Yellowknife (Feb 22/06) - No more cows and fewer caribou tags are some of the restrictions resident hunters will have to get used to in the coming weeks.

Betsy Mawdsley skins a caribou in the Fort Smith region. The government will be introducing new hunting regulations designed to boost caribou herd numbers. - NNSL file photo

Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger told the legislative assembly Monday that dwindling herd numbers will force the government to restrict the hunt - at least temporarily - for the first time since the late 1970s.

"(The rules) are changing as we speak," said Miltenberger.

"As we roll them out, there will be public notifications, so people are aware of when they take effect."

Resident non-aboriginal hunters will see their quotas drop from five to two tags per year and targeting cows - female caribou - will be outlawed. Miltenberger expects those changes will come in the next few weeks.

Big game outfitters bringing in clients from outside the NWT will also see a reduced number of tags. They'll go back to 1999 numbers, which allowed individual outfitters 132 tags per year instead of the 190 they enjoy today.

They will be allowed to hunt more wolves, however. Non-resident hunters will now be allowed to kill two wolves instead of one.

The government also plans to conduct new surveys of all the caribou herds in the territory, including the Bathurst, the most commonly seen around Yellowknife in winter.

Miltenberger said the changes are necessary because most caribou herds appear to be in decline. Government biologists say the Bathurst herd numbers when last surveyed in 2003 were little more than half of what they were in 1996, when there were 350,000 animals counted.

One proposed change that Miltenberger alluded to last month, but wasn't included in his announcement, was a no-shooting zone along winter roads and on the Ingraham Trail past Powder Point.

He said that rule may come at a later date.

"(Monday's announcement) is not an event. This is part of a process," said Miltenberger.

"Stay tuned, there's going to be more required and we're going to get to that in consultation with all our partners."

Bryan Rendell, owner of the newly-minted Wolverine Gun and Tackle shop, said he doesn't support either the tag reductions or the ban on hunting cows.

He said it can be difficult to tell the difference between a cow and a young bull. Unlike moose or deer, both sexes have antlers, although bulls lose them after the fall rut.

"You watch, this will cause lots of problems with guys shooting cows by accident," said Rendell.

"It's a hard one to figure out when you're standing out in a snowstorm looking at two caribou, whether they're bulls or cows."

Boyd Warner, president of the Barrenground Outfitters Association, agrees. He imagines resident hunters shooting cows by mistake and simply leaving them in the bush out of fear of prosecution.

Although he is happy the government is increasing the number of wolf tags, he said even more should be culled.

"They're focusing on the wrong harvesters," said Warner.

"Wolves and bears are killing way more. They're scared of what the southern do-gooders are going to say if they start a wolf program."

Miltenberger said hunters will be held accountable whether they shoot cows by mistake or otherwise.

"The assumption is going to be that you better be sure what you're shooting at," said Miltenberger.

Aboriginal hunters in some regions who have no quotas may also be affected. Wildlife management boards are recommending reduced harvests for Cape Bathurst and Bluenose West herds further north, which have seen a drastic drop in herd size after a survey was completed last year.

Monfwi MLA Jackson Lafferty said the territorial government must work closely with aboriginal governments if there are going to be any restrictions on the aboriginal hunt.

"We live off the land and off the wildlife. That's an issue in the communities," said Lafferty.

"We need to respect that."