When I was stationed at Cape Lisburne in 73-74, in one of my trips back I was seated next to a missionary from one of the villages.
Our conversation turned to the natives after he mistaken me being from one of the villages. Topics turned to how the people lived and their problems.
Hunting became one of the subjects. He casually mentioned he even ventured out with the men occasionally. They hunted Caribou and Nanuqs. I inquired what weapons they used to go after the big bad white predators.... 5.56. Why? They get the ammo from the Guard members. M193s most likely. Most of those guys in the villages are dirt poor, free ammo is a nice gift.
How do they kill the Polar bears? They hunt with dogs. Dogs will surround the bear and they shoot them in the neck or head. My guess over time they must have lost some dogs and men.
I am not that brave to go after Nanuqs with 5.56. I've seen bear tracks on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, some make my size 10 prints on the sand look tiny. Them boys are huge. At Fairbanks airport there used be a stuffed Polar standing up. Right next to it, I was looking at its balls.