Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Arviat (Dec 08/99) - In all his years hunting on the land, Arviat's Jake Peugatuk Ettuk had never seen a sight quite like it.

Yet, for one brief moment in time, there it was. A polar bear, riding in the back of a kamatik, chasing two other polar bears across the tundra.

Ettuk was on the land near Akujuak guiding an American hunter named Tom on a search for polar bear.

"When I first spotted the polar bears with my binoculars, they were on the shoreline," says Ettuk.

"We waited for them to go right off the shore and onto the land before moving in."

Ettuk moved the kamatik closer to the bears.

They were going at full speed because the dog team had spotted the bears and become excited.

Just as Tom, a big man weighing nearly 400 pounds, had got off the sled and was sighting his rifle, the bears spotted them and began running away.

Ettuk got Tom back on the kamatik and sped after them.

"We got close again and I ordered my dogs to stop. I put my hook onto the kamatik so the dogs wouldn't run again.

"The hook got off by accident when its rope broke and the dogs took off with me still on the kamatik, while Tom was shooting one of the larger animals."

As the kamatik neared the bears, Ettuk, fearing he would be taken right into the middle of them, quickly jumped off.

The dogs were right on top of the wounded bear when it got tangled up among their harness.

"The dogs started to chase the other two bears which were running away and the wounded bear rolled over onto the kamatik.

"He managed to pull his legs up and was right in the sled.

"He had a short ride before he fell back off. He was so scared he pooped into the tarp.

"He was doing all this mess while he was riding on the kamatik."

Ettuk's friend, Tom, was so happy with getting a polar bear and the strange event he got to witness, he tipped his guide an extra $1,500.

He also said he'd be back again in about two years, but Ettuk doesn't think anything that crazy will happy again.

"That was the first time I ever saw anything like that and I don't think I'll ever see a polar bear riding a kamatik again."