Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 09/06) - Hunters are on notice that their days of bagging five caribou from the side of the road may be coming to an end.

Michael Miltenberger, minister of Environment and Natural Resources, warned last week that a number of changes - due as early as next month - could see resident caribou quotas drop from five to two or three animals, and restrictions on where people can hunt.

"We're looking at some potential reductions in tags, shooting corridors, those type of things," said Miltenberger.

"Not as convenient as whistling up these roads all over the place with your big four-wheelers, and offload your Ski-Doo, zoom away and get your quota."

The changes are in response to government data indicating that many caribou herds in the NWT are in a sharp decline, he said.

Survey results for the Bathurst caribou herd three years ago indicated that their numbers have declined by 50 per cent - to 186,000 animals from 350,000 in 1996. This herd is the one that most commonly migrates near Yellowknife.

A census released last fall showed huge drops for the Bluenose and Cape Bathurst herds further north as well.

At the top of the list for quota reductions are big game outfitters and resident hunters, but Miltenberger said they may include aboriginal hunters as well, who have no restrictions on the number of caribou they can harvest.

That would require consultation with aboriginal governments and caribou management committees first, he said.

"Collectively, we want to sit down and decide on the best way to address the issue of making sure the herds are healthy," said Miltenberger.

"If they're not healthy, why not? And what do we have to do to address that?"

To do that, Miltenberger said the government intends to place checkpoints along common hunting routes and conduct community surveys among aboriginal hunters. The government has already begun a hunter survey program, which asks for kidneys and backfat measurements to be submitted with hope that they will give good indications of the caribou's health.

Last year, the government suggested that the resident harvest accounts for 1,000 animals a year, up to 1,300 for non-resident big game hunters, and between 5,000 to 8,000 among aboriginal hunters.

The government has been criticized by hunting groups, who accuse them of directing all their attention on pipelines and diamonds while only putting a half-hearted effort into maintaining caribou stocks.

Boyd Warner, president of the Barrenground Caribou Outfitters Association, has long argued that the research to date has been inadequate.

"I agree, if they feel the harvest needs to be reduced," said Warner.

"But there's a lot of harvesters of caribou, and the primary one is the grizzly bears and the wolves."

"The biologists have told us each wolf kills between 20 and 50 caribou a year."

Warner said his group feels the only way the government will be able to get accurate measurements of caribou numbers is to study the predators as well.

The outfitters association proposes that the government should allow a limited hunt of grizzlies and increase the number of wolves their customers can kill from one to two.

The prediction is that outfitter tags will be reduced from just over 1,200 a year down to 900, said Warner.

Many of the recommendations made by outfitters are being taken into account, said Miltenberger.

A predator count is in the works, plus a comprehensive survey of all the caribou herds in the NWT, he said.

All of that will start this year.

But to get the survey off the ground, plus more resources poured into checkpoint stations and for enforcement, will cost a lot of money. A survey of the Cape Bathurst and Bluenose herds last year alone cost $500,000.

"It's definitely going to cost some serious money," said Miltenberger. "I have to find resources. We're going to see what the federal government is prepared to put on the table."

Meanwhile, Blaine Kelly with Martin Fishing Supplies - the only licensed firearms supplier in town - said he thinks the proposed changes are a good idea.

"People will have to do a little more hunting instead of windshield-warrioring," said Kelly. "It's just going to take the lazy hunter out of the picture."