Scenario:
On March 26th, Oliver Durham, Gary Todd, and three Inuvialuit guides, will be setting out on an expedition through the frozen lands of the Northwest Territories.
With dog sleds below and sun dogs above, these men will be on an authorized exclusive bowhunt for the largest and most dangerous predator in existence.
Location:
The M'Clure Strait separates Prince Patrick Island and Banks Island. This Arctic Ocean strait, like most of the ocean in this region, is frozen year round.
The surrounding icelocked islands are some of the most inaccessible parts of Canada.
Prince Patrick Island is the most westernly of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Northwest Territories, Canada.
The area they will be hunting is further north than the most northern point in Alaska.
It is separated from Melville Island by the Kellett and Fitzwilliam straits.
Prince Patrick Island is about 150 miles (240 km) long, 20–50 miles (30–80 km) wide, and 6,119 square miles (15,848 square km) in area.
Prince Patrick Island is uninhabited and there are no known communities, past or present.
A station called Mould Bay was opened in 1948 as part of a joint Canada-U.S. military effort to support a high arctic weather station network.
It had a temporary staff of between 10 and 40 people.
The station was closed in 1995 due to budget cuts and replaced with an automated weather station. The remains of the buildings still stand.
Prince Patrick Island was first explored in 1853 and (much later) named for Prince Arthur William Patrick, Duke of Connaught, who was Governor General 1911-16.
The island rises to only about 200m, and the area is seismically active.
Polar Bears:
In the Arctic, polar bears dine primarily on seals.
Adult male polar bears weigh from 775 to more than 1,500 pounds.
Polar bears are well-adapted to severe cold. Winter temperatures in the far north often plunge to -40° F or -50° F and can stay that way for days or even weeks.
The five "polar bear nations" where the ice bears are found include the U. S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway.
|
|
M'Clure Strait, Northwest Territories, Canada
Latitude : N74° 13' 37.99600"
Longitude: W117° 27' 13.91676"
UTM: Zone = 11 : N = 8237282.760 m : E = 486228.618 m
Weather : Sachs Harbor
Partly Cloudy
|
High :
-12°C
Low :
-19°C
Current Temp:
|
Windchill :
-25°C
Humidity :
86%
-16°C
|
|