71° North - Hunting Muskox and Caribou Along Greenland's Rugged Coast
Meisel (left), McKean (center), and Nielsen (right) - Courtesy of Luke Renard | 2020
Hunters like to dream. Whether it’s a big set of antlers they want on the wall or an epic adventure in a far-off place, there’s always something in the back of their minds that they think, “Man, I’d love to do THAT.” For Browning’s Rafe Nielsen, Outdoor Life’s Andrew McKean, and Leupold’s Shane Miesel, one of those dreams became a reality as the three of them made the long journey to Greenland’s rugged coast in search of musk oxen and caribou in the hunt of a lifetime captured beautifully by filmmaker Luke Renard in the new Browning Film 71° North, coming to Waypoint this Friday, August 21, 2020.
“Some people will go to the ends of the earth for an epic hunting experience.”
Luke Renard | 2020
Scott Engen of Browning reports: “Browning's own Rafe Nielsen, Shane Meisel of Leupold Optics and Andrew McKean of Outdoor Life began their hunt for musk ox among the local herds with guide Frank Feldmann of Greenland Outfitters. ‘Native Inuits call musk oxen ‘the bearded ones,’ and while they look like modern mastodons, they’re more closely related to wild sheep and goats than to cattle, or to mammoths,’ observed McKean. ‘The herds we hunt are transplants, brought to southern Greenland from the northern part of the island 40 years ago to provide meat for local Inuit villagers.’”
“Native Inuits call musk oxen ‘the bearded ones,’ and while they look like modern mastodons, they’re more closely related to wild sheep and goats than to cattle, or to mammoths.”
Musk Oxen, “The Bearded Ones” - Courtesy of Luke Renard | 2020
As is the case in most great hunting adventures, the rugged terrain of Greenland is no walk in the park. According to Browning, “virtually all human settlements and most hunting takes place along a narrow band of ice-free coast, sandwiched between the frigid waters of the North Atlantic and the barren ice of the interior.” McKean states that “something like 90% of [Greenland] is covered by an ice cap 1,000 feet thick.” But the hunting party is in good hands with their guide Frank Feldmann.
Base camp - Courtesy of Luke Renard | 2020
“If you imagine Greenland, as I did, as one continental-size sheet of ice, you’re not far off.”
“Feldmann,” writes McKean, “a native Dane who had guided hunts in Lapland for decades recognized that Greenland’s musk oxen could also sustain a sport-hunting economy, and gained permission from the provincial government to guide international hunters...” Feldmann’s good-natured sense of humor and subdued, yet rock-solid confidence puts the three hunters at ease. “When you’re around him, you just feel really comfortable,” reflects Nielsen, “When things go south, that’s the guy you want in your back pocket because he’s going to make things right and he’s actually going to have a lot of fun doing it.”
Frank Feldmann (right) spots for Andrew McKean (left) - Courtesy of Luke Renard | 2020
As always on remote hunts such as this, the gear you carry with you will be the difference between a good hunt and a bad hunt. Browning reports: “Greenland is a most unforgiving environment for game, guns and gear, and there is little or no room for failure. Each of the three hunters carried a Browning X-Bolt Pro rifle in 300 WSM, loaded with Browning BXC 185-grain big game ammo. Each rifle was topped with a 3-15x44mm Leupold VX-5HD scope and each hunter carried Leupold’s excellent 10x42mm RBX-3000 HD range finding binos for game glassing, ranging and shot spotting.”
Per the Greenland tradition of hunting, according to Scott Engen for Browning, after their wonderful in-camp meals, the rest of the caribou and musk oxen meat was provided to local people living nearby. No meat was left in the field, the hunters were sure to use every part of the animal.
To join in on the memorable experience, watch the feature film 71° North on Waypoint this Friday and start the process of dreaming up your own hunting adventure. To read McKean’s account of the hunt, click here and check out his article at Outdoor Life.
Luke Renard | 2020
