Musk ox hunting

Musk ox hunting

Musk ox hunting

Vital area
Experienced hunters programmed to shoot tight for the front leg, knows that a low shot is always preferable, but this is a guaranteed wound on a Muskox. Besides the shaggy coat making them look bigger than they are, the lungs sit higher than on any other animal. We will look carefully into this fact at hunting camp, before we hunt.

Musk ox stalking
A dominant Muskox Bull has no predators and is not aggressive, but will chase off a Polar Bear defending his herd. Stalking gently into the average 25 yard range, a Trophy Bull will normally stand his ground or come forward, and face us confidently. The trick is then to remain calm and wait for him to turn broadside for the typical 5-7 sec perfect window, making that shot. The closest shot was at 7-8 yards, and we never had an real encounter. The many bowhunters I have guided all had the adrenalin going facing these extremely powerful prehistoric animals. Alert and fast, Musk oxen will not jump the string and they can be surprisingly smart. Hunters success rate and recovery rate is 100%.

Extremely tough
A double lung razor sharp broadhead does the job in 30 sec, but keep in mind that the thick coat has a hair structure very hard to penetrate.
375 H&H, on average takes 2-3 rounds per Muskox trophy bull, if not a clean heart shot the shock effect doesn´t seem to work.


Muskox bowhunting - how to gain higher penetration without cranking up your draw weight

Gain up to 20 fps on your bow
Most short draw bowhunters wish they had a longer draw. A shorter lupe and finding a "short" release can increase your draw with up to 1.5", gaining much more speed and kinetic energy. I personally like the Winn Archery release comfortable to shoot with, and it provides you with a feel of drawing 5-8 pounds less than you actually are. It´s "short" release for gaining a longer draw, and same time you can crank your bow up a bit with the same draw weight feel as you are used to.

Shoot a small diameter arrow shaft
Olympic archers shoot tiny-diameter more aerodynamic arrow shafts less affected by wind. A thin diameter arrow will out-penetrated any regular diameter carbon shaft by 6 to 8 inches at 40 yards in a 3D target. That same principle applies to shafts for Muskox and open country range Caribou hunting.
Micro-diameter shafts used in general requires a special insert, and there are products on the market.

Shoot a heavier arrow shaft
Kinetic energy is an important factor but for penetration, momentum is more important at close range. A 60-pound short draw bow might lob a 650-grain arrow at low speeds, but with a sharp broadhead that arrow will zip through.

Shoot a cut-on-contact sturdy built broadhead
Hunting Muskox, the “Montec G5 Carbon Steel”, or a sturdy two blade have the very least resistance, for a safe and fast kill.
Hunting caribou with mechanical broad-heads work very well with the advantage of a bigger cutting diameter, and easier tuning for open country opportunities. I recommend a setup with two sights- one sight for the heavy Muskox arrows, and one for 430 grain Caribou arrows. A sight like the “Axel Amortech Pro” makes it easy to slide in your second Caribou sight, after you have taken your Muskox Trophy Bull.  

Shoot heavier broadhead
125-grain broadhead increases the total weight, and balances your arrow for more momentum. A little extra FOC using a heavier insert for the small diameter arrows can also help at close range for Musk ox.

Shoot the right spine
A spine that is too soft for your bow will keep flexing in flight, which can effect penetration.

Tune your bow
Having a bow shop tuning your bow is important for increasing accuracy and kinetic energy.


Musk ox hunting - short drawlength

Some extra pound is a good thing, but we had clients with a 25-inch draw length barely being able to draw 60 pound. To make it work the setup has to be for a heavy and thin arrow shaft like “Easton Deep Six Injection”, combined with a cut on contact razor sharp “Montec G5 Carbon Steel” in 125 grain.

Musk ox hunting - regulations in Greenland

In Greenland only compound is allowed, and a special bow-hunting license is required.
Frank Feldmann is authorized to issue his clients with a temporary bowhunting license in camp before we hunt.
Bow hunting Muskox has a minimum of 60# with 525 grains arrow, and only fixed blades are legal. Caribou with mechanical is 55#, and 430 grain / fixed blades 45#, and 385 grain.

Bowhunters with a good draw-lenght shooting 70# often question the heavy arrow weight

In the process of legalizing bowhunting in Greenland, I wrote most of the law text for the regulation we have today. Back then, the government officials wanted a more simple regulation than kinetic energy. I therefore based arrow weight and type of broadhead, on what works on an average at 60#, including shorter draws. As Greenland might have been under influence by the Danish Roe deer bowhunting regulation, I added a few extra grains and pounds for Caribou. Unfortunatly traditional and cross bows were not accepted.

Species we can hunt with bow and arrow in Greenland

At the moment we can use compound for Musk ox and Caribou.
Small game, polar bear, walrus and seal was hunted for centuries with traditional self made equipment before the local hunters started using guns. However, even with the modern equipment bowhunters use today these species are still not on the list, and we do not know what the future will bring.


I want very much to thank anyone who have contributed in the legalization.

Frank Feldmann at www.bowhuntinggreenland.com / mail@greenlandoutfitters.com / Phone 011 299 284851

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