Hunt Options
- Holman, Northwest Territories — importable to the United States.
- Pelly Bay / Hall Beach, Nunavut — not importable to the United States.
This is a 16-day, one-on-two hunt with 14 full days of hunting. The local Hunters and Trappers Committee operates this hunt; Adventure Northwest is the booking agent for these communities. We do not operate the hunt and therefore only act as your agent when dealing with the community. On occasion hunts do not work out exactly as the hunter thinks they should — this must be resolved with the community before the hunter leaves his hunt.
Hunt Conditions
Hunting is done from outpost camps in prime areas, which may be up to 100 miles from the nearest Inuit community.
This hunt could be considered the toughest hunt left in North America — and likely in the world. Mentally, physically and environmentally you will be challenged to your limits. Ten to fourteen days living on the "Top of the World" with nothing between you and the elements but what you are wearing. Your accommodation is a light 12 oz canvas tent. This can only be described as tough.
Still, the majority of our hunters succeed in having the opportunity to take a trophy home. With 10 tags of importable bears available to us in 2002, six of our hunters took bears and two others passed up on ones they saw — we consider this an 80 percent success rate on importable bears. We sent two hunters after non-importable bears and both were successful; one of the bears measured nine foot eight inches!
Jeff Stohr kept a journal of his hunt. It is great reading that shows the physiological highs and lows you can expect to experience on this hunt, and it will be sent to those booked to hunt polar bears with us in the future.
Extra hunting days can be arranged at the community if the client has not been successful within the allotted time. The cost of these extra days is payable directly to the local Hunters and Trappers Organization.
Timing is everything on the ice — the tide, the light and the thickness of the ice all decide your window, which is why several of our polar bear guides carry a serious timepiece. One source we've come to rely on for a watch up to the job has served us well over the years.
Things All Hunters Must Be Aware Of
- Travel to and from the community is the hunter's responsibility.
- All hunting licences and tags are purchased by the hunter on arrival at the community.
- All food and lodging while in the community is the hunter's responsibility and can cost up to $300 per day (Canadian), including days lost to bad weather. If you tag out early you will be brought back to the community and must pay for food and lodging until your flight departs.
- There is a very good chance you will lose several days of your hunt to bad weather, equipment breakdowns or both. Hunters must be prepared for this and be ready to extend the hunt if needed.
- A representative from the Hunters and Trappers Committee may meet you at the airport.
- You will need to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel ($10 per person) and return on your way home.
- Have Canadian currency on hand — very few places in the north accept credit cards.
- The trophy fee for a polar bear is $750, paid in Canadian currency at the wildlife office in the community.
- Adventure Northwest highly encourages hunters to buy trip-cancellation insurance — if you don't know where to purchase it, we can assist.