experienced Inuit Polar Bear Guide with a dog team throughout the duration of the hunt; assistant guide with snowmobile, including all gas and oil.
- Food and camping gear required during the hunt.
- All ground transportation from the Inuit community to the hunting area.
- The cost for a non-hunting companion includes all items as above and one personal guide. *Inquire for non-hunter pricing.
- Transportation from the Inuit community to the hunting area is provided by snowmobile with attached “qamutik”, an Inuit style sled.
- Accommodations are in a tented camp while out on the sea ice.
- Rough skinning and field preparation of the bear hide.
Not Included:
- Travel arrangements from the client’s home to the commercial airport in Ottawa, Canada.
- Arctic flight, hotel accommodations and meals.
- Hunting license and tag fees.
- Gratuities to guides.
- Canadian Firearms Import License fee. *Issued by a Canada Customs agent upon
entry into the country. - General Administration Fee.
- Arctic Flight Booking Fee.
- Arctic Wildlife Research Fund Fee.
- Excess airline baggage fees.
- Packing and shipping of the harvested game; taxidermy fees.
- Visitor to Canada Health or Medical Emergency Insurance.
- Federal Government sales tax wherever applicable.
- Any additional hotel costs and meals due to delays caused by flight cancellations or delays in surface transfers to camps by snowmobile or any other conveyance that are beyond the control of the outfitter and its associates.
- Arctic clothing and hunting gear. [See a list] *Rental of down filled parka, bib overalls, mitts and boots is available.
- Flight itinerary change fees and any applicable fare difference.
- Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance is vital on this hunt!
It was a fantastic experience. As much about the travel, sights and people as the pursuit… truly amazing!! Thank you for all your efforts!”
– Henry L., Mississippi, USA
Summer/Early Fall Spot-and-Stalk Polar Bear Hunts
A late summer or early fall spot and stalk Polar Bear hunt by boat and or ATV adds a different twist to the traditional spring season on the frozen Arctic ocean. With a limited number of polar bear tags available for this unique hunt, it must be planned well in advance. The Inuit guides scour and glass the shorelines along well-known island retreats searching in prime areas used by polar bears during the Arctic’s ice-free period. The late summer is also the best time of year to hunt Atlantic walrus, which makes this a great combo hunt.
- Summer hunts take place August through October.
- Option to make your hunt a polar bear/walrus combo.
- Hunting takes place along Polar Bear travel corridors along the shoreline and inland.
- Add a Central Barren Ground Caribou for a trophy fee.
- Accommodations during the hunt are in basic plywood cabins with tents used only as a backup.
- This is a spot and stalk fully guided hunt with primarily side-by-side ATV’s used for transportation or by boat and ATV when weather conditions permit.
- One or two assistant guides are provided for additional support and safety.
Summer/Fall Bear Hunts Include:
- 10 full days of polar bear hunting, guided one-on-one.
- The services of an experienced Inuit Polar Bear Guide, and Assistant Guide.
- Food and camping gear required during the hunt.
- All ground transportation from the Inuit community to the hunting area.
- The cost for a non-hunting companion includes all items as above and one personal guide. *Inquire for non-hunter pricing.
- Transportation from the Inuit community to the hunting area is provided by snowmobile with attached “qamutik”, an Inuit style sled.
- Rough skinning and field preparation of the bear hide.
Not Included:
- Travel arrangements from the client’s home to the commercial airport in Ottawa, Canada.
- Arctic flight, hotel accommodations and meals.
- Hunting license and tag fees.
- Gratuities to guides.
- Canadian Firearms Import License fee. *Issued by a Canada Customs agent upon
entry into the country. - General Administration Fee.
- Arctic Flight Booking Fee.
- Arctic Wildlife Research Fund Fee.
- Excess airline baggage fees.
- Packing and shipping of the harvested game; taxidermy fees.
- Visitor to Canada Health or Medical Emergency Insurance.
- Federal Government sales tax wherever applicable.
