Community members, police officers and military personnel are all participating in the search for Charlie Hokanak, 58.

Hokanak was last seen Saturday, Nov. 23 at 9:30 a.m. when he left his hunting group by snowmobile, hauling a qamutik.

When he failed to return, RCMP and the Kugluktuk Search and Rescue Society were notified. They immediately began their search.

Poor weather hampered their efforts most of the week.

"Visibility has been poor due to snow, blowing snow, fog and freezing rain," said Const. Mike Lokken.

"The upside of that is that the temperature is warm," he said.

Lokken said community members remained hopeful because Hokanak was dressed for the weather, carrying a rifle and has served as a member of the Canadian Rangers since 1985.

"Charlie is an experienced hunter. He's been a Canadian Ranger for 17 years, he's in good physical condition and he was dressed for the weather," said Lokken.

A community meeting organized Wednesday night brought more than 250 people together to discuss how they could assist with search efforts. As dozens of people provide back up support and cook meals for search personnel, another 40 residents are involved in the ground search for Hokanak.

On Saturday morning, Nov. 30, four aircraft were also in the air assisting with the search. Two of the planes were civilian crafts and two belonged to Yellowknife's 440 Squadron. Military personnel are also actively involved in the ground search.