NWT Resident hunters question caribou rules

The Northwest Territoriesgovernment announced yesterday that the Bluenose-East caribou herd will remain off limits to resident huntersthose whove lived in the territory for the mandatory two years in order to apply for a resident hunting licence.

• Beverly, Ahiak caribou herds open to resident hunters

Survey data shows the herds population has plummeted by more than 30,000 animals in the last three years. This year, only aboriginal subsistence hunters will be able to harvest from that herd.

But some resident hunters arent sure thats fair.

There continues to be an unrestricted harvest of the Bluenose East herd by the hunters who are responsible for 99.9 percent of the harvest, says resident hunterKen Hall. It seems if there is a conservation concern with the herd, there should be restrictions placed on all hunters,not just resident hunters.

While resident hunters wont have access to the Bluenose East caribou herd, they will be able to get a tag to harvest one caribou from the Beverly and Ahiak herds. Hunting restrictions there have been loosened for the first time since 2009.

Hall says this is a step in the right direction, but he believes those herds are healthy enough to grant more tags.

GNWT wants mandatory harvest reporting

The GNWT made no suggestion of restricting the aboriginal hunt yesterday, but the territorys environment minister did promise to work towards mandatory reporting of harvested animals for all hunters.

By the end of the year, we're going to work with co-management boards and aboriginal government to come to an agreement on reporting so that it's mandatory, because none of us can monitor what we can't count, said Michael Miltenberger.

Miltenberger wants to see reporting guidelines worked in to the regulations of the territory's new Wildlife Act.