Unusual catch in Pangnirtung: Student angler harvests polar bear

This story was updated on Tuesday, June 10, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

An overnight fishing trip outside Pangnirtung took a turn May 22 when a Grade 11 student had the chance to harvest his first polar bear.

“We were going on a fishing trip, we weren’t going on a hunting trip! It was pretty unexpected,” said Elijah Gosman, a teacher at Attagoyuk Ilisavik high school who leads the outdoor education class that organized the trip.

Gosman described the experience as highly educational and, as far as he knows, a first for the school.

A total of eight students from grades 10, 11 and 12 took part in the excursion, which ran from May 22 to 23.

The group had set up camp at Iqalugaajjuit Lake when they were alerted by another group that a polar bear had been frequenting the area.

The bear had reportedly approached a nearby camp multiple times, even after warning shots were fired to scare it away.

Aware of the risks, the group stayed vigilant while fishing and setting up their site.

As evening approached, elder and guide Jaco Ishulutaq suggested the group do a perimeter check for signs of the bear before settling in for the night.

“I’m glad that Jaco decided to take the group out to look for the polar bear in the late afternoon, closer to [the bear’s] supper time, around 5 p.m.,” said Peter Kilabuk, a fellow guide and elder, in an interview after the trip.

“Otherwise, it would have disturbed the peace and quiet of the camp sometime during the night.”

Sure enough, the group spotted the bear at a higher elevation behind their camp.

A third guide stayed with the second group of students by the lake to ensure their safety while Ishulutaq supervised 15-year-old Caleb Kilabuk-Nakashuk as he shot the bear at approximately 6 p.m.

Kilabuk-Nakashuk, who had parental permission to engage in the polar bear harvest, said he was excited when the moment came and felt ready.

“[My family and friends] didn’t really expect me to come back catching a polar bear,” the teen said.

Kilabuk-Nakashuk said he learned a lot from the trip, including how to be safe when a polar bear is present, where to shoot the animal if needed, and how it is processed afterward.

He and the other students observed the guides and elders, including Ishulutaq and Kilabuk, as they cut up the bear and skinned it.

Kilabuk said the bear was not very big, on the younger side, and it appeared to be quite skinny. He said his suspicion that the bear was hungry was confirmed when they opened the stomach and found only sealskin.

“The students were all able to watch the butchering, cutting up the animal parts and also skinning the polar bear, which is an important part of the process,” said Kilabuk.

“This was a very important experience for the students to witness, to go through, and to be at the site when this happened.”

Students from Attagoyuk Ilisavik school observe the butchering and skinning of a harvested polar bear on May 22 led by local elders and guides. (Photo courtesy of Sara Fitzpatrick)

For his classmates, Kilabuk-Nakashuk was the hero of the day. The group gathered for a photo with him and the polar bear “to help him celebrate the catch,” said Kilabuk.

“The students were feeling a lot safer going to bed that night after the polar bear had been harvested,” he said.

Kilabuk-Nakashuk has reported the harvest to the local wildlife office in accordance with regulations, as the event took place during open polar bear hunting season.

Oh, and the group came home with lots of Arctic char, too, said Attagoyuk Ilisavik school principal Sara Fitzpatrick.

Correction: This story was updated to correct the name of the lake where the students were staying.