- Any additional hotel costs and meals due to delays caused by flight cancellations or delays in surface transfers to camps by snowmobile or any other conveyance that are beyond the control of the outfitter and its associates.
- Arctic clothing and hunting gear. [See a list] *Rental of down filled parka, bib overalls, mitts and boots is available.
- Flight itinerary change fees and any applicable fare difference.
- Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance is vital on this hunt!
To fully appreciate, enjoy and get the most out of your Arctic Adventure, please remember where you are in the World! Hunting in Nunavut is at par with any International Hunt destination that is rich in Culture and Traditions that are Unique to the Inuit of North America.
Lodging and Accommodations
Comfortable camps are situated in prime areas that may be up to 160 kilometers from any one of our Inuit communities.
- Spring Hunts – Accommodations for spring hunts are in a tented camp while out on the sea ice.
- Summer/Fall Hunts – Accommodations during the summer and fall hunts are in basic plywood cabins with tents used only as a backup.
Guides
In 2014 they saw the need for a northern-based guides training program founded on advancing Inuit culture and traditions. The program’s instructors are local Inuit Senior guides and elders who have an acute knowledge of the land and its wildlife. Southern values do not drive the course outline, thus keeping with the generational passing down of Inuit Knowledge and the skills required to venture out on the land, sea and ice. The Inuit are skilled hunters, and the goal of the guides training program looks to complement these traditional abilities by offering certification for the knowledge they already possess and help promote a lifestyle and work opportunities for additional local guides.
This outfitter’s partnerships within the Inuit communities of Nunavut are respectful of the people and their culture. All big game harvested by our clients come from each community’s allowable subsistence quotas established by the Nunavut government. Therefore, they are not considered an addition to the overall allowances. All game meat remains with the guide and his family or shared with other community members that cannot hunt on their own.
Respecting Community Values and Traditions
The outfitter does more than just outfitting for adventure hunts. They are involved in year-round community events and activities throughout Nunavut doing their part to ensure that the Unique Inuit Culture not only continues to exist but to thrive in the modern world.
From sponsoring Traditional Inuit Cultural activities such as Throat Singing, Drum Dancing, Elder Sewing classes, Inuit Carving programs and annual Bowhead Whale Hunts to contemporary projects such as funding of books and other educational supplies for Daycare Centres, various Community Feasts, an all Inuit men’s Hockey Team, Youth Skating Programs, annual Fishing Derbies, and Christmas Food Banks just to name a few.
Travel Information
- Upon booking, the outfitter will provide complete round trip travel itineraries from the Canadian gateway city to the Arctic destination where the hunt takes place.
- Our clients benefit from our preferred airfare rates that range from 30% to 60% in savings.
- There is a Canadian Firearms Import License fee issued by a Canada Customs agent upon entry into the country.
Harvested Game Care
Polar Bear hides and skulls will remain in the Inuit community that it was harvested and will ship to our recommended taxidermist within several weeks of your departure. Nunavut Wildlife Export Permits are required.
The outfitter will track your hides and skulls until they have arrived safely at the taxidermy studio. Canadian citizens living within Canada can return home with their Polar Bear hide and skull as excess baggage if possible.
*We have worked with a Canadian Taxidermist to develop an identical polar bear replica for clients from countries that do not allow importation of polar bears.
Photos from this Hunt:
Due to the sensitive nature of polar bear hunts, field photos are only available upon request.
Also offering Muskox, Caribou, Barren-Ground Grizzly Bear and Walrus hunts.
We also highly recommend that you take advantage of adding one or more fur-bearing or small game animals to your hunt package as an incidental species.
Over the past few years, wolf encounters have become increasingly common throughout the central Arctic with our Inuit guides regularly spotting animals while out pursuing your primary target species. Wolverines are occasionally seen out on the land, especially during a spring Barren Ground muskox or Barren Ground grizzly bear hunt. The harvesting of any one of our incidental species makes for a great and rare addition to any game room. Contact us if you are interested in hunting any of these species.