Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 23, 2008

ARVIAT - Two large herds of caribou passed by Arviat earlier this month, with one taking a different route than usual.

The first herd was reportedly close to 300,000 strong and was spotted on Nunavut Day.

The large herd didn't draw the usual attention right away due to the direction it was travelling.

Arviat resident Bobby Suluk spotted the herd at McConnell River, about 23 kilometres south of Arviat.

He surveyed the herd with binoculars and estimated it to be about five kilometres across at its widest point.

"They were bunched very thickly together in a number of places," said Suluk.

"The first day they were there, we only saw about three quads (ATVs) in the area.

"At first the community wasn't really aware of its arrival because the herd seemed to come from the south, so it wasn't bothered much during the first day or two it was out there.

"After the first to spot them got back to town, then people who needed meat went right out to where the caribou were located."

A second herd went by Arviat this past week, coming from the usual northern direction towards the hamlet.

The immense herd passed within four kilometres of the community.

Suluk said the second herd also numbered several-hundred-thousand strong and attracted more attention from local hunters.

"The Nunavut Day herd almost snuck by without too many people knowing they were out there.

"They move across the land very fast, but it still takes a herd that size about 10 days to go far enough that local hunters won't bother with them.

"We came back to the area where we first saw the Nunavut Day herd just a few days later and there wasn't a single caribou out there."

Suluk said summer herds aren't hunted nearly as much as those in the fall.

He said that's the best time to hunt caribou near Arviat.

"They're not really that close to town in September, but they're nice and fat and there's no more bugs to bother them.

"The people go out and get what they need and cache the meat on the land.

"You have to use any meat you get this time of year or freeze it right away.

"If you tried to cache your meat now, it would be rotten in a day."