Scan Magazine – August 2018

Issue 115 | August 2018 | 73

Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Spotlight on Greenland

A humane way of hunting
One important thing to note, when it
comes to hunting musk oxen, is that the
musk ox dies a slow and painful death if
not killed by hunters. When the animal
gets old, its teeth become worn down be-
cause of the flint on the ice sheet, where
it forages for plants. When that happens,
the animal is no longer capable of chew-
ing cud, and eventually dies of hunger.

“Our trophy hunters shoot old musk oxen
before they suffer from a painful death, and
I, for one, think it’s the right thing to do,
as they don’t contribute to the gene pool,”
Lomholt-Bek argues. “Because of its ex-
tremely warm wool, a musk ox doesn’t die
of cold, nor does it have any real predators,

so to put them out of their misery, it actu-

ally makes a lot of sense for our hunters to

shoot them when they get old.”

The missing piece

There is also the opportunity to hunt

reindeer in the autumn, but most peo-

ple come to Trophy Hunting Greenland

to hunt musk oxen. “For many, a rein-

deer is just another deer, and a lot of our

customers have shot almost everything

there is to shoot in the world,” says

Lomholt-Bek. “But the musk ox is the

missing piece in their collection. It is, in

many ways, the ultimate trophy.”

To make hunting trips as authentic as

possible, Trophy Hunting Greenland fo-

cuses on the whole experience. Every

hunt has one guide for two hunters, and

the hunters live in the camp out in the

hunting area, where they also have to

help out with the work. This is one of the

reasons why Trophy Hunting Greenland is

one of Greenland’s more affordable hunt-

ing experiences, Lomholt-Bek explains.

“The hunters we have don’t just come to

Greenland to kill some animals and then

leave again. They come because they re-

ally want to experience the wilderness

and the hunting that we have here. It’s

more authentic than other places, where

everything is more controlled and regu-

lated. This is wild nature and hunting the

musk ox is the real thing.”

Web:

http://www.trophy-hunting-greenland.dk

Facebook:

trophyhuntingkangerlussuaq

Photo: Aske Rif Torbensen