The Biology and Culture of Muskox
Hunting across Alaska
Claudia Ihl
NW Campus, Nome
Muskox distribution
Native populations:
Canada
North and East Greenland
Introduced and
Re-introduced populations:
1: Yukon delta
2: Nunivak Island
3: Seward peninsula
4: Northwest Alaska
5: ANWR
6: Northern Quebec
7: West Greenland
8: Dovre Fjell, Norway
9: Taimyr Peninsula, Russia
10: Wrangell Island, Russia
How many are there ?
Canada: ca. 110,000
Greenland: ca. 12,000
Alaska: ca. 3,500
Russia: ca. 1,500
Norway: ca. 50
Total:
ca. 130,000
In NW Alaska, Muskoxen have not been an
instant success
They park in people’s backyards…
…and have to be
escorted out of town*
*asleep, not dead
…they hold up traffic…
…they find plastic
flowers and
scratching posts
irresistible…
…they set up camp in
well fertilized places…
…they forage in people’s favorite sourdock or berry
patches,
and they just won’t leave…
…and every year, there seem to be
more of them.
What to do?
Muskoxen have been hunted since….
Seward Peninsula: 1995
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: 1989 to 2000s (now gone)
Cape Krusenstern: 2005
Nunivak Island: 1975
Banks Island: 1971 (hunting ban in Canada after 1917)
New traditions are emerging
Trails of old traditions (preextinction) are missing or
growing cold
Muskox in Chauvet Cave, France
How have hunters received muskoxen as a
subsistence game animal?
-Muskoxen are easy to find and don’t move around much
-They don’t run away when you try to shoot them
-They provide a large quantity of meat
However
People have been slow to adopt them as a subsistence animal
Questions for hunters:
 which parts of the
carcass do you use?
 do you use any parts
other than meat (e.g.,
qiviut)?
 which parts have the
best meat?
 how do you cook the
meat?
 how does the meat
compare to caribou,
reindeer or moose?
 which gender and age
do you prefer to hunt?
Do the high fuel costs
influence your decision
which species to hunt?
Have you ever
observed interactions
between muskoxen and
other species?
 describe your first
ever encounter with
muskoxen
 how important are
muskoxen as a
subsistence animal for
your village/family?
 If you could learn
anything you want about
muskoxen, what would it
be?
 how long have
muskoxen been in
Alaska?
What do they eat?
Questions for hunters:
Villages where hunters were interviewed so far:
Northwest Alaska
(n=18):
Nome
Elim
White Mountain
Teller
Deering
Nunivak Island
(n=18)
Mekoryuk
Arctic Canada
(n=1 (so far))
Sachs Harbour
Which age and sex do you
prefer to hunt and eat?
Why?
Muskox Biology on Nunivak Island
-no natural predators (wolves or
bears)
-Population is managed at ca. 700
animals by human hunting only
-- Island also has reindeer, but no
moose or caribou
Hunting in Mekoryuk:
-subsistence hunt only for females; trophy hunters ,
guided by locals, take males.
-people prefer young adult females
- today, muskoxen are shy and stay away from village
Biology of Muskoxen in NW Alaska:
-Management is complicated; multiple
predators and land stakeholders
- a much larger area with variable
habitats
- Muskoxen are not shy of people and
hang out near villages
Hunting in NW Alaska:
-subsistence hunt initially only for males; now male OR female in
some areas.
- Many people have not tasted female meat
-people prefer young bulls, but many are uncertain how to
distinguish them from females
How do you tell males
from females?
Do you find this
difficult?
Mekoryuk:
-people have lots of experience and no difficulties
telling ages and sexes
NW Alaska:
-difficulties telling young males from females
-To be sure, hunters target large adult males
-Many first-time hunters got a rutting bull:
“It was so rancid, even the dogs wouldn’t eat it”
“We were wondering if they all taste like that”
How important are muskoxen as a subsistence animal
in your village? Your Family?
Mekoryuk:
-muskoxen are most important terrestrial
subsistence animal; weighed equally to marine animals
NW Alaska:
-generally, muskoxen rank behind caribou/reindeer or
moose in importance for villages
- however, individual families prefer muskoxen
Are you collecting qiviut and if so, how do you use it?
Mekoryuk women knit
qiviut supplied from
Oomingmak, but also
use qiviut from locally
hunted animals
People in Mekoryuk save all the qiviut from
each animal they hunt
Oomingmak pays about
$ 7 for an ounce of
raw qiviut.
An adult female
carcass can bring in
> 500 $ for its qiviut
Hunters consider this
a valuable income for
their families
Few people in NW Alaska save qiviut from
hunted animals
Most people have
heard that qiviut can
be spun and knit
and/or they know
someone who knits
with qiviut
People do not consider
qiviut collecting as a
supplemental source
of income
Many hides are
thrown away
Have you heard any stories about
muskoxen from your elders?
Do you like having muskoxen around?
Mekoryuk:
-the first, introduced generation of muskoxen
(1930ies) were “mean” and “scared people”.
-Some elders didn’t like to eat muskox because of
childhood experiences
“She was scared bad by them when she
was little. All her life, she never ate
any muskox meat, and she refused to
touch their hair or their horns.”
- today, muskoxen are very shy and flighty and stay
away from village
NW Alaska:
-Muskoxen are perceived as “nuisance” in some villages,
but people’s individual perceptions differ greatly.
e.g.:
“They don’t bother no one”
“They have done irreparable damage to the land”
“They eat all of our berries”
-Bulls sometimes invade camps and/or attack chained
dogs. Herds park in people’s driveways and on airstrips
-Muskoxen show little fear of people
but people are afraid of muskoxen
-Muskoxen cannot be “shooed away”
like other animals.
The more you shoo them, the more they stay.
If you have short legs, heavy bodies and are over-dressed…
Stand your ground
Don’t run!
People mistake muskox defensive strategy for aggression
Future work:
Bring Mekoryuk hunters and
NW Alaska hunters together for
workshops and an exchange of
ideas
Promote use of quiviut among
NW Alaska hunters and
families
Investigate foraging of
“nuisance” muskoxen near
villages – are they really
eating all the berries?
Thank you!
Funded by Alaska Epscor:
“Mini-Grant for engagement of Alaska Natives in Research”
Thanks to all the hunters
Questions ?
Who eats muskoxen ?
Today:
Humans
During the Ice
Age:
Wolves
Humans
Bears (Grizzlies
and very rarely
polar bears)
Wolves
Bears
Lions ?
Saber-tooth cats ?
Dire wolves ?
Short-faced bears ?
If you have short legs, heavy bodies and are over-dressed…
Stand your ground
Don’t run!
In all seasons…
…muskoxen move a
lot less than
carbou or reindeer
They are usually easy to find.
…especially
during winter